Echoes of a Violin

Chapter 11: Keeping Up Appearances

On Tuesday, Neal and Peter spent the full day at the headquarters of the National Police—the French equivalent to the FBI—making their presentations on Azathoth and the countermeasures they'd enacted. On hand to hear them speak were not only agents but museum representatives and members of the French government. They would be the ones Marcel Jauffret would need to persuade to allocate funds for the software purchases.

At the end of the presentations, Neal powered off the equipment in the meeting room while Peter called John from an office that had been placed at their disposal. Peter had contacted him yesterday evening with the news from Chantal and received mailing instructions for the hair samples. John promised to put a rush order on the analysis but warned that the earliest they might know anything would be Thursday. The DNA analysis of the samples Neal had obtained at Scima was still ongoing.

After the emotional upheavals of the weekend, the work environment was a welcome relief. Neal longed to speak in French but restrained himself to the occasional remark so Peter wouldn't feel left out. He felt odd calling the cybercriminal Azathoth when he was convinced he was Rolf.

Peter had brought Marcel up to speed on the status of the Adler case and its possible connection to Nazi-plundered art. Neal could tell that Marcel, although not completely dismissive, was skeptical of the U-boat theory. He remarked that similar tales of treasure hoards had surfaced in the past and they'd never panned out.

Tamping down expectations was the apparent theme of the day. Peter spoke again of the uncertainties of DNA analysis. Was he worried that Neal would turn into a Don Quixote, obsessed with Rolf? He might have been right except that Neal had to manage his other spinning plates.

The Braque painting was currently wobbling the most. Mozzie hadn't returned any of Neal's messages. Last night Neal forced himself to realistically evaluate the odds of success if he attempted to retrieve the painting on his own, and he didn't like them. The safest policy would be to return later in the summer when Peter wasn't with him.

He shoved aside thoughts of the Braque when Peter reentered the room. He looked satisfied with the results of the call. "The samples have arrived and are being analyzed. John reported that in the review of Chapman's past, one incident popped out. In April 1999, he was in a car accident. A leg fracture resulted in him working from home for several weeks. That's the most likely time the switch could have been made."

"That was about four months after Rolf supposedly died. Enough time for him to heal from the plastic surgery and learn Chapman's mannerisms."

"The timing is a good fit," Peter agreed. "At this point, there's not much more John can do. He can't question Chapman's colleagues until it's an official investigation. In any case, it's doubtful anyone would remember something suspicious that occurred five years ago. There are also no further reports on Marta Kolar."

"I was thinking about her," Neal said, closing his laptop. "If she'd had plastic surgery like Rolf, it's possible she wore a disguise of her former self for the benefit of the surveillance cameras."

"Good point. Or someone else might have been disguised to look like her. Everyone could be wearing a mask. Chapman is Rolf. Marta could be someone else too." He glanced over at Neal. "Should I check your face? You're not someone else pretending to be Neal, I hope?"

Peter's question hit closer to home than Neal liked. He assumed a carefree look and gave an appreciative chuckle. "You're safe. No one else could fake being me. If it's okay with you, I'll take off now."

"Sure. We can leave together. El called. She wants me to meet her at Printemps."

"It's a good thing you're dining late. The store stays open till eight, and you'll need all those hours."