If he revealed anything about Kelsey he knew Reynaldo would order him back to Paris. No question. So he abbreviated the explanation.
揑抦 just doing my job. A Belgian national treasure was destroyed. I抦 trying to find out by who and why. Stealing that body was the fastest way to get answers.?
揘ick, listen to me and listen good. I抦 giving you forty-eight hours. That抯 all. If you don抰 have anything concrete by then, get your ass back to Paris. Am I clear??
揅rystal.?
揂nd, Nick, don抰 make me regret that I even gave you two days.?
He stood under the branches of a spanning tree, just beyond the gas station. 揑 won抰。 And I抦 sorry about putting you in a bad spot.?
揓ust do your job. Without all the drama.?
He ended the call and had one more to make.
To Kelsey.
She had to be wondering what happened to him. Sister Claire stood off on the other side of the parked car, talking on the phone too. They抎 both retreated in opposite directions for privacy.
He punched in Kelsey抯 cell phone number.
The phone rang several times.
He allowed it to keep ringing, realizing she was probably sleeping. Finally, a voice answered.
Not Kelsey.
揥ho is this??he asked.
揑 am Sister Deal抯 prioress, Mr. Lee. I have Kelsey抯 mobile phone and the caller identification named you.?
He was concerned. 揑s Kelsey all right??
揝he is fine.?
Nothing more was offered. 揥here is she??
揝he is safe. Don抰 concern yourself.?
But he was concerned.
揑 will be destroying this phone when this call is ended. There is no need for you to communicate with Sister Deal any further.?
揅oming from the woman who sold her out.?
揑 did what was necessary. Sister Deal understands that. You should too.?
And the call ended.
He抎 turned away from the parked car, facing the tree, trying to keep his voice down. When he turned back toward the gas station the Volvo suddenly sprang to life, the engine roaring, lights on.
It sped away.
Sister Claire had abandoned him.
Chapter 48
Kelsey decided the best tack was a cooperative one. These two women needed something from her and she was curious as to what that might be. Besides, she didn抰 want to be stuffed back into the trunk so it seemed better to just get along. The two maidens?attitude had definitely softened and for two hours they rode in relative silence. She had to keep telling herself that these were daughters of Christ. Pledged to a religious order and a life of love and peace. She wasn抰 exactly sure what kind of religious order they belonged to but, from all she knew, the Maidens of Saint-Michael were well respected. Still, there was the matter of the Just Judges. Stolen by the maidens. Then the Chapel of the Maiden. Which, according to her prioress, the maidens guarded.
What was that?
A phone buzzed in the front seat and Sister Ellen answered. The conversation was short and, when she ended the call, Ellen turned back to face her. 揑抳e been given the okay to further involve your help.?Ellen produced a MacBook Air. 揑抦 going to set up a personal hot spot through my phone for this computer. We need you to access your images. And before you object, we don抰 want you to download them. They are actually not all that important to us any longer. Just access and compare your images of the fifteenth-century original to the copy of the Just Judges finished in 1945. We need to know if there are any differences.?
揙f course there are,?she said. 揟he copyist added the picture of the then Belgian king Leopold, along with a few other subtle changes. That抯 a well-known fact.?
揙f course, we know that. We抮e interested in any other changes that you might find that seem significant.?
A strange request, for sure, but one that definitely piqued her artistic curiosity. So she nodded and said she would do it. Ellen worked with her phone a few moments, then the laptop, finally handing it back over the front seats.
揑t抯 online now. I抦 trusting that you will not contact anyone by message or email.?
揑 won抰。 You抳e spurred my interest, so now I want to find out if there抯 anything there.?
She accepted the computer and typed in the web address Nick had provided her. Thank goodness it was easy to remember. She then entered the password they抎 both settled upon梩he month and date they first met twelve years ago梐nd gained access into the secure site. She manipulated the touchpad and found a separate image of Jef Van der Veken抯 1945 reproduction of the Just Judges, the one painted above the original, filling the right side of the screen with it and the left with her own image. Amazing how modern technology made that so easy. Years ago the analysis would have required both to be physically stood side by side. It would have then taken days with eyes straining through magnifying glasses to make any meaningful comparison. Now she could complete a survey in minutes, all thanks to ultra-high resolution that missed absolutely nothing.