Elizabeth Kidd by My Lady Mischief Page A

supervision, and I feel responsible.”
    “Can you vouch for the honesty of all the other guards?”
    “I think so. I will, of course, investigate them all again, as discreetly as possible.”
    Kedrington considered that for a moment, then pulled a pocket notebook out of his coat and made a notation.
    “When did you first notice the missing piece?”
    “Last night. That is not to say the switch could not have been made days ago, but I generally walk around the entire collection once before I retire, and I believe I would have noticed the change before last night if it had been done before then.”
    “Have you noticed any suspicious-looking persons lurking about?”
    Robin smiled. “You were watching them today when I met you. They all look odd to me—although that may be simply because I am inordinately sensitive to oddities today.”
    “Which reminds me to ask you how all those people got in. Has the collection been opened to the public?”
    “Not officially, at least not at this venue.” Robin shrugged. “But it has become pretty much public knowledge where the stones are being kept, and people simply come in by the garden gate. I posted a guard there, as of today, and he has everyone sign a registry, but that is as much as I have the authority to do.”
    “Do you recall any visitors before today who seemed to take an unusual interest in that particular frieze?” Kedrington asked. “Or in any of the pieces, for that matter?”
    “I recall only a young man, who came by himself three or four times, but has not returned. He looked as if he might be Greek, but I did not speak to him or overhear him in conversation with anyone else. There were also two fellows who looked as if they worked on the docks and knew nothing about art. They spent only five minutes all told giving the place the once-over.”
    “Which may very well be precisely what they were doing,” Kedrington said, making a note. “Obviously no one man could have moved that piece, so there must be some kind of a gang involved, if only to provide the muscle.”
    He was silent again for a moment, gazing thoughtfully off into the distance, as if he were not hemmed in closely by four walls. “They would also need an artist, or at least a craftsman, skilled enough to make the forgeries.”
    His friend snatched at the plural. “So you think there may be another theft, that this gang will not stop at one piece?”
    Kedrington shrugged. “What use is only one, and not one of the better pieces at that? It has little intrinsic value for purposes of ransom, and less symbolic purpose. For that, they would have taken a more well-known piece—Dionysus, for example. I suspect that this panel was a kind of test, to see if the piece were missed. If it were not, or it seemed that it was not, they might be emboldened to try again. That is why I agree with you about not informing anyone in authority about the theft. Also, if they become emboldened, we may be able to catch them in the act.”
    “We?”
    Kedrington smiled. “I hope you did not seek my opinion only as an academic exercise. Now that you have whetted my curiosity, you must allow me to help solve the puzzle.”
    Robin looked relieved. “I hoped I would not have to beg for your help, but I must tell you I am tremendously grateful. I do not know what I should have done had you not offered it.”
    “I daresay you would have thought of something, but perhaps I may speed the process up. We cannot chance the forgery going unnoticed for very long. Once the cat was out of the bag, we would be considerably hampered in our efforts.”
    “What can I do?”
    “First, approach Sergeant Hollister and see if you can recruit some of the men living with him as additional guards, particularly at night.”
    “That did occur to me, but I’m glad you suggested it.”
    “Next, lower the light as much as you can on that particular frieze to take wandering eyes away from it.’
    “Perhaps I could have a scaffold put