AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He couldn't imagine living on so much white furniture.He'd be afraid to eat or drink anything.But there wasn't even a hint of a smudge on the white sofa.
"Flynn told me about your situation," Francesca said."The robbery at the museum and the paintings that were stolen.I believe two belonged to your great-grandparents."
"Tomas was my great-grandfather," he confirmed."And Lucinda was Isabella's great-grandmother.We understand they painted together, that Tomas also taught other artists, and that there was a group that met regularly at his studio in the sixties.But they weren't particularly successful artists.They didn't sell any work as far as we know.I'm not sure they even had any showings.So why would someone want to steal their works of art after all this time?"
"I don't know, but my guess is that the theft of these paintings is personal.Perhaps a private collector, an art dealer, a jealous artist or lover."
He frowned."But there was another painting taken as well by Frederico Germain.It seems doubtful one person would have been jealous of all three of them."
"Maybe four," Isabella interjected."There was a painting by an artist named David Leoni that was stolen from a gallery in Florence six months ago.David Leoni was also a student of Tomas Caruso."
"I hadn't heard about David Leoni's work being stolen," Francesca said."So, you believe these four paintings were all taken by the same person?"
"Yes," Isabella said."But it wasn't one person at the museum.There were at least three."
"Someone is running a crew," he added.
Francesca nodded."That confirms what a friend at the Carabinieri told me.She said that the thieves at the museum were dressed all in black, including black gloves.I found that interesting because in the sixties, the same time period in which your relatives were painting, there was a crew of thieves known asLa Mano Nera—The Black Hand."
"Really?"Isabella asked, sitting up straighter as interest fired up her eyes."Is that because they wore black gloves?"
"Yes.During the Cold War, there were a great number of art thefts in Italy.Many were purported to be done by thieves dressed all in black, wearing black gloves.The crew was started by a master thief with the name Roberto Falconeri.He and his brother, Bruno, stole and smuggled art out of the country to private collectors and criminal organizations.Roberto Falconeri burned his hands in a fire, so it was believed that he wore gloves to prevent the scars from being used to identify him.When he grew his one-man operation into a criminal enterprise, he insisted everyone wear black gloves."
"Was Falconeri caught and prosecuted for his crimes?"he asked.
"No.After the Carabinieri was created in 1969 to stem the flow of stolen art and culture out of the country, the crew dropped out of sight.I'm not sure they ever operated again, or if they did, they changed their clothing and made sure there was no tie toLa Mano Nera."
"That's fascinating," Isabella said."But if the police knew who Falconeri was, why couldn't they find him?"
"Bruno Falconeri was killed in 1970.He was shot in the head, and his killer was never found.Roberto disappeared after that.I don't believe he was ever located."
"Would Roberto be alive today?"Isabella asked.
"I doubt it, but if he was, he'd be in his late nineties by now."
"What about kids?Maybe one of them has recreated their family's criminal enterprise."
"Roberto had no children.Bruno had a daughter, but she died in her teens.It could be another relative or a former associate who might still be alive today."
"Wouldn’t Captain Lavezzo at the Carabinieri know about this group calledLa Mano Nera?"Isabella asked."It sounds like they were a legendary crew of thieves."
"He would know about them," Francesca confirmed."But as I said, there have been no thefts tied to them in the last fifty years."
"But the paintings stolen this week were all at least fifty years old," he murmured."Let's bring it back to the present.Frederico Germain was the other artist whose painting was stolen.What do you know about him?"
"He started the Istituto d'Arte Roma, a school for budding artists not far from here.He was probably a better teacher than an artist, but he had some success early in his life.As he grew older, he became an alcoholic and one day he burned his paintings in a drunken rage.I was actually surprised to hear there was a painting left to be stolen."
"Do you think he knew Tomas or Lucinda?"
"I would think so."Francesca paused, her expression changing slightly as if she were debating whether she wanted to say something.
"What?"he asked.
"Have you ever heard of Sam Beringer?"
He nodded, his body tensing at her question."I have.Why?"
"There was speculation he might have been involved with Falconeri.They were both very good at stealing.Some might have said they were rivals.Others might have said partners."
