THE DEAL

02 Victory Bonds

That same day, Jennie and Lisa made a visit to the National Archives, following up on their lead. A staff member met them after Jennie had flashed her badge at the entrance, asking wether they had seen Tony Field around here. She had shown them his ID picture as a reference.

"Yes, I remember him. He came by several months ago and then again last week." The guy told Jennie. Lisa trailed along with them. It was very strange for her to see how exactly the other side investigated. Everything had to be official. Everything needed to be clarified with Agent Gong. Permits, badges, warrants. It was not how Lisa would have operated if she wanted to find somebody.

She would have activated her street contacts, but after two years into her four year sentence in prison, she didn't have any anymore. She needed to get to the right people again fast while she was out. She wanted to help the FBI on this. She really did. But she had her own methods and means of communication with Seoul's back alleys and they might just proove useful in this case.

"This is what he came to see" The elderly man laid out a fine piece of paper on a showing table right in front of them. He wore gloves so he wouldn't touch it directly.

Lisa peered down at it, closely followed by Jennie. "The Spanish Victory Bond. He took several photographs of it, claiming he was writing a book."

Lisa grabbed some gloves too and took the bond into her hands without asking. Jennie wanted to interfere but Lisa spoke up. "It's a Goya, isn't it?" referring to the artwork at the top illustrating a piece by Francisco de Goya, a spanish painter of the early nineteenth century.

"Beautiful isn't it?" The man nodded along with her. 

"Definitely." The former art thief's eyes sparkled. 

"Lisaaaaa." Jennie growled in a low warning tone stepping closer.

"Jennie." Lisa acknowledged in much the same tone. She knew what the agent was getting at. "I'm allowed to marvel at it, aren't I? I'm not even tempted."

"Are you not?"

"Maybe a little, but hey, look it at, it's a masterpiece."

"Yeah, keep it in your pants please?"

Lisa laughed at that and Jennie flashed a little grin before she took out the piece of spanish paper they extracted earlier from the Snowwhite book. Jennie held it over the bond. It was a perfect fit. The perfect size. 

And there they had it. "The Dutchman is counterfeiting spanish victory bonds." Lisa exclaimed. "There are rumours about more of these being hidden in caves somewhere in Spain, right?" She adressed the historian directly. 

"Yes, there are said to be multiple boxes full of them but they got lost. Very few of these have ever been redeemed." He confirmed now slightly worried. 

"Whole boxes of these?" Jennie asked bewildered, looking from the guy to Lisa and back. 

"Yes. But this is the only surviving copy."

"Eeeeexcept it's a forgery." Lisa deadpanned and the room seemed to go silent. Jennie scrunched her brows together, seeing if Lisa was serious. But she was.

"That's not possible. This bond has been here since 1952!" 

Lisa just looked at him like she meant business. "It's been here less than a week."

"What? That's..."

"It's the ink. This is iron dye mixed to match the period colours but it hasn't dried completely yet. You can still smell the paint." She made them all sniff the page. 

The corners of Jennie's lips went up while she looked into Lisa's face. "You're sure starting to earn your seven hundred a month." She told her proudly.