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My brother was right. Every shifter and most humans on the planet at least had a vague idea of who Lucien Crowe was. I probably knew more than the average person because I’d been forced to study him and his famous painting for years, but the real question was why this particular file of information about Crowe was worth Felix’s life.
Like he’d plucked the thought from my head, Cal asked, “Why would the FBI have a file on him, especially since he’s been dead for almost two hundred years?”
“I don’t know.” Felix’s eyes danced over the screen. “There’s too much here to weed it out, but there should be a master dossier that explains what is in this archived file and why.” He gestured to Julius’s spot in front of the screens. “Can I sit there?”
Julius rolled out of the way, and Felix took his place, scrolling through the file directory on the hunt for the document he was looking for.
“Every archived FBI file has a master dossier. It’s never where you’d expect it to be, though.” A crease formed between his brows, and he leaned forward until his nose was only inches from the screen. “Aha! Gotcha.”
Felix clicked on one of documents, and what looked like a series of notes on official FBI letterhead opened on the screen. We all read over his shoulder.
“Holy shit.” Julius’s eyes were wide as he scanned the list of documents. “This file has information on every person who has even been allegedly associated with the theft of Crowe’s painting,The Evolution of Man, since the first time the painting disappeared from the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1884. The file was archived because there is no open investigation and no leads on the painting’s whereabouts. Looks like a lot of this data is from INTERPOL with investigation notes and reports from several FBI legal attaché offices abroad over decades.” He pointed at a paragraph near the bottom of the page. “The FBI Art Crime Team created this informational archive in the mid-2000s after the last reported appearance of the painting as several US nationals were on the short list of suspects capable of stealingThe Evolution of Man.”
“That explains the date ranges.” Jack leaned over Felix’s shoulder. “Open the most recent file.”
Felix did, and the bottom dropped out of my stomach.
“Fuck,” Cal hissed.
On the screen in the middle of the list of files was a folder labeled “Hunter, Juno.”
“Look.” Jack pointed to the screen. “Reuben has a file too.”
A few lines down from our grandmother’s folder was one labeled “Machas, Reuben,” and even farther down was a file titled “Vanderkaamp, Amanda.”
“Seems we were going to end up involved in this thing one way or another.” Cal rubbed a hand over his face.
“Seems that way.” My brother was right, but I sure as shit didn’t like it.
“What do we do now?” Felix asked, spinning in his chair.
“Jack, did Reuben mention anyone else whose name is on this list?” I asked.
Jack studied the list of folders. “Not specifically, but I recognize a few names from the research I did on Reuben before I agreed to take the job. I can check in with him and see if he’s heard anything.”
“Good. I think you and Cal should go back to Australia and find out what you can from Reuben. My gut is telling me someone is looking for this painting, and my guess is it’s someone on this list. Whoever had Agent Cooper tracking down the file was desperate enough for this information that Cooper kidnapped Felix. I’d bet whoever was looking for Amanda Vanderkaamp is on the same person’s payroll. I have a feeling they aren’t going to give up easily.”
“You want me to work with him?” Cal asked, pointing at Jack. “Seriously? I think I’d rather have my balls cut off.”
Jack flashed his teeth at my brother. “That can be arranged, sweetheart.”
“Stop calling me that!”
I tuned out their bickering and turned my attention on Julius. “You follow the money. See if anyone on this list is shelling out cash or doing big-ticket jobs. If someone on this list knows where the painting is and is planning to steal it, they are going to need a crew. See who’s hiring.”
Julius nodded and pulled a second laptop in front of him. “I can do that.”
“What about me?” Felix asked.
“How do you feel about meeting my grandmother?”
“Really?”
I nodded. “If someone is targeting art thieves, she’s going to be at risk.”
“Fair point.”
“I also want you to comb through everything we have here. See if the FBI knows more about the painting and its whereabouts than we do.”
