Jose Somoza - Art of Murder

'The evacuated paintings? They're fine, Lothar. I suppose they're a bit frightened, but none of them suffered any damage. They've been taken to the hotel, but not picked up yet. They're all in their vans in the hotel parking lot.'

This was yet another security measure. The paintings could only be taken to their rooms by the corresponding security agent. The evacuation team was simply responsible for getting them away from danger. 'So they're all in the hotel car park?' Bosch insisted.

'Exactly. It was decided at our last meeting, if you remember. We agreed not to take them to the Old Atelier straightaway, because that's empty and locked up tonight, and we didn't want any more security staff…'

Bosch did remember. He would have hung up there and then, but April Wood's instructions were clear: he had to make absolutely sure. 'Are all the paintings in the car park now?' 'All of them. What are you worried about?' 'Do the vans' tracking devices all work?' 'Perfectly. We've got their signals on the screen right here.' 'Of them all?' Nikki spoke with motherly patience.

'All of them, Lothar. Don't worry about Danielle. She's being kept in an armour-plated van and…' 'Can you tell me which paintings have been evacuated?'

'Of course.' Nikki paused briefly after she listed each of them, making Bosch think she must be reading them off a screen. 'Bethsabe, Young Girl Leaning on a Windowsill, The jewish Bride, Titus, and Susanna Surprised by the Elders.' 'Only those five?'

"Yes, only those. The others were just being taken out when the evacuation was suspended.'

'Are the signals from all five vehicles appearing correctly on the screen as we speak?' 'Affirmative. Is something wrong, Lothar?' Bosch was stammering into his microphone.

‘Is there anyone with the paintings apart from the emergency personnel?'

The car park guards. And a security team is on its way. They'll be there any minute.'

Bosch could believe it. The hotel chosen to put the paintings in was the Van Gogh, very close to the Museum quarter. You could reach it walking from Museumplein.

'Martine is confirming it,' Nikki told him. 'We're still receiving all five signals, Lothar. Everything is fine, I tell you. They're in the car park, awaiting instructions.'

What else could he ask? He was beginning to think April Wood's fears were unjustified. He prayed that, just this once, she might be mistaken.

21.17.

The driver's shadow dipped down next to Danielle. The darkness was even more complete in the back of the van, so that all she could make out were a pair of attractive blue eyes and a fixed smile. 'Are you OK?' the man asked, in fluent Dutch. 'Yes.'

'Some scare, wasn't it?'

Danielle agreed. The man was kneeling next to her seat, still smiling.

'What are we waiting for?' Danielle wanted to know. 'Orders,' said the man.

She had no idea why, but the darkness and silence frightened her a little. Fortunately the smiling man seemed reassuring enough.

21.18.

All of a sudden, Bosch thought of another question. 'Nikki, which was the first painting evacuated? Do we know?' Nikki told him. it was in the van in less than a minute,' she added, pleased with herself, it must have been a record. The emergency guard was very quick… Lothar… are you still there…?' Silence.

A prolonged silence. Nikki thought the communication must have been lost, but then she heard Bosch's voice once more.

'Nikki, listen carefully. Get in touch with Alfred and Thea… and with Gert Warfell. This is an emergency… No, don't ask me any questions, please… I want a security team to surround the hotel in less than ten minutes… top priority…'

He ended the call and looked around in bewilderment. A loudspeaker was offering calming words. The fire chief was telling the public that what had happened was not due to any problem with the Tunnel and there was no fear it would happen again. The police were appealing for calm as well. That seemed to be the general consensus. Everyone, everywhere, was calling for calm. The people around Bosch were starting to smile again. The tragedy was gently lapsing into the anecdotal. But inside him, Bosch felt only horror. His intuition told him April Wood was right yet again.

Nikki had just told him that the first painting evacuated was Susanna Surprised by the Elders. And a few minutes earlier, April Wood had told him: 'It's Susanna Surprised by the Elders. That's the painting he's chosen this time, Lothar.'

22.29.

After taking them to the Old Atelier and installing them in one of the rehearsal rooms in the first basement, the driver had shown his credentials. It was a turquoise-coloured badge. This allowed him, he said, to make the necessary adjustments to each painting. Clara was not the only one surprised at this: she saw the Elders looking inquiringly at the driver too. Did that mean he was a painter? asked the First Elder, Leo Krupka (he had introduced himself to Clara shortly before), the canvas she had seen at Schiphol airport. The driver said he was not a painter, just one of those in charge of keeping paintings in perfect condition. But wasn't that a job for Conservation? (a question from Frank Rodino, the Second Elder, a tall, heavy man). Yes, but for Art as well. Art carried out 'maintenance' on all its masterpieces, even though it was concerned with its own priorities rather than the well-being of the figures. The driver had instructions to evacuate the painting and store it, but first of all to adjust its stretching. A work such as this could not be simply packed up and sent home.

The young man had been very efficient. At almost the same time as the tremor that had shaken the walls of the Tunnel, he had come up to them and said one word in English: 'Evacuation.' He took them out and put them into his van with remarkable speed. He stopped only to give Clara a robe, because she was still naked, with the oil paint stretching her skin. The two Elders had not even taken off the clothes they were wearing for the painting. Then, as they were changing vans in the hotel parking lot, he had explained to them that the Tunnel had been about to collapse, and he had orders to evacuate the painting and take them to the Old Atelier. He spoke fluent, correct English with an accent Clara could not identify. He was good-looking, although rather too thin, and the most striking thing about him was that pair of light-blue eyes.

In the rehearsal room there was a table with a briefcase and an oilskin bag that apparently belonged to the driver. There were also boxes with labels for the three figures. The driver handed these to them, and asked them to put them on. Rodino's bulk made it difficult for him to bend down and reach his ankle. Then the driver made them sit still in chairs like well-behaved schoolchildren, while he stood by the table.

He told them his name was Matt. He did a bit of everything in the Foundation.

That's exactly what I'm going to do now. A bit of everything.'

Matt was keen for the figures to understand him. He constantly sought in both Clara and Krupka's faces (the two who were not native English speakers) any indication that they were confused, and if they were, he repeated the phrase, or if there was a difficult word, he gesticulated or changed it for a simpler one. This made them pay close attention, despite being so tired. He had taken off the jacket with the words 'Evacuation Team' on the back, and was wearing only a shirt and trousers. Both were white. So was his face. The whole of Matt was an accumulation of white.

'What are we going to do?' asked Krupka. Til explain straightaway.'

He turned his back and opened the briefcase. Took something out of it. Some sheets of paper.

'This is an important part in the stretching of the painting, but don't ask me why. You've all got sufficient experience to know that your duty is to obey the artist's wishes, however absurd they might appear.'