The Mistress(54)

The inspector smiled at what he said. “I think Stanislas could pay any price to get what he wants, legally.”

“Not if it’s not for sale,” Theo persisted. “My mother wouldn’t sell these. The one he wanted last night was among the twelve that were stolen.”

“I think we can assume that’s a coincidence,” the inspector said in a patronizing tone. To him, Vladimir Stanislas might look like a rough customer, but he was no art thief.

“I don’t think we can assume anything,” Theo said doggedly.

“We’ll keep it in mind,” the senior inspector said, and then went back to the others, still conducting their investigation. They were taking the house apart, and examining all the other paintings for fingerprints, but there were none so far.

Theo called the insurance company then, and they said they would have their own inspectors there that night, including two from Lloyd’s of London, who had an umbrella policy for the paintings. And then he called his mother in Florence. She said they were having lunch on the balcony of the suite when she answered, and Gabriel was feeling much better.

“Maman, I have something awful to tell you.” He plunged in quickly, not wanting to keep her in suspense. “We had an art theft here last night, by professionals who disarmed our system.”

“Oh my God.” She sounded as if she were about to faint. “Which ones did they take?” Her paintings were like children to her, and it was like telling her that her children had been kidnapped. He told her which ones and how many, and everything he knew from the police, and told her that there were inspectors coming down from Paris, and the insurance company, and that the men on the scene seemed to know what they were doing. He didn’t tell her about Vladimir, because it was a long shot, and they didn’t take it seriously, but Theo had put it out there just in case. She sounded heartbroken and agitated, and told Gabriel everything Theo was telling her, and then he spoke to Theo. He sounded much calmer than Maylis, and he reassured Theo.

“I only know of one stolen painting that wasn’t recovered during my entire career. The police details that handle art thefts are very good at what they do. And your father’s work is so distinctive and well known, they’ll find them. It may take some time, but they will.” Theo was slightly relieved to hear it, and it was good for his mother to hear too.

“I’ll keep you posted about what’s happening here,” Theo promised. “I’m really sorry to burden you and Maman with this news.”

“I’m sorry you have to deal with it,” Gabriel said sympathetically. “You’re going to be very busy. You should probably close the restaurant for a while,” he said, and in the background, Maylis agreed.

“I canceled everyone for tonight. I just didn’t know what was going to happen, but you may be right. I suppose we’ll have the press on our backs any minute,” Theo said, and an hour later, they were there, with news cameras and trucks, trying to get an interview with Theo, who said he had nothing to say at this point, except that it was a shocking and devastating event. And La Colombe d’Or sent over a note of sympathy. It hit close to home and could have happened to them too. They were just as vulnerable, and their art was just as valuable. It was the biggest crime that had ever hit St. Paul de Vence, it said later on the news. Inez called him that night and left a message on his voicemail, telling him how sorry she was. He was too busy to talk to her when she called. He was with the insurance inspectors at the restaurant until after midnight, and all the police details came back again the next day, along with the team from Paris to help them.

Theo felt as though his life had been taken over by aliens. He handled nothing but the art theft all week, with constant calls from his mother, asking questions. They closed the restaurant and canceled their reservations for the week, and had to figure out what to do after that. And on the fifth day the chief inspector of the art detail introduced him to two new officers who had joined their crew from the local art theft detail. They were younger than the others and seemed more aggressive. They wanted to speak to several of the employees again, and went over the crime scene with a fine-toothed comb, looking for clues. Athena Marceau seemed extremely bright and about Theo’s age. Steve Tavernier, her male partner, was slightly younger, and they asked Theo a million questions and then said they’d get back to him. He knew he was being investigated too, to make sure it wasn’t an insurance scam. And Theo had shared with the two new officers his concerns about Vladimir. Steve was not impressed, but Athena was intrigued.

The two detectives talked about it afterward on a break when they went to get coffee offsite and pick up some chemicals they needed for the investigation. The restaurant and main house were looking like a laboratory by then, and a high-tech junk shop with all their equipment.

“That’s crazy,” Steve said to her. “The guy’s upset. He’d accuse anybody right now,” he assessed, referring to Theo.

“Crazier things have happened. I worked on a detail in Cap-Ferrat a few years ago. Their neighbor stole ten million in art and had their dog killed, because his neighbor slept with his wife. Some of these people are nuts.”

“Maybe Luca did it himself. That happens too. For the insurance money. And a hundred million is pretty sweet,” Steve said cynically.

“I don’t think so,” she said seriously. “There’s nothing to support that.”