I made a face. “Well, we know Gordon hid a painting behind the painting, and that others know about it too — Alexandre whatshisname and the anonymous bidder.”
“We also know the hidden painting depicts Monet’s wife and son,” Roux said.
I shot him a grateful look. The man had more faith in me than I did.
“How about this one?” Bene held out his phone.
I looked, then shook my head at the image of a woman knitting in a garden. “That’s his second wife, and his son doesn’t appear in it.”
“Hopefully, Gordon’s guy can hack into the system and identify the buyer,” Marius said.
Bene stuck out his phone again, interrupting the conversation. “As if things aren’t complicated enough, Monet painted Manet painting in his garden.”
I sighed. It was good of him to try, but I couldn’t see his search leading anywhere.
Then something in my mind clicked, and I grabbed his phone for a closer look.
“How does Monet painting Manet help?” Marius asked.
My heart pounded as I checked the listing. “Because while Monet painted Manet, Manet was painting Monet’s wife and son. So, their voices would be part of the scene, even if they don’t appear in the painting.”
“What exactly did you hear?” Mina asked, growing excited.
“The boy said,Maman, ça va encore durer longtemps?” I recalled.How long is this going to take?
“That’s what I would say if I had to sit for a portrait,” Bene commiserated.
“Then his mother said,On a presque fini, mon chéri,” I finished.We’re nearly done, my dear.
“That fits too,” Mina agreed.
“Yes, and it matched Camille’s voice in the poppy painting in the Musée d’Orsay. So I’m sure that’s them.”
“You’re saying, we’re looking for a painting made by Monet that shows Manet, in which Camille and Jean are off-screen?” Roux asked.
I nodded. “Yes. And this could be it.”
“Not if it’s hanging in a museum somewhere,” Marius pointed out.
I read the listing aloud. “Claude Monet’sManet painting in Monet’s Gardenwas owned by the German Jewish artist Max Liebermann and his wife Martha.” I skimmed a little, then went on. “The painting has not been seen since it went missing from the Liebermann apartment, which was seized by Nazis in 1943.”
The room went quiet as I read and reread the article.
“What’s the source of that information?” Mina leaned in. “Is it reliable?”
I handed her the phone, waiting.
Her lips moved as she read the listing. Then her eyes went wide, and she slowly put down the phone.
“Is that it?” Bene asked eagerly.
Mina’s throat bobbed. “I think we have our painting.”
Chapter Twenty
ROUX
“I can’t believe Gordon wouldn’t mention this to us,” Gen muttered.
