photocopies.
At lunch time I strolled over to Philly's China town. I looked for a restaurant that seemed busy, then waited for a table. I couldn't complain about slow service when I'd intentionally sought out the busiest restaurant, but the food was usually worth the wait, which turned out to be true.
Following lunch I walked to the Department of Licenses and Inspections on JFK Boulevard, just across the street from City Hall, and spent more time researching and then buying photocopies.
When I returned to my motel room after dinner, I placed the gizmo on the wall and again spent hours working the case, making detailed notes about the robbery in my laptop.
The next day was dedicated to conducting the interviews Captain DeRosa had arranged. The guards' kids were in school, but their wives were there and listened to everything that was said without interrupting. I remained true to my word and was as discreet as I could be.
My final morning in Philadelphia was spent watching events on the gizmo once again, a task I could have performed in New York, but I wanted to prolong my presence in Philadelphia. Before leaving the city, I visited the museum again, mainly to put in an appearance but also to reinforce the basis of my investigation. I asked to see Captain DeRosa and was escorted to the security office.
"Hello, Mr. James," the security guard captain said as I entered the office.
"Hello, Captain."
"My people tell me you were most cordial during the interviews. They say they never felt intimidated or threatened in the slightest. Thank you. Do you have good news for us?"
"Not yet, but I do have one or two more questions if you don't mind?"
"Fire away."
"As I understand it, the pictures were cut from their frames after first being taken down from the wall?"
"Yes, that was the assessment."
"But aren't they attached with some kind of locking mechanism? Or were the locks broken?"
"In this case, there were no special locks. We installed the same hanging system the Von Waggermanns use so there would be no need to make changes to the frames. But it's a standard system, and anyone can get a removal key. The main purpose is to make sure tourists can't get the pictures down quickly or easily, or knock them down accidentally. The alarms and cameras are the main preventative measures against theft."
"How is the schedule for making rounds established?"
"Here's a copy of our most recently replaced schedule," Captain DeRosa said as he dug into a file drawer and handed me a sheet of paper. "As you can see, the times between rounds and the patrol routes vary so no one can predict when a guard will be in any one area."
"Thank you, Captain. That's all I need for now."
"You'd tell me, wouldn't you?"
"What do you mean?"
"If you had something."
"Right now I'm just reconstructing the crime in my mind. Every piece has to fit exactly, like a big jigsaw puzzle. I'm searching for anomalies. It might have been easier if I'd been here right after the robbery, but I can do it this way. It's just a little slower sometimes because people's memories dim."
"Still think you'll recover the paintings?"
"I'm more confident than ever."
* * *
I spent Saturday morning writing up my report to the insurance company. I was finished by noon and happily spent the rest of the afternoon working on my latest novel. I called Kathy just after dinnertime.
"Hi, Kathy. How did the grand opening go?"
"Wonderful. I thought you might drop by."
"I couldn't. I was in Philadelphia."
"Philadelphia? Working on the art theft?"
"Exactly."
"Did you make any progress?"
"I learned quite a few things. I'm going to go see Kovacs this coming week."
"I'm glad you got back safely. Some thieves may specialize in stealing artwork, but it doesn't mean they're nice people."
"Can't be any worse than the murderers and drug dealers I've looked for while skip tracing."
"I still can't believe you do that."
"It's true."
"I know. I meant that it just seems so out of character.
At lunch time I strolled over to Philly's China town. I looked for a restaurant that seemed busy, then waited for a table. I couldn't complain about slow service when I'd intentionally sought out the busiest restaurant, but the food was usually worth the wait, which turned out to be true.
Following lunch I walked to the Department of Licenses and Inspections on JFK Boulevard, just across the street from City Hall, and spent more time researching and then buying photocopies.
When I returned to my motel room after dinner, I placed the gizmo on the wall and again spent hours working the case, making detailed notes about the robbery in my laptop.
The next day was dedicated to conducting the interviews Captain DeRosa had arranged. The guards' kids were in school, but their wives were there and listened to everything that was said without interrupting. I remained true to my word and was as discreet as I could be.
My final morning in Philadelphia was spent watching events on the gizmo once again, a task I could have performed in New York, but I wanted to prolong my presence in Philadelphia. Before leaving the city, I visited the museum again, mainly to put in an appearance but also to reinforce the basis of my investigation. I asked to see Captain DeRosa and was escorted to the security office.
"Hello, Mr. James," the security guard captain said as I entered the office.
"Hello, Captain."
"My people tell me you were most cordial during the interviews. They say they never felt intimidated or threatened in the slightest. Thank you. Do you have good news for us?"
"Not yet, but I do have one or two more questions if you don't mind?"
"Fire away."
"As I understand it, the pictures were cut from their frames after first being taken down from the wall?"
"Yes, that was the assessment."
"But aren't they attached with some kind of locking mechanism? Or were the locks broken?"
"In this case, there were no special locks. We installed the same hanging system the Von Waggermanns use so there would be no need to make changes to the frames. But it's a standard system, and anyone can get a removal key. The main purpose is to make sure tourists can't get the pictures down quickly or easily, or knock them down accidentally. The alarms and cameras are the main preventative measures against theft."
"How is the schedule for making rounds established?"
"Here's a copy of our most recently replaced schedule," Captain DeRosa said as he dug into a file drawer and handed me a sheet of paper. "As you can see, the times between rounds and the patrol routes vary so no one can predict when a guard will be in any one area."
"Thank you, Captain. That's all I need for now."
"You'd tell me, wouldn't you?"
"What do you mean?"
"If you had something."
"Right now I'm just reconstructing the crime in my mind. Every piece has to fit exactly, like a big jigsaw puzzle. I'm searching for anomalies. It might have been easier if I'd been here right after the robbery, but I can do it this way. It's just a little slower sometimes because people's memories dim."
"Still think you'll recover the paintings?"
"I'm more confident than ever."
* * *
I spent Saturday morning writing up my report to the insurance company. I was finished by noon and happily spent the rest of the afternoon working on my latest novel. I called Kathy just after dinnertime.
"Hi, Kathy. How did the grand opening go?"
"Wonderful. I thought you might drop by."
"I couldn't. I was in Philadelphia."
"Philadelphia? Working on the art theft?"
"Exactly."
"Did you make any progress?"
"I learned quite a few things. I'm going to go see Kovacs this coming week."
"I'm glad you got back safely. Some thieves may specialize in stealing artwork, but it doesn't mean they're nice people."
"Can't be any worse than the murderers and drug dealers I've looked for while skip tracing."
"I still can't believe you do that."
"It's true."
"I know. I meant that it just seems so out of character.
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