Page 28 of Traitors Gate

‘Presently,’ repeated Ross as he thumped a clenched fist on the table, causing several biscuits to have a life of their own.

‘Despite the fact we have an indisputable legal claim to the original,’ continued Beth, ‘we mustn’t forget possession is nine-tenths of the law, to use one of Ross’s favourite expressions, which was never truer than in this case. So we must accept we have about a ten per cent chance of success.’

‘I’ve backed horses with far longer odds than that,’ said Ross, ‘and won.’

‘And a darn sight more who’ve lost,’ William reminded him.

‘The museum could always launch a legal challenge,’ suggested James, trying to bring them back to the matter in hand, ‘claiming they’re the legitimate owners of the painting and have all the paperwork to prove it, including an agreement drawn up by Mr Booth Watson QC signed by Miles Faulkner and witnessed by Christina Faulkner, his ex-wife, who just happens to be a member of the museum’s board.’

‘Not for much longer,’ said Beth without explanation.

‘If the dispute ever came to court,’ said William, ‘it could take years to settle, and if Faulkner looked like losing the case, he’d have more than enough time to replace the original with yet another brilliant copy and then claim he’d also been cheated.’

‘And by then,’ chipped in Beth, ‘the legal costs alone could bankrupt the museum. I don’t have to remind you we arecurrently living on a shoestring and the board won’t want to hand over any of our hard-earned donations to lawyers.’

‘While that would only make a small dent in Faulkner’s fortune,’ threw in James.

‘But we do have a second choice,’ said Ross, looking directly at Beth. ‘You could take back what is unquestionably yours.’

‘Easier said than done,’ said Beth, ‘and I shouldn’t have to remind you, Ross, that as a serving police officer you’d be breaking the law.’

‘Not for the first time,’ muttered William.

‘Or would I?’ said Ross, ignoring the barb. ‘Is taking back something you already own technically a crime? And if it is, what would be the charge?’

‘You read law at Harvard, James,’ said Beth, ‘so what’s the definition of theft in your country, remembering that’s where the exchange would take place?’

‘Theft is the taking of another person’s personal property with the intent of depriving that person of the use of their property.’

‘Faulkner can always visit the Fitzmolean and see the Rubens during opening hours,’ suggested Ross. ‘Then we won’t have deprived him of it.’

‘And the English definition of theft?’ asked Beth, turning to William.

‘Doesn’t differ greatly from the States, but I suspect if we were caught, we’d win the argument in the court of public opinion but lose in a court of law.’

‘A fine point which once again the lawyers could debate for months on end. So, what we must decide,’ said Beth, ‘is whether it’s worth risking our careers to rescue a dead Flemish gentleman from Faulkner’s apartment in New York and bring him back to hang in London?’

‘While at the same time getting the better of Miles Faulkner,’ chipped in Ross. ‘Which not a lot of people have done in the past and would tip the balance for me.’

‘Before we do anything we might later regret,’ said Beth, returning to the real world, ‘let’s focus on the facts and whether it’s even possible to retrieve the painting.’ The rest of the team remained silent while Beth checked her notes. ‘The Fitz will be closed from five o’clock on Sunday afternoon to ten on Tuesday morning. Forty-one hours may sound like a long time, but if we decide to go ahead with our plan, we’re going to need every minute.’

‘The museum might be closed during that time,’ interrupted William, ‘but there would still be security guards on duty who would witness everything we’re doing.’

‘True,’ said Beth. ‘However, the museum can only afford a couple of guards over the weekend, and the present father and son duo who cover that particular shift are among the first people I’ll be letting go in the near future. The father has a drink problem, while I’m not altogether sure the son owns a watch. So if we can handle the removal of the painting while they’re on duty, chances are they won’t even realize what we’re up to.

‘Although I’ll have to teach you and William how to pack and unpack a large oil painting in the shortest possible time,’ continued Beth, ‘so you can carry out the switch just as quickly once you’re inside Faulkner’s apartment.’

‘In less than thirty minutes would be my bet,’ said James. ‘While I try to keep the realtor occupied.’

‘Professional handlers usually take over an hour to pack a painting of this importance,’ said Beth, ‘but I’ll try and show you how to speed up the whole process. The good news is that in common with most other museums, we never throwanything away, so the large packing crate the painting came in is still sitting in our warehouse at Wroughton, and I can retrieve it at a moment’s notice.’

‘And you’ll only have a moment’s notice,’ William reminded her.

‘One other piece of good news,’ continued Beth, looking back down at her notes, ‘is that Art Logistics have confirmed they can fly the painting to New York as part of their regular Sunday evening manifest, and it should arrive at Newark in the early hours of the following morning. They’ve also guaranteed that the crate will be delivered to East 61st Street no later than eleven o’clock that morning. However, that doesn’t come cheap.’

‘What about customs?’ said William. ‘They can hold things up forever.’

‘They’ve assured me as the work is valued at less than ten thousand dollars, that shouldn’t be a problem.’

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