by Andrew Grey
"Are you two ready?” Mark called, his voice carrying up the stairs.
"Yes,” Tyler answered, as they walked toward the stairs, descending to the main floor. They agreed to meet at Mark and Tyler's house. Bobby drove him back to his car, and Dieter drove home, singing along with the radio at the top of his lungs. He hadn't felt this good, this free, in a long time. Parking in the driveway, Dieter took his things in the house, putting them away before walking over to Mark and Tyler's with Bobby. Dieter rang the bell and instantly heard barking. Mark opened the door, and Jolie ran up to Dieter, rolling onto her back to get her belly scratched.
Dieter knelt down, scratching her belly until she rolled back over and raced back through the house. “Come on through. Dinner's almost ready,” Tyler said before leading them through the entrance hall and into the kitchen. “Mark's out back grilling the steaks,” Tyler explained before pulling the cork out of a bottle of Cabernet. “It shouldn't be much longer.” Tyler poured and handed them both glasses. The back door opened, and Kenny walked in, giving Bobby a hug and kiss before picking up his own glass.
"How were things today?” Bobby asked his partner softly.
"Quiet, thank God.” Kenny sighed before turning to Dieter and setting down his glass to exchange brief hugs. “Damn protestors who made big announcements about protesting a military funeral didn't actually show up. Not that I'm really complaining. No family who lost their son overseas should have to deal with those assholes, but we were on alert for trouble all day.” Kenny took a gulp of his wine before sliding an arm around Bobby's waist, obviously happy to be with his lover.
"I heard about that,” Dieter commented. “That group from Kansas is really screwed up."
"Yeah, they are,” Kenny agreed. “Let's talk about something better. How's the house coming?” Kenny asked him.
"Really good. I spent last summer painting the outside, and last winter I got most of the inside rooms repainted and the carpets pulled up. The floors underneath were in great shape. All I needed to do was clean them and put down a coat of finish. Lately I've been doing some landscaping."
"I saw,” Bobby said after lowering his glass. “It's looking really good.” The back door opened, and Mark came inside carrying a tray of steaks, setting it on the counter. Tyler set a huge bowl of salad on the counter, as well as some fresh fruit, and everyone filled plates as conversation filled the room.
"By the way, Mark, I almost forgot,” Dieter said once everyone was seated, cutting into the perfectly done steaks. “I met with the lawyer today, and he asked if he could meet with you. He had some questions he hopes you can answer.” Dieter didn't know what good it was going to do, but he was determined to do whatever he could to try to get Gram's paintings back.
"Sure. When did he want to meet?"
"Will Saturday work?” Dieter asked.
"Sure, about four?"
"He gave me his number. Let me call him and ask.” Dieter pushed back his chair and stepped away from the table so he wouldn't disturb everyone as he placed the call. “Gerald, it's Dieter. I'm with Mark, my artist friend, and he was wondering if four o'clock tomorrow was okay?"
"The sooner the better,” Gerald answered. “I'm free most of the day,” he offered.
"At Mark's studio?” Dieter asked, and Gerald agreed. Dieter told him where the studio was located before disconnecting the call. He'd wanted to ask how Gerald was doing and make small talk, but he didn't think that was appropriate. Putting his phone back in his pocket, Dieter rejoined his friends. “He'll meet us at the studio at four,” Dieter told Mark.
"What's the attorney for?” Bobby asked, and Dieter explained about the paintings and that they were seeing what could be done.
"No way! The Woman in Blue is your great-grandmother? That's so cool!” Bobby exclaimed in excitement.
"I guess it is, but the uncool part is that the painting, along with some others, probably belongs to my family. The lawyer's looking into getting them back,” Dieter explained.
"How's it going?” Mark asked, and Dieter explained what the lawyers had told him already. “I don't think they have much hope at this point, but Gerald is trying to be thorough,” Dieter explained.
"So this attorney, is he gay?” Bobby asked.
Dieter chuckled, thinking of the night at the club. “Yes."
"Is he cute?” Bobby pressed, and he jumped when Kenny poked him in the ribs.
"I think he's good-looking,” Dieter answered, feeling himself color a little the way he usually did, but with Sean's words fresh in his mind, he didn't look away this time. “I sort of ran into him at Dance All Night a few weeks ago."
"Is he interested in you?” Bobby asked him, and Dieter glanced around the table, noticing that everyone was watching him.
Dieter shrugged. “We danced at the club, and I think he's interested, yes."
"The important question is, are you interested in him?” Bobby asked, and Dieter shrugged, faking indifference, but his smile gave him away. “So you are interested,” Bobby added, and Dieter nodded.
"It's so confusing."
"Not really,” Tyler said gently. “Just follow your heart and try not to second-guess everything. You know, there is a really easy way to find out how he feels and what he wants,” Tyler told him as he reached for the salad. “Ask him."
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Four
Gerald left his house half an hour before he was to meet Dieter and his artist friend. He had looked Mark Burke up on the Internet and found out that he really was quite well known. It both surprised and pleased him. Not that Gerald held out much hope that this meeting was going to come to anything, but Dieter had seemed to need some sort of hope, and Gerald prided himself on being thorough. Although he knew this was more than just being thorough—he liked Dieter and found him interesting.
Carrying his briefcase, Gerald walked to his car. The drive wasn't long, and Gerald was soon parked in front of the antique store. Entering, he spoke to the man seated behind a desk, who directed him to the back of the building. Gerald walked around dozens of near breathtaking pieces of furniture, stopping at an antique desk. As he looked it over, he silently told himself he'd get one of these when he made partner.
"Gerald.” He looked up when he heard his name and saw Dieter walking toward him. “Mark's studio is back this way,” Dieter told him with a smile. God, he loved it when the man smiled. His face lit up and his eyes radiated warmth. Gerald followed Dieter, watching his butt sway in tight jeans. Dieter turned around to look at him, and Gerald averted his eyes, but he knew he'd been caught looking. Thankfully, Dieter said nothing. They walked through the back of the store, through a small seating area, and into what was definitely an artist's studio. Paintings with bold colors leaned against the walls. “Gerald, this is Mark Burke,” Dieter said, to introduce them, and Gerald automatically handed Mark one of his business cards after he'd shaken his hand.
"Dieter said you had questions about The Woman in Blue,” Mark prompted.
"Yes. I've done some basic research, but I was hoping you could tell me more about what makes this painting important and some of what's behind the facts. You never know what small fact a case may hinge on, and if one exists here, I want to see if I can find it."
Mark pulled a couple stools from under the counter, and Gerald took one while Dieter sat on the other. “The Woman in Blue was a complete departure from Pirktl's previous work. Up till then, he was largely following an impressionistic mold, but something changed with this picture. It's often been speculated that he was in love with his subject, but there's no proof of that other than the painting. Her face is incredibly lifelike, and yet the rest of the painting seems to blend together, so much so that it's hard to see where her dress leaves off and the background begins. The only clue is in the style of brush strokes and patterns in the paint. The effect was completely new and quite startling. Everything in the painting seems designed to draw attention to the face, to focus the eyes there, and yet you can't help t
aking in the rest of the painting as well. Whenever I look at it, my eye refuses to settle—there's so much and yet nothing to see."
"Why is the painting so important?” Gerald asked as he continued taking notes on the pad he'd pulled out of his bag.
"Art scholars will always come up with reasons why one painting versus another is important. But I tend to believe that's a bunch of BS. In my opinion, a painting becomes important because it moves regular people. Some works of art are important because of their age, some because of technique and because they break new ground. I think this painting is important because it speaks to people and captures their attention, just like the Mona Lisa does. This painting is also important because the Austrian people have adopted the image as part of their identity. It was painted by an Austrian, hangs in an Austrian museum, and is widely regarded as one of the most important works of the early twentieth century.” Mark slipped off his stool and walked to the cabinet. Opening one of the doors, he pulled out a long tube of paper. Gerald watched as Mark tacked the top corners to a corkboard before unrolling it and placing tacks near the bottom.
Gerald stared at the image, and he could see what Mark was talking about even from the poster. The image was amazing and so detailed. Standing up, he stared into the woman's beautiful face. Out of the corner of his eye, Gerald saw Dieter step forward, moving slowly, and it hit Gerald all at once. This wasn't a painting for Dieter, some abstract image of beauty—this was his great-grandmother, a relative. In essence, this was a family portrait, and Gerald turned his eyes away, because looking at this with Dieter seemed almost intrusive. Gerald swallowed and on reflex placed his hand on Dieter's shoulder. “We have to figure a way to get her back,” Gerald mumbled under his breath.
"It's been widely known in artistic circles that the painting has a bit of a checkered past with its association with the Nazis. But many paintings in museums today do. The Metropolitan in New York recently returned paintings that had been in their collection for decades to the rightful owners once it had been proven they were looted art."
"But those were in a US museum, and the museum returned the works on their own because it was the right thing to do. I don't see the Austrian government doing that,” Gerald said softly, his hand still resting on Dieter's shoulder.
"Neither can I,” Mark agreed, both of them watching Dieter stare at the portrait. “You can take that if you like,” Mark added, and Dieter nodded before looking toward Gerald and then at Mark.
"Thank you,” Dieter said softly, and Gerald let his hand fall away before taking down the poster for him and starting to roll it back up.
"What is it? Why'd you stop?” Dieter asked, and Gerald looked up from where he'd been staring in near disbelief at the bottom of the poster. “Is something wrong?"
"No,” Gerald said and began to roll the poster out on the table. “Have you got a magnifying glass?"
"Tyler does out front. I'll get it.” Mark walked away as Gerald continued studying the poster, a smile forming on his face.
"I'll explain in a minute, Dieter,” Gerald promised. “I just need to be sure of something.” Gerald could feel himself vibrating as Mark returned. Using the magnifying glass to enlarge the small print at the bottom of the poster, Gerald let out a whoop. “Yes! I think this is it."
"What's it?” Dieter asked, leaning over the poster to take a look. Gerald handed him the glass and let him see what he was looking at. “I don't get it,” Dieter told him, setting down the magnifying glass.
"It says at the bottom that the image is copyrighted by the Belvedere Museum and reproduced with their permission,” Gerald explained. “What it means is that the Belvedere made money on this poster, and since the Belvedere is owned by the Austrian government, they in essence made money on the sale of this poster."
Dieter looked at him like he'd grown two heads. “I don't get it."
"What it means for us is that the Austrian government made money on The Woman in Blue in the United States. Since they made money here, we can try to sue them here. This may just give us the edge we need. I don't want to get your hopes up too high. This is going to be an uphill challenge, but this could work.” Gerald felt a surge of adrenaline and excitement as he saw the surprised look on Dieter's face, followed by a smile, and then the man began to twirl and dance around the room like he had that night at the club.
"I take it you're excited,” Mark said to Dieter, and Gerald watched as he bounced toward him, grabbing onto Gerald's hand, swinging him around the studio to the beat of music that it appeared only Dieter could hear. Dieter didn't answer, he just moved more and more. Gerald could feel the energy in the room rising, and without thinking he grabbed Dieter, pulling him toward him, hugging him for a few seconds before Dieter bounded away again.
"This doesn't mean we're going to win,” Gerald tried to caution him, but Dieter was hearing none of it, and Gerald gave up, letting Dieter's excitement take over. Soon, both of them were laughing, and Gerald had forgotten all about Mark as Dieter's energy surged through the room, making the air almost crackle.
Eventually, Dieter began to wind down, and both of them collapsed onto the stools, with Mark watching them, shaking his head slightly like they were both crazy. “So what do we do next?"
"We need to build a case, and that takes a lot of research and time,” Gerald said, his mind already racing with ideas.
"Is there anything I can do?” Dieter asked earnestly, and Gerald smiled as he tried to think what Dieter could do.
"I'm not sure yet. But I know I'll need your help."
"Oh.” Some of Dieter's excitement faded.
"It's not that I don't want your help, but I need to start with really boring legal research. However, I think we need to figure some things out. I was wondering if you'd like to come over. I could make some dinner, and we could talk things over. There are things you need to know before we move forward with this,” Gerald explained.
Dieter stared holes through him for a split second before nodding his head slowly. “Okay.” For a second, Gerald wondered what was going through Dieter's mind, but then he smiled. “Thank you, Mark, for everything.” Dieter pulled Mark into a tight hug, and Gerald felt a tug of jealously that Mark got to hug him so freely.
"You're welcome, Dieter. Call us tomorrow. I know Tyler's going to get up in your attic and go through everything."
"I'll call,” Dieter replied as Mark released Dieter from the hug. “I'll stop and talk to Tyler on my way out.” Dieter stepped away, and Gerald shook hands with Mark, saying good-bye. Dieter picked up the rolled poster, and after thanking Mark once again, he led them back through the store.
At the front, Dieter introduced him to Mark's partner, Tyler, before kneeling down to pet a small dog that climbed out of her bed to say hello. Gerald extended his hand to her. “That's Jolie. She's really sweet,” Dieter told him as he lightly stroked down her back. Dieter and Tyler talked for a few minutes, and Gerald tried not to eavesdrop, but he heard that Dieter was selling things to raise money, and it concerned him.
Dieter and Tyler finished talking, and Gerald stood back up, watching as Jolie ambled back to her bed. “Do you want me to follow you?” Dieter asked once they were on the sidewalk.
"That'd be great,” Gerald responded, giving Dieter his address before walking to his car.
"I'll be right behind you,” Dieter told him, and Gerald went to his car, taking his time before backing out slowly, seeing Dieter waiting for him. Gerald drove carefully, not wanting to lose Dieter. Yes, they had a lot to discuss, but this was totally new for him. Dieter was a client, and Gerald had never brought a client home before for any reason, but he was also very attracted to Dieter and very much wanted to get to know him. Constantly checking his rearview mirror, Gerald made sure Dieter was still following as they approached his neighborhood. Parking in front of his house, Gerald waited for Dieter before approaching the house and unlocking the door.
In his living room, Gerald turned on lights and opened the window
s to let in the evening air. “Please make yourself comfortable. I'll start dinner and we can talk."
"Can I help?” Dieter asked as he looked around the room.
"Sure,” Gerald answered with a smile. “The kitchen's this way.” As they walked through the house, Gerald saw Dieter looking at everything as he passed.
"I love your house,” Dieter told him, and Gerald saw Dieter run his hands over the woodwork. “It's so warm feeling."
"Thanks. I bought it a few years ago and put as much time as I could into fixing it up. I have to do the kitchen yet, so understand that it's still a work in progress. You can help with the salad if you like,” Gerald said as he opened the refrigerator, pulling out raw vegetables of every description. “I like everything, so just put in what you like.” Dieter moved the vegetables to the small counter area, and Gerald placed a bowl next to where he was working before handing Dieter a cutting board.
"Why are you doing this?” Dieter asked as he began tearing lettuce.
"Doing what?” Gerald asked as he pulled out some chicken breasts he'd been marinating. Gerald had originally expected them to last for two meals, but he was more than willing to share for some pleasant companionship. “Having dinner?” Gerald's mother had always said he had a smart mouth, and it chose now to come forward.
"You know what I mean. Why are you helping me like this? You met with Mark on a Saturday and you haven't charged me anything for your time, which must be very valuable,” Dieter commented, and Gerald heard the sound of the knife on the cutting board as vegetables were chopped. When Gerald didn't answer right away, he heard the sounds dwindle and stop, feeling Dieter staring a hole in his back.
Gerald turned around, staring back at Dieter. “I'm working on your case because it's extremely exciting. Harold asked me to take it as a favor, and because no one else in the office wanted it. They thought there probably wasn't much merit. Instead, it's turning out to be one of the most compelling and interesting legal cases I've come across.” Gerald set the chicken on the counter. “Nothing like this has been done before, and regardless of whether we actually win or not, this case will set precedent that other cases will rely on. I've been with the law firm for two years, and I've spent most of that time on insignificant cases that are relatively easy. I also get the jobs like drawing up wills and standard contracts. While those are valuable, they aren't very exciting. But this case could make my career,” Gerald explained as excitement coursed through his body. “How many young lawyers get handed a case by accident that has the potential to make their career? Not too many.” Gerald placed the chicken in a pan and set it in the oven.
