Page 74 of Stuart Woods' Smolder

“Are you familiar with the American painter Matilda Stone?”

“Sure. Great eye. Beautiful work. New York City settings.”

“That’s the one. I’m in need of a few of her pieces.”

“How many is a few?”

“Three. Can you do them?”

“I can do her style, but it’ll depend on when you need them.”

“Friday, ten a.m.”

Rudy laughed.

“I’m not kidding.”

“Simon, you’ve always been a good customer, but I’m going to have to pass on this one.”

“I’ll pay a premium.”

“Good for you. That doesn’t change the fact that I couldn’t even get one done in that time.”

“Here’s the thing. They don’t have to be perfect. They just have to be good enough to pass a quick look from someone who knows nothing about art.”

There was a beat of silence before Rudy said, “What are you playing at?”

“You know I can’t go into details about a client. But suffice it to say this one won’t even notice they aren’t original.”

“He might not figure it out right away, but at some point he would, wouldn’t he?”

“I don’t think so. But even if he does, he’ll never know you had anything to do with it.”

“What kind of a premium are we talking about?”

Simon smiled. “Twenty thousand.”

“All together? Or each?”

“Each.”

The line went quiet for several seconds as Rudy thought it through.

Finally, the forger said, “Drying’s going to be an issue.”

“You can use whatever method it takes to have them ready in time. As long as they look close enough to the originals, it doesn’t matter.”

If Simon determined he needed to use the forgeries, then on top of the million Petry was going to pay him, he could also sell the originals for more than he’d pay Rudy. He even had a buyer in mind. Thinking that way, sixty thousand for a few forgeries would be a good investment.

“You send me the info on the originals right away, and you got yourself a deal.”

“What would you say to having the originals to work from?”

“I would say that would be the most helpful thing you could do.”

“I’ll bring the first one to you tomorrow.”

“Someday, I want you to tell me what this is all about.”

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