Page 28 (1/2)

Everything had gone al to plan Or at least that’s what the various members of the Henley’s security depart had been evacuated in less than fourof the Henley’s six sections A hallway, really, located far away from the allery So now the Henley’s only fear was s

If any of the ht have wondered how the sin with, but they didn’t Instead, they patted themselves on the back and looked forward to bonuses and co and clear resolve reached the powers that be

Far away from the Romani Room, locked inside the Henley’s security annex, they watched the various exhibits through an eerie haze, not noticing that the feed was nothing but a continuous loop; not seeing the Bagshaw brothers and Simon as they made their way down the e the guards were sure was abandoned

No one in the guard room saw Simon raise his hand and knock Not a soul noticed when Gabrielle pushed open the door to the Henley’s second best exhibit She studied the trio and said, "You’re late"

The paintings were there

Kat held theled eyes It was not a dreae--they were there And yet she couldn’t let herself believe it

"Two and a half minutes," Simon warned as Kat walked past the four fraainst the wall like the artists’ stalls on the streets of New York and Paris It wasn’t hard to ione back in ti at the works of a few unknowns, guys naas

Nick had taken off his blazer and tie and was now hurrying around the hot roo remained, and as Kat eased toward it, she could feel the seconds passing, and so thatair that was suddenly cascading through the vents, blowing across Kat’s face and through her hair as she reached toward the final painting and then stopped, looked up, and heard a familiar voice say, "Hello, Kitty Kat"

Gabrielle’s hair should have been tousled as she hung upside down, dangling froround Her face should have been sreat injustices, in Kat’s opinion, that soh two hundred feet of ductwork and cola about Kat’s cousin in that moment was the look on her face as she scanned the row of paintings and whispered, "It’s theenpast Gabrielle, filling the gallery, as Katand reached carefully for the pressure switch Despite the fresh air, Kat held her breath as she eased the final painting from the wall, turned it over, and heard her cousin say, "Uh-oh"

The scene outside the Henley was exactly what one ht expect under these circumstances Shrill sirens filled the air as fire trucks and police cars raced down the cobblestone streets and blocked off a perih the security team swore that the fire had been contained, black smoke still escaped from doors and s, and then faded into the winter breeze

The dusty snow had turned to drizzle, so reporters stood under umbrellas as they broadcast the story around the world

The Henley was burning And it seemed that all of London had coht saw his career dangling by a thread And yet there was little else he could do while the firefighters scraether on the sidewalks for roll call And so the directorwith the young billionaire and his uncle,allies

"Well, it was nice seeing you again, Mr Wainwright," Hale said, trying to pull away "If you’ll excuse me, I really must attend to my uncle"

"Oh, dear!" the director exclaiot Here"--he looked around as if expecting a wheelchair to ically appear out of thin air--"allow me to find you someplace to rest Perhaps I can send one of the firemen to retrieve your chair--"

"No!" Hale and Marcus blurted in unison

"I’ain with a dismissive wave of his hand "I have h to worry" Marcus turned to survey the still-s cameras, and the journalists with their plastic smiles "It does make aafter all"

Hale looked at Marcus, but the older aze Instead he tucked his hand into the lapel of his coat in the way he’d seen men of wealth do for the majority of his life "But I suppose you cannot be blamed if two disasters happen within a month"

Hale watched the director’s eyes narrow, first with resentment, then puzzlement

"Coincidences happen," Marcus carried on, but Wainwright was already doing theto the most secure museum in the world within weeks of each other

"I’m sorry, Mr Hale" The director pulled out his cell phone and set off at a frantic clip He paused briefly to call over his shoulder, "Please call my assistant about the Monet!"

And, with that, Gregory Wainwright was gone

"It’s not here," Kat said flatly as she stared at the back of the final frah her earpiece, "I’ chatter on the security frequencies I think--"

But Kat wasn’t listening She was too busy looking at the place where the final painting was supposed to bebut wasn’t

"Girl Praying to Saint NicholasGirl Praying to Saint Nicholas was supposed to be there!" Kat looked up, past Nick’s worried eyes She coracefully fro wire Instead, Kat’s eyes scanned the roo, "One, two, three--"

"Kat!" Nick snapped