Read Wanted: A Leopold Blake Thriller for Free Online Page B

a digital camera like this, I can tell.”
    “Who could have taken the original?”
    “Only somebody with enough influence over the board to have the displays moved,” she replied. “The painting would have to be moved into the back rooms. Otherwise, the security cameras would have picked something up.”
    “When was the last time you saw the painting yourself?”
    “Just a few weeks ago during a routine inspection. I signed everything off as satisfactory. Since then, I guess the frame was returned to its display in the gallery.”
    “Is there any possibility it was intercepted on the way?”
    “Again, only someone senior could arrange for –” she stopped mid sentence.
    “What is it?” pressed Leopold. “Any information you have could be important.”
    Sophie shook her head. “ Non , it is just a coincidence.”
    “If you don’t tell us, you’ll only make it harder for the police. You don’t want anything to happen to the painting, do you?”
    She bit her lip thoughtfully. “There have been whispers. Especially with the news that Jean, I mean, Monsieur Dubois, was pushed into early retirement. There was, apparently, quite a commotion. I wasn’t there myself, but it’s not like the old man speaks to me much any more. Not that he ever did.”
    “You know Dubois personally?”
    Sophie let out a deep sigh. “There were always… problems. He was a good friend of my father’s. They spent a lot of time together when I was young, and I always heard about some of the crazy things he would spend his money on. He would throw his savings away on fast cars, lavish trips abroad, expensive paintings – it was like he couldn’t control himself. A government salary is generous, but it doesn’t begin to cover his tastes. There must have been a lot of debt. But for all his faults, he was not a bad man. He was not unkind.”
    “Do you think he had enough of a motive to steal museum property?” asked Leopold.
    “I don’t know. Even if he did steal something, how would he sell it? He would need some connections. He’s not the kind of man who deals with criminals.”
    “Perhaps something pushed him over the edge?”
    “Anything is possible. I’m sure he’s made enough enemies over the years… but to steal from the museum? Je ne sais pas . It seems incredible to think about him in this way. Will you excuse me please?”
    Leopold nodded as Sophie got to her feet and made her way through the door at the other end of the room, leaving the two men alone on the sofa.
    “You’ve got that look,” said Jerome, frowning.
    “What look?”
    “The look that tells me you’re about to open up a giant can of worms and ruin a perfectly good vacation.”
    “You’ve got to admit,” said Leopold, finishing his lemonade, “if Director Dubois was being kicked off the board, that does give him motive. Not just in terms of monetary gain, but revenge too. It’s a powerful incentive.”
    “He would have had opportunity, too. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from our time together, we’re not going to get very far without some inside information.”
    “Which is exactly why we need her,” he jabbed a finger at the closed door. “She knows something she’s not telling us.”
    Before Jerome could answer, Leopold’s cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He fished out the handset and answered.
    “I am speaking to Leopold Blake,” the gruff voice on the line announced, more of a statement than a question.
    “Yes. Who is this?”
    “This is Capitaine Anton Rousseau with the Préfecture de police de Paris .”
    Leopold slapped his hand over the cell’s microphone. “It’s the police,” he whispered to Jerome. “The museum must have reported the theft.” He lifted the phone back to his ear. “Yes, Capitaine , I was expecting your call. How can I help?”
    “You were expecting me?” Rousseau sounded surprised. “I understand you attempted to call Monsieur Dubois earlier today. You were the last telephone number