To Catch a Thief

Chapter 4 - The New Colossus

Jessica Chang is an exacting woman. Each morning, even on her sparse vacation days, she awakens at the same time, does the same workout regimen, eats the same breakfast, and then reads a single chapter of a book. It's never two chapters, no matter how enticing a cliffhanger might be, just the one. A car picks her up and takes her to her job as Director of Luthor Fine Arts. She's been in charge of the museum since she graduated college with a degree in Fine Arts. It's an unusual position for someone so young and inexperienced, but sometimes it isn't what you know but who you know... especially if you also know a lot.

"Miss Chang?"

Kara and Alex stand at the threshold of her office, and Jess' gaze quickly takes their measure. They're dressed professionally but not expensively. The suits are neither this year's nor custom made, but they've been tailored to fit, and the shoes are unscuffed. They're obviously not patrons, and the look she gives them says that fact drops them down several notches in her regard, but still, she replies professionally. "Yes. Do we have an appointment?" She clicks on something on her computer screen, frowning heavily. "I don't have anything on my calendar for this afternoon."

"Sorry, no. I apologize for dropping in like this, but a matter has just come to our attention which could be of the utmost importance to you," Alex says. "Do you have five minutes for us?"

Glancing at her screen again, Jessica nods. "Five minutes." She gestures to the chairs on the other side of her desk. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Thank you for agreeing to see us. I'm Alex Danvers of DEO," Alex holds out a business card as they speak, "and this is my sister Kara."

"From El Mayarah Security," Kara adds with a nod.

"Danvers Extraordinary Objects," Jess says as she examines the card in her hand, then fixes an icy glare on Alex. "You're the art gallery turned recovery experts. Why are you here? We haven't had any thefts."

"Not yet." For her words, Kara also earns one of those icy glares. If she keeps serving those up, they won't need any A/C. "Miss Chang, we have reason to believe that your gallery may be the target of an upcoming theft. Do you have any new exhibits being installed?"

"Not at this time." Jessica is known for her keen insight and sharp mind, a reputation she's earned. She leans back in her chair, saying nothing, just further sizing the siblings up. Her brown eyes hold a steady intensity, and in about five seconds time, she seems to have taken their full measure... and found them wanting. "Why exactly do you believe my gallery is a target?"

Alex and Kara begin to speak at the same time, both immediately stopping, and Alex nods at their sister to continue.

"Thanks. Miss Chang, a program was recently used to cover a museum's security feed with older, altered footage from the same museum in facilitation of a theft."

"The Seated Buddha from the Asian Art Museum."

"How did you know that?" Alex asks, the question probably coming out sharper than they'd meant, but Alex has always been the hammer to Kara's scalpel.

"Please, every high-end gallery knows by now," Jess replies with a casual wave of her hand. "You still haven't explained what this has to do with me."

"Because we traced the signal that was used to initiate the program," Kara explains. "It was hidden and jumped through several locations, but there was only one locally, and that's this gallery."

"This gallery?" Slowly, Jess pushes herself to her feet. "Are you accusing me of something?"

"Not at all," Kara says, and she means it. Kara has made her living protecting people like Miss Chang from those who would take advantage of her. Where Alex sees possible criminals, Kara sees possible victims, and it shows in their approach. "We've located several other robberies, over the past few years, with this same signature. We've yet to dig through any of the evidence, but from this latest one, we do know the thief or thieves are meticulous and take their time. We think it's more likely you've been hacked and could be the next target."