This wasn’t gettingme anywhere.
I huffed in frustration and tried another variation on Bergen’s name. The problem was, he could have used an alias. There was no way to know what name he was using, or even where he was. The only reason I was coming around to Fiona’s point of view about him was because of those dark eyes that had looked back at me through the ski mask, the man’s build, and the fact that whoever it was had staked out Fiona’s apartment. It seemed unlikely that anyone else—other than the police—would bother to do so.
My phone rang. I checked the screen and accepted the call.
“Hey, Jonah.”
“Boss, I think I found something.” Jonah sounded excited. To be fair, excited was his default mode, but at this point, anything was better than continuing a search I feared wouldn’t lead anywhere.
“What is it?” I asked.
“There’s a rumor on the dark net about an auction for stolen art happening tonight. The chatter I’m seeing says that everyone who’s anyone in the local black market art world will be there.”
I sat up straight. “Really? Where?”
“On a super yacht moored off Sears Bay Marina owned by a guy called Rene Laurent.”
“And Rene Laurent is…?”
“The owner of a French line of beauty products. He’s a multimillionaire and he’s rumored to enjoy the finer things in life, including those that don’t belong to him.”
“Fascinating. What’s Laurent doing in Chicago?”
“He’s been meeting with a local perfume manufacturer.Of course, rumor has it that’s just a cover for hosting the auction.”
“Interesting. Thanks, Jonah. Let me know if you find anything else about the event. Guest list. Name and description of the yacht. Whatever you can get, email it to me.”
“I will.”
We ended the call and I turned to Fiona. “There’s chatter on the dark net about an auction of stolen art on board a super yacht owned by a French multimillionaire. Does that sound like the sort of place where someone like Bergen might try to offload a Monet?”
Fiona’s eyes widened. “Yes, I’d say that’s exactly the sort of place Bergen would try to sell a Monet. Not only will the people there have been vetted, but it sounds pretentious enough to appeal to him. He’s always wanted to have rich connections and attend highbrow events. The only question is whether he could get in.”
I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. “I’d guess anyone with a painting by an artist that famous could get an invitation if they wanted.”
“Good point.”
I exited the tab on the laptop, closed it, and tucked it under my arm. “We should touch base with Ronan and Kade. This could be exactly the kind of breakthrough we need.”
Her smile was heartbreakingly hopeful. “You think so?”
“I do.” I resisted the urge to smooth a lock of beautiful red hair behind her ear, knowing she probably wouldn’t welcome my touch. “Let’s go.”
While we drove to the office, Fiona called Ronan to organize a meeting. When we arrived, he and Kade were already in his office. Ronan had a notepad in front of him and was twirling a pen between his fingers. Kade slouched in a chair,taking up more room than necessary. Subtlety had never been his strong suit.
We sat, and I ran them through everything Jonah had told me, which now included a description of Rene Laurent’s yacht,Claudette, which could accommodate over a hundred people.
“We should see if we can get one of our undercover guys into the event,” Kade said when I’d finished. “Someone will be catering it. If we can find out who, we can pay off one of their employees to pretend to be sick and send someone in their place.”
“Not a bad idea,” Ronan said.
Fiona rested her elbows on the table and leaned toward them. “Would one of your undercover men be able to identify a Monet?”
Kade shrugged. “I can show them a picture of it so they know what to look out for.”
She wet her lips, her expression nervous. “But would they be able to tell if they’re looking at the real deal or a forgery?”
Kade grimaced. “Possibly not.”
