The Art Thief's Guide To Freedom

9: Step Nine: How To Be A Rat Without Squeaking

"The pen-and-ink drawing, believed to be called "The Judgment," was snatched on Saturday night while a curator was distracted by a guest at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Marina del Rey, Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said on Sunday. Detectives believe the theft occurred during a 15-minute window starting at 10:20 pm. 'When the curator turned back to the Rembrandt, it was gone. It was a well-thought-out, well-executed theft. The Ritz-Carlton has some of the best hotel security in the nation,' Whitmore said. The Dutch master was valued at $250,000. The drawing was part of an exhibit at the hotel sponsored by San Francisco's Linearis Institute. A call to the institute was not immediately returned on Sunday."

~Associated Press, The Los Angeles Daily News, 15 August 2011

~**~~**~

Nico knew who it was the moment she saw that glint of gold, flipping through the air.

A sharp pain began to burn in her heart, sparking down her left arm. She wasn't sure what caused it.

Was it joy? Anger?

Or triumph?

"You know this man?" Will questioned, leaning forward and breaking her from her reverie.

Nico forced herself away from the screen to answer his question. "Yes." She knew he was expecting more, an explanation, but in that split second before answering, Nico decided that she'd never admit her connection to Pablo.

There was no way to trace their partnership. She had made sure of that. It was a survival technique, in case one of them had been captured.

Of course, she'd never thought Pablo would be the reason she'd be imprisoned but regardless, there was no trail to link them together.

"I've seen some of his work. He's known in certain circles as The Hacker. He specializes in creating tech and gadgets that are in high demand in the underworld, as well as circumventing high-security firewalls."

"So he would know how to disengage the copper wire and avoid the cameras," Will said to himself as he jotted down what she had told him. His pen flew across the page of his tiny notebook, the ink blurring words together.

He stopped mid-scrawl and rose his head. "You mentioned the tool to open the frame earlier. Is that something he could have built?"

Nico replayed her time spent with Pablo. Calling the man odd was a kindness. He was the definition of outlandish, eccentric, and just upright bizarre.

However, he was a magician of the highest level. Nico doubted there were few cyber walls the man couldn't invade. Though, he was restricted by natural conventions.

"It's possible that he could have created it. . ."

"I'm sensing a but coming."

Shaking her head, Nico explained, "It just doesn't make sense for him to have built his own. Constructing it would cost more than the painting itself. "

"That would narrow his options a bit," Will said, rising from his chair and pushing it back against the desk. He flipped his pen once in his hand, catching it.

Nico followed Will out of the security room, squinting her eyes as the natural sunlight invaded her sight. Floor-to-ceiling windows ran along the wall, sunlight reflecting against the marble floor.

Where the beams of the building blocked the light, shadows flooded the floor in equally spaced intervals.

The hall itself was also filled with Renaissance-style paintings, strategically placed in the shadows to avoid sun exposure.