Chapter 6: Teamwork

Scotland. Sunday, May 27, 2007.

Neal twisted the extra button at the bottom of his shirt placket. Time to call for reinforcements. He'd only gotten a brief look at the painting in the small sitting room, but he was sure it was the Renoir. And even if it wasn't, he had no desire to star with Sara in a modern version of Kidnapped.

John trusted Neal's instincts. Ever since they arrived at the site, Neal had reported in at regular intervals. John would be on one of the helicopters once Neal gave the word.

As expected, Woodman had confiscated their cell phones, but Travis had equipped him and Sara with electronic devices concealed in shirt buttons to send out a fractal signal. After a couple of twists of the button, the cavalry would be on its way. The recordings on Neal and Sara's watches would provide more than enough evidence of Woodman's intentions.

Now it was simply a waiting game. Neal should soon hear the choppers. He plopped on the twin bed and forced himself to relax.

Sara would have to wait for her initiation into being a cat burglar. The guards in the hallway and grills on the windows prevented them from casing out the mansion as they'd hoped. It was a gamble now as to how much John and his team would find. But Neal was feeling lucky.

#

And his hunch paid off. When Hobhouse swarmed in with Scottish agents, Woodman didn't put up a struggle. Neal was forced to imagine the look of surprise on the mobster's face when Hobhouse correctly identified the rooms Neal and Sara were confined in. Their fractal buttons led him straight to them.

The results from the search exceeded Neal's expectations. In addition to the Renoir, John's team discovered a Van Gogh original of sunflowers and a still life by Cezanne on the walls. The sunflowers painting had been stolen from a museum in Munich. The Cezanne came from a museum in Brussels. Both of the paintings in the museums were later confirmed to be forgeries. They'd been marked with the identical pinprick design and invisible ink message.

Woodman also had in his possession the McNally Solitaire. It was in the same safe containing the escudos. As expected, Woodman claimed he didn't realize the paintings and ring were originals. But he couldn't wiggle out of the unlawful imprisonment and attempted extortion charges. Win-Win's bonus fee for the recovery of the paintings and ring would be substantial.

Neal and Sara reported back to work after the Memorial Day weekend. The ring was a topic of conversation when he met with Henry and Peter in Henry's office.

"I'm convinced Phoenix was behind the theft," Neal said. "But I doubt Woodman will ever reveal how he obtained it."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Peter countered. "We may have more leverage than you realize. We discovered that Buzek's bank accounts are being drawn down like those of the Austrian who'd hoped to cash in on the Mona Lisa. The Bureau's trying to use the discovery as leverage to get Buzek to crack. Woodman could have the same issue."

"By itself, the Austrian case didn't prove a larger conspiracy," Henry said. "But now we can claim a pattern. Someone is using mobsters as their piggy bank."

Neal was fascinated by the implications. "The funds to purchase the paintings were probably wired to Phoenix and then somehow he used the routing information to access their accounts."

Peter nodded. "That's what we believe, meaning that Phoenix is connected to a sophisticated hacker group. I've alerted John. He'll have Woodman's financial records forwarded to Jones. He and Anna are working with Aidan's company on the analysis."

"Peter and I discussed the McNally Solitaire," Henry said. "It's likely the canary in a coal mine of a much larger issue. You spotted the forgery because you'd previously studied the piece. How many other jewels in museums have also been replaced? The similarity to art masterpieces can't be ignored."

Neal was grateful for the way Henry described it as if he'd studied the ring for a course assignment. There was absolutely no need to bring up the connection to Kate. That would remain a secret shared only with Mozzie.

"We think you should call Klaus to discuss the ring," Henry continued. "All the art thefts discovered so far haven't been recent since the forgeries are likely all works by Leonardo. But the ring's theft occurred within the last few months. Klaus may know of jewel thieves who'd worked with Rolf. I'd also like to hear his take on why Phoenix hasn't approached him with another commission."

"Mobsters may no longer be as interested in the investment club Phoenix is running or Phoenix could suspect you were responsible for the Austrian's takedown," Peter said.

"Another possibility is that Phoenix is biding his time," Henry said. "He's in no hurry. He could be waiting till the climate is more favorable."

#

Neal and Peter left the meeting together. On the way back to their offices, Neal asked, "Have you made any decision on the townhouse?"

Peter smiled. "An engineer inspected the house on Friday, and I'm happy to report it passed all the tests. El called Janet this morning to give her our decision. You and Sara better make some space on that cloud of yours because El, Baby Burke, and I will be joining you."

Neal clapped him on his back. "Welcome to the neighborhood! I'll start planning the celebration."

"El and I are still in a daze," Peter admitted, looking surprisingly happy. "How we'll get everything accomplished I don't know. El wants to move in early July, but is that even feasible?"

"Sure it is with your friends to help. You're welcome to stay with us as much as you want."

"Thanks. June's already invited us to move into the mansion during the transition. Mozzie volunteered his services to help sell our townhouse. El told me she feels like we're surrounded by fairy godmothers and godfathers. It's easier for her to accept than it is for me. Part of me still says this isn't how life works."

"But it's the way it should," Neal insisted. "Friends helping each other—isn't that simply the teamwork principle you're so fond of?"

Peter stopped in his tracks, opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again.

But Neal was just getting warmed up. "In fact, I could rightfully argue that you've been trying to be a lone wolf. It's high time you join the pack and we can howl at the moon together."

Peter snorted. "With you, I'm taking that literally."

"Just think, we can alternate terraces to do our howling."

Neal was still smiling when he entered his office. Peter would need a lot of hand-holding during the next couple of months. He probably thought he'd have to do the packing himself, but Neal suspected Mozzie had arranged for that as well. Undoubtedly, Mozzie had been much more involved than the Burkes realized. His investment strategy had benefitted Janet at least as much as it had Neal and Sara. Mozzie also realized that Peter would have regarded his assistance as being ethically problematic. Happy hour this evening would be especially interesting.

Neal closed the door to his office. It was midafternoon in Paris. Klaus would likely be working at the National Police headquarters. When he and Klaus talked at work, Neal was always careful to use the landline. As was the case with the FBI, conversations were routinely stored. That eliminated the need for special precautions. When Klaus was at work, Neal spoke French with him. For Neal, it was a way to keep his skill up and it provided yet another level of transparency for the locals.

"Thank you for the tip about Kyle Woodman," Neal said. "Your hunch paid off. He was in possession of three original paintings. We've received confirmation that they were replaced by pinprick forgeries. He also had a bonus—the McNally Solitaire."

"The emerald ring from the National Museum?"

"That's the one." Both of them were careful not to reveal they had a history with the ring. "It had been replaced by a forgery. So whoever Phoenix is, he may not exclusively deal in paintings. Do you know of any jewel forgers specializing in museum pieces?"

"No. Frankly, I'm surprised the Solitaire was taken. As you know, the underground market for historical jewels isn't high. They're almost always commission jobs for someone with a special interest."

"In this case, Woodman's wife was a Cameron. I think he was attracted to the romantic history of the ring." As was I. "How about Rolf? Did he ever express an interest in gems?"

"I have no evidence but I suspect he commissioned jewel thefts," Klaus disclosed.

"What makes you think so?"

"Some comments he made about the Arkham Files stories. When the characters began collecting crystals for the armillary sphere, Rolf grumbled that you were taunting him."

"Do you remember which story he was referencing?"

"I think it was Standing Stones. The characters had found a pink sapphire. At the time, I wondered if Rolf planned to target Harry Winston's diamonds."

Harry Winston owned a fabulous pink diamond. He'd also owned the Hope Diamond before donating it to the Smithsonian. Colored diamonds were among the most expensive items in the world and Harry Winston had many spectacular examples. His heirs continued to retain possession of them.

Klaus had fallen silent as well. Neal suspected he was thinking along the same lines. "We'd discussed earlier the possibility of Rolf being Phoenix," Neal ventured.

"And I still have no evidence to suggest he was, but I haven't stopped thinking about it. Rolf hid many of his activities from me. Coordinating this so-called investment club could be one of them. But the theft of the Solitaire appears to indicate Rolf couldn't be Phoenix. Even his conversations with his lawyer are monitored. I find it impossible to believe that a team of lawyers could execute a heist, let alone forge the ring."

"But suppose he had an experienced crew in place with a capable second-in-command," Neal said. "They might have decided to continue without him."

"I suppose it's possible," Klaus conceded. "I didn't know anything about Rolf's partnership with Penfold till the last year. Who knows what else he concealed from me?" he added bitterly.

Klaus was proving his sincerity daily. Nothing in this conversation contradicted it. And that's what Neal told Peter and Henry at their follow-up meeting.

"You trusted me at the Bureau," Neal told Peter. "And that belief helped keep me on the right course. If you'd doubted my every action, I wouldn't have had as much incentive to stay clean."

"And now you want us to perform the same service for Klaus," Henry said.

Neal nodded. "The challenge for Klaus to change directions is much harder. He needs our support."

Peter exhaled slowly. "I understand where you're coming from, but I find myself more in the position of Hughes. Klaus will need to prove himself before I'll trust him."

"That's fair," Neal said. "I'm still relying on you and Henry to alert me if you see any danger signs. Sara will as well."

"Did Klaus mention Chantal?" Henry asked.

"He does every time we talk. More importantly, Sara and I have spoken with Chantal. She's very happy. His parents have been to see them. Chantal mentioned they may soon remarry. Both she and Klaus are eager to start a family."

"I have Marcel's latest report," Peter volunteered. "He paints an equally rosy picture. Klaus has turned into a real asset for museum security."

"Did Marcel tell you about Fuchspartners?" Neal asked.

"Who are they?" Henry asked.

"One of the top corporate art firms in the world. They're headquartered in Frankfurt. One of the partners, Siegfried Fuchs, has been friends with Klaus since their university years. Siegfried was unaware of Klaus's illegal activities but once he found out, he didn't abandon him. Fuchspartners has a branch in Paris. Klaus has started working for them several hours a week, performing art assessments. He has Marcel's blessing for the project."

Henry nodded thoughtfully. "And it's another anchor to help keep him grounded."

#

The next insight didn't come from Klaus but from Buzek. He was so livid about his bank account being siphoned off that he willingly divulged his knowledge of Phoenix in return for a possible reduction in his sentence. He'd purchased the Van Gogh through the underground market in 1995. He'd wired the funds to an entity code-named Phoenix. Records showed that Buzek's bank accounts had been hacked beginning in 1997. In 1996, Buzek accepted Phoenix's offer to join an investment club where he'd receive original paintings that could be used for extortion purposes. His code name would be Crow, but he never purchased any paintings. He'd been told that the project was on hold till an expert art forger could be found.

Buzek's testimony confirmed why he'd accented the word crow in an email. He'd hoped to obtain more of Van Gogh's paintings including Wheatfield with Crows. Since that painting was on his wish list, he assumed his code name was based on it. The dates tallied with the period when Leonardo, the master art forger employed by Phoenix, was active. Leonardo's death in 1997 put an apparent halt to the forgeries.

Aidan's team discovered that the accounts of Ydrus, a criminal organization that Rolf worked for, had also been hacked. Was this a sign of Rolf's involvement? That he'd double-crossed Ydrus? Or was it a new player? Possibly someone who knew of Rolf's methods and copied some of his moves?

Neal felt it was an easy bet that Kyle Woodman was also being hacked, and the preliminary research supported it.

Phoenix was raking in a staggering sum of money both from the investment club and from mobsters' bank accounts. What was he doing with the funds? Dimes to donuts, it wasn't to give to the poor.

Notes: Thanks for reading! Neal's adventures continue in my next story, Mousetrap. I'll post it in late October 2023.