Chapter 9: The Ship of Fools

Location: France
Key Date: Thursday, 29th July, 1999

"Seven paintings in seven countries," Drew commented. "That takes skill and access to some serious resources."

The two men had packed their belongings along with Elaine's, checking out of the Crown Regent before taking her to the airport. Now they sat in one of Heathrow's many cafes, anonymous in the sea of people making their way through one of the world's busiest airports.

"Lucky for us we have access to even more serious resources," Evan replied, eyes unfocussed as he thought strategies.

"I take it you're done being 'Mr' Lorne?" Drew asked.

"For now," Lorne agreed casually. "I need to make a couple of calls, ask for a few favours. While I'm doing that you can get us tickets to Paris."

"You think they'll follow?" the other man frowned, eyes narrowed.

"I think they're playing with me," Evan replied. "I think they've spent so many years being untouchable they honestly don't think anyone can take them down. So yeah, I think they'll follow us. Particularly after the message I left on Lefèvre's phone last night telling him I was on the way to Paris."

"You think he's involved?" Drew's brows rose sharply at what it seemed Evan was suggesting.

"Not sure," Lorne admitted. "All I know is something's not right with him. He just upped and disappeared last night Drew ... essentially left us in the lurch even though he professed to need me to catch his crooks. That just doesn't make sense. Maybe the thieves have surveillance on him just like he does on them. Maybe he's in on it and our night at the Tate was just part of the set up. Either way I'm counting on him following us and whoever's behind this following him."

"Okay ... make your calls," Drew agreed. "I'll go get our tickets."

Evan nodded, watching Drew walk away and then pulling out his phone. He'd considered a number of people he could ask for help before deciding on his first choice ... someone he respected who'd hopefully have connections in France they could use.

Dialling the number Lorne waited, listening to the phone ringing half a world away. "Major Baker," he greeted his old commanding officer respectfully when the phone was answered. He'd always seen the older man as a kind of mentor and had kept in touch since he'd left Canada. "It's Evan Lorne here."

"Evan," Baker replied, his tone welcoming and friendly. "How have you been son?" he didn't add the words 'since the funeral' but both men heard them anyway.

"I'm okay Sir," Evan dismissed lightly.

Baker knew him well enough to be able to read between those lines. "And how's that leave working out for you?" he asked lightly.

It was a small world for a fighter pilot so Evan wasn't surprised Major Baker knew he'd taken off. "That's what I'm calling about," Lorne admitted. "I've kind of gotten myself into a bit of a situation over here Sir. I was hoping you'd be able to help me sort it out."

"What can I do for you Evan?" Baker immediately replied.

"If you could pave the way with Interpol's National Central Bureau in Paris Sir – vouch for me – that would go a long way to resolving things," Evan explained without going into too much detail over the phone.

"Consider it done," the Major promised. "Is that all you need?"

"Ah ... not exactly," Evan hesitated before continuing. "I need access to some ... surveillance equipment ... and some authorised weapons for myself and Andrew Rider. Is there anyone in Paris you can put me in touch with Sir?"

"Surveillance equipment," Baker repeated slowly. "What sort of trouble have you gotten yourself into Evan?"

"The kind that requires the threat of force ... and indisputable evidence," Lorne summarised grimly.

"Right," Major Baker paused for a moment, thinking. "I know some people in the French military," he offered. "I'll get in touch and see what they can do for you. Give me your number so I can get back to you with the details."

Evan rattled off the mobile number quickly. "Thank you for all of this Sir," he said gratefully.

"You're level headed Lorne," Baker replied. "I trust you not to smear the good name of either of our country's military with whatever you've got planned over there."

"I'll try my best not to do that Sir," Evan promised.

"Leave it with me then," Baker concluded.

Lorne thanked him again and then disconnected the call, thinking hard before dialling another number, this one from a business card he'd been carrying around for a few weeks.

"Mr Green," he began when the call was answered. "You might not remember me ... its Evan Lorne here. We met at the Budapest National Gallery about a month ago."

"Of course ... Evan," Brian Green replied. "Did you finally make it to England?"

"Ah ... not exactly," Evan admitted. "Listen, this is probably a long shot and I hate to even use a chance meeting like this but I was wondering if you had any connections at the Louvre. I really need to speak to one of the curators there and it's too urgent to go down the road of making an appointment. Plus I need some kind of reference otherwise there's little chance they'll accept a meeting request from me."

"I have met with one of the curators, Monsieur Perrie, on many occasions," Green admitted. "If I may ask, what is this about?"

"Just something relating to one of their paintings I overheard in the last gallery I visited," Lorne felt guilty for lying but there was no other way – he didn't want to involve anyone else more than he had to. "I wanted to pass on the information but there's no guarantee it'll reach the right ears unless I speak to one of the curators personally."

Green thought for a moment, the silence lengthening as Evan began to think he'd be getting a No response. "Very well," Brian finally agreed. "I will call Perrie and request he see you with all possible haste. When will you be in Paris?"

"Within the next couple of hours," Evan revealed. "Give him this number," he again rattled off the now familiar digits, "and tell him to call me any time, no notice beyond travel time required."

"I'll do that," Green acknowledged.

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate this Brian," Evan said gratefully.

"Anything that helps a fellow gallery, even one as large as the Louvre, is thanks enough," Brian replied. "I will call you back if there are difficulties. Otherwise you can expect a call from Monsieur Perrie shortly.

"Thank you," Evan replied before saying goodbye and hanging up.

He had the basics for his plan in play. Now all he had to do was draw all the pieces together and lay them out in the required spots. Easy.

oOo

It was interesting that Lorne would seek to trap a thief with the Louvre as his backdrop. Just two years before the French Prime Minister had initiated the Mattéoli Commission to investigate cultural property seized during World War II by the Nazi's and under Napoleon I. While many pieces were returned to their owners the museum continued to hold almost 700 pieces of claimed artwork, despite requests from the source nations for their return. Their motives in protecting rare and valuable works were perhaps admirable but the situation was one of ongoing arbitration by UNESCO.

Evan and Drew walked from Charles de Gaul airport into the middle of an overcast French day, packs over their shoulders and determined expressions on their faces. Since Elaine's accident the light hearted Drew Lorne was used to had disappeared, leaving behind a man grimly determined to see the end of the people behind it. And that suited Evan just fine.

"Where to first?" Drew asked.

"I guess we go check out the Louvre,' Evan decided. "Can't do much else until I get a couple of calls back."

"Let's go then," Drew nodded to the map Lorne carried. "Got a route planned out?"

"Of course," Lorne agreed with a faint smirk. "This isn't one we can walk to though ... unless you're up for a five hour hike. We'll have to take a taxi."

Glancing around, the other man quickly spotted the taxi queue and moved to join the back of the line. "I wonder how Elaine's doing?" he muttered.

"Living it up in first class as we speak," Evan replied, amazed at how quickly he'd moved from being reluctant to see the relationship between his sister and friend to actively reassuring Drew that Elaine was okay. "It's a long flight ... plenty of time for her to get some rest. My Mom will meet her plane and take Lainee home," he reminded Drew, having spoken to his mother during the early hours of the morning at the hospital after he'd seen that Elaine would be okay. Grace Lorne hadn't asked questions ... just listened as Evan had summarised what had happened since he'd last spoken to her. She hadn't judged either for which Evan was more than grateful, just agreed that he should send Elaine home to recover with her.

Drew looked as reassured as he was going to get, stepping up to the vacant taxi that pulled up when it was their turn and getting in the back, Evan following him closely.

"The Musée du Louvre," Evan instructed, sitting back and turning his eyes towards the windows. It was almost an hour later that the taxi turned on to Rue de Rivoli and from there on to Rue de l'Amiral de Coligny. Where the streets prior had been narrow and close with buildings rising on either side, as they got closer to the museum the wide sidewalks made the roads seem wide and open.

And then suddenly they were there, the Louvre Palace stretching to either direction as the taxi pulled over outside. Evan paid quickly, following Drew out of the back, eyes fixed on the most visited museum in Europe.

The entirety of the museum formed an upside down 'U', with three separate wings taking up respective sides and the world famous pyramid in the middle. On the far side of the building was the right bank of the river Seine. It was old and impressive on a grand scale. To the left was the wing Evan was most interested in ... the Richelieu Wing was home to a large collection of French, German and Dutch paintings, including the one he would have made his must see piece.

Not the Mona Lisa, although he had every intention of visiting her once he'd finished with Lefèvre and the art thieves. No, his choice was a simple painting entitled Grace, an oil on canvas painted by Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin in 1740. But there'd be time for that later ... for now he just wanted to get a general feel for the layout and administration.

"You really think someone could take a painting from here?" Drew spoke under his breath as they went through the process of checking in their bags and gaining entrance.

"The Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911 by an employee who kept it for two years before he was caught," Evan replied. "Admittedly they've probably stepped up security a bit since then but I think the past couple of months prove there's no such thing as an impossible theft."

Drew went to answer when Evan held up a hand, reaching into a pocket and pulling out his silently ringing mobile.

"Evan Lorne," he answered with his name, listening intently for a few moments before nodding. "Thank you Sir. I owe you at least a forty for this," he listened again and then laughed. "I'll try Sir," he promised before hanging up.

"Well?" Drew looked at him expectantly.

"Got the equipment I need," Evan revealed, pulling out his map of Paris and a pen and searching it intently. "We just have to get to Taverny Air Base in the Val d'Oise," he said, circling a location. "It's about 12 miles north of here. Before we do that though I need one of my other favours to come through. And I need to go speak to a contact from Interpol."

"Sounds like you're gonna be a busy boy," Drew retorted. "You want to fill me in on what you've got planned or just stick with the cryptic crap?"

"Once I have all the pieces lined up I'll fill you in," Evan promised.

Drew frowned but didn't insist on further information right there and then. The two men walked the ground floor of each wing of the museum before stopping in at the bookshop where Evan purchased a number of books on the museum itself. He also picked up brochures detailing the current activities of the museum, including planned shows they were assisting with.

"Floor plans and details on all the collections," he explained to Drew. "Should be something in there about the works they don't display too. That's about all I can do here for now. Time to visit Interpol."

oOo

Evan went to Interpol by himself, sending Drew out to find them somewhere to stay. Although strictly speaking he wasn't going to Interpol as such. Their headquarters were located in Lyon, almost 300 miles away. Instead he was going to the Paris National Central Bureau, staffed mostly by French law enforcement officers. The contact Major Baker had arranged for him was located there and with any luck would both believe Lorne's story and be willing to act on the matter. He knew it was a long shot and had another plan in mind in the likelihood they had to go it alone.

Walking up to the main desk, Evan smiled at the woman sitting behind the counter. "Captain Evan Lorne," he introduced himself. "I'm here to see Monsieur Durand."

"He's expecting you Captain," the woman replied. "Please have a seat while I call him."

Nodding Evan didn't sit, standing instead near the windows and looking out at the street.

"Captain Lorne?" Evan turned to see a short Frenchman dressed in a pin striped suit complete with red satin tie.

"Yes ... Monsieur Durand?" Evan stepped forward, holding out a hand.

"I am Durand," he shook Lorne's hand, and then motioned for him to walk with him. "I must admit I was surprised to get a call from the American military asking that I meet with you," he spoke, leading Evan through a set of doors and into an open area that included a number of desks all occupied. They walked through the gaps between to an office at the back, Durand waving a hand at a chair in front of his desk, inviting Evan to take a seat. "Now ... what can Interpol help you with Captain," he asked as he sat down.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me," Lorne began. "I had some involvement with one of your colleagues in Amsterdam a couple of weeks ago and then again in London earlier this week ... about the theft of several art works from galleries across Europe." Evan continued the story, trying as best he could with as few words as possible to summarise the situation as he knew it. "I was hoping to get your cooperation in taking a more direct approach," he finally concluded.

Durand had listened silently as Lorne spoke, nodding here and there. Now he frowned, looking at Evan intently. "You say you assisted one of our agents?" he broached.

"Yes," Lorne reached into his pocket, taking out Lefèvre's business card. "Anton Lefèvre," he said, handing it to the other man.

Durand took the card, looking at it closely, eyes narrowed.

"Is there a problem?" Evan asked, getting that bad feeling again.

"You could say that," Durand sighed, placing the card carefully on the desk in front of him. "Monsieur Lefèvre is no longer an employee of Interpol, and in fact has not been so for more than a year."

"Damn," Evan muttered. "I knew there was something off about him but I didn't question it because he appeared to have the full cooperation of the authorities in Amsterdam."

"Did you see his credentials?" Durand asked curiously.

"Ah ....," Evan thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it, no I didn't. My first meeting with him was through the Amsterdam police. Surely he'd have shown ID to them."

"Indeed," Durand agreed. "If I recall correctly, it was Lefèvre's obsession with apprehending a so called 'ring' of art thieves that led to his removal from Interpol. He continued to insist on the guilt of parties proper investigation had cleared, even after the real culprits were apprehended and convicted years before. It has been some time now since events of a like nature have taken place ... I had hoped that Monsieur Lefèvre had moved on but clearly that is not the case."

"He did mention suspects he was sure were behind this," Evan revealed. "But he never said anything about the crimes already being solved."

It was a blow; there was no getting around that. Anton had misled Lorne, badly, and if he could get his hands on the other man he'd make sure to express his extreme ... displeasure. But regardless, the thefts that had taken place during Evan's trip were a reality ... and something still had to be done about those.

"That doesn't explain the latest round of thefts," Evan pointed out respectfully. "Seven works in seven countries so far - that can't be just a coincidence."

"This is news to us Captain Lorne," Durand admitted with a sigh. "We rely on participating countries to provide us with information ... too often single incidents such as the ones you describe are not reported. That is if these incidents even occured."

"What, you think Lefèvre was lying to me about that too?" Lorne frowned, thinking back to what he knew from first hand experience. "Even if that's the case it still leaves two thefts I know for sure occurred - Amsterdam and London. They could still be connected."

"Perhaps, but with no evidence to link them there is little law enforcement officials can do," Durand replied. "I will have the matter followed up Captain. Rest assured, Monsieur Lefèvre will not be left to continue impersonating a member of this organisation." He paused, before continuing. "As to the rest I am not sure what it is you wish us to do. Interpol does not run operations directly ... we assist our participating countries primarily with the provision of up to date information where international criminal activity is involved. We do not have the resources to do more than this ... and as you can see our information is only as good as our sources allow."

"I see," Lorne was disappointed but he'd known it was a long shot that he'd be able to just hand the whole mess over to someone else to fix. "Lefèvre mentioned case files as well as possible suspects. Would it be possible for me to get a look at them?"

Durand hesitated for a moment before coming to a decision. "We do not have hard copies here Captain, but electronic records are usually made of all cases overseen by our agency. I will ask one of my staff to assist you in accessing this information."

"Thank you Monsieur," Lorne said gratefully.

Durand led him out into the main work area. "Mademoiselle Girard, this is Captain Lorne from America."

Evan nodded, listening as Durand instructed her to help him search for the information he needed. Thanking the man again, nodding at his reassurances that he would deal with Lefèvre, Lorne then sat down and began giving Miss Girard the details she'd need for the search.

Most of what came up was information Evan already knew from what Anton had told him - at least he hadn't lied about that. They'd been scrolling through dry reports, following the trail of Lefèvre while he'd still been an employee when something on the screen grabbed Lorne's attention.

"Stop," he said urgently. "Scroll back."

He watched as photos were displayed in reverse order to how he'd just seen them. "There."

Miss Girard halted the scrolling, glancing at Lorne curiously. "Is this one important?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah," Evan's eyes were pinned on the smiling images of Maria and Harry Luca. "Yeah it is."

oOo

"I can't believe this!" Evan was angrily pacing back and forth across the room Drew had checked them in to. It was early evening in what had turned out to be a very long day and he'd updated the other man on the latest ... that Lefèvre was in fact not a member of Interpol and that a nice couple he'd met back in Italy were apparently his prime suspects. "That whole time the Luca's were collecting information about me so they could use me as their scapegoat. She was so nice, Drew. I never would have suspected her."

"Suspected doesn't mean guilty," Drew pointed out.

"Maybe not, but it's a little too coincidental to me that a couple I met on my first stop turn out to be ex-suspects in a string of past art thefts," Evan replied darkly.

"So what's Interpol gonna do about all this?" Drew asked curiously.

"About Lefèvre – they'll pick him up if he's stupid enough to turn up in their radar," Lorne explained. "As for the rest of it, getting access to their files is the best we can expect. They'll keep the local authorities informed and pass on any pertinent information as soon as it comes to light. The rest is up to the local authorities in the affected countries. He did say they could send someone to assist with coordination but I don't think that's gonna fix our immediate problem."

"So we go to Taverny first thing tomorrow?" Drew took a seat at the small table, casually rifling through the books and pamphlets Lorne had dumped there when he'd arrived.

Lorne's phone chose that moment to ring. Evan glanced at the number and then answered by giving his name.

"Monsieur Lorne," the male voice at the other end replied. "My name is Gérard Perrie, curator, 16th Century paintings, at the Louvre."

"Monsieur Perrie, thank you for calling me," Lorne replied, attention immediately focussed on the call.

"Mr Green from the Green and Black Gallery in London called and mentioned you had information about a painting at the Louvre," Perrie replied.

"In a manner of speaking," Evan agreed. "Is it possible we could come to the museum and meet with you Monsieur?"

"You have sparked my curiosity Mr Lorne," the curator admitted. "I can spare an hour tomorrow morning ... say 10 am?"

"We'll be there," Evan promised, thanking the man again before hanging up. "Okay, now we're getting somewhere," he told Drew.

"And where exactly would that be?" Drew asked pointedly.

"At the point where we can trap Lefèvre and the Luca's into making a mistake," Evan explained. Picking up one of the brochures he opened it and held it up for Drew to see. "Hieronymus Bosch ... 16th Century painter who was famous for painting triptychs – scenes in three parts. There's one in particular – it doesn't have a collective name – that was cut into several parts soon after it was painted. The National Gallery of Art in Washington owns one panel and is bringing the other two pieces together for the first time since it was first broken up. Yale University Gallery owns another piece and the Louvre the third – theirs is called The Ship of Fools. It's been removed from display so they can ship it to the States ... which makes it a very attractive item for any self respecting art thief."

"Why is that?" Drew was intrigued with both the emerging strategy he was starting to perceive as well as this other side to his friend – his openly knowledgeable 'arty' side.

"Because Bosch most often painted directly on wood," Evan replied. "If you're an art thief you want to take something easy to transport ... like a canvas that you can cut from the frame, roll up and hide in a post tube. That effectively puts a Bosch out of reach ... until now. This one will be packaged and ready for transport ... it's practically irresistible."

"This is all great Evan but there's no way for us to know where these people – the Luca's – are right now, or where they're going to be next week," Drew pointed out sceptically. "We could set this up and never know whether they were tempted to take the bait or they just never heard about it."

"That's why I was thinking I'd use this," Evan held up a business card, the one Harry had pressed on him before he'd taken his leave.

Taking it, Drew read it and then looked back to Lorne immediately. "Let me get this straight ... you've been carrying this around for two months and you're only telling me about it now?!"

"I've only known the Luca's were involved for less than a day," Evan pointed out. "Harry gave me that card after the one dinner but I was never tempted to use it ... to be honest I kind of forgot I even had it. Given what we know about them, what're the chances that's really their number anyway?"

"Okay, good point ...I guess we won't know unless you call them," Drew smiled suddenly. "Time to tap into that inner 'Rookie Most Wanted' ... how did Steph put it?" He thought for a moment. "Oh, that's right. Because you're just so darn nice." He laughed at the expression of distaste on his friends face.

"Laugh it up buddy ... but remember one thing. I know plenty of stories you wouldn't want me repeating around my sister." It was Evan's turn to tease and he took delight in the way the smile dropped right off Drew's face.

"You wouldn't do that," Drew insisted.

"I might," Evan countered, laughing again.

"Just make the call," Drew shot back.

Right," Evan quickly dialled the number, turning away and walking to the window as he waited for someone to answer.

"Hello, Maria Luca."

"Mrs Luca," Evan said in a charming voice. "It's Evan Lorne here. I'm not sure if you'd even remember me now – Italy, the Uffizi Gallery, at the beginning of June?"

"Of course I remember you Evan," Maria exclaimed, sounding genuinely pleased that he'd called. "Are you still travelling?"

"I'm on the last leg before I have to return to work," Evan replied. "I remember Harry saying the two of you would be travelling for a while ... it's a shame we never bumped into each other again ... I hope you don't mind me calling," he paused, slipping into a faintly melancholy tone he hoped would have her feeling sympathetic ... if that was even something an international art thief could feel. "To be honest it's a little ... lonely travelling by myself. I've had a few ... difficulties along the way too ... it'd be nice to be around people who actually know me instead of a room full of strangers."

"Oh you poor dear," Maria exclaimed. "Harry and I are still on the road ... where are you now?"

"Paris," Evan said simply. "I'm going to spend a few days checking out the Louvre before I head back to the States."

"Paris," Maria's tone had an odd edge Evan only picked up because he'd been carefully looking for some kind of clue that she and her husband were really what Anton Lefèvre believed them to be. "Why, that's wonderful Evan. Harry and I are on our way there right now."

"Really?" Evan said with pretended surprise. "That's great Mrs Luca."

"Maria, please," she replied. "Well then ... why don't you give me your number dear? I'll call you just as soon as we have a free evening and we can have dinner. How does that sound?"

"That sounds perfect ... Maria," Evan smiled, quickly rattling off his mobile number.

"You've been to the Louvre already?" Maria asked curiously.

"Just for a couple of hours," Evan replied. "I couldn't see the piece I came here for – it's no longer on display. It's disappointing but there's still plenty of other works to admire."

"That's a shame," Maria said sympathetically. There was a pause and then, just as he'd been counting on, she couldn't resist asking. "What was it you most wanted to see?"

"The Ship of Fools," Lorne put active disappointment into his voice, even as he grinned across at Drew who was listening with interest to Evan's side of the conversation.

"Oh, I know it!" Maria said excitedly. "Hieronymus Bosch ... part of a larger work. It really is a shame you couldn't see it Evan – it's a wonderful piece."

"I've seen pictures of course," Lorne returned, "but I know now how little that really means." He hesitated for a moment, and then spoke in a low tone. "You probably noticed when we had dinner that I didn't talk about my work ... I guess you could say I'm going through a bit of a mid life crisis. Something happened at work and now ... well, now I feel a little like the people Bosch painted in The Ship of Fools ... wasting my life instead of spending it doing something useful." It was all a lie of course but there were enough elements of truth to lend conviction and realism to his voice.

"I wondered," Maria's tone was almost maternal now. "I said to Harry 'that boy is grieving for someone' ... you just seemed so sad. Are you feeling better now dear?"

"I'm getting there," Evan admitted, laughing weakly. "Sorry ... I shouldn't be wasting your time with my problems."

"Don't apologise," Maria insisted. "We can talk more when we see you Evan. I'll call you when we get to Paris."

"Thanks Maria," Evan said before finishing up the call. "That's one," he said to Drew, pulling out another card and dialling again.

This time the call went straight to messaging. "Anton, its Evan Lorne here. Listen, I saw the news reports about what happened at the Tate and I just wanted to apologise for leaving you in the lurch that night. My sister's fine now – on her way home in fact. Drew and I decided to move on to Paris ... see the Louvre before we head back to the States. There's a Bosch I particularly want to see before they ship it to the States," Evan chuckled. "You know me ... gotta have that one special piece to draw me to a particular gallery. Probably should be the Mona Lisa but everybody comes here to see her. Anyway, ... give me a call if you're still looking for assistance with that little problem we talked about."

Hanging up, he grinned. "And that's two. Now we just have to hope Monsieur Perrie at the Louvre is willing to do more than just hear me out or this could all blow up in our faces."

oOo

"He called me," Maria Luca tried to keep her voice calm. Despite everything, despite how sincere Evan Lorne had seemed over the phone she was worried.

"And?" the man on the other end replied blandly.

"And I think that's more than a coincidence!" Maria exclaimed.

"He's suspicious, yes," the man agreed. "But he is just one man ... and he knows nothing of value. If he called you it was simply to follow up a casual acquaintance ... after all Harry did give him your number."

"How can you be sure of that?" she asked.

"Because he called me too."

Authors Note:

Getting to the business end of the story now! The Ship of Fools has been added to my website ... gotta love Bosch ... well I do anyway! I must admit I like my 'arty' Lorne just as much as 'pilot Lorne' ... in fact I can see quite the market for a series of Lorne dolls ... pilot Lorne, solider Lorne and arty Lorne to name but three. They'd all have accessories too ... arty Lorne a paint spattered shirt, an easel and teenie tiny paint brushes ... LOL okay, enough babbling. Hope everyone is still enjoying this. Thanks for reading.