“€10,000,” the wide-eyed auctioneer announced.
“€20,000.” The vampire glowered.
A few guests gasped, while others broke out in shocked murmurs.
Celeste’s expression went from smug to concerned. Clearly, this was not what she had planned. She glanced back at Anatole, who shot her an angry look.
“Huh. I guess Celeste had some kind of arrangement with the vampire?” Gen observed.
“Then why not sell the painting — or whatever is hidden in it — directly? Why risk an auction?” Mina asked, watching the screen intently.
“Because they want an official transaction that’s on the record, but they’re doing it at this small establishment to avoid attention,” Henrik guessed. “Think of money laundering. It’s a similar principle.” At Mina’s astounded look, he went on. “That’s why they forged a bill of sale from you to Celeste. They want to be able to establish the painting’s provenance.”
“I understand having to trace the history of a Van Gogh to prove it’s not a forgery,” I said. “By why bother with an amateur painting?”
“I don’t know, but whatever’s hidden in the painting has to be worth a fortune,” Marius said.
“Even more valuable if its origins can be traced,” I surmised.
Mina frowned. “We need to identify bidder 2641.”
The light blinked again, and Monsieur Robert reported his latest bid.
“€30,000,” the vampire countered, giving Celeste the evil eye.
This was definitely not going as they had hoped.
“€35,000,” Monsieur Robert read from the screen.
Gasps erupted when the vampire leapfrogged Anonymous’s next bid, going straight to €50,000.
“I wonder what the record at Chez Robert is,” Bene murmured.
Judging by the auctioneer’s expression, they were close to breaking it.
Monsieur Robert dabbed sweat from his shiny forehead as the next bid appeared on his device. “€60,000.”
“€75,000,” the vampire growled.
Even the auctioneer stared.
My mind spun, spitting out different theories, but Mina and Henrik were ahead of me.
“Okay. So, Celeste brought the painting to this antique shop so Anatole could buy it with an official bill of sale,” Mina said.
Henrik nodded. “And not just any antique shop, but an out-of-the-way one. That suggests they wanted it sold cheaply and discreetly.”
Bene snorted as bidding hit €80,000. “Well, that’s not happening.”
He pointed as astonished customers reached for their phones.
Anatole pulled out his phone and typed frantically.
“Looks like he’s close to the limit Alexandre Ernaux gave him,” Henrik surmised.
Ernaux must have given the go-ahead, because Anatole raised his bid to €85,000.
“€85,000 is a lot of money, but Celeste could have easily stolen more from Gordon,” Mina decided. “How is all this worth her trouble?”
