The Chase by Vanessa Fewings

Author:Vanessa Fewings
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HQN Books
Published: 2017-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

17

I was doing this.

Making my way around the cubicles and nodding to staff here and there, I tried to convey my usual chirpy nature. My smile might have been forced, but my enthusiasm to join the meeting was sincere. Maybe, just maybe, I could salvage my career at the wire.

Mostly everyone was gathered already, and it was a little daunting seeing Adley, Danny and Brandon all waiting on what I had to say.

Abby flew in and threw me an enthusiastic wave. “Got your email, Zara. You have something for us?”

A jolt of pride nudged me out of my melancholy. “I have something on the Jaeger case.” I opened my file. “If I may?”

Adley gave a nod.

I slid out the photo of Hulbert Jaeger. “I studied the Jaeger file,” I said. “There’s a discrepancy.” Their gazes locked on me.

I held up the photo of Hulbert for them. “This is staged.”

“What makes you think that?” asked Abby.

I pointed to it. “This was meant to have been taken in 1920 of Hulbert Jaeger, their grandfather, and is meant to help prove the provenance.”

“Looks authentic,” said Shane. “Paper checked out.”

I slid my fingertip and rested it on Hulbert’s wrist. “Can someone please explain to me how Hulbert Jaeger is wearing a Seiko Astron?”

“It wasn’t made yet?” asked Abby.

“This brand wasn’t made until 1969,” I clarified.

“Well done, Zara,” she said.

“It’s half-hidden by his cuff,” I said.

“Look at this!” said Brandon as he tapped away on his keyboard. “You’re not going to believe this.”

A rush of excitement flushed my cheeks with the realization what I’d found really mattered.

“Got you, bitches.” Brandon slapped his hand over his mouth. “Sorry, boss.”

Adley gestured for him to continue.

Brandon slid his laptop around to show us the screen. “Just ran our Edvard Munch through the Nazi-era database.”

My jaw dropped. “Our Edvard Munch is listed?”

“Hot as a jacket potato,” said Shane.

“What’s a jacket potato?” asked Danny.

“You call them baked potatoes,” said Abby with a smile.

“Who cares,” snapped Brandon. “Look, our Edvard Munch was once listed as being owned by a member of the Nazi SS.”

“We never thought to check the Nazi database,” said Shane. “The provenance looked solid.”

“The painting came through Germany,” I said. “Not Norway.”

“And any painting coming through Germany in the 1940s has shaky provenance,” agreed Adley. “We were thrown off by its history.”

“Maybe the Jaegers know?” Danny suggested. “Maybe that’s why they faked this?”

We moved onto our next agenda, Icon, and Adley pointed out it appeared the thief was becoming more brazen.

“A new clue has emerged,” he said. “I received a call from the director of Interpol an hour ago.”

We all leaned in, ready to hear.

“Interpol has kept this back until now,” he continued. “It does seem relevant. There was a raven’s feather left at the scene of the crime at the Jaeger home.”

“Is he antagonizing us?” asked Danny.

“He’s letting us know that no one will ever be hurt,” I realized.

“’Cause he didn’t hurt the raven at the Burells’?” asked Danny.

Adley seemed to give this some thought. “Icon’s motivations are greed,” he said.

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