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Authors: Daniel Silva
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his beautiful wife.
Harkness removed them now from his coat pocket. Strange, but there were only three. Where was the fourth? By the time the taillights of the Rover disappeared around the corner, Harkness had his answer. But what to do? Run after him? Demand it back? Couldn’t possibly do that. Higher Authority had spoken. Higher Authority had instructed Harkness to give the angel a wide berth. And so he stood there, trap shut, eyes on the ground, wondering what the angel had hidden in that damn glove.
11
SOMERSET, ENGLAND
G abriel peered at the tip of his left forefinger.
“What is it?” asked Chiara.
“Lead white, vermilion, and perhaps a touch of natural azurite.”
“Flakes of paint?”
“And I can see fabric fibers as well.”
“What kind of fabric?”
“Ticking, the kind of heavy cotton or linen that was used for mattress covers and sails in seventeenth-century Holland. Rembrandt used it to fashion his canvases.”
“What does the presence of paint flakes and fibers on the landing mean?”
“If I’m correct, it means we’re looking for a Rembrandt with a bullet hole in it.”
Gabriel blew the material from his fingertip. They were heading westward along a two-lane road through the Polden Hills. Directly ahead, a bright orange sun hung low above the horizon suspended between two thin strata of cloud.
“You’re suggesting Liddell fought back?”
Gabriel nodded. “The evidence was all there in his studio.”
“Such as?”
“The broken glass and chemical residue, for starters.”
“You think it was spilled during a physical struggle?”
“Unlikely. Liddell was smart enough to know not to get into a wrestling match with a well-armed thief. I think he used his solvent as a weapon.”
“How?”
“Based on the residue on the floor, I’m guessing Liddell threw it in the thief’s face. It would have burned his eyes badly and left him blinded for several seconds—enough time for Liddell to run. But he made one mistake. He took her with him.”
“The Rembrandt?”
Gabriel nodded. “It’s too big to hold with one hand, which means he would have had to grasp it by both vertical lengths of the stretcher.” Gabriel demonstrated by gripping the steering wheel at the three o’clock and nine o’clock positions. “It must have been awkward trying to carry it down that narrow staircase, but Liddell almost made it. He was just a couple of steps from the landing when the first shot hit him. That shot exited the front of Liddell’s neck and, if I’m correct, pierced the painting before entering the wall. Judging from the composition and color tone of the paint flakes, I’d say the bullet passed through the right side of her face.”
“Can a bullet hole be repaired?”
“No problem. You’d be surprised at the idiotic things people do to paintings.” Gabriel paused. “Or for paintings.”
“What does that mean?”
“Christopher was a romantic. When we were in Venice together, he was always falling in love. And invariably he would end up with a broken heart.”
“What does that have to do with the Rembrandt?”
“It’s all in his restoration notes,” Gabriel said. “They’re a love letter. Christopher had finally fallen for a woman who wouldn’t hurt him. He was obsessed with the girl in that painting. And I believe he died because he wouldn’t let her go.”
“There’s just one thing I don’t understand,” Chiara said. “Why didn’t the thief take any of the other paintings, like the Monet or the Cézanne?”
“Because he was a professional. He came there for the Rembrandt. And he left with it.”
“So what do we do now?”
“Sometimes the best way to find a painting is to discover where it’s been.”
“Where do we start?”
“At the beginning,” said Gabriel. “In Amsterdam.”
12
MARSEILLES
I f Maurice Durand were inclined toward introspection, which he was not, he might have concluded that the course of his life was determined the day he
Harkness removed them now from his coat pocket. Strange, but there were only three. Where was the fourth? By the time the taillights of the Rover disappeared around the corner, Harkness had his answer. But what to do? Run after him? Demand it back? Couldn’t possibly do that. Higher Authority had spoken. Higher Authority had instructed Harkness to give the angel a wide berth. And so he stood there, trap shut, eyes on the ground, wondering what the angel had hidden in that damn glove.
11
SOMERSET, ENGLAND
G abriel peered at the tip of his left forefinger.
“What is it?” asked Chiara.
“Lead white, vermilion, and perhaps a touch of natural azurite.”
“Flakes of paint?”
“And I can see fabric fibers as well.”
“What kind of fabric?”
“Ticking, the kind of heavy cotton or linen that was used for mattress covers and sails in seventeenth-century Holland. Rembrandt used it to fashion his canvases.”
“What does the presence of paint flakes and fibers on the landing mean?”
“If I’m correct, it means we’re looking for a Rembrandt with a bullet hole in it.”
Gabriel blew the material from his fingertip. They were heading westward along a two-lane road through the Polden Hills. Directly ahead, a bright orange sun hung low above the horizon suspended between two thin strata of cloud.
“You’re suggesting Liddell fought back?”
Gabriel nodded. “The evidence was all there in his studio.”
“Such as?”
“The broken glass and chemical residue, for starters.”
“You think it was spilled during a physical struggle?”
“Unlikely. Liddell was smart enough to know not to get into a wrestling match with a well-armed thief. I think he used his solvent as a weapon.”
“How?”
“Based on the residue on the floor, I’m guessing Liddell threw it in the thief’s face. It would have burned his eyes badly and left him blinded for several seconds—enough time for Liddell to run. But he made one mistake. He took her with him.”
“The Rembrandt?”
Gabriel nodded. “It’s too big to hold with one hand, which means he would have had to grasp it by both vertical lengths of the stretcher.” Gabriel demonstrated by gripping the steering wheel at the three o’clock and nine o’clock positions. “It must have been awkward trying to carry it down that narrow staircase, but Liddell almost made it. He was just a couple of steps from the landing when the first shot hit him. That shot exited the front of Liddell’s neck and, if I’m correct, pierced the painting before entering the wall. Judging from the composition and color tone of the paint flakes, I’d say the bullet passed through the right side of her face.”
“Can a bullet hole be repaired?”
“No problem. You’d be surprised at the idiotic things people do to paintings.” Gabriel paused. “Or for paintings.”
“What does that mean?”
“Christopher was a romantic. When we were in Venice together, he was always falling in love. And invariably he would end up with a broken heart.”
“What does that have to do with the Rembrandt?”
“It’s all in his restoration notes,” Gabriel said. “They’re a love letter. Christopher had finally fallen for a woman who wouldn’t hurt him. He was obsessed with the girl in that painting. And I believe he died because he wouldn’t let her go.”
“There’s just one thing I don’t understand,” Chiara said. “Why didn’t the thief take any of the other paintings, like the Monet or the Cézanne?”
“Because he was a professional. He came there for the Rembrandt. And he left with it.”
“So what do we do now?”
“Sometimes the best way to find a painting is to discover where it’s been.”
“Where do we start?”
“At the beginning,” said Gabriel. “In Amsterdam.”
12
MARSEILLES
I f Maurice Durand were inclined toward introspection, which he was not, he might have concluded that the course of his life was determined the day he
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