The Art of the Heist by Myles J. Connor

Author:Myles J. Connor
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2009-10-16T10:00:00+00:00

With summer fast approaching, time was of the essence. Once June arrived, we both knew, the cottage would be host to a steady stream of visitors. If we didn’t pull off the job soon, we’d have to wait until fall.

Back in Boston, we set to work assembling an experienced crew. First on our list was Billy Irish. After much discussion, Bobby and I also agreed to include David Houghton. David had been begging for a bigger role in one of Bobby’s heists for some time, and we both figured the Woolworth estate would be a relatively safe way for him to indulge his craving for adventure.

Bobby had somehow gotten hold of a catalogue detailing the entire Woolworth collection. It was like a Sears catalogue of American art. Over the next few weeks we familiarized ourselves with the contents, taking note of the most valuable pieces in the lot, educating ourselves on what we should take and what we could afford to leave behind.

By the end of May we had made several more reconnaissance trips up to the estate and were ready to go. On the afternoon of May 25, driving Bobby’s car and a panel truck I had borrowed from Ralph Petrozziello, we headed for Maine.

On the night of the burglary the weather was perfect, warm and clear. The trees were in full leaf, hiding the house almost entirely from the road below, providing us with thick cover under which to perform our task. A bright crescent moon hung overhead, casting just enough light in which to see.

We arrived after midnight to find the estate reassuringly quiet. The windows in the caretaker’s house, as well as the main house, were dark. The cottage, at least what we could see of it from the road, appeared dark as well. We parked both vehicles at the bottom of the driveway, and Bobby climbed up alone to make sure the place was empty. About ten minutes later he reappeared, flashing us two thumbs up before climbing into his car.

I started the truck’s engine and followed him up to the cottage, parking just behind him on the gravel apron outside the front door. Moving quickly, the four of us assembled on the front porch, flashlights in hand. Using a pry bar he had brought along, Bobby tried to jimmy the front door, but cracking the lock was tougher than we had anticipated. Finally, he gave up, smashed a small glass panel near the handle, and reached inside. Within a matter of seconds the four of us were standing in the dark foyer.

It was time to get to work.

As planned, we fanned out through the house. With the exception of David Houghton, we were all old hands at breaking and entering. We worked quickly and quietly, methodically combing through the Woolworths’ staggering collection, looking for the pieces we’d already identified using Bobby’s catalogue. At the top of our list were three N. C. Wyeth paintings: the original oil painting for a cover illustration of Robert

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.