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He had briefed Swain and Pottle on what to search for and they immediately set to work Every crack and seaued Swain As a wo into the reflective backing, she found it free of even the tiniest ies with etchings of flowers in the corners Her best guess was that it was eighteenth century She could not help but wonder about all the other people who had stood in front of it over the past three hundred years and stared at their reflections Their ies were still there She could sense them

Next she studied the intricately sculptured fraold Keenly observant, she noticed the tiny seaes looked worn frorasped the head and tried to turn it clockwise It remained stationary She tried the opposite direction, and the head rotated until it was facing backward There was a noticeable click, and one side of the mirror came ajar and stopped a few centimeters from the wall

She peered through the crack down the hidden stairwell and said, "Good call, boss"

Ru the mirror wide open He smiled broadly as he ept by a wave of satisfaction This hat Gaskill liked best about his job, the gaonist

"Will you please lead the way, Mr Rummel?"

"The aparts to lea in his eyes "Your warrant only authorizes you to search my penthouse"

Gaskill groped about in his coat pocket for

a , a fishing lure he had purchased the day before He extended his hand and dropped the box down the stairs "Forgive my clumsiness I hope Mr Kammer doesn't mind if I retrieve my property"

"That's trespassing!" Rummel blurted

There was no reply Followed by Pottle, the burly Custo only to retrieve his bass plug box What he saw upon reaching the floor below took his breath away

Magnificent pre-Columbian artworks filled room after roo fros One entire rooious altars and burial urns Others were filled with ornate headdresses, elaborately painted ceramics, and exotic sculptures All doors in the apartment had been removed for easier access, the kitchen and bathrooms stripped of their sinks, cupboards and accessories to provide more space for the immense collection Gaskill and Pottle stood overwhelmed by the spectacular array of antiquities The quantity went far beyond what they expected

After the initial a for the piece de resistance of the collection What he found was a shattered, elass case in the center of a room

Disillusionment flooded over him

"Mr Rummel!" he shouted "Come here!"

Escorted by Swain, a thoroughly defeated and distraught Rummel shuffled slowly into the exhibition rooh one of the Inca battle lances on the wall had pierced his stoasped "The Golden Body Suit of Tiapollo is gone"