Read Online The Artful Goddaughter by Melodie Campbell - Free Book Online

above their heads. Iridescent green feathers floated to the ground.
    I looked at my watch. Countdown now .
    In ten seconds, I was through the double doors. Another twenty, and I was in the west gallery.
    It kind of…didn’t smell good in there. Evidence of the backup plan.
    Jimmy had just taken the real Kugel off the wall. The one he had put there by mistake the last time we tried this.
    â€œHand me the one in the sack,” he said.
    I pulled the genuine “three boobies” painting out of the bag and passed it to him.
    He got busy hanging it. “Now take that one down to Mad Magda.”
    â€œWhat?” I said.
    â€œMrs. Bari,” explained Jimmy. “She’s my accomplice.”
    I gasped. “Mrs. Bari is Mad Magda? Our Mrs. Bari?”
    â€œGet goin’, toots. She’s waiting.”
    I picked up the other painting and ran.
    No one was in the hallway. As I passed through it, I could hear yelling and screaming and, okay, cackling coming from the great hall.
    Two turns and I was in the room where the twentieth-century paintings were displayed. Mad Magda—Mrs. Bari to me—had the other painting down when I got there.
    â€œHand me that,” she said gruffly. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an elderly woman move so fast.
    Mad Magda. Who’da thunk it? I used to hear tales of her pulling heists when I was a kid. Mad Magda was a legend in The Hammer. Watching her work, I could see why.
    â€œMrs. Bari, I’ve got to ask. Are you and Jimmy an item?”
    She snorted. “We’ve been lovers for five decades.”
    Okay. Didn’t really need to know that.
    But I couldn’t help thinking…was there a Mr. Bari?
    She read my mind. “Mr. Bari died cleaning his rifle.”
    I nodded sympathetically.
    â€œTake this back up to Jimmy.” She gestured to the painting on the floor. “I’m going out the other way.”
    â€œHuh?” I said intelligently.
    She gathered up her tools and sighed. “As part of the cleaning crew.”
    Ah! Clever.
    â€œNobody notices little old ladies,” she said patiently. “People don’t see past the gray hair and wrinkles. See you at the wedding.”
    I nodded my thanks. Then I picked up the fake Kugel and ran.
    Jimmy was waiting for me in the “three boobies” room, holding open a green garbage bag. “Put it in here. I’ll meet you on the other side.”
    I nodded and deposited the fake painting. Then I peeked into the hallway. Still empty.
    In less than a minute, I was back in the great hall.
    Things were calming down now. I saw Pete struggling with Nico to get Pauly into the bag. Joey and the cameraman had cornered the cat.
    Lainy was still yakking with fans. The security guard was getting her autograph.
    The gallery manager was wiping sweat from his brow. But he looked pretty happy.
    Stoner was sitting against a wall with a dreamy smile on his face. In other words, being Stoner.
    My eyes searched the room. Jimmy shuffled out from behind the…not sure where he came from. But he made the signal.
    I backed away from the group to the shadows again.
    Jimmy limped by with his walker. He passed me the green garbage bag, then continued on his way to the elevator.
    I checked for staff. The manager, security guard and ticket taker were all over with Lainy, getting their pictures taken as planned. The coast was clear.
    I signaled to Tiff. She turned and said something to her gang.
    A few moments later, I walked nonchalantly down the stairs and out the front door, in the middle of a crowd of chattering girls. As soon as we parted, Tiff and the others started singing.
    â€œWho…who…who let the cat in?”
    All along the lane, they sang at the top of their lungs.
    I grinned. Good ol’ Tiff. Another distraction.
    I snuck around the side of the building and peeked in the bag.
    Happily, it was the right bag. Meaning, not the bag of stinky dog poo we