A/N: Thanks for your review villianbabe, I'm blushing from your kind
compliment and I must say that you are a wonderful A/D author too! And
welcome to my sequel Skyfire4, glad that you're reading and enjoying this!
A/N 2: 'Illuminating the Renaissance' and 'Strange Days' are actual exhibits that are being show at the Getty Museum right now.
Disclaimer: I don't own Charlie's Angels or its characters. Nor do I own the Getty Museum.
IV
Buildings Two and Three
Dylan
I drove into the parking structure at the Getty after being waved in by the guards. I saw Natalie and Alex walking to the exit of the parking lot and I honked the car horn.
They both turned around and waited for me to park my car before walking over.
"We're going to take the trolley up to the museum," Alex said when Anthony and I got out of the car.
"Trolley?" I asked, confused.
"The museum is only accessible by the trolley," Alex explained as we headed over to the trolley station. "There is a road that goes up the hill to the museum too, but it's too steep for our cars."
"Oh," I said as we got onto the white trolley. As it started to go up the hill, I asked Alex, "How many times have you been here?"
"I don't keep track," she answered. "But I try to come when they have new exhibits."
"I remember when you dragged me here to see the 'Illuminating the Renaissance' and 'Strange Days' exhibits," Natalie said when we were half- way up the hill.
"When was that?" I asked.
"After the McCadden case, when we had that week off," Alex answered.
"Did you like it at all?" I said to Natalie.
She shrugged and answered, "It was okay, but Alex takes too much time looking at the stuff in there."
I couldn't help but giggle and Alex rolled her eyes at me in annoyance. "Before I could apologize, the trolley arrived at the museum and we got out.
"You must be the people that Ryder hired," a young woman said, coming down large flight of steps towards us. She was averaged height and she had brown hair and green eyes.
"Yeah, we are," Natalie said. "Who are you?"
"My name is Catherine Crown," the woman said. "I am the Head of the Board of Directors here at the Getty. Ryder has told me to take you to the buildings where the robbery took place."
"Actually, Ms. Crown," Alex said. "It would be better if we split up to look at each building." Seeing Anthony's and my surprised looks she then said, "The buildings are pretty big and the paintings were spread out."
"Very well," Crown said brusquely. "Follow me please." She turned and walked back up the flight of stairs.
"You and Anthony will go look in building two," Alex said in Russian as we climbed up the stairs.
"Make sure you look at the ceilings to see if they came in that way," Natalie said in Russian, giving me the briefcase she had been holding.
"Don't trust her?" I asked, in Russian as well, nodding my head towards Crown. Alex, Natalie and Anthony all nodded and I said, "Me too."
Crown led us though a large building that seemed to be the lobby. She walked across the room and then out of the building into a long courtyard. There was a fountain that was turned off and a lot of tables to the right. Crown walked down the middle of the courtyard, stopping in front of a circular fountain. "That's building two," she said, turning to us and motioning to her right. "And the other is building three." With that she walked past and stalked towards the entrance.
When she was gone, Alex opened her briefcase and took out four molar mikes and earpieces. Handing them to us, she said, "If it looks like the robbers came in through the ceiling, we'll have to take the security camera tapes with us so we cane study them."
Then Alex handed me a map of building two. "Each 'x' is where a painting was taken."
I put my earpiece in my ear and said, "We'll let you know if we find anything." With that, Anthony and I walked over to building two and Natalie and Alex went into building three.
Inside the building, Anthony took the map from me and studied it for a moment before saying, "That way." He walked over to a flight of stairs in front of us and started to walk down.
I followed him, when I saw a black spot on the wall where a painting had been. I hurried past Anthony down the stairs and went over to the wall.
"What is it?" Anthony asked.
"I'm not sure," I said. I kneeled down on the floor and opened the briefcase Natalie had given me. I took out a razor blade and a small plastic bag. While Anthony watched, I scraped some of the black stuff off the wall. "What ever this is, it's stuck to the razor," I said, dropping it into the plastic bag.
Anthony had turned from the wall and was looking down at the ground. "Look Dylan," he said to me.
I turned around and looked at where he was pointing. There was half a shoeprint hidden in the shadows behind the staircase. I walked over to it and took out a large piece of adhesive tape, putting it on top of the shoeprint.
Holding out a piece of white paper, Anthony helped me stick the tape onto the paper.
"Dylan," I heard Alex say into my earpiece.
"Yeah," I answered, putting the paper into the briefcase.
"Did you find a shoeprint and a black sticky stuff that was on the wall?" she asked.
"You found it too?" I asked.
"In all five of the places where the paintings were taken from," Natalie said.
"Then it's got to be the same in all the places here too," I said, looking over at Anthony who was nodding at me.
"Did you look at the ceiling?" Alex asked.
"Not yet," I said. I closed the briefcase and Anthony and I walked up the stairs to the top floor.
"We checked the ceiling in here and there was nothing," Natalie said.
"So they forced their way in on the ground to get into that building?" I asked. We reached the top floor and I stayed back by the stairs while Anthony looked at the ceiling.
"Maybe," Alex said. "But they could have just gotten into building two through the ceiling and then walked over to this building. The two are connected."
Anthony tapped my arm and pointed up at one of the skylights.
I looked up and saw that there was a small crack at the bottom of the skylight. "It looks like they came in through here Alex," I said. "The skylight's been moved."
"Okay, meet us outside and we'll try and find Crown so we can get the security camera tapes," Alex said. "Oh and bring a sample of that black stuff from the wall and then put the shoeprint-" she started to say.
"Already done Alex," I interrupted. "We'll meet you outside."
A/N 2: 'Illuminating the Renaissance' and 'Strange Days' are actual exhibits that are being show at the Getty Museum right now.
Disclaimer: I don't own Charlie's Angels or its characters. Nor do I own the Getty Museum.
IV
Buildings Two and Three
Dylan
I drove into the parking structure at the Getty after being waved in by the guards. I saw Natalie and Alex walking to the exit of the parking lot and I honked the car horn.
They both turned around and waited for me to park my car before walking over.
"We're going to take the trolley up to the museum," Alex said when Anthony and I got out of the car.
"Trolley?" I asked, confused.
"The museum is only accessible by the trolley," Alex explained as we headed over to the trolley station. "There is a road that goes up the hill to the museum too, but it's too steep for our cars."
"Oh," I said as we got onto the white trolley. As it started to go up the hill, I asked Alex, "How many times have you been here?"
"I don't keep track," she answered. "But I try to come when they have new exhibits."
"I remember when you dragged me here to see the 'Illuminating the Renaissance' and 'Strange Days' exhibits," Natalie said when we were half- way up the hill.
"When was that?" I asked.
"After the McCadden case, when we had that week off," Alex answered.
"Did you like it at all?" I said to Natalie.
She shrugged and answered, "It was okay, but Alex takes too much time looking at the stuff in there."
I couldn't help but giggle and Alex rolled her eyes at me in annoyance. "Before I could apologize, the trolley arrived at the museum and we got out.
"You must be the people that Ryder hired," a young woman said, coming down large flight of steps towards us. She was averaged height and she had brown hair and green eyes.
"Yeah, we are," Natalie said. "Who are you?"
"My name is Catherine Crown," the woman said. "I am the Head of the Board of Directors here at the Getty. Ryder has told me to take you to the buildings where the robbery took place."
"Actually, Ms. Crown," Alex said. "It would be better if we split up to look at each building." Seeing Anthony's and my surprised looks she then said, "The buildings are pretty big and the paintings were spread out."
"Very well," Crown said brusquely. "Follow me please." She turned and walked back up the flight of stairs.
"You and Anthony will go look in building two," Alex said in Russian as we climbed up the stairs.
"Make sure you look at the ceilings to see if they came in that way," Natalie said in Russian, giving me the briefcase she had been holding.
"Don't trust her?" I asked, in Russian as well, nodding my head towards Crown. Alex, Natalie and Anthony all nodded and I said, "Me too."
Crown led us though a large building that seemed to be the lobby. She walked across the room and then out of the building into a long courtyard. There was a fountain that was turned off and a lot of tables to the right. Crown walked down the middle of the courtyard, stopping in front of a circular fountain. "That's building two," she said, turning to us and motioning to her right. "And the other is building three." With that she walked past and stalked towards the entrance.
When she was gone, Alex opened her briefcase and took out four molar mikes and earpieces. Handing them to us, she said, "If it looks like the robbers came in through the ceiling, we'll have to take the security camera tapes with us so we cane study them."
Then Alex handed me a map of building two. "Each 'x' is where a painting was taken."
I put my earpiece in my ear and said, "We'll let you know if we find anything." With that, Anthony and I walked over to building two and Natalie and Alex went into building three.
Inside the building, Anthony took the map from me and studied it for a moment before saying, "That way." He walked over to a flight of stairs in front of us and started to walk down.
I followed him, when I saw a black spot on the wall where a painting had been. I hurried past Anthony down the stairs and went over to the wall.
"What is it?" Anthony asked.
"I'm not sure," I said. I kneeled down on the floor and opened the briefcase Natalie had given me. I took out a razor blade and a small plastic bag. While Anthony watched, I scraped some of the black stuff off the wall. "What ever this is, it's stuck to the razor," I said, dropping it into the plastic bag.
Anthony had turned from the wall and was looking down at the ground. "Look Dylan," he said to me.
I turned around and looked at where he was pointing. There was half a shoeprint hidden in the shadows behind the staircase. I walked over to it and took out a large piece of adhesive tape, putting it on top of the shoeprint.
Holding out a piece of white paper, Anthony helped me stick the tape onto the paper.
"Dylan," I heard Alex say into my earpiece.
"Yeah," I answered, putting the paper into the briefcase.
"Did you find a shoeprint and a black sticky stuff that was on the wall?" she asked.
"You found it too?" I asked.
"In all five of the places where the paintings were taken from," Natalie said.
"Then it's got to be the same in all the places here too," I said, looking over at Anthony who was nodding at me.
"Did you look at the ceiling?" Alex asked.
"Not yet," I said. I closed the briefcase and Anthony and I walked up the stairs to the top floor.
"We checked the ceiling in here and there was nothing," Natalie said.
"So they forced their way in on the ground to get into that building?" I asked. We reached the top floor and I stayed back by the stairs while Anthony looked at the ceiling.
"Maybe," Alex said. "But they could have just gotten into building two through the ceiling and then walked over to this building. The two are connected."
Anthony tapped my arm and pointed up at one of the skylights.
I looked up and saw that there was a small crack at the bottom of the skylight. "It looks like they came in through here Alex," I said. "The skylight's been moved."
"Okay, meet us outside and we'll try and find Crown so we can get the security camera tapes," Alex said. "Oh and bring a sample of that black stuff from the wall and then put the shoeprint-" she started to say.
"Already done Alex," I interrupted. "We'll meet you outside."