The Courbet Connection (Book 5) (Genevieve Lenard) (12 page)

Colin, Francine and I had been looking through the SSS online store for the last six hours. It was just after three in the afternoon and Francine had left to refill our coffee mugs. I was dealing with strong emotions as we worked our way through all the products SSS had on offer, outrage being the most prevalent. Colin and I had just found an authentic-looking Manet painting for sale when the shouting interrupted us.

“Doctor Lenard! Come out here! The largest desert in North America is the Great Basin Desert!”

“That kid knows the oddest things,” Colin said.

“He’s getting agitated.” I stood up. “He’s scared of Vinnie.”

I could understand his fear. Vinnie was standing with his feet apart, his arms away from his sides, his hands in tight fists. There was no mistaking his aggression. Colin followed me to the door and we entered the team room.

“I’m here, Caelan.” I kept my tone low and relaxed. I stopped next to Vinnie. “You are safe here.”

Caelan looked at Vinnie’s shoulder, then looked around the room. “Yes, this is safe. But I don’t like this man. He’s too big.”

“But he’s strong enough to protect us.” I hoped this was the right thing to say. My life had been spent trying to understand neurotypical people—their psychology, their behaviour, their
body language. I felt competent and therefore comfortable dealing with neurotypical people. I didn’t know if I was saying or doing the right things when it came to Caelan. I pointed at the table. “Shall we sit down?”

He took a long time to consider my offer. After a while, he nodded and walked to the table. His dark green pants were at least ten centimetres too short, yet they hung loosely on his skinny hips. The pink t-shirt he had on today had a large hole in its left side and had stains all over it. His dark skin, especially his elbows, looked ashen from dryness. This young man was sorely neglected.

He pulled out a chair and stared at the seat for a few seconds before he sat down. My throat tightened with an unwelcome emotion when I noticed how small and vulnerable he looked. I turned away from the round table and walked back to my office. Seeing Colin’s surprised expression made me realise how my action could be interpreted. I turned back to Caelan. “I need to confer with Colin. Please wait.”

“How long do I have to wait?”

“I won’t be longer than ten minutes.”

He didn’t respond, but he also didn’t leave. I accepted that to be his agreement and walked into my viewing room. Colin was right behind me. The moment the doors sealed us in my soundproof room, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“We have to do something.”

“About what?”

“Not what. Who.” I rubbed my arms. “We have to help Caelan.”

“I’m assuming you’re talking about his clothes and underfed body, right?”

I nodded tightly. “Somebody needs to look after him. He’s too young to be on his own.”

“What if he doesn’t want anyone to look after him?”

I thought about my own childhood and sighed. “Then someone needs to speak to him about personal hygiene.”

“He does smell bad, doesn’t he?” Colin smiled as he glanced at the glass doors. “Think about how you’re going to tell him that.”

“Me?” My hand flew up to cover my suprasternal notch, the hollow just above the breastbone.

“You’re the best equipped… You know what? We’ve had this argument before and I won. This time is not going to be any different.” He lowered his chin and stared at me until I put my fists on my hips.

“I don’t want to.”

“And I don’t want to work with Millard, but I do it. We can’t only do the things that come easy, Jenny.”

I waved my arm at the ten monitors against the wall. “You think this came easy for me? None of this is easy for me, Colin. None.”

“I know.” His tone was softer, his expression contrite. “I know, love. I didn’t mean for it to be understood like that.”

I glared at him for a long time, my breathing eventually calming down. “Fine. But you had better be there to make sure I don’t scar this young person for life. I don’t want to cause him any more harm than he’s already suffered at the hands of ignorant adults.”

“Done.”

The glass door slid open. Manny glared at us. “So? Are you going to stand here all day or is someone going to speak to the kid?”

“You’re back.” I grimaced at my inane observation. Manny had left to find out more about the file Interpol had on Edward Taylor and I hadn’t expected him back this soon. “Do you have any more information?”

“Nope. But I will have soon. Now let’s get to the kid.”

“I’m not a kid. A kid is a dependent young person, lacking responsibility. I’m independent and responsible.” Caelan said all this in one breath while looking at the ceiling.

“How are you responsible?” Colin asked as we walked into the team room.

“I have my own place. I pay bills. I have clients.”

Manny’s eyes widened and then a deep frown pulled his eyebrows together. “What clients?”

“Clients are people who pay you to do work for them.” Caelan’s tone carried typical teenage condescension. “I don’t like you.”

“The feeling is mutual, lad. But you still have to explain your clients to me.”

“I don’t have to explain anything to you. Doctor Lenard said last night I don’t have to tell you anything.”

Manny’s head swung towards me. “Did you now? Care to explain why you would say something like that, missy?”

“No.” Knowing how hard it was for Caelan to admit he needed help, I didn’t want to embarrass him in front of Manny.

“Then what is he doing here?”

I looked at Caelan. “You decided to tell us what you know, didn’t you?”

“I did. But the old man is making me want to leave.”

Vinnie snorted and I knew it was because Caelan had inadvertently used the moniker Vinnie had given Manny. I considered how to placate both Manny and Caelan. I needed Manny to treat Caelan with more patience and Caelan to stay. Before I could reach a workable plan, Caelan’s body language shifted.

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.” He was staring at the large screen against the wall. An SSS page showing numerous weapons was on display. “Portugal is generally regarded as the warmest country in Europe. No.”

I didn’t know what was causing his distress. It could’ve been the weapons, one specific weapon, a word, the colour of the text, the screen itself. “Francine, could you please close that website?”

A second later the screen was blank, but Caelan was still shaking his head, muttering geographical facts in a monotone.

“Caelan.” I put authority in my tone. “Focus on your geography and get control over yourself.”

Vinnie snorted again and Colin frowned at me. I ignored them. “What is the estimated number of constellations?”

“There are eighty-eight officially recognised constellations covering the northern and southern hemispheres. That site was mine. It was mine. You weren’t supposed to find it.”

“What do you mean it’s yours?” Again Manny was sitting up in his chair. “Are you running SSS? Are you selling illegal guns?”

Caelan made a loud sound similar to a buzzer. “Loser! The old man is a loser!”

This time Vinnie burst out laughing. Colin chuckled and pulled out a chair to sit next to Vinnie. I was pleased when they responded to my firm look and controlled their mirth.

“That is rude, Caelan. I told you that if you are rude to my friends, I will not work with you. Apologise to Manny.” I remained standing, not knowing if my position would register with Caelan as authority.

Everyone around the table stared at me in shock. Everyone but Caelan. He was still looking at the screen. “I wasn’t being rude. The old man was wrong. If he was on a quiz show, he would have been called a loser.”

“He isn’t on a quiz show. That behaviour is not acceptable. Apologise.”

“Sorry,” he said after a few seconds. He used the same monotone in which he’d given facts and arguments.

“Thank you. Also, his name is Manny. Not ‘old man’.” I paused, but wasn’t surprised when Caelan didn’t respond. He wouldn’t see the need to acknowledge a fact. “Tell Manny why you said SSS is yours.”

“It was my information. I was going to use it to trade.”

“To get our further co-operation? I told you last night that we’d help you. You don’t have to tell us anything.”

“Doc.” Manny’s warning was low, an almost whisper.

“What if I want to?”

Manny’s head swung back to Caelan. “Want to what? Tell us something? Then you can tell us anything you want to, lad.”

It was an interesting experience, being an observer of someone on the spectrum. As Manny spoke to Caelan, I realised how I would’ve understood this. “You can tell us anything related to this case. I don’t think Manny would like to hear more about constellations.”

Manny pinched the bridge of his nose, but wasn’t fast enough to hide the quick lift at the corners of his mouth. “Well, what do you know?”

“Your question is too generi… Oh, you were being rhetorical and sardonic.” I pulled my shoulders back. “I pay attention and try to learn how to better communicate. You shouldn’t mock.”

“He wasn’t mocking, Jenny.” Colin put his hand over mine. “He was teasing.”

“Oh.” I struggled to differentiate. There were too many nuances.

“Okay, lad. Tell us what you want to about this case.”

Caelan stared at the blank screen for a few more seconds before he looked at Vinnie’s shoulder. “I want milk.”

Vinnie looked at me. “Is he talking to me? Am I the milk man now?”

“Please, Vinnie.”

Vinnie mumbled about having to find a white mug, but got up and left the team room. As soon as he left, Caelan inhaled deeply and held his breath for a few seconds.

“On SSS are three noteworthy art dealers selling real and fake art. The other art sellers are wannabe artists who think their work is much better than it really is, because they suck.” All of this was delivered in one breath, in monotone.

“Tell us about the art dealers,” Colin said.

“For some stuff, they make straightforward deals. Sell art for bitcoins. But for some of the real stuff, the better real stuff and also the fake stuff, they are only middlemen.”

We waited for him to continue, but he didn’t. He sat quietly, staring at the wall.

“Do you know for whom these three art dealers act as intermediaries?” I asked.

“No.”

“Did you look and couldn’t find anything or didn’t you look?”

“I didn’t look. I don’t care.”

Vinnie came into the room with a large white coffee mug and a plate. He placed both in front of Caelan, who immediately inspected the mug. He turned his attention to the grapes on the plate. “Green grapes.”

“They’re seedless too.” Vinnie shrugged as if he didn’t care. In the time I’d known Vinnie, I’d learned that he was a man who cared deeply. Despite his genuine dislike for Caelan, he was concerned. The relaxation in his shoulders and around his mouth when Caelan pushed two grapes into his mouth confirmed it.

“We’ll look into that as soon as supermodel comes back.” Manny looked at Colin. “Do you also think the art was being used as a currency?”

“It would make sense,” Colin said. “We know that a lot of weapons and drugs have been paid for with a stolen masterpiece. That’s why Maurice and I have such a good business relationship. There’s no loyalty amongst these guys. They’ll pay with a good forgery before they pay with the masterpiece. Whenever Maurice has one of these works, he contacts me to authenticate it. If some head of an organised crime syndicate receives a seven-million-euro painting for his drugs or guns, he wants to make sure that it’s really worth that. If he’d been paid in cash, he would’ve checked every bill as well. They’ve been done in too many times by brilliantly counterfeited bills.”

Somewhere in my subconscious, pieces of information were about to connect. I could feel it. Manny, Vinnie and Colin continued their discussion about art being used as a currency, but I wasn’t giving it my full attention. I closed my eyes, blocked out everything I’d seen on SSS and started writing Mozart’s Flute Concerto No.2 in D major.

When I opened my eyes, Manny was at his desk, as was Francine. She was biting her bottom lip, frowning at her computer monitor. Caelan wasn’t here, I supposed he’d left. Vinnie was reading a magazine and Colin was sitting next to me, working on his laptop, a cup of steaming coffee next to him. In front of me was also a fresh cup of coffee. I took a sip to ready myself. “I have an idea how we can find Dukwicz. And bring him to us.”

“What? How?” Manny’s body language went from relaxed to highly alert in less than a second. It wasn’t just him. Everyone’s undivided attention was on me. “Doc! Speak. Tell us how we’re going to catch that murdering bastard.”

“Francine, can I have your tablet?” I held out my hand. Ten seconds later, I had the SSS site on the large screen. “We were going through this site today looking for artworks. We saw a lot of other illegal services and products on offer as well.”