The Wives of Beverly Row 6: Lust Has a New Address by Abby Weeks

him, and she knew he’d be worried if a specialist was going to be involved. Ariel wasn’t sure where her own confidence was coming from, but she had all the documents, everything that Gabe had originally been planning on using to convince the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum that the canvas was the real thing. She had the title deeds to the building in Amsterdam, the documents about the former owners of that building, the fact that they’d been mafia and had dealt in stolen art works. She also had the records of the fire that destroyed the building and the death certificates of the mafia members who’d been its owners. It was as convincing a story as she could think of. Also, given the fact that the canvas dated from the correct period, she knew that there was every chance it would pass chemical testing.
    She took a deep breath. She parked outside the warehouse and went inside. She wanted to make sure that everything was set up correctly. The canvas was at the far end of the room with its back to the entrance. She wanted a chance to reveal it to the art consultant at the right moment. She also wanted to double check that all her supporting documents were in order.
    When Jake arrived with his consultant, Ariel was as ready as she was ever going to be.
    “Ariel,” Jake said, “meet Douglas Landfeld.”
    “Mr. Landfeld,” Ariel said, extending a hand to him.
    He shook it. He had a beard and white hair and looked like a crackpot professor from some obscure university. He spoke with a European accent that Ariel couldn’t quite place.
    “So,” Landfeld said, “I understand we’ve got quite a canvas to view here today.”
    “Yes we do,” Ariel said.
    “And you’re the owner of it,” Landfeld said.
    “No, my ex-husband is the owner. I’m the one who convinced him to sell it to Jake.”
    “Sell?” Jake said.
    “Yes. Sell.”
    “Why? I thought I was going to find him a buyer.”
    “You know what this painting is now,” Ariel said.
    “Yes, I think I do,” Jake said.
    “If it’s the real thing,” Landfeld said.”
    “Yes, so, you know, and Gabe is too stupid to realize what he’s got.”
    “So what are you proposing?” Jake said.
    “I’m proposing you get it cheap from Gabe, and get the reward yourself.”
    “Why doesn’t Gabe get the reward?”
    “Good question,” Ariel said. “The truth is, he doesn’t know about the reward. He thinks he’s stuck with a stolen painting that he can’t sell. He’s used to selling paintings, not giving them to museums.”
    “Has he dealt in stolen art work before?” Jake said.
    “Yes, but never at this level. That’s why he’s eager to unload it on you.”
    “So I lowball him?”
    “Offer him three million,” Ariel said. “I know he’ll go for it. And you’ll instantly be two million richer.”
    Jake’s eyebrows rose.
    “Well, we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves here,” Landfeld said. “Mr. Medeiros, you haven’t even seen the canvas yet.”
    Jake didn’t care about the painting. He wasn’t in this for the art. He was in it for the money. “That’s what I brought you for,” he said to Landfeld.
    Ariel knew Landfeld was the one she had to convince now. She brought him over to the large desk that Gabe had been using for his paperwork. There was a computer on it and a number of files. There were also three chairs at one end where Ariel told Jake and Landfeld to sit.
    “So,” Ariel said. “Let’s go through this in order. I know you’ll have a lot of questions, Mr. Landfeld. So, starting at the beginning, let’s talk about how Gabe came into possession of this canvas.”
    “Exactly,” Landfeld said. “It is stolen property. One of the most infamous art heists of the last fifty years.”
    “And if any of us had anything to do with the robbery, I assume we couldn’t claim the reward,” Jake said.
    “You assume correct,” Landfeld said, sternly.
    Ariel wanted to keep things moving. She was desperate for Jake to fall for