Skating on Thin Ice

Chapter 5: Bargaining Chip

Chesapeake Detention Facility, Baltimore, MD. Tuesday, January 16, 2007.

Could Klaus be trusted?

As far as Neal was concerned, the jury was still out, but he didn't doubt Klaus genuinely wanted to get back together with Chantal. His offer to work for Marcel Jauffret was unexpected. John Hobhouse in London would have been easier to persuade. How Marcel would react was unknown, but Klaus's desire to reunite with Chantal was a big plus. Would that be enough to keep him from straying?

Peter and Henry hadn't responded to Klaus's suggestion. They were waiting on him.

"I promise to discuss it with Marcel," Neal said. "You can make significant contributions to his team. If we're successful, he'll be much more receptive. For now, we can only offer a transfer to Otisville."

"I understand," Klaus said. "All I ask is that you bring it up when you feel the time is right. In the meantime, if I'm to help, I'll need access to the internet. I assume you'll want to monitor my communications." He paused to smile at Peter. "And I freely admit I wouldn't mind sampling the cuisine of Otisville. Do we have a deal?"

"I believe we do," Peter said. "We'll inform D.C. Art Crimes after our meeting. You mentioned having an idea about the identity of the forger?"

Klaus nodded. "The man I'm thinking of was active for thirty years, starting in the 1960s. He maintained his anonymity throughout his career, but he went by the name of Leonardo to the select few who had business dealings with him. I met him in 1995."

"1995," Henry repeated. "That was when you were about twenty-five. Were you already working as the Leopard?"

Klaus glanced at Neal, the corners of his mouth twitching. "There is a rumor that the Leopard first appeared on the scene around that time. Some might surmise that the Leo in Leopard has a hidden meaning."

"And that Lion Cub has a similar connection?" Neal asked, intrigued by the idea. He'd assumed Klaus had nicknamed him that as part of a jungle theme, but the hidden significance was much more appealing.

Klaus's smile broadened. "Leonardo was the finest forger I'd ever known. When I saw your talent, I thought you had the potential to equal if not surpass him."

"You're using the past tense with Leonardo," Henry commented. "Is he no longer active?"

"He died in 1997," Klaus explained. "Cardiac arrest. That was another reason I was so interested in developing Neal's talent. Leonardo was rumored to have painted forgeries of some of the most well-known masterpieces. He worked with thieves to have the paintings switched. Some speculate that I was one of them. I didn't steal the Mona Lisa, but I heard someone else did. It was probably Ugo Cerci."

Henry looked to Peter who supplied, "One of the most infamous art thieves of the twentieth century. He was never arrested, but was suspected of a host of thefts."

In other words, not unlike Neal's record at Interpol until he switched career paths. "Cerci died in 1999," Neal told Henry. "He'd ostensibly retired from the life by then."

Henry arched an eyebrow. "Ceding the museum jungle to the Leopard?"

Klaus shrugged. "Perhaps."

"What was Cerci's nationality?" Henry asked.

"Italian," Klaus said. "Leonardo also spoke German with an Italian accent."

"How sure are you that Leonardo is the forger?" Peter asked.

"I'm aware that Leonardo marked his works with pinpricks. He mentioned that a client had requested a star. When I teased him about it, he divulged that he often used pinpricks to mark his works."