There was silence for a minute although Hannah had the pounding of her heart in her ears.
“My client will pay five hundred and thirty thousand dollars if the piece can be delivered before the end of September.”
“Deal; how is the handover to be arranged?”
“The piece will be delivered to our representative in New York - a woman by the name of Signorina Fiorina De Cana. She will take custody of the piece and give you the bond; she is merely acting as a go-between and will be innocent of our arrangement.”
“Understood; I will call when I have a date and time.”
Hannah rang off and practically had kittens. How the hell did they intend to recruit Fiorina to act as a go-between? A little later, Conan Chalk telephoned.
“Fiorina; I wonder if you could do me a huge favour. You know how difficult it is to find someone you can trust these days. I have a bronze coming into New York, which needs to be looked after for a few days. Can you accept it and deal with the agent upon delivery? They need to be paid; you’ll have a bond to give them.”
“Conan; I would be delighted to assist you. Just let me know when the piece is arriving and the name of the agent.”
If Conan was willing to have her look after the piece, then her disguise must have withstood some scrutiny for she couldn’t imagine he would approach her without assurances. The thought that at a future point in time, she would have the fee and the bronze in her possession raised all kinds of possibilities.
It was time to make the acquaintance proper of Michael Burlington.
Chapter Three – Michael Burlington
Once Hannah as Fiorina de Cana had left the gallery, she had gone to the apartment and had sat down to gaze at the pictures of the bronzes again. They were etched in her memory now. The plan to steal The Muses needed some thought; his apartment building was heavily protected and there were cameras everywhere.
An apartment on West 80th Street did not figure for someone of her standing; a student, yes, but a young heiress, no. She needed to rent somewhere, and that was next on the list of things to do. Finding and meeting Michael again was easy; he was everywhere. A rich playboy with varied interests; she had no doubt that he would be on her trail!
The plan began to fill her mind much like an “etch a sketch” picture; lines began to appear. The first solid line was a sale of bronzes in a week’s time. She was certain that Michael would be there. She intended to be there herself and buy one of the sculptures; outbidding him if possible. There was nothing Hannah liked more than getting her hook into the mouth of a big fish. That left a week to organize the new apartment, and she looked at one in Chelsea on West 23rd Street, opposite the Chelsea Hotel.
Installed in the apartment - well, appearing to be living in the apartment - she gave thought to the sale and the piece that she would bid for and snatch out of Michael’s jaws just as he tasted victory. It had to be another Adolfo de Nizza, she surmised, else he probably wouldn’t be interested. The piece in the sale was fortuitously a small piece, and the estimate was somewhere in the region of one hundred thousand dollars. She would venture that for a payoff five times as big, and the piece would only appreciate.
Hannah took out the usual insurance. She was always thinking nine levels in both directions and nine steps ahead; ‘a Vulcan playing chess’ her father always said.
She registered and received her bidding card at the new address, adding a little more to the Fiorina de Cana “personality capital” as she called it; that which you invested in the person to make the rest of world believe that they were real. A year enrolled at Columbia as Sadie Goldberg had been the investment there; a bright student, a loyal part-time employee at the bookstore ... interest accrued and accruing.
The auction was being held at Doyle’s on the Upper East Side on the Friday evening, starting at 8pm.
Upon arrival, she saw Michael and he saw her. Naturally he came over.
“Signorina De Cana! What an unexpected pleasure,” he said, kissing her fingertips. She knew he would have scoured the register to confirm that she planned to attend.
“Mr. Burlington-”
“Please! Call me Michael.”
“Michael; it is a pleasure to see. Are you in a buying mood?”
“Perhaps; you?”
“Perhaps ...”
They moved to their respective corners and waited for the referee to start the first round. Neither batted an eye as a procession of mediocre bronzes made their way out; most failed to make their reserves. The De Nizza was in the next section. Things became livelier as the auctioneer announced the piece and asked for bidding to start at fifty thousand dollars which no one touched. In the end, the opening price was twenty thousand dollars. No one expected it to stay there.
Two or three other bidders were showing interest but nothing serious. Hannah bid eighty thousand to signal to Michael that she was serious. He bid ninety and then she a hundred. It was the first piece of the evening to break through the one hundred thousand barrier. Heads began to turn in Hannah’s direction. They perhaps fancied they saw a black panther; she swathed in ink-black wool by Emmanuelle Vesuvius, wearing an insanely large emerald necklace that everyone assumed must be real.
“One hundred and ten ...”
It was Michael’s bid. Hannah raised her card.
“One hundred and twenty ...”
Her limit was one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Even if she didn’t get the piece, she’d get Michael. But getting the piece would establish her credentials as a collector, and a collector with money; a more powerful cocktail, she believed. Imperative if she was going to get inside that apartment of his and her hands on the De Nizza.
“One hundred and thirty to you, Sir ... thank you, Madam ... one hundred and forty to you ... one hundred and fifty to the gentleman ...”
There was silence now as everyone sensed that this could become a battle royal. Michael, perhaps assuming that one hundred and forty was her limit, offered one hundred and fifty to claim the piece without getting into a pointless bidding war for something that wasn’t all that important.
“One hundred and sixty to the lady ...”
Hannah broke her limit to see his reaction. He had the mask of gentlemanly conduct on his face, but she could see the blood rising and knew he was up for the fight.
“One hundred and seventy to the gentleman ...”
He stole a glance and unleashed a quick smile as if he was unsheathing his rapier.
“One hundred and eighty ...”
“Two hundred thousand dollars!” Michael quickly countered, betraying something of his true nature. He glanced again into the twin black moons of her sunglasses.
“Two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars.”
“Sir, the bid is against you.”
He looked at her, narrowing his eyes, wondering why she was engaging him so blatantly without any hope of ever getting her money back.
“Two hundred and fifty!”
And when invited to bid, Hannah shook her head.
She quit the room but Michael followed her. “Signorina! Please wait,” he called out, adding, once she had turned, “I hope you’re not too disappointed.”
“Not in the least, Michael; you paid more than twice the value.”
“You bid two hundred and twenty-five thousand.”
“To see how far you would go to get what you wanted or, more accurately, deny me what you thought that I wanted ... it’s a pretty piece.”
She turned away.
“I’ll give it to you if you agree to have dinner with me ...”
She turned back and fingered her emerald necklace, pausing for ten seconds before responding.
“I will accept your invitation, Michael; on one condition; you show me The Muses. They say no one has seen it for ten years.”
He paused for ten seconds.
“Okay; tomorrow. I’ll send a car to pick you up at seven-thirty.”
“I have my own car. I’ll see you tomorro
w at seven-thirty, and after you’ve shown me the piece, you can take me to dinner. Have tonight’s spoils delivered to the gallery where we met.”
She did leave this time and headed home to the 23rd Street apartment to make some calls. The first was to the gallery.
“Samuel; the Adolfo from tonight’s sale will be delivered tomorrow. Sell as agreed; for three hundred thousand to the Californian.”
The second call was to her favored driver.
“Pete; job tomorrow night. Pick me up at seven. Thank you, darling.”
And the third call was to Pierre.
“Pierre; can you get here in two days? ... Excellent!”
Hannah crashed from the adrenalin burn and meditated with a scotch and a cigarette.
“So! Highly competitive; much as we expected ... but generous too. I wonder how generous he would be if he knew that I had sold the piece to him tonight, at a profit of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and three hundred more to come. Perhaps collecting and not stealing would be more lucrative - but so much less exciting!”
Hannah had purchased the piece just before the auction and had then re-entered it in the sale. The original seller had been more than happy with one hundred thousand dollars - perhaps less happy now.
“Four hundred and fifty thousand dollars ...” was Hannah’s last thought as she slipped into bed.
Chapter Four – The Muses
Hannah dressed to kill; a backless, black, velvet dress and respectable rubies. Pete picked her up at seven o’clock to ferry her to the Park Avenue apartment of Michael Burlington.
“Where shall I collect you later?” he asked.
“At the Gotham; at around eleven-thirty.”
“Enjoy your evening.”
“Thanks, Pete.”
She entered Michael’s building, and the concierge called up to obtain authorization for the elevator to take her to the top floor.
“Top floor, Signorina,” he announced, and she tipped him ten bucks.
Michael came out to welcome her. The lobby was clad in grey and white marble, lit by Baccarat crystal chandeliers.
“Signorina!”
“Please call me Fiorina, Michael; I think we’re passed those formalities now, don’t you?”
“Yes; please come in. May I offer you a drink?”
“Some champagne perhaps?”
“Are we celebrating?”
“The De Nizza makes a fine addition to my collection; that was uncommonly generous of you and very sporting. What time is our reservation at the Gotham?”
“How did you know that I’d booked the Gotham?”
“I called all of the restaurants in Manhattan.”
“Why?”
“I generally don’t like surprises. However, I’m prepared to make an exception in the case of The Muses. Why haven’t you shown it in ten years?”
“I don’t like sharing.”
“So why did you give me the piece?”
“I like games and to dine with beautiful women.”
“I would have said yes regardless.”
“Where would the fun have been in that?”
“Quite!”
They sparred like regular heavyweights, but both held their punches.
“Do you still want to see it?” he asked as he handed her a glass of champagne.
“Yes ...” with just enough excitement in her voice to register genuine interest.
He escorted her through the apartment, which was just as it appeared in the magazine photographs. The space was opulent, and bleeding art from every surface; lit by Baccarat and decorated in mostly muted tones; white silk and grey satin, dried blood red suede and matt black leather. The piece was exhibited in a room all of its own; maybe once the library or a study. The muses were life size. In this case, three in number, not nine - even three had required the floor to be reinforced. The group comprised representations of Melete, Mneme and Aoide.
Cast in bronze and worth 5.3 million dollars; Michael had purchased the piece ten years ago - and at two million dollars then, the highest price paid for any bronze cast in the last one hundred and fifty years.
Hannah toured the sculpture, walking around it twice, before coming to a standstill to sip her champagne and allow her gaze to rest on the piece. It hadn’t been sculpted in the traditional style; it was more abstract and highly polished, like glass. Each figure flowing into the others, the spaces between them resembling the windows of the Casa Mila in Barcelona; organic and hypnotically simple. The light reflected off of the highly polished surfaces to create a mesmerizing aura.
“Satisfied?” Michael asked quietly.
In the presence of real beauty, Hannah had momentarily lost her voice.
“Beautiful, Michael; you really should exhibit it ... It’s too important to be shut away in this room.”
“Like I said, I don’t like sharing. It took five years to negotiate the deal to have the photographs taken.”
“Why did you agree to show it to me?”
He grinned, a little embarrassed.
“I wondered if your beauty would stand up to it.”
“Satisfied?” she thrust back.
“More than ... Shall we go to dinner?”
“Yes; thank you for the opportunity to see it in person.”
They dined and skirted rather than flirted. Hannah had only agreed to dinner so that she could see the sculpture and the apartment. The rest bored her steadily to tears. Michael assumed she would fall into his arms; she didn’t, and that left a smear on the flawless performance.
“Can I offer you a ride home?” he asked.
“No, thank you; I have a car waiting.”
“You are annoyingly independent.”
“I’m a modern woman; I have my own money and my own business.”
“What about love?”
“What about it?”
“Do you believe in it?”
“Of course ... on my terms.”
“Which are?”
“An exhibition; show The Muses and the other pieces in the collection. When you’ve learned to share, then talk to me about love. Goodnight, Michael; thank you for dinner.”
She left; a panther weaving its way through the tables. At the door, she blew him a kiss. Only when he got up to leave, did he find that she’d already paid the tab. Crucified; that’s how he felt, and drawn to her like a moth to a flame.
Getting Michael to exhibit the piece was central to the plan to steal it; there was no other way. It was far too heavy to steal from the apartment, and it was impossible to evade the building security with an object that large. As it was, the doors had been removed when the piece had been taken in. No; an exhibition was the only way, and the deadline of the end of September was just six weeks away.
Chapter Five – Criminally easy
“Fiorina; I will agree to show the pieces if you agree to share something too; share some time with me ...”
“We’ll both need to see a little sign of faith; when I see the exhibition advertised, I will consent to a further evening with you. By the middle of September, the exhibition must open.”
“Why by then?”
“I leave for Rome.”
“You do?”
“Yes; I have business there.”
“That’s only four weeks.”
“Time enough surely; everyone will be falling at your feet to host the event.”
“Give me a week.”
“Give me a copy of the event contract and I’ll agree to spend the weekend with you.”
“This is beginning to sound like business.”
“Love is a serious business, Michael.”
She rang off to let that gem sink in. It wasn’t the first time a man had become infatuated with her. She was shrewd enough to see them for what they truly were; collectors of art.
“A woman I may be, but a trophy I am certainly not!” were her words to herself as she stretched her body before heading to her dance class.
In a week, sh
e had the contract for the exhibition, having had it delivered to the 23rd Street apartment. Pierre was installed in the 80th, waiting for her instructions.
“Pierre; I have it. I’ll meet you later and we can agree the details ... if you want in.”
“Maddy; I’m in. It’ll give me a chance to earn all that money you’ve paid me.”
“You already did. The payoff from this will mean you can retire and keep out of harm’s way.”
The plan was refreshingly simple. Now that she knew where and when the piece would be moved, she would ensure that her security firm picked up the piece and delivered it to Thierry - while a replica of the piece was delivered to the exhibition hall; a replica good enough to fool everyone except Michael. No one else had actually seen it in the flesh for ten years. The entire operation was probably going to set her back two hundred thousand dollars but Michael had effectively paid for it himself; a thought which gave her a wicked little smile.
Now that the contract had been signed, she was duty bound to see through her side of the bargain; to spend a weekend with him. It was not something that she was relishing but the payoff was so big that she just buried her anxieties and began packing. She also called Thierry to confirm the date and time of the theft and the handover arrangements.
“Have the piece delivered to 255 Exterior Street in The Bronx and then inform Signorina De Cana. Once she has confirmed that the piece has been delivered, she will give you the bearer bond.”
“Okay. Will she know it’s stolen?”
“No; she’s innocent in this - just the go-between.”
A day or two later, Conan called to confirm the arrangements.
“The agent will inform you where the piece has been delivered to, and after you have confirmed that it is there, you can hand over the payment. On the morning of the delivery, the payment will be couriered to you.”
“I understand perfectly, Conan; I’m happy to assist you.”
Roughly three weeks remained before the exhibition. In those three weeks, the replica needed to be finished and a security van purchased and painted in the same livery as the firm that Michael was using. Pierre was doing that, now that they knew which firm was being used. Hannah saw to the replica. A student at the University had agreed to make the copy for her; not from bronze, but using a new latex material stretched over a thin but strong wire framework; very light and reasonably cheap. The boy was infatuated with her but wasn’t anything like as demanding as Michael.
The weekend approached and it couldn’t be avoided; she just hoped he would be a gentleman. Could a weekend of playtime in Connecticut be all bad?