The Omega Factor(31)

Madeline and Jack Lee.

Parents to five children.

His older brother followed in their footsteps, earning his own Olympic gold in speed skating. Which made him, and rightly so, a bit of the golden child, named for their father, Jack Jr. Now he was married, with two daughters, and owned a real estate firm. Two more brothers also came along before him. Aaron was a doctor who, along with his husband, Michael, worked as a humanitarian with several international outreach organizations. Gabe had the most mysterious of the sibling occupations. He worked with the CIA. But doing what? Nobody knew, and he refused to discuss it. Best guess? He was a senior analyst at Langley, probably high in the ranks, as he’d been with the agency for over a decade. Unmarried, he liked to play the field and had broken more than a few hearts. But, as he liked to say, he just wasn’t the marrying type.

Nick and his twin sister, Natalie, rounded out the five. She’d been born first by a mere thirty seconds, which made him the runt of the litter, something none of the other four ever let him forget. Figure skating had been in her blood from an early age. She’d competed in the Olympics but fell short of a medal. No matter, she’d given it everything she had and that’s all that mattered.

Nick and Nat. That’s what the others called them.

Not surprising that he was closest with her. They even had the same middle name. Parker. In honor of their maternal grandmother, who’d also been a world-class athlete. Natalie remained single, working as a much-sought-after figure skating coach for future hopefuls. A true workaholic. She and Kelsey had once been close, but the breakup left some bitter feelings that Nat had yet to expunge. True, she understood Kelsey’s calling, but breaking her brother’s heart came with repercussions, whether God was involved or not.

Quite a group.

All ambitious.

Raised in an atmosphere saturated with education and challenge, all of it bred into them by genetics and a solid upbringing.

Sport had never been a passion for him, though he’d showed promise as a hockey player in college. There was talk of him playing professionally, but he nixed the idea, preferring instead to join the army. His parents had understood. It was his life and he had to lead it the way he wanted. Having a wife? Children? A family? Sure, he’d love that. But when Kelsey left those dreams went with her. Forever? Not likely. And surely one day someone would come along and rekindle that dream.

Thankfully he had his family.

At least once a quarter most, if not all of them, gathered somewhere for dinner. Of late, Paris had been the best locale to accommodate their various traveling schedules. They were due for another meal next month.

He needed to head back to Kelsey’s apartment, but first he placed a call to his boss at CLIO. That position was something of a revolving door. He’d had three other supervisors over the past five years. Two good. One not so much. The current holder of the appointed position seemed intent on making a mark.

Reynaldo Pena.

A Spaniard with a degree in European art history from the University of Córdoba in Andalusia. He’d worked as a conservator at several mainstay museums, most notably the Belvedere in Vienna. He’d actively sought the CLIO position, which was an improvement from his last boss who’d seemed to hate every minute of her time there. Pena was also proactive and had not hesitated to involve the agency where needed.

Which he liked.

Nine a.m. in Ghent meant 3:00 a.m. in New York. But CLIO ran around the clock and Pena had made it clear that he was always available, night or day. So Nick placed the call, which was answered promptly.

“You don’t sound like you were asleep,” he said to Reynaldo.

“I was doing some reading.”

He explained all that had happened, leaving no detail out and finishing with, “The bottom line is that part of one of the world’s greatest works of art was intentionally destroyed. And the vandals knew what they were burning.”

“I remember what one commentator said. Napoleon robbed it, Calvinists nearly burned it, the Nazis were desperate to own it, and part of it has been missing for eighty years. The Ghent Altarpiece has quite a history.”

“This was planned out,” he said. “They burned the panel and took the laptop, which means there’s something on the images those nuns are prepared to die for. Did that woman last night realize the police would kill her? That’s hard to say. But she willingly tossed the laptop over the wall and faced them down.”

“You’re curious?” Reynaldo asked him.

“Who wouldn’t be?”

He hadn’t explained to Pena about Kelsey, only saying that he’d come to town to visit an old friend. Anything more seemed a bit too personal for their all-business relationship.

“I need you back in Paris,” Reynaldo said. “A couple of new scenarios are developing.”

He didn’t want to leave.

Not yet.

“Could I have a couple of days? Something’s happening here that I think requires a look.”

“My gut tells me no but, I have to say, you’ve piqued my curiosity. Okay. Take a look. If nothing materializes by Friday morning, let the locals handle it and head back to Paris. Understood?”

“I got it.”

“Keep me posted.”

“Like always.”

He ended the call, delighted that he now could spend more time with Kelsey. And all under the guise of “work-related.” Her laptop rested on the hotel room’s work desk. His own sat beside it.