Gabriel's Promise (Gabriel's Inferno 4)

“I’m sorry about what happened last night,” he observed mournfully. “I’ve already taken the Holiday painting to be reframed. I worry that lending our illustrations to the Uffizi has drawn far more attention to us than I realized.”

Julia shifted by the fire. She was the one who had wanted to share the illustrations with the world. But she hadn’t expected someone to break into their home because of it.

“Nicholas’s family were robbed several years go. The intruders took a few priceless pieces, including a Renoir.”

Julia frowned. “It was in the news. Someone was killed.”

“Yes.” Gabriel covered his eyes for a moment. “The security consultant was very thorough. He looked at our existing system, walked around the property, and surveyed the perimeter. He went through the entire house.”

“And what did he say?”

“He wondered why the intruder didn’t take anything, since all the valuable artwork is on the ground floor.”

“Maybe he was going to take something but wanted to check upstairs first.” Julia shivered. Her gaze moved to Clare.

“It’s possible. If you were him, what would you take?”

“I don’t know.” Julia paused, going through the house in her mind. “There’s the statue of Venus. It’s valuable, but it’s small. There’s the Greek and Roman pottery. I’d probably take Tom Thomson’s Sketch for ‘The Jack Pine.’ The finished version is in the National Gallery of Canada. Our house is easier to break into than that.”

“The intruder moved Cézanne’s The Barque of Dante. I found it leaning against the wall. He must have taken it down to examine the back and the frame.”

“That’s probably the most valuable piece. Why didn’t he steal it?”

“I don’t know.”

“The original by Delacroix is eight times larger and it’s in the Louvre. Again, our house is easier to break into.”

“And Cézanne’s version could be hidden under a coat.”

“Maybe he left it against the wall and intended to come back for it. But we surprised him.”

“Maybe.” Gabriel didn’t sound convinced. “I sent an inventory to Nicholas. He hasn’t gotten back to me, but I expect he’ll flag that piece as the most desirable.”

“Right. So what did the security specialist say?” Julia wrapped her arms around her waist, steeling herself for the answer.

“He was very thorough,” Gabriel said slowly. “But he pointed out that we are exposed on Foster Place. We have a fence at the back but not the front. Our side door is steps from the street, so anyone can walk up. He can upgrade our security system to something state-of-the-art, but we’re vulnerable in that location.”

The color of Julia’s face lightened several shades. “What did he suggest?”

“He suggested we move.”

It took a moment for Julia to process the suggestion. “Move? Sell the house and move? Are you joking?”

“No, he suggested we move to a house with a proper wall in a gated community.”

“Where?”

“Newton. Chestnut Hill.” Gabriel observed Julia’s face.

“Those properties are millions of dollars,” she whispered.

Gabriel shrugged, in true Gabrielite fashion.

“Living in a compound would be like living in a cage. I want to live in a neighborhood, where we know our neighbors and I can take Clare for walks down the street.”

Gabriel moved so he could roll onto his side and still keep an eye on Clare. “You won’t be taking walks for some time. It isn’t safe.”

“That’s assuming someone is trying to hurt me and Clare. The robber was only interested in artwork.”