Jack Tollner sounded very excited when he called David. "I think we've got your dealer," he said. "He's located in Santa Monica, and he appears to be on the up and up. He knew about the theft, so he insisted on a face to face meeting with the seller. He met the seller, who refused to show him the painting, so he just assumed it was a hoax. He asked several acquaintances if they had been approached, so that's where the rumors got started. And, the good news is that he will be thrilled to meet with your agents and give them a description of the supposed seller."

"Wow," David said, "that was fast."

"Hey, we aim to please. Is Megan involved in this case? I picked up a bow tie just for her."

"Nah, she's off on special assignment."

"Too bad. Here's the information on the dealer," Jack gave David the name, address and phone number of Grant Catalino. "I gave him your name, and he's waiting for your call," he added. "You think you're going to need me to come out?"

"Thanks, Jack, but I think we can handle it. You've got the information on the other objects that were stolen, right?"

"Yep. I've notified all the appropriate agencies, and I'll keep an ear out for any more rumors. You know it's unlikely the thieves will try to sell objects this well known, right?"

"I know. We've got an art professor consulting with us now, and he told us about that."

Jack laughed. "You guys seem to like working with professors. Do you mind my asking who your art guy is? He might be someone I know."

"No problem. His name is Bennington Cole. His wife, Maggie has worked with us too."

Jack whistled. "You've got yourself a good one there, David. I've worked with him before. Never worked with Maggie, but I met her a couple of times. If you've got Ben on your team, your office won't need to pay for me to fly out."

"Yeah, we were pretty happy with them after that Manet theft."

"That's right! You guys ended up solving the Gardner burglary. Maybe we should swap jobs – I'll handle LA and let your team handle art."

"No, thanks," David chuckled. "I think we're all happy right where we are."

"Okay, I've gotta run. Call me if you need anything else, and tell Don I hope he gets better soon."

David placed a quick call to Liz, determined that she and Colby would be busy for a while, and decided to call Ben Cole.

"David, how's everything going?"

"Hectic. How about you?"

"It's actually pretty peaceful around here right now. What can I do for you?"

David told Ben about Jack's call. "I was wondering if you would come along with me to interview Catalino."

"Santa Monica, you say? I'm on campus now, so why don't I drive down to your office? It'll save you doubling back after picking me up."

When David came down to the lobby to meet Ben, he said, "Thanks for helping me out with this. And thanks for driving into the city. You're beginning to know your way around here."

"Sadly, it's just in time for us to go back to Syracuse."

"That's too bad. You've been a lot of help here." He led the way to his car. "I'll drive. Did you get a decent parking spot?"

"I parked in the lot down the street. I can't believe the price of parking around here."

"Well, just turn in your receipts." David unlocked the doors of his SUV. "I take it parking's a little cheaper in Syracuse."

Ben chuckled. "Definitely. You can park there all day for what it costs to park here for an hour."

It was almost sunset when they arrived at Santa Monica. "I do hope we'll be near the ocean," Ben said.

"Unfortunately, no. Catalino's gallery is in the Third Street Promenade. Don't tell me you haven't seen enough sunsets over the Pacific."

"You're from the east, right, David? Have you seen enough sunsets over the Pacific yet?"

David chuckled. "You have a point there. Listen, why don't we swing past the beach first?"

David found a spot overlooking the beach, and the two easterners watched yet another impressive sunset. "So," David said, "When do you and Maggie head back home?"

"We've got another couple of weeks before the semester ends, but then we're driving back home."

"Long drive."

"Remember, I grew up on an island twice the size of New York State, so I'm still overwhelmed by the size of this country. There's so much to see here. Such wide open spaces."

"True. I worked in Tel Aviv for a while, and I couldn't get over how small a country Israel is. Well," David said, turning the key, "looks like we've seen our sunset. Ready to go talk to an art dealer?"

Grant Catalino's gallery was a small storefront along Third Street. There was a "Closed" sign in the window, but the lights were still on. David tried the door. It was locked. He pressed the buzzer next to the door and held up his badge. A small, round man hurried to unlock the door. He studied David's badge before opening the door. "Agent Sinclair? Please come in. I'm Grant Catalino." He nodded to Ben as he pulled the door shut and locked it. "Hello."

David said, "This is Dr. Bennington Cole. He's a consultant on this case."

"Dr. Cole," Grant smiled and shook Ben's hand. "it's an honor to meet you. I attended one of your lectures a couple of weeks ago. It was fascinating to hear about the techniques the FBI used to solve the Gardner burglary. Would you gentlemen like some tea or coffee?" He led the way to an office at the back of the gallery. "I have both. I knew you were coming, so I didn't turn anything off." He waved a hand at an expensive leather couch. "Why don't you have a seat there. I'll be right back with the coffee. Heaven only knows I need it, even if you don't."

David chuckled. "Tea would be good, if it's no trouble."

"No trouble at all. Dr. Cole, how about you?"

"Tea would be fine, thank you."

Once Grant had brought a carafe of hot water, two cups and a basket of tea bags, he settled down with his own mug of hot, black coffee. "Agent Tollner called me about the Van Gogh. He must have some good contacts among the art dealers. I only mentioned it to three or four people."

David nodded, "And those three or four mentioned it to three or four others..."

Grant laughed. "Ah, yes, you must be familiar with the art world, Agent Sinclair."

"Not really. Just familiar with social networks. Can you describe the person who was looking to sell the Van Gogh?"

"As I told Agent Tollner, I didn't believe the man really had the Van Gogh. Otherwise, I would have contacted the FBI immediately."

"Of course," David said, pulling a notebook from his pocket.

"He was tall, very nice looking. I would say he was 6'-2" or 6'-3" tall, athletic build. Dark hair. Eyes... light colored, I believe. Very well spoken."

"Did he give a name?"

Grant shrugged. "Bill Evans. I assumed it was a pseudonym."

"You're probably right." David pulled two photographs from his pocket and handed them to Grant. "Do either of these look like him?"

Grant took the photos and studied them, nodding. "Yes. That's him."

"Which one?"

"Aren't they the same man?"

"They're twins."

"Well, it was definitely one of them, but I have no idea which one."

"Ben," David said, taking the photos back, "do you have any questions?"

"Mr, Catalino..."

"Please, call me Grant."

"Grant, how did he contact you?"

"He called and asked if I were interested in a Van Gogh. He described it, and I had a feeling he was talking about the painting stolen from the Norton Simon. So, I told him we really shouldn't discuss it over the phone, and suggested he come here."

"How'd he react to that?" Ben asked.

"He was reluctant, but I was finally able to convince him it would be best for both of us if we handled it my way. Unfortunately, he didn't bring the painting with him. He had a photograph. It looked like it had been downloaded from the Art Loss Register website and printed on his computer. I told him I would need to see the painting and he said, 'That won't be possible at this time.' And he got up and left."

"And when did this happen?" David asked.

"He called me Monday morning, and we met Monday afternoon."

"And I'm guessing you've cleaned in here since then."

"Of course," Grant said, "unfortunately. He did leave the photograph here. I'm afraid I handled it, but it's in my recycling bin. Would you like it?"

"Yes, please," David said, pulling a plastic bag from his pocket.

Grant reached under the desk and pulled out a blue bin. He flipped through the papers until he found the printout. He picked it up gingerly by the corners and slipped it into the bag. "Will I need to be fingerprinted? I'm a notary, so my fingerprints are already on file with the state."

"I believe that should be sufficient," David said, sealing the bag. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Catalino. I'll be in touch if we need anything else." He stood and shook hands with the dealer.

"I hope I was able to be of some assistance, Agent," Grant and Ben stood and shook hands. "And, Dr. Cole, it's been an honor to meet you."

--

Liz's cell phone rang and she glanced at the screen. "Excuse me. I need to take this."

She stepped into the hallway and flipped her phone open.

Ms. Morrow stood across from the office door, leaning against the wall. "May I have my office back, Agent Warner?"

"Not yet. Yeah, David. What's up?" She listened while David filled her in on the interviews with Moresby and Catalino. "Any word on the fingerprints yet?"

"Ben and I are just leaving Santa Monica now. It'll be a while."

"Santa Monica? That's where the dealer is? Listen, we're with Francis Agincourt now. What do you want us to do?"

David sighed. "You might as well continue with what you're doing and wrap it up. We'll know where to find whichever brother it ends up being."

"Okay. I think we're about done here anyway. I have to drop Charlie off at the hospital, and then we'll head in."

"All right. Did you get anything from either Agincourt?"

"Not much of any use. I can't really discuss it right now," she gave Ms. Morrow a pointed glance.

"Sounds like you've got someone eavesdropping. I'll see you back at the office."

Charlie and Colby looked up when Liz opened the door. Agincourt was reading a magazine. "Done with that list?" Liz asked as she closed the door behind her.

"No," Agincourt said, not looking up from the magazine. "You'll have to get a warrant for that information, Agent Warner."

"Fine," Liz said. Meeting Colby's gaze, she said, "David's on the way back to the office with some very interesting fingerprints." Turning again to Agincourt, she said, "We're done for now."

Colby and Charlie stood and followed Liz. As they passed Ms. Morrow, Liz said, "NOW you can have your office back. Thank you for your help."

When they reached Liz's SUV, Charlie said, "What was that all about?"

Liz grinned, "David and Ben Cole are on their way back from Santa Monica, where an art dealer told them a very interesting story about a man with a Van Gogh to sell."

"Really?" Colby said. "And who was this man with the Van Gogh?"

Liz pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the highway. "Well, he couldn't be sure. The dealer gave a description, and when David showed him the photos of the Agincourt brothers, he was sure it was one of them."

"Of course," Charlie said from the back seat, "they're twins, so it would be hard for an eyewitness to know which one he had seen."

"Right, but luckily David has the photograph our mystery man brought to the dealer. He thought he was being smart by not bringing the original with him."

Colby glanced back at Charlie. "I hear you're not a big fan of fingerprints, Charlie."

Charlie shrugged. "Well, they can be useful, but I'm not convinced a partial print is a foolproof form of identification. Hopefully David's got more than a partial."

"We'll see," Liz said. "Charlie, I'm going to drop you off at the hospital, okay?"

"That's out of your way," he said. "Why don't I just come with you?"

"There's no telling how long we'll be tied up with this, and your car is at the hospital."

Charlie reluctantly agreed and pulled his laptop out of its case. He was tinkering with his program when Liz's phone rang.

"Warner," she said.

"Agent Warner, this is Fred Agincourt. We need to talk."

"Mr. Agincourt," Liz said, "I'm in my car. I'm going to put you on speaker." She pressed the "telephone" button on the steering wheel. "Okay, now what did you need?"

Agincourt's voice filled the SUV, "I just got a call from Frank. I... I think he's involved in this whole art theft thing. He might even be involved in Ellen's death."

"Where are you now?"

"I'm in my car, heading home from school. This is really troubling, Agent. It never occurred to me that Frank could be involved in anything like this."

"How far are you from home? We can meet you there, if that's convenient for you."

"I only live about half an hour from school." He gave her the address.

Charlie opened Mapquest, but Liz's GPS was faster. "Got it," she said. "We'll meet you there in forty five minutes, or so, depending on traffic."

"Mr. Agincourt," Colby said, "Do you have any reason to believe you're in any danger?"

"No! No, of course not. Why would I be in danger?"

"Tell us about your conversation with your brother," Liz said as the GPS system gave her the first directions to Fred's house.

"Well, he told me he had just finished talking to you. He was furious. I thought it was just because you wanted the kids' names. But he told me I needed to help him or he'd take me down with him."

"Help him how?" Colby asked.

"I'm not sure. He sounded like he was in a hurry. So I just told him I'd do whatever I could to help."

Liz swerved to avoid a delivery truck. "You said he was in a hurry. Do you know where he is now?"

"He said he had to run to Santa Monica to take care of something, but that he'd meet me at my house after that."

Colby pulled out his cell phone. "I'll let David know."

"Why?" Agincourt asked. "What's going on?"

"It's probably nothing, Mr. Agincourt," Liz said, "Just something we need to follow up on. Listen, maybe you'd better not go to your house. Is there someplace public we can meet?"

"Am I in danger?"

"I don't know, but wouldn't you rather not take any chances?"

Agincourt sighed. "You're near Frank's school, right? Why don't we meet there? I can be there in fifteen minutes."

"Sounds good. We'll see you there. You call me immediately if anything seems wrong. Anything!"

"I will. And thank you."

Liz pushed the button to disconnect the call, and glanced at Colby. "What did David say?"

David flipped his phone shut. "Sorry, Ben. Change of plans. It looks like Grant Catalino might be in trouble.. We've got to go back." David turned the car around and then opened his phone again and dialed. "This is David Sinclair. We have reason to believe a witness may be in danger. Please send a team to the Catalino Gallery in Santa Monica immediately."

His next call was to Grant Catalino.

"Good evening, this is Catalino Gallery. We're closed..."

"Mr. Catalino, this is David Sinclair."

"I am really sorry, ma'am, but we are closed until ten o'clock tomorrow morning."

"We're on the way. Hold tight," David said.

"Goodnight, ma'am."

David hung up. "Damn," he murmured.