yourself On your way out I would be grateful if you could pick up whatever pieces of me are left I wasn’t sure if this was Mr Scant’s idea of a joke He wasn’t really the joking sort So I nodded and put my hands close enough to the French boy’s shoulders that I could grab him if he did anything unexpected yet without having to actually touch his jacket Mr Scant cycled the blades of his claw to ensure they were all moving as expected His maintenance routine remained meticulous no matter where in the world he was Then he gave me a nod before jump ing up to scale the wall I fought the compulsion to peer around at the guards and thankfully the boy just watched the place where Mr Scant had vanished as though afraid we would never see him again It was about twenty seconds later that we heard the great roar of the big gun for only half a second before abruptly it stopped 4
I La Gioconda Do you think you could steal it Mr Scant raised an eyebrow at me For what reason Master Oliver I’m just curious Mr Scant regarded the small painting again The Mona Lisa looked back with the placid expression of one with no eyebrows to raise Anyone can steal anything that does not belong to them at any time You know what I mean I said as we turned away to let the next visitors look at the ordinary but apparently well-known painting Could you steal it without getting caught I would like to think I would manage The Louvre is too large to guard perfectly I smiled Maybe but Dr Mikolaitis says this one’s special Maybe it has special protection 5
I can see no special security in place Mr Scant replied after a thoughtful look about the gallery Of course one could not simply lift it off the wall with so many patrons watching Best I would think to come on a day when the museum is closed to the public and pose as an employee Those smocks they wear would be useful for concealing a small paint ing and with so many staff members I cannot imagine anyone would question an unfamiliar face So it would be a matter of procuring the smock and choosing a suitable day I smiled Maybe we should stop talking about this You might give someone an idea Even though we were in Paris it was obvious some in the crowd understood our English I met the eye of a swarthy man with a pointed mustache who had been listening with great interest I tried not to laugh as he pulled his hat down over his face and shuffled away embarrassed We made our way to the nearby Café Mollien one of the Louvre’s grand cafeterias where Mr Scant’s staunch ally Dr Mikolaitis was waiting for us with a small cup of coffee looking quite at home in the fashionable style of dress he had adopted for the trip For the past four months or so Dr Mikolaitis 6
had been employed as my tutor and he was in his element here in France He wore a gray jacket and a shirt with no necktie and I felt sure that passersby who noticed his scarred face and well-tailored clothes assumed he was one of those eccentric modern artists that went on dangerous adventures and were always in the newspapers for doing something outrageous He stood to greet us Did you see La Gioconda’s famous smile he asked the Mona Lisa’s original Italian name sounding strangely impressive in his Lithuanian accent Yes I replied Mr Scant says he could steal it Dr Mikolaitis smiled Perhaps the scandal that followed would give her the fame she deserves You know she hung in the bedroom of Napoleon himself No wonder she looks like she’s seen something funny I said Mr Scant had quietly ordered some refreshments for us as he pushed my chair in behind me Now he sat down with a sense of urgency What of the target he asked He took the bait said Dr Mikolaitis grinning like a tiger He’s frightened and alone Since the Lice scattered he hasn’t heard from a single one of them 7
