The Merchant of the Black Market, A Lex Jackson thriller: Book two

Chapter 8

Rome, Italy

Chapter 8

Honda Civic sedan drove up to the front entrance of the antique shop he owned. He glanced out the window to see who was getting out of the sedan. Stepping out, the chauffeur surveyed the scene. Winter Albright exited the rear seat and approached the entrance, then proceeded to the shop counter, where Alfano stood. The iPad she carried in her arms caught his attention.

In addition to having eerie ruins, breathtaking artwork, and bustling streets, the city also has monuments and basilicas that commemorate its past as the seat of the Catholic church. St. Basilica towers dominate the skyline as they tower over the Vatican. Renaissance popes, growing architecture, beautiful pizzas, and spectacular fountains give the streets of the city a baroque flare, attesting to the desire of the community.

When cars raced along the curving route, Sir Alfano Gateno strolled along the cobblestone. He moved over to his store on the Via del Corso corner. To open the entrance to his shop, he went into his pocket and took out his key. Being aware of what he was going to do made him fear for his life. Sure, he was an antique trader who had visited renowned museums all over the world and saw magnificent works of art that were on display for everyone to see. The vicinity of him before grabbing the door, Winter Albright, an agent from MI6 stationed in Malta.

Winter said, "Sir Alfano, we need your assistance. Last week, the masterpiece by Caravaggio, The Beheading of St. John Baptist, was illegally removed from St. John Cathedral. Along with any other artifacts that may have been present there."

Did you mention the beheading of St. John Baptist, a masterpiece recognized throughout the globe, when we people travel to Valletta to visit and have a tour there? asked Sir Alfano.

"Indeed, I did, she affirmed. "A prominent antiquities dealer in Barcelona who was associated with a smuggling organization that moved artifacts from Syria into the black market was detained by the Spanish police a few years ago. Yet when we questioned him, he remained silent about who was operating the black market. He feared for his life a lot."

How do you believe I can assist? Sir Alfano asked.

Winter set her iPad down on the desk and began entering the code. He then took some pictures after that. He received the iPad from him. Sir Alfano froze and looked at the first picture. He recognized the man's right finger ring. The Maltese cross was present. They were only worn by Grand Masters and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. which he believed. He moved on to the next picture since he didn't recognize the man in the picture. He was certain he recognized this one.

The assassin known as the Raptor or the man with many faces was responsible. He didn't know much about him other than that he always succeeded in taking out his targets. The rest of it. There it sat. He noticed the woman standing close to the assassin. He couldn't ‌put his finger on it, but she had something.

"Leslie Alexis is a cleaner that works for the Raptor, but Winter said you must have seen a ghost when you glanced at her picture.

Indeed, a ghost was present, but it was in the past, when I was in Malta, and her parents belonged to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Sir Alfano said. At least, her father was, until one day at the Valletta National Library, an assassin killed him. I clearly remember that." the shop owner said.

"I am aware that Hospitallers and Knights of Malta never got along, she added. But to assassinate her parents is insane.

She is Jean Parisot de Valette, the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, and there is a statue of him in Valletta, Sir Alfano remarked.

Winter halted.

Working with the Raptor is Jean de Valette's granddaughter. More than that had to exist. But did he know anything else? Exactly attempting to discover how these artworks and artifacts were smuggled out of Malta was his major preoccupation."We believe the individual the Raptor met and recruited is responsible for the black market, but we have no intelligence to support this," the agent stated.

Can you put his face through a facial recognition system? I'm only an antiquities merchant; I'm not a spy like you are, so what do you want me to do?" Sir Alfano remarked?

Winter said, "He owns an art gallery in Valletta named Hospitaller; I want you to look around to see what you can find out. But watch out for recognition software."

She paused for a moment before speaking. "We have nothing; he's a ghost."

He said, "Okay, I'll see what I can find out about the gallery and the owner, who you think is behind the black market."

Winter grabbed the iPad from the counter as he exited the front door of the antique shop and returned to the Civic sedan. The chauffeur grabbed the back door handle as he opened the door for the agent. Winter climbed into the sedan as the chauffeur closed the door. Driving down the street, they left the city. Sir Alfano sauntered to his antique shop door and closed it. Then he walked behind the counter and ventured back into the back room. After that, he strolled over to his desk and sat down.

He got up and went out the back door of his antique shop as he walked over to his vehicle. He grabbed the door handle and climbed in as he opened the door.. He grabbed the door handle and climbed in as he opened the door. The antique shop owner navigated his way down the street, through the bustling city, to his abode. He retrieved his suitcase, clothes, and passport. He might take his Smith & Wesson 357 Magnum with him.

Sir Alfano arrived in his neighborhood and drove his vehicle into a driveway, where he parked. After stepping out, he walked up the sidewalk to the house's front entrance. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his keys to unlock the door, and entered. He went to his bedroom and grabbed his suitcase from under the bed. Threw in some clothes and strolled over to the table near the bed and opened the drawer, grabbing his Smith & Wesson and placing it in the suitcase. The shop owner shut the suitcase, left the bedroom, and strolled out of the house towards his vehicle on the sidewalk. He had then flown to Malta by plane.