Peter was enjoying his food, and thinking about the latest case he had yet to crack. The money was clearly the key, but without a warrant they couldn't check the suspects bank statements, and so far they had no evidence that would get them a warrant.
"Honey?" Elizabeth's voice floated through his ears and he was pulled back to the situation in front of him.
"Sorry, El. What did you say?"
She laughed lightly. This was an old routine for them. "The gallery called, they're planning for a party. Apparently there's a great new artist in France who paints landscapes combining Paris and New York City. They're going to do an exhibition for him, and they want me to cater."
"That's great!" Peter said, smiling genuinely. "Who's the artist?"
"He's anonymous," Elizabeth said, "never signs his paintings. But the gallery owner said he'll be there, and he has no problem being introduced to people as the artist. He just doesn't like to sign his work."
Peter laughed. "Reminds me of Neal, only he'd sign other people's names. When is it?"
"The gallery doesn't know yet—they got the shipment of paintings from the gallery in France, but they're waiting to make contact with the artist before assigning a date to the party, and opening the exhibition. The meeting I had with them was just a preliminary one, trying to assess what they would want for the party."
Peter nodded, turning his attention back to his food. He wasn't quite sure what to say about the subject.
Elizabeth reached over and held his hand, and he looked up at her. "I have permission to go in early and see the artwork before the exhibition opens officially. Do you want to come with me?" Elizabeth saw Peter hesitate, and she added, "You can check out the security measures, if you want."
Peter smiled. "I would love to come with you, hon."
They kissed, smiles on each of their faces.
Two days later Peter found himself in a tie he definitely did not put on voluntarily, standing beside his wife at a gallery he had never been in before. He tugged at his collar uncomfortably, and Elizabeth held his hand and walked him forward. The gallery owner herself was on Elizabeth's other side, and they were chatting amiably about both the party and the new pieces.
When he saw the artwork, even Peter had to be impressed. The first one was a huge canvas, and it was painted with the New York City skyline and the Paris skyline. But the were blended so perfectly that if he didn't know he was looking at two different cities, he would've thought it was one skyline. The colors were bold and the buildings were painted with a touch Peter couldn't describe, but it made the whole scene look almost magical and alive.
The rest were equally stunning. There was one that somehow combined the Chrysler Building and the Eiffel Tower to create a new, interesting building but with the unmistakable touches of both cities. This canvas was very tall and surprisingly skinny, so the effect was that the building seemed to be bearing down on the viewer. Peter found it peculiar that the artist chose to combine the Eiffel Tower with the Chrysler Building, as the Empire State Building was so much more prominent in New York.
They spent a few hours at the gallery, admiring the work and engaging in discussion about the talent of the artist. Peter tried to stay out of the conversation as much as possible, but he smiled whenever he saw Elizabeth's excitement at expressing the beauty of the paintings in her own words.
Peter and Elizabeth went home happy, each with an invitation to meet the artist once he set a date to come visit the gallery. Elizabeth was thrilled and couldn't wait, while Peter just hoped he could get out of spending another night pretending he knew something about art. He couldn't help thinking that it would be something Neal would love—both the art and the mystery behind the anonymous artist. Peter supposed the mystery could appeal to him too, and he decided he'd go to the party not only for El's sake but also to meet the artist. He might not know anything about art, but he knew those paintings were special.