Chapter 7

When Don, David and Vito entered the room, the elderly man sitting at the table looked up at them. The policeman sitting next to him stood. Vito said, "Thanks, Matt. Why don't you take a break? We'll be in here for a few minutes." Turning to the suspect, Vito said, "Elmer McGraw, these gentlemen are from the FBI. They want to talk to you about your involvement in the theft of a Rembrandt painting."

Elmer's brow furrowed. "Theft? I was hired by a company that was testing the security at the Getty."

Vito glanced at Don, giving him the signal to take over. Don put his hands on the table and leaned forward. "What company?"

"Acme Security. I have their business card in my wallet."

"Take the wallet out of your pocket with your thumb and index finger and hand it to me." He glanced at David, who had his hand on his gun.

Elmer pulled out his wallet and handed it to Don, not taking his eyes off of David. "It's in the first credit card slot."

Don opened the wallet and pulled out a business card. "Acme Security. Willy C. Oti, Security Specialist." He shook his head. "Vito, have you ever heard of Acme Security?"

"Sounds like something out of a Roadrunner cartoon to me."

"Me too. But we'll check it out just in case. Elmer, this Willy Oti is the one who contacted you?"

"Yes, sir. He hired me, a young couple, two college students, a middle aged lady and young lady."

"The couple. Were they the other ones arrested today?"

"I think so."

"Were the others here?"

"I didn't see them. Willy must have been hiring them for another job."

"Okay," Don said, starting to pace. "What was your job?"

"I was supposed to pretend to be having a heart attack. I think I did pretty well."

A smile crossed Vito's lips. "You were pretty convincing from what I've heard."

Don sat across the table from Elmer. "Have you worked with Acme before?"

"Nope. This is my first time. It's a pretty interesting job, so I'm hoping they'll call me back again."

"That's not going to happen. Acme Security was a cover for a group of thieves. They've hit two museums so far, and they've killed a woman who worked for them. And since you are an accomplice, you're in a lot of trouble."

--

Outside the room, Charlie was sitting on the floor, cross legged, writing in his notebook. "Hey, Professor," Amber said, "which room is everybody in?"

Charlie looked up, his face temporarily clouded with confusion. "Hi, Ms. Adams, Colby, Liz. Um... This one," he pointed to the door to his right. "I think. I've been concentrating on this." He held up his notebook.

The policeman standing in front of the door nodded. "He's right. They're in here."

Amber knocked on the door as Charlie got to his feet, stretching the kinks out of his legs. "How'd the interview with the boy go?"

Colby shook his head. "Not good. He denied being involved and then asked for a lawyer."

Charlie sighed. "And once they ask for a lawyer, game over."

"That's right," Liz said, craning her neck to see Charlie's notebook. "Come up with anything yet?"

"I think so. Once I get the data from Ben and Maggie, I think this will give us a good idea what they'll go for next."

Don opened the door. "Hey," he said, "Liz, Colby, you want to start with the fake pregnant lady? David and I are just about finished in here, then we'll go talk to the fake boyfriend."

"Okay, sounds good," Colby said.

"Keep at it," Liz said to Charlie.

"I will. Hey, Don," Charlie said as Don was about to close the door.

"Yeah, Charlie?" Don said.

"I want to get this into the computer. I'm going to catch a cab back to Cal Sci, unless you need me here for something."

"I think we're set. Hey, why don't you take my car and I'll ride back with Liz and Colby?"

Charlie shrugged. "Why not? There shouldn't be a lot of environmentalists milling around campus on a Saturday. I don't want to ruin my reputation by driving an SUV."

Don laughed. "Hey, Buddy, with that Prius you drive, I think you've got a few carbon credits coming your way. Or whatever they call it." He handed Charlie his keys. "Who knows. You may decide you like the view from up there." He stopped, looking intently at Charlie. "We're okay, right? I mean, that stupid comment I made..."

Charlie gripped Don's arm. "We're good. This will just go a lot faster back at the office with Ben and Maggie and Amita. But I do think we need to talk. The way things are going at school, I'm under a lot of pressure." He smiled and held up Don's keys. "I'll be careful with the behemoth."

"You'd better, Buddy. Your taxes paid for it, you know."

--

As Charlie predicted, the campus was quiet. He pulled into his parking spot, thankful that he didn't have to maneuver around too many other cars. The only other cars in his end of the lot were Ben's and Amita's. When he entered his office, Ben and Maggie were sitting side by side, studying one computer screen while Amita sat with her back toward him, entering data into her laptop.

"Hey," Charlie said, "how's it going?"

"Great," Amita said, turning to look at him. "Oh, Charlie!" She stood, raised her hand to touch his cheek, then thought better of it. "That looks awful. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," he said. "I'm fine. Really."

Maggie grimaced. "I hope you saw a doctor."

"Why see a doctor? I are one."

Maggie shook her head. "That was so funny I forgot to laugh. So, do you have anything on the Rembrandt that was stolen?"

"It was nine and a quarter inches by eleven and seven-eighths inches. Done on a wood panel It was something about Daniel and somebody else with an idol."

"Daniel and Cyrus before the Idol Bel?" Ben asked.

"Yes, that was it. Small and portable and worth a whole lot. Have you found anything else like it in the Los Angeles area."

Maggie laughed. "We found thousands of items that fit that description, Charlie."

"That's great! The more the merrier. I've been working on an algorithm to determine which item is the most likely to attract the thieves' attention. Amita, what have you been working on?" He perched on the arm of her chair.

Amita turned the laptop so they could both see. When she finished scrolling through her program, he laughed. "Amazing. That's almost the same as what I've been working on." He pulled out his notebook and showed her.

"Oh my gosh. You're right," Amita said, slipping an arm around his waist and giving him a squeeze.

"I know it's a cliché," Ben said, "but great minds really do think alike."

--

While Charlie and Amita fine-tuned her program, Ben and Maggie compiled a list of small, expensive works of art in the Los Angeles area. "Look at this," Ben said, pointing at the computer screen. "The Armand Hammer Museum is hosting an exhibition of Old Master prints and drawings."

"When?" Maggie asked.

"It opens on Tuesday but there's a private reception tomorrow."

Charlie, standing at the blackboard, looked over his shoulder. "Old Master prints and drawings are small and expensive, aren't they?"

"Yes," Ben said. "Looking at the list of what's going to be there, I would say some of the items are priceless."

"Okay," Charlie said, "make sure you add them to the list. And see if you can find out anything more about the private reception. How private is it? How many people will be there?" He put down his chalk and turned to face Ben. "I'm going to call Don."

Amita grinned at Charlie. "What is it? You're not having a hunch, are you?"

"I don't have hunches. Ben just found a whole roomful of high priced, highly portable works of art. I just thought Don should be told." He flipped his phone open and dialed. "Hey, Don... Not really. Not yet... I know. Listen, Ben found out the Hammer Museum is having a show of Old Master prints and drawings... Yeah. Expensive... It opens Tuesday, but there's a private reception tomorrow... Yeah, I thought you'd want to know... Okay, I'll let you know when we find out anything more... Yes, your SUV is fine... Okay, see you later." He hung up and noticed the others starting at him. "He's going to contact the museum. What?"

Maggie leaned forward, "What's going on with Don's SUV?"

"He let me drive it back here from the Getty. He's somehow gotten the idea that I'm a bad driver."

Amita laughed. "Maybe it's all those speeding tickets you got before they revoked your license last time."

"Could be," Charlie said, "But I haven't had a single ticket since I got my license back. But let's get back to work. I think the program's about ready. What do you think, Amita?"

Amita pressed a few keys on her laptop. "Okay. Here goes."

He crossed the room and stood behind Amita, leaning over to watch the monitor. "It's looking good so far," he said as he squeezed her shoulder. "You are awesome."

She pressed her cheek against his hand. "Thanks. You're not so bad yourself. I think we're ready to input the data Ben and Maggie have come up with."

"You're looking for size and value, right?" Ben said, pulling out a legal pad full of notes.

"Right," Charlie said.

"But," Maggie said, "won't it help to include a rating of the museum's security as well? I would think that would make a difference to the thieves."

"It would," Charlie said, "but how are you going to get that information? I doubt if the museums include their security measures on their websites."

"No, but I'm aware of the security at some of the local museums. And I'm a member of a museum security email list What I don't know, I can probably find within a couple of hours."

"If you could find it, we definitely could use it. How would you rate security?"

Maggie glanced at Ben, who shrugged. She said, "I suppose I'd establish a scale of one to ten, and determine the relative effectiveness of different security measures."

"Okay," Amita said, "so we could say that one if most effective, and ten is least, so,..." Her brow furrowed as she typed.

"That looks good," Charlie said. "In fact, I think I should have Don pay you half of my fee for this case."

Amita grinned. "I could certainly use the money!"

"I'll mention it next time I see him."

"Oh, Charlie, I was just kidding. He's got enough to worry about, and besides, I've enjoyed working with you on these cases the past few years."

"But you're a professor now, not a student. You deserve to be recognized for your contribution to these cases. I'm going to suggest he get you clearance and put you on the roster of consultants."

Amita shook her head. "No. I'm happy to keep working this way. Speaking of working, let's finish this up and talk later. I want to get home in time to watch Saturday Night Live. I missed Law and Order last night."

"Law and Order?" Charlie scoffed. "Who watches that thing any more? Sorry. Back to work. Ben, what do you have?"

Two hours later, Charlie had a list of possible targets. He flipped open his cell phone and dialed Don. "Hey, bro, we've got a list to send you. They're rated based on how easy they are to conceal and transport, how valuable they are, and the security of the museum."

"That's great, Buddy. You want to fax it or email it?"

"Amita's emailing it right now. And speaking of Amita, I think it's time you got her clearance and added her to the list of consultants."

"You know that's going to cut your fees in half, right? Sometimes even more, since Amita seems to be the one doing all the work."

"True dat, Bro. I told her she deserves to be paid for her work."

"Wow, you must have it bad for her if you're willing to take a pay cut."

Charlie smiled and squeezed Amita's hand. "I do have it bad for her. Until you can start paying her, I'll give her a share of my fee." She started to object, but Charlie gave her a kiss.

"Hey," Don's voice boomed loud enough for everyone in the room to hear it. "No public displays of affection on the taxpayer's dime."

Charlie chuckled. "I'll be sure to mention that to Liz."

"Don't you dare. Hey, you heading home now? I can drive your rice burner over and swap cars with you."

"Yeah, I think we're about ready to finish up here. Hey, I've got a couple of nice ribeyes to throw on the grill when you get there. As long as it's not breakfast time by then."

"I'll definitely be there in time for ribeye. How about I pick up a pie for dessert?"

"Sounds great. See ya."

--

Charlie climbed into the SUV and watched as Amita, Ben and Maggie pulled out of the lot, turning left onto the campus access road. He followed them to the road where he turned right. He rubbed his eyes, realizing he should have taken an ibuprofen before he left. As he drove, he noticed two students walking on the grass alongside the road, engaged in conversation. He had just about overtaken them when they stepped into the road, not even looking behind them. He jerked the steering wheel to the left, stomping on the brake and clutch at the same time.

He hadn't even come to a stop when the windshield exploded, showering him with pebbles of safety glass. Almost immediately a beige Chevy ahead of him squealed away. It was too far for him to see the license plate, so he shifted into gear and sped after the car. The SUV had amazing acceleration, bringing him close enough to read the license plate after only two blocks. "9JLM171... 9JLM171..." he murmured as he struggled to handle the unwieldy SUV.

Suddenly a hand reached out of the passenger side window of the Chevy, holding a gun. The shot went wide, but Charlie slammed on the brakes, forgetting to press the clutch this time. The SUV stalled, and by the time he got it started, the Chevy was out of sight. With a sigh, he pulled over to the site of the road, and, hands shaking, pulled out his cell phone.

"Eppes," Don's voice answered.

"D... Don?"

"Charlie? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Charlie nodded.

"Charlie? Charlie! Are you there?"

"I'm okay, Don. Sorry. I'm just a little shaken up."

"What happened?"

Charlie took a deep breath so he could get the whole thing out without Don interrupting. "Someone shot at me. I wasn't hurt, but your windshield shattered." Charlie waited for Don's explosion. "Don?"

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yes. I got the license number. 9JLM171. I tried to chase them, but they took another shot at me, and I ... I stalled the car. I forgot to step on the clutch when I hit the brake."

"I'm glad you stalled it. Why the hell were you chasing them?"

"I wanted to get their license plate number. I thought it was important."

"It is. I'll have Colby run the plate while I come get you. Where are you?"

"About two blocks from campus." Charlie looked around and once he determined exactly where he was, he gave Don directions.

"Is there anyone around?"

"Just the normal traffic. Nobody seems to be hanging around. Why?"

"You think it's safe where you are?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be there in about half an hour. Lock your doors."

Charlie laughed. "With no windshield, what good will that do?"

"Good point. Just stay alert, okay?"

"I will. Thanks, Don."

After finishing the call, Charlie made sure the way was clear, and got out of the SUV. He brushed the glass fragments from his clothes and hair and brushed his seat clear before climbing back into the car. When he reached for his bag, he noticed a hole in the passenger's seat. A quick calculation told him that if he hadn't swerved to avoid the two oblivious students, he would have been dead. He touched the hole, and, without thinking, locked the car door.