Kurt, Ed, and Tim Warner arrived at the Pay n' Stay hotel thinking they were going to investigate an ordinary robbery. Now they found themselves receiving art lessons from a man named Drew Oliver, art expert from the Arts and Crafts institute in Louisiana.
"There were other valuable items in the truck, but it was new and imfamous paintings they were the after. The market on those paintings have skyrocketed in recent years. There were twoof them in a locked case inside rear of the truck, which is separated from the front seats by a barrier. Both were made by the great kid artist Janice Lavell. I authenticated them myself for the sake of Dunham. At the auction they would have been bought for fifty thousand each, or more. The Horse's Ranch and The Screaming Mona Lisa. Magnificent."
"What time did you get here sir?" Kurt asked.
"Right around midnight. I was following the truck in my van all the way. I blinked my lights for the guy to pull in. We all needed a rest after driving for over twelve hours."
"How did you discover that the truck had been broken into?" Tim questioned.
"The hotel guard saw a car drive in and park next to the truck, then speed out of here about five minutes later. He got suspicious and checked the back. He found the trunk's back was open and the safe lock busted by a crowbar or something. Inside the truck, the case holding the pictures was also broken open. Both were stolen."
"Why was the van parked back there instead of the parking lot?" Ed asked.
"Our security guy, Rick Keeves, was riding with the driver. He made the decision."
The security guard confirmed the story and added, "It was a funny thing, really. They had just gone in to register at the desk, and I looked out at the parking lot just as a car came in and drove around to the back. It couldn't have been more than five minutes after they arrived. They were still in there registering. I didn't think too much of it, and I went on with my rounds. Then about ten minutes after that the car took off like a shot. That's when I went behind the hotel and investigated."
The van's driver, Eric Boles, said, "I was pretty sleepy, so I was glad when Mister Keeves signaled to turn in here. Look, I sure wouldn't be part of stealing something when I'm just a couple of years short of retirement."
"Do you carry a cell phone?" Ed asked.
"Nope. Keeves has one. That's enough for security, I'd think."
Rick Keeves said, "I got out first when we got here. Mister Oliver and I walked into the hotel together, and Eric stayed behind to get his gear out of the van. He came in no more than two minutes after we did. Then we all finished checking in and went to our rooms. I no more than got into my room when Mister Oliver called me on his cell phone from outside and told me he was there with the hotel security guy and that someone had broken into the van. I used the hotel phone to call you guys. I'd left my cell phone in the van."
Did you notice a car following the van, by any chance?"
"No. I glanced in the mirror as we started to turn in. All I saw was Mister Oliver's car."
The Warners returned to the art expert's room. "Mister Oliver, did you at any time notice a car following you?"
"No. There were mostly trucks on the interstate as the night wore on. And we weren't going very fast. Cars passed us in the fast lane, but I could see no car following us. Frankly, I think someone just saw the Dunham name on the van and knew there would be valuable items aboard. We're almost as well-known as the Klines or Bosses."
"Was there any publicity about the pictures and their being shipped by van?"
"No. We would never advertise a find like those pictures. We are very discreet."
Tim returned to the driver, Eric Boles, and asked him where his bags had been kept in the van.
"Well, there's not a lot of room in the cab. We don't do a lot of overnights like this trip. Keeves kept his bag in the cab, so I had to use my key to open up the lock on the rear doors of the van. My bag was just inside the doors. I took my bag out and locked the van up again. Then I took my flashlight back to the cab, locked the cab up and came on in."
Tim again questioned the Dunham security man, Rick Keeves. "When the van left the highway and pulled into the parking lot, why did you have it parked in the area behind the hotel, rather than one of the areas that are better lit?"
"Oh, that was Eric Boles' idea. He knew how Oliver felt about someone seeing the Durham name on the van and maybe trying to break in. I thought it wasn't the safest place, but I went along with it. Boles has been working with Oliver a lot longer than I have. But as a security guy, I'm interested in how you guys are going to solve this. It looks like a tough case to me."
"Not as tough as some I've seen. I know exactly how this heist was pulled off." Kurt said.
Can You Solve It?