Page 13 of Whispers of Redemption

“Good evening, sir. I’m Officer Riley and this is Officer Garcia. We need to speak with Ms. Kozlovsky. May we come in?”

“Of course!” Zack opened the door wider, allowing them to step into the foyer.

“Who is it, Zack?” Olga called from her studio.

“It’s the police...and Cassie.”

“What?” The shock in Olga’s voice was apparent. Cassie could hear her get up from her chair and unlock the wheels of her walker. In a moment, she entered their view, her walker rolling smoothly as she moved forward into the foyer. Her bright blue gaze swept over the group.

“Good evening, ma’am,” Officer Riley said. He introduced himself and then added, “We’re going to allow Ms. Sherwin to explain why we’re here, so if you could listen to her for a moment, please.”

Olga focused her attention on Cassie. “Cassandra, darling, what’s happened?”

Cassie told her. Zack’s eyes were wide when she finished, and Olga looked visibly pale. Zack quickly pulled out the chair from behind his desk, giving Olga a seat.

Officer Riley pulled out his notepad again. “Can you provide us with any details about what was inside the package you gave Ms. Sherwin, ma’am?” he asked Olga.

Olga’s eyes were unfocused.

“Ma’am?” he said again.

“Olga?” Zack looked concerned.

Olga’s attention returned to the room. “I’m sorry, yes, um...” She was uncharacteristically flustered and her voice was quiet. “It was an oil on canvas from the late sixteenth century, titled Madonna and Child with San Giovannino.” It was painted by an Italian artist, Cristofano Roncalli.”

“How valuable is it, ma’am?” Officer Riley asked.

She hesitated, then waved a hand vaguely. “Perhaps around $60,000.”

Officer Garcia let out a low whistle.

“But that’s nothing!” Olga cried.

“Not to me,” Officer Garcia said.

Olga lifted her fingers to her temples and began massaging.

“What Olga means, gentlemen,” said Zack, “is that the piece of artwork that was stolen is not particularly valuable in comparison to many of the other pieces she works on.”

“Regardless,” Officer Riley said, “that kind of money might be a fortune to someone. Who knew you were shipping it today?”

“Just me...and Zack.” Olga looked at her assistant and so did everyone else.

Olga immediately jumped to his defense. “I’m certain Zack had nothing to do with this. He’s been a loyal assistant of mine for the past six months, and his references are impeccable. Besides, what he says is true. Other pieces I work on are much more valuable than this one. It makes no sense for someone to steal this particular piece. Especially because it could have been stolen more easily at any time when it was in storage for the past decade.”

“Why was it in storage?” Officer Garcia asked.

“Museums acquire much more art than they can possibly display at any given time. You’d be surprised at how many works never even see the light of day,” Zack said. “For example, The Louvre only shows about eight percent of what they own, and the Guggenheim only three percent. They literally don’t have the space to show more. So, they’re forced to store the majority of their pieces.”

“Why was the painting you were shipping pulled out of storage now?” Officer Riley asked.

“That particular piece was sent to me so I could prepare it for a special exhibition they’re holding next month at a museum in Boston,” Olga said.

“Is it possible that the thief didn’t even know what he was stealing?” Zack asked.

“At this point, anything is possible,” Officer Garcia said.

Olga began wringing her hands. “In all my years of work, this has never happened to me before. Never. What should I do?”

---