Some amount of time later, maybe thirty minutes, Garrett reappeared in the doorway. He gave Radek a short nod, and Aleš remained in the corridor.
Henri looked up at him. “Is everything satisfactory?”
“For now.”
“Grace.” Henri straightened, clasping his hands. “I must ask directly. Are you willing to return the egg to me? I will pay you well for it. Perhaps not as well as an auction house would offer, but without the delays and complications.”
Since the jeweler in Michigan had first suggested I might have a real treasure in my possession, I’d thought about what millions of dollars might mean for me. The Velvet Bean wasn’t struggling, per se, but I wasn’t bringing in so much money I didn’t have to worry about payroll on occasion.
I stared at the photograph of Didi one more time. Therightthing to do would be to give it to Henri. But was that idealism? Should I at least ask for enough money to pay Round Table Security for all the personnel and the travel? Garrett had been paying for everything because they’d insisted they would cover the whole event. And he deserved more than a thank you for everything he’d done. Of course, I didn’t know how much Henri intended. His idea of paying me well could have been a few thousand dollars.
“Grace?” he asked again.
I nodded. “It should be with your family.”
“Thank you.” Henri clasped his hands in front of himself as though in prayer. “Thank you. We need to have it authenticated first, though. I’ve arranged for an expert to ensure everything is properly documented for the transfer.”
Garrett neared us. “I don’t want to risk being surprised by your expert. I’d like to run a background check.”
“Of course, of course.” Henri waved a hand. “His name is Brandon Caulfield.”
Oh shit.
Garrett’s jaw tightened, and he took a half-step toward me as though the danger were already in the room.
“He’s highly respected in the field. He trained at Christie’s, consulted for museums across Europe. He authenticated aRomanov tiara for the Hermitage last year.” Henri continued, oblivious to the worry churning in my stomach and the firm set of Garrett’s jaw. “Once the authentication is complete,” Henri said, “the transfer can be made official. My father’s legacy will finally be home.”
Chapter 27
Galahad
As I raisedmy fist to knock on Arthur and Merlin’s door at the hotel, Aleš took position next to it without being asked. When the door swung open, Radek came in with Grace and me.
Arthur nodded as we rolled our bags into the suite. After we finished our briefing, Grace and I would check into our adjoining rooms down the hall, which wouldn’t be as posh as this suite. Two burgundy brocade couches faced each other across a low table, with wing chairs at either end. A wide archway opened to a television room beyond, with leather armchairs and a cream-colored plush couch for lounging, and what must have been the bedroom doors past that.
Two laptops and one tablet sat on the table. Merlin rose from his chair and placed his tablet next to the other. “Grace. Galahad. Good to see you both.”
Arthur shook Radek’s hand. “Arthur Penn.”
“Radek Horvácek. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Penn.”
“Mr. Penn is my father. Call me Arthur.”
“And you can call me Merlin.” John shook Radek’s hand, then turned to Grace. “How are you holding up?”
She parked her bag by the door and gave him her signature smile. “It’s been an interesting week, to say the least.”
“Isn’t that a Chinese curse?” asked Arthur as he took one of the wing chairs.
Merlin took the other chair, leaving the two couches. “So the saying goes, but it’s more likely a British saying.”
“Really?” Arthur stroked his short beard, as though the two men were about to get into a philosophical debate about British expressions.
As Radek sat on one of the couches, I said to Grace, “This is going to be the boring part. You may want to skip it.”
“I’m good.” She sat on the vacant couch and tucked her feet underneath her.
Which left me with a strategic choice. If I sat next to her, Arthur and Merlin would grill me about my proximity later. If I sat too close, they’d suspect something happened between her and me. If I sat too far, they’d know I was trying to hide that I wanted to sit next to her. If I sat next to Radek…
