Rina had left, Max gave a sly smile. “So where’d you pull that rabbit out of your hat? Or is art history a secret love of yours?”
“We detectives are tricky folk.” Decker walked over to a green Majorelle love seat. “Can I sit down or …”
“The furniture is not only beautiful, it’s usable. Be my guest.”
“Thanks.” He gingerly put his rear on the cushion. Max sat opposite. Decker said, “I interviewed your sister-in-law.”
“No love lost, correct?”
Decker’s shrug was noncommittal. “After doing hundreds of these kinds of things, you get feelings when someone is lying. She’s not lying. She didn’t have anything to do with the theft.”
“I believe you. Did she implicate me?”
“Not seriously.” Decker took out a notebook. “So if it’s not you and it’s not her, give me some direction with the list.” He handed it to Maxwell who studied it for a few minutes.
The dealer finally said, “I’m really sorry, Detective. Nothing is jumping out at me.”
“No ne’er-do-well with an addiction problem?”
“Oh, I see where you’re coming from.” He pointed to a name. “Rubin and Anne Sobel. Rubin is a first or second cousin to Ken. Both of their kids have had some substance abuse problems as teens. Campbell is doing all right from what I last heard.”
“Is that a boy or girl?”
“She’s twenty. I think she’s at Hampshire. Her older brother, Livingston, has been in and out of rehab. I don’t know if he even lives in the New York area anymore. But just because he’s had problems doesn’t make him a thief.”
“Of course not. Did he go to college?”
“Dropped out after a year.”
“Where’d he go?”
“Uh … Brown, I believe.”
“So inherently, he’s a smart guy.”
“Yeah, he is smart. I see him more of an Occupy Wall Street guy than a thief. Honestly, Detective, it would surprise me if it were someone in the family.”
“Well, I don’t think I’m working with amateurs,” Decker said. “If it were amateurs, they’d steal all four panels at once. And they certainly wouldn’t bother making replicas. But if it were a truly professional job, it wouldn’t have been done piecemeal like it was. So I’m looking for something in between, which makes it hard for me to get a handle on what is truly going on.”
“Any ideas?” Max asked.
“I was going to ask you the same thing. Put yourself in my shoes. Where should I be concentrating my efforts?”
Max was silent. Then he finally said, “Well … the thief was definitely trying to hide the crime with those poor replicas. He or she didn’t want anyone to notice.”
“Okay. That’s a lot of work to go into hiding a theft. Why would someone do that? What outcome would be worth that much effort?”
“For one thing, it would buy time for the thief to sell the panels to the highest bidder,” Max said. “Also if the theft wasn’t reported, an auction house could conceivably buy them, which would give the thief more options.”
Decker started to scribble in his notepad. “That makes sense. So who would you be looking for if you were me?”
“Usually dealers who dabble in stolen art don’t sully their hands directly. I’d say the dealer definitely hired out.”
“So you think it’s a dealer?”
“Possibly.”
“Is there anyone in the family who’s an art dealer?”
“Besides me?” When Decker smiled, Max said, “Do I like where this is going?”
“I’m talking to you about it. I’m being very up-front.”
“We’re the only gallery in the family. And since I didn’t steal them, I have no idea who is calling the shots.”
“Okay. Let’s put that aside for a moment. If the guy hired out, who would he hire?”
“Obviously someone who could do stained glass. Or maybe he’d hire someone who would hire someone who could do stained glass.”
“Put a little distance between him and the theft.”
“Exactly. From the looks of the pieces, I’d say maybe it’s a hobbyist or an art student.”
Decker nodded but didn’t say anything. It very well could be a student who was hard up for money. “Do you know which institutions teach stained glass?”
“All the art schools I would imagine. What about Littleton in the Five Colleges? That’s in your own backyard.”
“It’s on my list. But as you so aptly pointed out, I may also be looking for a dealer. If you could give me a list of dealers with … how can I put it … questionable morals … maybe you’ve heard some rumors for instance?”
“You always hear rumors. We’re in a venal business.”
Decker laughed. “Anything that you could do to help me would be appreciated. In the meantime, I still have to run down the list of family members.”
“Even though you don’t think any of them had anything to do with it.”
“I have to keep an open mind. Maybe someone in the family teamed up with a dealer for quick cash.”
“I don’t see it. I can’t even see Melanie doing that. She isn’t capable of that much executive planning. Besides, her husband makes a fortune.”
“What does he do?”
“Hedge fund. They did very well last year. I should know. I have money with him. And I know that Rick got a huge bonus.”
“Okay … so let’s leave the family aside for a moment. I want to go back to art thefts. Is that a problem for you—people breaking into your gallery?”
“Not yet, thank God. My security is excellent!”
“What about thefts from other galleries in the area?”
“You mean like Mark Lugo?”
“Who’s he?”
“He lifted a Fernand Léger from a local gallery in the Carlyle. Wasn’t the first time he stole. He lifted a Picasso in San Francisco.”
“He was a dealer who sold the pieces for profit?”
“No, he was a sommelier who kept the paintings
