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Pennington blanched as Claire continued, “I’m not sure your client will thank you for calling me in. Of course, you can choose to hire someone other than me whose ethics are spongier than my own.”
The Limbach Commission had been charged with restoring artwork confiscated by the Nazis. The Commission had done little in the way of helping those from whom priceless artifacts were stolen. They did an excellent job of categorizing and listing pieces that had been stolen, but once they resurfaced in a museum’s collection or at an auction, the Commission seemed to lose its ability or willingness to step in and spearhead the years and years of legal battles for one of the victims to have their stolen property returned to them.
Pennington showed her two more pieces, which Claire suspected had come from the same collector. All three were, as far as she knew, among the hundred thousand or more pieces of artwork that the Nazis had stolen but had yet to be recovered. Each time she moved in to take a closer look, she activated the camera.
In the van Mia was running real-time comparisons to pictures of the originals. “Holy shit,” Mia whispered. “All three are on the Commission’s list.”
“Mr. Pennington, are you aware that all three of these paintings have been listed with the Limbach Commission as having questionable provenance?”
“The individual loaning the museum these pieces assures me the provenance is in order and that there is no question as to the legality of their ownership.”
Claire looked through her phone to find the files in question and showed them to Pennington. “I suggest your buyer is either uninformed or a liar. But in any case, I am going to let the Commission know I saw all three pieces. I suspect you and your buyer will hear from them and the legitimate owner within short order. For the record, while I could appraise and restore your client’s pieces, I won’t. I don’t deal in blood antiquities.”
“But you came here today to talk to me about the work,” Pennington said.
“True, but I had no way of knowing the pieces were stolen or even had questionable provenance. You failed to disclose that to me.”
“I didn’t know…”
“I’m sorry, but you should have.”
Pennington bustled off, and Claire turned toward the gallery where the necklace had gone back to being on display. Her line of sight was completely blocked by the wall of man chest in front of her.
“Ethical and beautiful,” Fletcher said softly.
“Is there something I can help you with Mr. Fletcher?”
Taking her hand, he tucked it into the crook of his arm. “Why don’t you show me around the museum?”
Claire removed her hand. “This isn’t my museum. There are plenty of docents who would be happy to show you around.”
Fletcher recaptured her hand and put it back in the crook of his arm. “But I prefer your company.”
“Why?”
“Why not? You are beautiful, intelligent, and intriguing.”
Intriguing? What the hell does he mean by that? Has he reviewed the camera footage?
“I was surprised when I saw you on the guest list. I didn’t realize when I bumped into you just who you were,” he said smoothly. “I really wish you would let me pay for cleaning your gown, and if it’s ruined, I’d be happy to buy you another.”
“Neither will be necessary, but I do appreciate the offer. Why were you surprised I attended the gala?”
“I’m not sure, but somehow an art restoration expert and appraiser seemed an odd choice for a jewelry exhibit.”
Think fast. He may not know anything, but he thinks there’s something to know and that’s just as bad.
“Mine is not the kind of business you advertise. I often find new clients at events like the gala—museum directors, wealthy individuals, et cetera. You were providing security? I was surprised to see that the centerpiece for the exhibit is back.”
“Our transport ran into trouble and had to return to London.”
Transport? Interesting choice of words.
Claire said nothing but allowed him to lead her back into the gallery where the necklace was in its state-of-the-art protective case. As the jewelry exhibit was over, he led her to one of the paintings.
“What do you make of this?” he said, indicating a copy of the Mona Lisa. “Everyone knows the original hangs in the Louvre, so what’s the point?”
“The point is that the Mona Lisa has been loaned out before for brief periods of time, but this is a digitized version. It is an attempt to show the difference in the colors we now see, versus those in the original. There are subtle differences, and the original has aged, but the result is remarkable.”
