by Susan Fleet
“No. But Gregor told me he had some kind of wasting disease.”
“Maybe, but that's not what killed him. He drank poison.”
That surprised her, but she felt no sympathy for Pym. Jonathan had always been into control.
“When you were in London did you ever date a guy named Stefan Haas?”
She frowned. What a strange question. “Not that I recall. Why?”
“Valerie Brown wears a blond wig sometimes, right?”
She gasped. How did he know her false name? Valerie Brown. Then she thought: The iPhone account.
“I've got a snapshot of you with Stefan Haas. He sent it to his mother in New Hampshire.”
Stefan Haas. She frowned. That was the name on the credit card Gregor had used at the hotel. “I may have met him when I was working as an escort, but I never remembered their names.”
“Gregor killed him and stole his identity. He had a credit card with Stefan's name on it.”
She gnawed her lip. If the police knew that, they would find her clothes at the hotel in Dedham. But she would be in Europe by then. Besides, there was nothing incriminating in her belongings.
“If he did,” she said, “I had nothing to do with it. I told you Gregor was ruthless. I'm done with killing. I told you that yesterday and I meant it.” She hesitated, then said, “Frank, I'm sorry I shot you in New Orleans. I'm sorry I stole the paintings too. I can't change that now, but I won't be stealing any more. Don't try to find me and don't call this number again because I won't answer.”
She ended the call and stood there, unable to move. Her hands were shaking and so were her legs.
She put the iPhone in her duffel, walked across the concourse and returned to her seat near the mom and her toddlers. They were adorable, not twins but close in age, one a three-year old perhaps, the other a year or so older, dashing to the window to peer out at the tarmac, then back to their mother.
She didn't plan to have children, but she liked them. After she settled into her escape-hatch city, maybe she'd get a job working with kids. Teach them how to speak English, perhaps. Maybe she'd be a librarian. That might be fun. She loved libraries and books. Once a week she could gather a group of small children around her and read them an adventure story. She'd had a few adventures.
Reading about them was safer. She wouldn't have to carry a gun. Or kill anyone.
The airline worker at the boarding gate announced that first-class passengers and people with small children were free to board. The young mother gathered her luggage and her two children and headed for the gate.
On impulse, Natalie took out her iPhone and composed a text. Dear Mountain Man, plane is boarding. Thank you for all your help. Will call you soon. She hesitated for a moment, then typed: You are a wonderful father. Love, Natalie
After she hit Send, she dashed across the concourse, popped the SIM card out of her iPhone and dropped it into a trash container. Renzi might eventually trace her to the airport, but by then the SIM card would be at the dump. And she would be in Europe.
A sense of exhilaration swept over her. At last she was free!
Gregor was dead and so was Pym, so they couldn't pursue her. Adjusting to another big city would be difficult, but she had done it before. New York. Paris. London. And now she had a family.
This time she would have someone to talk to.
This time she could call her adopted father.
The Mountain Man would always be there for her.
#####
Susan says . . .
If you'd like an email alert when my next book comes out, sign up at http://eepurl.com/ExkX9 I'll never use your email for anything else. If you enjoyed Natalie's Art I would very much appreciate an honest review on Goodreads and/or whatever Amazon site you purchased it. Thank you!
Crime novels by Susan Fleet
Absolution http://bookShow.me/B003MNH7JY
Diva http://bookShow.me/B0056ASYCU
Natalie's Revenge http://bookShow.me/B009EAWCDK
Jackpot http://myBook.to/Jackpot
Non-fiction by Susan Fleet
Women Who Dared: Maud Powell and Edna White http://www.susanfleet.com/women_who_dared-vol1.html
Dark Deeds: Serial killers, stalkers and domestic homicides http://bookShow.me/B00CLS62D8
Dark Deeds, Vol. 2: Serial killers, stalkers and domestic homicides http://myBook.to/DarkDeeds-Vol-Two
COPYRIGHT PAGE
Natalie's Art is a work of fiction. All names, characters, museums and events are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Susan Fleet All rights reserved.
Published by Music and Mayhem Press
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without written permission except in the case of brief quotations in articles or reviews. For information and permissions contact the author at: www.susanfleet.com
ISBN-10 0984723579
ISBN-13 978-0-9847235-7-7
Cover photographs used with permission from Fotalia:
Chinesische Mafia Gangsterbraut © Haramis Kalfar
Cornice grigia con fondo bianco © Giuseppe Porzani
Postage stamp France 1982 The Lacemaker, by Vermeer © laufer
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS – ABOUT THE AUTHOR
At this writing, I can happily report there has not been another heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. I still remember my distress and absolute disgust in 1990 when thirteen art works, including The Concert by Vermeer and Rembrandt's only seascape, The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, were stolen.
However, since the fictional heist in Natalie's Art, there have been significant changes at the Gardner. After a major fund-raising campaign, a new addition was built, including a new concert hall, new exhibition space for special exhibits, and a new entrance on Evans Way.
Sadly, the art stolen in 1990 has not been recovered and the thieves have not been found. The frames that once held the Vermeer and the Rembrandt remain empty, as described in Natalie's Art. In my research I consulted several books on art theft. For those who want to learn more about this, I list them here. Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Story of Notorious Art Heists, Anthony M. Amore and Tom Mashberg, 2011; Priceless: How I Went Undercover To Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, Robert K. Wittman, 2010; Museum of the Missing: A History of Art Theft, Simon Houpt, 2006.
I have visited the Gardner many times and drew upon this to describe the museum and several of the art works it holds.
As with all of Frank Renzi novels, writing Natalie's Art was a rewarding experience, one I could not have done alone. Many people helped me. My thanks to Blair and Waundolyn, who work at the Route 128 Train station; their helpful comments and suggestions helped me create the final scenes in the novel. The police officers I consulted prefer to remain anonymous, but I greatly appreciated their expertise. However, Natalie's Art is a work of fiction. In certain instances, I took some dramatic license. Any errors or inaccuracies are mine alone.
Many thanks to early readers, Diana Hockley, Carolyn Wilkins and Jaimie Bergeron for their suggestions. Special thanks to John Amaral for his editorial suggestions and for proofreading the manuscript. And finally, my heartfelt thanks to you, my readers!
I would greatly appreciate an honest review of Natalie's Art on whatever site you purchased it. I love hearing from readers. You can contact me via my website: www.susanfleet.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In her travels, Susan Fleet has worn many hats: trumpeter, college professor, music historian and award-winning author, to name a few. The Premier Book Awards named her first novel, Absolution, Best Mystery-Suspense-Thriller of 2009. Feathered Quill Book Awards named Natalie’s Art Best Mystery-Thriller of 2014. Susan divides her time between Boston and New Orleans, the settings for her crime thrillers. See more at http://www.susanfleet.com Send her an email, she would love to hear from you!<
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