A Private Investigation

[Shadi]

This is a closed thread for myself and Ariosto I hope you enjoy it.

OOC: Amanda Shepard, Insurance investigator.
30 y/o, 5'9, athletic build, dark brown shoulder length hair, green eyes, tanned skin.

IC: The notes in my hand were not very informative, heading out of the door I read them again sighing with frustration. My job took me all over the world but there was always one common factor when it came to art the police never had a clue, though in fairness this time they had three people in custody but on the other hand they hadn't recovered the painting even though no one had made it out of the building.

I hailed a cab and climbed in spreading papers over the back seat, recent photographs that had been used in my firms valuation, names and addresses of other art houses and details of dealers who would often turn a blind eye, nothing much to go on, I just hoped the local officer in charge would be cooperative.

Climbing the steps outside the museum I checked the name of my contact, a Lieutenant O'Neill was heading the investigation and hopefully he'd be inside. It didn't take long to find the exhibition area and I could see O'Neill giving orders to the uniforms milling about. After a brief introduction I explained who I was, why I was there and what he could do to help me.

It seems three eastern europeans had made their way into the museum during a delivery, from there they had distracted the usual guards and sealed off the exhibit from the public giving them the privacy to extract the painting. An alert guard had realised something was wrong and tried to stop them, a brief chase and they were caught. On checking the room one painting was found to be missing, the puzzling thing was that the men apprehened didn't have it and the guards were sure they couldn't have had time to conceal it anywhere.

Settling in I decided to review the surveillance tapes, they at least should give me an idea of the sequence of events, after that I could interview the witnesses, there were two guards and three members of the public all of which agreed to be interviewed the following day. I would need to talk to the suspects but seeing as they weren't going anywhere in any hurry I was in no rush to speak to them prefering to spend my time actually investigating.

O'Neill was very helpful, arranging clearance and a pass and it wasn't long before I was in front of the main security control room reviewing the days tapes.

 

[ariosto]

A week before...



Jonathan King rubbed his strong jaw and pondered once again where to place the painting. The packing crate in which it had been delivered was lying on the carpet and Eva Yamaguchi, his secretary was holding the decorative piece against the wall. Eva Wong was herself a decorative piece but he didn't mix business with pleasure...unless the business was pleasure.

"I hate it."
She was quite outspoken. That's why he liked her, with a fortune upwards of six hundred million dollars, Jon King could have as many 'decorative pieces' as he wanted. He was a genius at buying and selling...almost anything. High Finance Boy Genius, they called him. Was he still a boy at forty?

He ran his tanned hands through a shock of dark hair, hair with a peppering of silver in it now.
"I hate it too. Let's put it in the crate, I'll send it back to Raoul tomorrow."

It was becoming tiresome. Half the pieces Rauol de Vayennes, his Paris agent sent him, were not to his taste anymore.
Try as he might, and Jonathan was very much a creature of the contemporary world, he could find nothing in contemporary art that pleased him for long.

"Can I go home now boss?"
The traffic far below on Park Avenue had already thinned out in spite of the storm and it was well after seven. He thought about inviting Eva to stay for dinner but decided not to. He needed to be alone tonight.

A quick kiss on her cheek, a call to the garage to send the car and the efficiant Miss Yamaguchi was on her way.

He sat back down in the soft leather chair and put his long legs up on the desk. His office was a small museum, works by Leger,
Gris, Mogagliani, Hopper, O'Keefe, and Magritte hung on the walls. His prize was an elegant Degas dancer above the mantle.
A Renoir drawing of a smiling cherubic young girl smiled at him from a small ornate gold frame.
He smiled back, blue eyes twinkling. God how he loved the Impressionists.

Reaching in his desk for a bottle of fine brandy he poured himself a glass and opened the slender book on his desk.
Monet Discovers the New World...paintings by Monet in American Collections
Interesting reading for a rainy night in New York City.

 

[Shadi]

Two hours of watching surveilance films had tightened the muscles in my back and I still had no idea how the theft had been pulled off. The security system used thermal imaging as well as digital and video recordings, they had got around that by tapping into the standard cameras and blowing the aircon, this raised the ambient temperature rendering all the heat sensitive equipment useless and gave them an excuse to close off the exhibit. I knew how they had got in, how they were planning to get out and how they broke security and that was about it.

O'Neill came in with a coffee which I accepted gratefully, standing up I stretched my back, shrugging the knots out and started to pace, I had run the footage several times, I had to be missing something! Hitting the play button I watched mid afternoon, a school party, some couples, a family with a couple of bored looking kids, a quiet spell then a single male. I knew he was Jonathon King a self made man who spent afternoons looking at art in lieu of fun I guessed. After he left there was another party and then the cameras started to play up, not long after that the place was cleared and all hell broke loose.

Needing a break I chatted with O'Neill about the rest of the investigation, so far he had nothing from the suspects,a sudden lack of english was making questioning a bit difficult and a complete sweep of the scene had yielded nothing of use. Rewinding the tape I watched it again, skipping bits going over bits until I spotted something "Shit!", I didn't know I had said it aloud until O'Neill asked me what. I ran the tape back, "Look, this is the school party, " I went forward "and this is before the last party were in, what do you see?" I could tell he didn't see anything. "Here," I pointed at a bench "see it has three legs," I wound the tape back again "here it has two, it grew a leg?" I raised an eyebrow "Follow me!"

Leaving him standing there still looking puzzled I made my way back to the scene, hitting the alarms on the way. There were no sirens this time but the shutters came down on the doors and closed off the walls securing the paintings. I could hear O'Neill swearing at me in the distance as he tried to catch up, stopping at a shutter I could see it was crumpled at the bottom, something hard had hit it possibly stopping it from closing completely, walking back to O'Neill I asked if they had found anything in the doorways, two quick calls and we were heading for his office, finally a solid clue, something to work with.

 

[ariosto]

Eva Yamaguchi handed the phone to Jon while he was still shaving. He blew the lather away from his mouth and tucked it under his ear.
"Who is it?"
He whispered to her.

"Callini at the Museum, I think."
She shrugged and returned to the papers on her desk.

"Good morning Mister King."said the voice at the other end.
It was Doug Callini, the Museum Director's right hand.

"Hi Doug, what's up?"
The excitable young man told him that he was contacting all the museums benefactors and board members to tell them of a terrible tragedy...a vicious crime!

"Slow down, slow down...."
Jon looked up at Eva, "Get me some coffee will ya dear?"
Then spoke back in the phone.
"What was stolen, a Monet?"

Shocked silence at the other end.
"Mister King...how did you know?"

"Deduction my dear Watson. The Museum just purchased a new Monet, one of the Cathedral series. It's been in all the papers, Value at what....thirty million?.
Quite a target for a heist I'd say."

"Oh no Mister king not THAT Monet. It was the portrait of Camille."

Jonathan frowned.
"Now that is a tragedy. I dearly loved that painting even if it was pre-impressionist and only worth half the other.
How can I help? A reward possibly?"

Callini said he wouldn't know about that but could Mister King please come down to the director's office that afternoon. There would be some people from the police and the insurance company there and more information would be given out about the theft.

Jon tossed the cell to Eva and disappeared in the bathroom.
"Call for the car Miss Yamaguchi, I think we'll drive downtown and have lunch. Then take in a bit of culture and intrigue."

 

[Shadi]

Feeling energised by a good nights sleep I went to the small office the police had been kind enough to let me borrow, going over my notes from the day before I sipped a coffee and tried hard not to grimace at the plastic taste. O'Neill had been as good as his word and had started to chase up some blackmarket contacts as well as finding lists of everyone who had bid on a Monet in the last 6 months.

The suspects had been questioned early this morning and after a few hours with an interpreter they had told us nothing of real value, all we did know was that they had been a distracton from the real theft and they had done their job perfectly. They never met whoever hired them and had no names or details they could give us, other than the whole thing was privately funded in US Dollars. All we could do was leave them to be charged with several minor offences, if nothing else they'd be off the streets for a while.

Reading down the list of art buyers I notice a familiar name, quickly I scan the rest of the list, there it is again both times bidding for Monet's. This is too much of a coincidence, leaning back in my chair I go over details in my head. The crew were fake, hired to distract everyone and I assume disable the surveillance system, they were hired by somone who had enough cash to buy the damn thing but hadn't. Grabbing the list I went over it again, Camille had been put up for auction 8 months ago, I checked the names on the bidding register, how could I have missed it, there it was, an initial instead of a first name but that must be him.

A tap on the door made me jump, I yelled that the door was open and O'Neill walked in, holding out his hand he ofered me a bag. "Not sure what you liked but most women diet so I got you some sushi," he looked uncomfortable so I took the bag off him with a smile. "Thanks, it's probably time for a break anyway." Checking my watch I saw it was after 12, it was O'Neill's turn to smile at my surprise.

"I've never seen anyone work quite so hard on a case, specially not just a painting, what gives?" He was genuinely puzzled by what he thought was amazing dedication, popping a piece of salmon maki in my mouth I pretended to check the place was empty, " I'll let you into a little secret, my firm insured that painting for 18 million, if we can't find it there's going to be a big hole in their bank account, on the other hand if I can get it back I get a 10 percent finders fee, you do the math." I watched the realisation dawn on his face, "thats why I'm so dedicated!"

We chatted a bit more about the case, most of the witnesses were being dismissed because they had seen what they were meant to see, the guards and curators were being talked to at the moment which left the interview with Mr King this afternoon. O'Neill asked me to take it easy with him, the Museum Board had been in touch, they were anxious that he was treated like royalty. He donated large funds on a regular basis and I could imagine they didn't want his feathers ruffled which was why we were going to the Museum instead of interviewing him at the station.

I told him not to worry, all I wanted O'Neill to do was make the introductions and then conduct the interview himself, I would sit out of the way and listen, at this stage I didn't think I needed to do anything else but I had to be there in case I needed to speak to him at a later date on behalf of my firm.

The door opened slightly and one of the many interchangeable uniformed officers eased his way in, he apologised but reminded O'Neill that it was time to go. I looked at him, he needed to
be reminded when to leave! he dismissed the officer and said he'd meet me outside. Taking a few minutes I collected up some paperwork that I needed the Museum to go over with me as well as my notes. Putting it all in my briefcase I used my mirror to check my makeup, then straigtening my skirt I pulled on my suit jacket picked up my case and headed out of the door.

 

[ariosto]

"Miss Sheperd, you have the greenest eyes I've ever seen."
Jon King had risen from the chair he occupied across the desk from the director and held out his hand.
Miss Yamaguchi smiled...Go get her boss...

Amanda did not seem at all discomfited by the remark and threw one back at him.
"And your ONE of the richest men I've ever seen Mister King."
She shook his hand firmly and he laughed.
"Touché!...please..."
He offered his seat and took one by the window, crossing his long legs. She noted that now he was backlit and no expression on his face was discernable.

"Miss Sheperd is the insurance investigator on the case Jon."
Bruce Carlisle, the dried up wisp of a museum director finished the introduction and sent his lap dog Doug Callini out for coffee.
"Want me to go too Mister King?"
Eva stood up and gave the investigator an appraising look.

"If you wouldn't mind. Come back in about..."
He looked at Amanda questioningly.
"Shouldn't take long."She said.
"Twenty minutes then. Come back in twenty minutes."

He studied dust motes in the shafts of afternoon sunlight while Shepherd pulled papers from her breifcase and closed it with a loud click.

"You made a bid on the stolen painting a few months ago, is that right Mister King."
She crossed her own legs and from the shadows he checked them out approvingly.
"Lovely..."

"Pardon me?"

"The painting...Camille...quite lovely."

Douglas arrived with the coffee.

"It must have been disapointing to you...to lose the bid I mean."
She put her cup on the directors desk. It was awful.

"I lose a lot of bids don't I Bruce."

Carlisle cleared his throat, "And you win some too."

"Yes, win some, lose some. Such is life isn't it Miss Sheperd?"

And so it went...

As if in cue, in exactly twenty minutes as she was putting the papers away, Eva Yamaguchi reappeared.
"Finished?"

" I believe we are for now."
Amanda stood up, pleased to see she topped the stunning oriental by a good three inches.

"We are unless I can convince Miss Shepherd to have dinner with me tonight. She might be interested in knowing who's proxie I was holding at the auction."

"Proxie!..You never said you were bidding for someone else!"
She was furious. The whole interview had been a joke.
God Dammit!

 

[Shadi]

The car ride to the museum was quiet, when I had settled in O'Neill had handed me a piece of paper. The museum had been in touch with his boss and they had asked, well more like demanded that I question Mr King alone, they felt that with my specialisation in such matters it would come across better considering Mr King's position, oh and the fact that he was being generous enough to arrange for a painting of equal value and beauty to be placed on loan until such a time as it was no longer necessary.

I had tried to explain that I'd had nothing to do with this but the cold silence I recieved assured me that my pleas were falling on deaf ears, well to hell with him! I had a job to do and from the looks of things everyone else was more than happy to let me get on with it.

Mr Callini was waiting for me at the door, we briefly discussed a few matters before he took me through to meet Mr King. I walked into the room slowly taking in the atmosphere, there was a woman stood next to Mr King, Oriental, maybe Asian and I got the impression she didn't like the look of me at all. I could see the museum director almost falling over himself to get out of his chair but Mr King beat him to it.

"Miss Sheperd, you have the greenest eyes I've ever seen."

Not quite what I was expecting but two can play at that game!

"And your ONE of the richest men I've ever seen Mister King."

Struggling to retain some dignity Mr Carlisle stepped in and introduced us all, then sent out for coffee. Surprisingly Miss Yamaguchi offered to leave as well, I assumed she was some sort of personal assistant and from her looks I guessed she held a what could I say 'important' position.

We agreed on twenty minutes and everyone left, leaving me alone with Mr King. Deciding to go for the throat I asked about his failed bid on Camille earlier in the year. It was hard to guage his reaction, the seat he was in shadowed him from the rest of the room and I could barely make out his features not that it was really worth the effort when I heard his reply.

My questions seemed to amuse him but before I could push the point Mr Callini returned with the coffee. Changing my plan I questioned Mr King by the book, no he didn't know any of the dealers I named...yes it was a tragedy that the painting was missing. Giving up I thanked him for his time and tidied my things away, Miss Yamaguchi appeared and I got the feeling she had been clock watching the whole time she was gone. Her tone was brisk when she asked if we were finished and I let her know that we had.

Standing to leave I looked her over and was happy to see she was shorter than me by a noticable difference, her smug look changed rapidly when Mr King invited me to dinner but only to be topped by mine when he mentioned he was bidding as proxie. I was stunned, he'd had the whole meeting to tell me and he chose now, jesus, he'd been having a joke the whole time.

Holding my anger in check I smiled, "I would love to join you this evening, maybe we could talk about what else interests you other than art and business, it's a shame Eva can't join us." I shot her a look as Mr King jotted down my address and we agreed on a suitable time to meet. Everything decided I shook hands thanked everyone for their time and left wondering if I had made any progress at all.

 

[ariosto]

"Did you expect a limo?"
Jon King opened the door of a very efficiant looking white Toyota Land Cruiser.
Actually she had but Amanda wasn't about to say so.

"No, but I thought you might have sent Eva to pick me up in her
Mercedez."
He smiled,
"Miss Yamaguchi drives a beemer."

She slid into the front seat as he held the door for her, giving him another glimpse of some very nice legs that she was justifiably proud of.
" Nice dress."
He said like he meant it.

"Where are we going Mister King?"
The car pulled out into heavy traffic and headed downtown.

"Someplace nice....and call me Jon."

She noticed that if anything he was a bit underdressed for a five star, so maybe something chic and trendy down in Soho. She'd picked her own clothes carefully. She wanted to winnow out more information from him over dinner but at the same time he was a handsome man and there was the...uhhh, assetts.
She tried not to think of him as a multi multi millionair but rather as a possible suspect in an art theft.
Suspect?...had she just said that!

"Jon did you steal the Monet."
They'd stopped at a red light on sixth avenue.

He Laughed,
"Of course I did!...Now that, that business is out of the way we can enjoy our dinner!"

Dinner was...unusual.
The car had stopped in front of what looked to all intents and purposes like a vacant store front with barred windows.
Amanda felt a touch of fear. The presence of a police precinct house on the corner offered little to calm her anxieties.
Hell, he could buy the whole damned police department!

"What's the matter, Amanda? Havn't you ever seen an artist's studio before?"
He flipped the switch and suddenly the big front room was flooded with bright lights.
Dozens of paintings, sat on easels or leaned against the walls.
She gasped!
There was a Modigliani...a Degas!...a damned Picasso too! In a store front studio!

Amanda brushed by him, her eyes fixing on one painting in particular. A small but very remarkable work indeed.

"Camille. You have the Camille."
She said flatly, wishing she'd carried her nickle plated automatic in her purse.

"Close."
He walked up behind her
"I have a copy of Camille, painted by Jonathan King....go ahead, touch it."

She did. It was wet.
"You painted this!...You did!"

He grinned,
"Yup. Hobby of mine. This is where I come to relax and have fun..."

"Meestaire King."
Jon looked up. A short plump man was standing in the doorway to the backroom.
He had a French accent.

"Ze table is set, dinnaire is served..."

Jon offered his arm to Amanda.
"That's Phillippe of Chez Paul's.
I sent out..."

 

[Shadi]

I was furious, I'd spent what had been left of the afternoon going over the case and to top it all O'Neill had been avoiding me since I got back to the station. I'd actually thought that this might have been a productive evening not a complete waste of my time.

Seething I turned to Mr King and vented my anger. "I'm sorry Jon, I thought you were going to go someway towards helping me with this investigation, it seems I got my wires crossed."

Clutching my bag under my arm I smiled sweetly at Phillippe, "You'll have to excuse me but I'm sure Mr King will be able to manage the meal on his own, especially if his appetite for food is as large as his appetite for amusment."

"Good evening Jon, oh and if you do think of anything please call me at the office." There was the hint of a smile on his face as I turned and left the studio.

As I walked out of the door I paused, without looking back I called over my shoulder "The paintings are impressive but I'll be more impressed when you show me the real thing!"

The street was quiet and I walked with purpose to the light provided by a street lamp, I couldn't see much in the way of traffic and my hopes of getting a cab were fading fast. I was still angry, how dare he use me like that, I wasn't one of his lackies that he could play with for as long as it suited him.

Giving up the thought of catching a ride I took out my mobile and called a private hire firm, they could have someone there in 20 minutes. Great not only was my evening wasted but I had to
hang around on a street corner waiting for a damn taxi.

Reaching in my bag I pulled out a cigarette, I'd been trying to quit but really wasn't in the mood, right now I needed this. Lighting it I inhaled deeply and sighed as I blew out a puff of luminous looking smoke, he liked games did he, well I had one or two games up my sleeve.

 

[ariosto]

He watched her leave. Watched her walk with determination down the street, ignoring the stares of the unwashed and street tuffs that called this neighborhood home.
She stopped on the corner and pulled out a cell phone.
Taxi? he wondered?

"Meestair King...the supper what shall I do!"
Phillipe was at his side, wringing his hands and nearly in tears.

"All is not lost. Keep it warm okay."
Jon pulled on his jacket and stepped outside. The air was brisk, downright cold.
He saw her two blocks ahead, under a streetlight, lighting a cigarette.

Manny Ramirez and three boys of the East Village Dukes saw her too. They were hyped up high on crank and their libido's were in overdrive.

"Check out the cooze man."

Aamanda whirled around, the car would be here in five minutes and that was way too long.
She vowed NEVER to leave home without that gun again.

"Hey baby you wanna fuck us good?"
She tried to lunge between two of them and came face to face with a seven inch stiletto.

"Or we cut you."
The words weren't out of the punk's mouth when King's pistol butt came down with a loud chunk on the back of his head.
The kid fell hard and the others backed away.
The .45 he was holding on them made Jon for this moment anyway, the King of the street.

"Foolish move Amanda, I gave you more credit. Go on back to the studio, you can call your ride from there."

She walked away flustered and unsure. Behind her she could hear her 'white knight' cussing out the gang members in fluent Spanish.

 

[Shadi]

Over my inital fright I stalked back to the studio, Christ! this was just beautiful, not only had he annoyed me beyond belief, now I owed him one. Trying not to show just how scared I'd been I swung the door open a bit too hard and walked in.

Phillipe was stood near the back and he smiled when he saw me, "Ahh, Madame, Meeestair King said not to worry and he iz right."

I smiled wryly, "I'm sure Mister King is right about most things Phillipe, is there any chance you might have a bottle of brandy stashed away anywhere, I think I could do with a quick drink."

Phillipe bowed graciously and disappeared, happy that all seemed to be alright again. Alone in the room I looked at the paintings, some leaning against the walls others stood on easels and all of them a masterpiece, well a good damn copy at least.

The door opened and I spun around, still jumpy from my close call a few moments earlier. Jon walked in looking very sure of himself and...very handsome, surprised at the thought I turned away from him still not really happy about anything that had gone on so far. He was a conceited, egotistical son of a bitch and if he'd turned up any later things would have been so different.

If only I didn't have that niggling feeling in the back of my mind, maybe things would be better if I could chase away the doubts. Shooing my thoughts and drawing on what little I had left I turned to him, "If you don't mind I'm going to call a cab, it's late and I think I would rather be alone right now."

Not waiting for an answer I rummaged in my bag looking for my phone, a few moments later and a cab was booked, fortunately someone was in the area, no surprise! and they would pick me up in a minute.

Phillipe returned with a glass of brandy which I accepted gratefully, he looked quizzically at Jon but said nothing while I downed the drink in two swallows. Placing the glass on a small table I checked I had everything and walked through the door preffering to wait outside for my ride home.

 

[ariosto]

"Good night Miss Sheperd. If you need anything just knock."
His voice drifted from the doorway behind her.
She didn't turn around.

"Malcom Avery, by the way."

That name caught her attention and she turned.
"What?"

"Malcom Avery, I held his proxie at the auction."
The door began to close.
Jon stuck his head out at the last minute.
"And your welcome Amanda."

It shut with a click.

Malcom Avery! Her head was spinning.
Avery had been the BIG collector and wheeler dealer back in the eighties.
His own background was so questionable that he'd operated out of Bimini in the Bahamas while hanging onto his British citizenship.
In 88, Avery was indicted for selling two stolen Pissaro's to a Japanese millionaire. With the help of some very expensive lawyers he'd beaten the charges but then had faded completely.
Amanda had totally forgotten about the man. And now here he was back again and bidding on a Monet, later stolen...


She strode back to the door and raised her hand to knock when the honking of her cab...finally her cab!, caught her up short.
Goddamit!

From the back of the studio Jon looked at her through the window and smiled, sipping the brandy that she'd left in the goblet on the table, savoring the cream sweet taste of her lipstick on the rim...
This was going to be fun.

 

[Shadi]

By the time I walked in my front door I was beyond angry, how dare he! There wasn't a word in the English language that could describe exactly how I felt about Jon bloody King right now. Walking to the kitchen I hauled open the freezer door, it was empty apart from a bottle of vodka and some ice, grabbing both I tossed a couple of ice cubes in a glass and poured a good measure of the clear liquid into them.

I drank slowly feeling the warmth of the vodka as it burned it's way down my throat, time to become a real annoyance to Mr King. Putting the drink to one side I decided to call O'Neill, it wasn't too late and I had an idea he would still be at the office. The dispatcher put me through and I told him most of what had happened, only leaving out the knight in shining armour routine. After listening to him go on at me for a bit and then explaining my reasoning he finally agreed to apply for two search warrants, one for the studio and one for Jon's permenant residence, he was pretty sure he could get them by morning and yes I could ride along, just so long as I behaved myself.

He asked if I knew about the ball the Museum was throwing in honor of Mr King and his generous donation of a Renoir, that and to drum up some more sponsership he guessed. I managed to weedle the location and time from him and promised that I wouldn't go there, what would be the point I asked, a party for stuffed shirts was hardly my idea of fun.

We talked a bit more about the case and when I hung up the phone we were almost friends, which was a huge improvement from earlier. Deciding to call it a night I went to bed, I had to be up early in the morning I neede to check out the Avery guy Jon had thrown in my direction and I couldn't wait to see how Mr Cool handled the police trampling all over his property, lets see if he could handle a joke as well as he handed them out, I wasn't going to miss it for the world.

 

[ariosto]

Eva Yamaguchi could fuck like a rabbit and that's just what Jon needed right now.
He'd called her when he got home from the studio and asked her if she'd ever eaten nouvelle cuisine take out and she'd been over within the hour.
She was an elegantly proportioned oriental with uncharacteristicaly long legs and porcelain cream skin which he delighted in caressing. Miss 'Y' seemed to enjoy it too. The supper was only half eaten when he'd taken her to bed.

After a night of sundry delights, he lay spooned against Eva's back, his hands gently squeezing her breasts and his cock stirring back to life inside her very tight pussy, relishing the warm morning sun as it dappled the bed, when the intercom rang.

"Shit"
He whispered and slowly withdrew himself from the still sleeping girl.

He keyed the wall phone,
"What is it?"

"Mister King."
Came the voice from the lobby.

"There are several policeman on their way up. I think they have a search warrant. Miss Sheperd is with them."

Jon began to dress and do some very quick thinking...

 

[Shadi]

By the time I made it to the station, O'Neill had the warrants ready and was waiting to go, they had been easy to get, the judge believed Jon would have nothing to hide so if this was what it took to get his name off whatever list we had him on then he'd be doing him a favour.

All prepped we headed over to his house with a couple of squad cars in tow, we weren't expecting any resistance and I had to admit I was really looking forward to this, it might not prove anything but nothing tasted sweeter than a little pay back.

The door was opened by some hired help and I smirked at the look on his face when he saw the police loitering on the pavement, O'Neill stuffed the warrant under his nose and pushed past him into the hallway ignoring the poor guys protests. Following behind I stopped just before a door off to the side and looked around, I whistled softly, the place was filled with art, paintings, statues, you named it I could see it.

The flunky was stood behind me and I could hear him talking to Jon over an intercom, unable to resist I headed for the stairs taking them two at a time. I reached the landing just in time to see Jon walking out of a room further along the hall, he looked a bit disheveled and from the way he looked back into the room I guessed he wasn't alone.

"I'm sorry for the rude interuption Jon but you didn't really leave me much of a choice." He turned to look at me and I was struck by how handsome he looked, his hair was a mess and his shirt tails hung from the back of his trousers, so unlike my hero from last night but damn good looking none the less.

Giving him a very obvious once over I leant against the wall, "In case you don't know we have a warrant to search these premises and I strongly suggest you contact your lawyer before you say anything to the officers downstairs, if on the otherhand you have anything to say to me...I would be more than happy to listen to you, I mean after all I'm not employed by the police."

Leaning against the wall I waited for his response, I doubted he would take the bait but who cared, as long as he knew I wasn't afraid to play the game and from the noise downstairs I was pretty sure he got the message.

 

[ariosto]

He smiled and kissed her. Not a long kiss but a firm one full on the lips. Her breasts brushed agaist his broad chest, his shirt unbuttoned showed dark hair curling on tanned skin.

She was stunned.

"I find you irresistable Miss Sheperd. Come away with me...New York City is no place for you."
He stood back and began putting himself in order, looking at her expectantly.

What the hell was she supposed to do! Her fists knotted up like she was going slug him...arrogant bastard!

Then he kissed her again. A quick one this time that ended abruptly as Eva brushed by looking like she was on her way to a
board meeting at PlayBoy.
"Come on boss," she grabbed Jon's hand, "Let's go see the cops."

"I'd love to talk to you honey." He said as he went down the hall, " but my attorney says I better check in with the boys in blue first."

Miss Yamaguchi, looked over her shoulder, grinned evily and blew Amanda a kiss.

 

[Shadi]

I shook my head, what in the hell had just happened? Talk about emotional!

As I tried to work out what was going on Miss Yamaguchi blew me a small kiss over her shoulder, smug bitch! it was all I could do not go over and wipe that smile off her pretty little face.

Unconsciously I reached up and ran my fingertips over my lips, then remembered the way he'd been so damned casual about it, yet again he'd taken the upper hand without even trying. I smiled to myself, he might have thrown me off balance but he was still going to have to spend a long time explaining all the forgeries in his studio, he might have connections in the city but the paperwork still had to be filled in.

Feeling a bit better, if somewhat annoyed with myself for being played so easily I decided to have a look around. Peering through the door of the room Jon and 'she' had left (hey there was no need for me to give her a name any more, she'd shown her true colours!) I could see a bed in the middle of the room, the sheets were in disarray and I felt a hint of something, jealousy? anger?

Pushing open the door a bit more forcefully than necessary I walked in, he wasn't even here and all the right buttons were moving on cue. It wasn't as if I even fancied him, okay he looked good..great but that was hardly the point now was it. I muttered away to myself trying to put a lid back on my feelings but I was stopped in mid-grumble as I looked at the wall above a small, probably antique dressing table.

I couldn't stop myself from laughing, the painting on the wall just about summed everything up, suddenly Mr Jonathon King didn't seem so bad after all.

"Everything okay in there?" O'Neill walked in and stopped in the doorway looking extremely puzzled, "You okay?"

I nodded and struggled to quiet down a bit, "Have you seen the painting, isn't it just a treat." O'Neill looked to where I was pointing and smiled, "Well yeah, it's great if you like weird guys in suits I suppose." he had no idea what it was.

"This is a piece by an artist called Magritte, it's called 'The Man in the Bowler Hat', it's surrealism, he has no face..." I trailed off, I could tell he didn't get it.

"Fine, I just came to see if you need a ride downtown, Mr King is going along with everything and his lawyer is meeting us there in half 'an hour, the boys can finish up here so if you want a lift now's the time."

I wanted to stay and have a good nose round but I couldn't really outstay my welcome and I was pretty sure the point had been made, "I'll be right down, I'll need to file a progress report soon anyway." Smiling at the painting I turned and left, following O'Neill along the landing.

 

[ariosto]

Jon King and his lawyer Miss Yamaguchi sat in the parlor for the better part of two hours fielding questions by O'Neill, while his men very thouroughly ransaked the apartment.

"Nothing Lieutenant." Simmon's, the tall black plainclothesman, shrugged and held out his hands palms up.
Amanda Shepard appeared beside him with a look of disapointment and frustration on her face.

O"Neill looked at her.
"He's right, there's not a damned thing here."
Her eyes shot to Jon's there was a sparkle in them.
"I like your Magritte by the way. When did you steal it?"

King laughed out loud.
"Amanda you really are after me aren't you....I admit it.
I stole it from MOMA two years ago.

The police lieutenant perked up at that...
" Mama who?"
Was this a confession?

Miss Yamaguchi shattered his illusion.
"That's a copy of the original. I was right here when Mister King did it. One of his favorite paintings."

"Yes O'Neill, I'm afraid the original is still saefly in MOMA's hands."
Amanda sighed.
"Nothing here I'm afraid."
She turned to King.
"I'll be seeing you again."

"My pleasure dear and your welcome anytime.
Oh and don't forget my friend Malcom."
He held out his hand.

As the police were leaving Jon heard O'Neill whisper to Miss Sheperd..."Who in the hell is Mama anyway."



He didn't wait for her return.
At seven PM that night, he stepped from his car, a brightly wrapped package under his arm and stared up at Sheperd's fourth floor window. Her apartment was in a trendy graystone in the upper seventies and would have cost a bundle
to lease...the insurance investigation bussiness must be pretty good.

"Amanda, this is Jon King and I think you need to know the truth."
His voice sounded different somehow coming in on the intercom.

 

[Shadi]

I was tired, frustrated and this whole case had me pretty much running around in circles chasing my own tail. The police were following up another lead but I was sure it would go the same way as everything else had, no where! It was time to go home.

After a long bath I curled up on the sofa with a mug of tea on one side and a stack of paperwork on the other trying to make some sense of it all. How in the hell did a painting leave a guarded museum with no one seeing a thing? I knew Jon king had something to do with it but what, his house and the studio were clean. We had a few experts checking one or two items that looked a little too good to be copies but I was pretty sure that any original would have the certificates to go with it, he wasn't that stupid.

Mulling the thought of him over I padded to the kitchen to make another cup of tea,how could one man be so bloody infuriating I wanted to scratch his eyes out yet on the other hand...

The doorbell rang making me jump, who the hell was that, no one other than my employers knew I was here. Pushing the button for the intercom I cleared my throat "Who is it?"

"Amanda, this is Jon King and I think you need to know the truth."

"Ummm, come on up, fourth floor, door on the left." I buzzed him in, what was he doing here? How did he know where I was staying?

Opening the door I quickly gave him a once over, "What have you got to tell me thats so important you had to track me down?"

He shifted the package he was carrying from one arm to the other, "Do you mind if we discuss this inside?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "Well if you want your neighbours to hear us..."

Stepping away from the door I moved aside to let him in, "Okay but you've got 20 minutes then I'm done, I've got a stack of work to do and I really don't have the time to mess about!" As he brushed past me I caught a hint of his aftershave, warm and musky and for a brief moment I was back at his place outside his bedroom. Forcing myself to move I followed him "Take a seat, d'you want a tea or something."

I watched as he sat on the sofa, there was something diferent about him, he didn't seem so...predatory, yes that was it. Every other time we had met he had been arogantly self assured yet now he didn't come across that way at all.

 

[ariosto]

Inspite of his 'warm and fuzzy' demeanor, Jon King had a very set aggenda for this evening and first on the list was to get this bitch off his trail one way or another. It was not a pleasent thing to consider...doing jail time. Even Miss Yamaguchi might fail him in an open court of law. Don't take any chances, Jon..***** is sweet.

"How do I convince you that I'm innocent Amanda?"
He stared at her with an intensity that she found disarming.
She set the tea down and sat carefully in chair across the coffee table.

"I don't think you can Mister King. I just wonder why someone with your..."

"Money." He finished for her.
"Someone with my money would steal paintings, that I could easily buy."

He crossed his long legs and took a sip.
"I own many pieces more valuable than the one that was stolen. Why should I want to risk everything by doing that.?"

She'd pondered that dilemma for quite a while. It made no sense unless he was in it for the thrill alone.

"I'm going to help you find the thief and I think I know where to look."
King tossed a card on the table in front of her.
It was black with silver letters that spelled in an elegant script,
'MALCOM AVERY ...Nassau, and a phone number.

She held the card and looked up at him.

"We can meet my plane at LaGuardia and be in the Bahamas in four hours. How about it Amanda?...A trip to Paradise, no strings attatched and we catch the real thief."

 

[Shadi]

I studied his face for a long moment, he seemed to be being upfront but I also knew that lying and manipulation were a big part of his business.

"If...and I stress the if I agree to go, what makes you think he has anything to do with the theft and what assurances do I have that this isn't just another one of your games."

Leaning forward I picked up my tea and taking a sip I watched him over the rim of the cup looking for anything in his expression that might give him away, there was nothing and I felt my guard drop just a fraction.

"Why come to me, why not just go to the police, or didn't you know that if you play with fire you are likely to get burnt."

I left the comment hanging, I'd already decided I was going with him, nothing was happening here and at the worst I might get to know what made him tick, the thought of getting to push a few of his buttons was appealing as well. Why should he get to have everything his own way, surely even he knew there were some things that money and power just couldn't get you.

 

[ariosto]

"Because my dear I'm an adventurer and the thought of catching this guy appeals to me. 'We don't need no fuckin' badges' right?."
Jon laughed,
"Besides Avery is a fat loathsome slob and a few years behind bars will do him good...now come on. Are we going or not?"

*************************************************


Okay, he flies an airplane too..what else is he good at!

Amanda stared down at the brilliant blue waters ten thousand feet below. Nassau lay over the horizon just ahead.
She'd logged endless hours in commercial planes but was brand new to the more visceral motions of the little Beechcraft, especially in the turbulance they'd encountered just out of New York.
She felt fine now , but it had been a rough few hours.

"How long?"
It was hard to speak above the vibrations and engine noise from the two big radials.
Jon King had quite a collection of antique planes and she'd almost backed out when she saw the old' twin' sitting on the runway. He'd assured her it was as safe and dependable as a 777, one of which had just crashed the day before.
Jon had a strange sense of humor.

"Not long at all."
He pointed at a blur on the horizon.
"See there it is."