The Courbet Connection (Book 5) (Genevieve Lenard) by Estelle Ryan Page A

always keep such good records in those days. And a lot of the Jews who owned paintings were taken to concentration camps before they could report anything anywhere.” Phillip’s mouth and eyes conveyed increased tension. “The Nazis stored a lot of this art, but there were many people like this man in Germany who found ways to claim some of those artworks for themselves. A lot of cultural heritage is lost with every war. The Second World War resulted not only in the loss of millions of lives and destroyed families, but also in the loss of countless works of art, books and other items of cultural value.”
    “The paintings discovered in the Munich apartment were thought lost forever. Their estimated value is more than a billion dollars.” I was trying to understand why someone would keep those paintings for six decades. How did one justify that level of theft?
    “It is hard not to become outraged at such audacity.”
    The glass door to the team room whooshed open and Vinnie walked in, carrying a tray. “Hey, Jen-girl, I brought you food.” He placed the tray next to me and looked from me to Phillip and back. “Everything all right in here? You two look mighty intense.”
    “We’re talking about Nazi-looted art.”
    “Aha.” His nod was exaggerated and slow. “And my man here is getting all hot under the collar about this. You should know better than to start a topic that’s going to piss a man off, Jen-girl.”
    “He’s not pissed off.” The aroma of the food on the tray caught my attention. I lifted the lid on the plate. “Lasagne?”
    “Yup. There was nothing to do here, so I went home to make some food for us.” He looked at Phillip. “There’s a plate for you in the team room as well.”
    “Thank you, Vinnie.”
    “It’s really good,” Manny said from the round table in the team room. He lifted a heaped fork. “At least the criminal is good for one thing.”
    “Aw, old man. You’re just—”
    “I’m never listening to you again!” Nikki stormed past Manny into my viewing room, pointing her finger at Vinnie. “Ever!”
    “Why? What have—”
    “You made me look stupid. Really, really stupid.” She emphasised the last three words by pressing her index finger into Vinnie’s chest. Even though Nikki was clearly at a height and weight disadvantage, she felt safe enough to confront him in a physical manner. Dressed in cream pants, a colourful top and flat sandals, she looked small and feminine against Vinnie’s tall, muscular body in his usual dark fatigue pants and a black t-shirt. She pushed her finger hard into his pectoral muscle. “Doc G was right. You’re a bad influence on me.”
    “I also said so,” Manny called from the team room. He wiped his mouth, dropped the serviette on his plate and walked to my room. “You should never listen to this criminal. What did he tell you?”
    “To listen to my gut.” She turned to me. “I’m never listening to my gut again. Ever.”
    “It is not wise to make sweeping statements which include the words ‘ever’ or ‘never’.” I couldn’t let her previous incorrect statements go. “I didn’t say Vinnie is a bad influence on you. I said you shouldn’t allow anyone to influence your own opinions or impressions of a person or situation.”
    Vinnie closed his hand over Nikki’s and pressed it against his sternum. “What happened, little punk?”
    She pulled her hand back, but Vinnie didn’t let go. After a few seconds of senseless struggling against Vinnie’s strength, she fell against him with a dramatic sigh and spoke into his chest. “Pascal is back in class.”
    “Who’s Pascal?” Manny asked.
    “Nikki thought he had been abducted when he didn’t attend lessons.” I leaned back from the growing crowd in my room. “She thought his kidnapping was connected to the one in Paris.”
    Manny grunted. “Can you people never make sense?”
    “I can.” Nikki pushed herself from Vinnie, but didn’t move away. She liked