Hans rolled down his window, for the fresh air, and said “I have been thinking about that, we may need to move forward without the Garneau collection.”
“So I don’t get my pound of flesh? Is that what you are suggesting?”
“Your original plan was brilliant, while Garneau, Schafer and the Falcon are bidding, we hit them; you robbing Dr. Schaeffer and me taking Garneau’s collection, and then dealing with the Falcon afterward. But if everything you have told me about Garneau is true, he will resist, might even fight back. It isn’t worth the risk.”
Arthur knew he was right, but was still angry at the ‘following’ crack, “It sounds to me like you afraid of a fat old man.”
Hans knew Arthur was trying to needle him, but it didn’t really matter. “With Garneau there, it means that Claude will be too, plus his ‘French Maid’, and the others. Before, it would just be the old cook and maids, far less chance of someone being a hero. There are too many people for one person.”
“You are right, of course, so what are you thinking?”
“It occurred to me that we could take both the Falcon’s collection and Dr. Schaeffer’s as well. As a bonus, we grab the Eye of God, and call it our retirement savings.”
Arthur liked this idea very much, but was distracted. “Are they being followed?”
“Of course, that is what we are doing…what are you talking about?”
“The car that pulled out before us is still on their tail, after three turns.”
Hans looked more closely, but wasn’t sure. They sat in silence, until the traffic slowed to a crawl on Broadway. “You seen that yet?” Arthur asked, pointing at a marquee.
“What?”
“The Pajama Game. Garneau made me go to it with him earlier in the year.”
“I read it got great reviews, but no, I haven’t seen it.”
“I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had read Bissell’s novel, Seven and a Half Cents. I didn’t know they had turned it into a musical, until I was reading the program.”
“Are they turning?” Hans said.
“I don’t know if they will tour, but I would think they might.”
Hans pointing ahead, “No, the Falcon and Patrick, are they TURNING.”
“Sorry, And yes.”
They turned too, as did the car which was following Patrick’s car.
***
Arthur and Hans had fallen behind, when they found the car, and Randy, the Studebaker was gone.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Patrick and Katarina looked at each other. He had a blank expression on his face; she had a glimmer of hope in her eyes. It was obvious she had an idea. Patrick hadn’t faced tough situations before; his planning had always kept him at arm’s length. He thought about how he wished he could just give them the Eye of God and walk away, but that wasn’t an option.
Katarina felt a little bit better, seeing that Patrick wasn’t scared, but she could tell he was at a loss. The situation looked bleak, but she had one skill, better than the rest. She could weave a story. If she did it well, she might be able to keep them alive long enough to escape. She knew the history of the artifact and she knew that they couldn’t kill them until it was found. She hoped they spoke English well enough to understand her, as a good story not understood, isn’t very helpful.
The thought crossed her mind that maybe Arthur and Hans had been able to keep up. That gave her hope. Had they even noticed the other car following her? It was a fifty/fifty proposition, at best. What she needed was to bring in Henry. He’s smart, but can I get him a message? And what should that message be?
The car slowed to a stop and the driver got out at a pay phone. The man in the passenger seat said something to them in Greek. The tone was not threatening, it was calm, but the smile afterwords was unnerving. The driver got back in and they started off again.
Katrina looked back and there wasn’t anyone behind them, so it seemed that Arthur and Hans had not kept up. The car turned twice and then pulled into a deserted parking lot. There were two more cars and a truck. There must have been eight guys standing around, but she couldn’t tell if there were more in the cars. They were taken out of the cars at gun point and forced into the back of the truck. The sound of a lock told them that their captors weren’t taking any chances of them jumping out of the back.
This was a break. Katarina could talk to Patrick and get on the same page.
***
Henry’s mood had been dampened by the news that Katarina was involved. Mike hadn’t mentioned that she was the Falcon. Henry didn’t see any point in denying it and told them Katarina’s history and her knowledge of art. He wasn’t sure when she had gotten involved in the world of stolen art, but it seemed obvious to him that she was the Falcon.