Free Templar 09 - Secret of the Templars by Paul Christopher Page A

telephone bidder. The telephone bidder would then put the painting on permanent loan to a fictitious municipal gallery in the Midwest. Meanwhile, the painting would be sold under a different name to a different Midwestern gallery. And then it would be sent to the Miami branch of the Bingham Gallery, where it would actually be sold. A large and prominent art expert in New York would give bona fides to all the versions of the paintings. That way the two ‘owners’ of the painting got substantial tax write-offs. All the paperwork was handled by the Bingham Gallery in Palm Beach. He escaped prosecution by going to the FBI and providing evidence for the criminal prosecution of several major smugglers of art, ancient artifacts and stolen jewelry. He has been a good boy ever since, but seeing him here doesn’t make me trust that he’s a good boy now.”
    â€œCan you see any way the Vatican could be involved with a man like this?” Holliday asked.
    â€œThe paintings and other fine art brought to the Vatican on Huff’s train and the fact that the Vatican Bank has been involved in several serious scandals lately might have something to do with it, but I can’t see what exactly.”
    â€œLet’s get back to Peck’s as quickly as possible and see if we can think this out.”
    *   *   *
    Holliday, Lazarus and Peck sat around the round table at the rear of the old man’s store. The table was littered with espresso cups, whiskey tumblers and a three-quarters-empty bottle of Glenlivet. After an hour of discussion, they had decided several things. Number one, the big old Chubb safe would be impossible to open by two amateurs under so much security. Number two, hiring a proper cracksman was too dangerous from a secrecy point of view. The only possible way to discover what was going on was by keeping track of what Bingham was up to—following him was going to be a lot safer than breaking into the safes.
    â€œWell, I can tell you one thing about Bingham: he never goes second-class. And that means we’ll find him in the most expensive hotel in Rome.”
    â€œThat would be the Hotel de Russie on Via del Babuino,” said Peck. “These days it’s considered to be the place where the Hollywood A-list goes.”
    It took two phone calls to confirm that Bingham was in residence there.
    â€œNow what do we do?” Holliday asked.
    â€œPay him a visit, I suppose,” replied Lazarus.
    *   *   *
    Rusty Smart sat in the Fort Myer Drive safe house control room, a satellite phone to his ear.
    â€œWere our suspicions correct?” he asked.
    â€œHe went to the Vatican and came out empty-handed,” said Tom Harris, the leader of the group, who had been sent to keep track of Holliday and Lazarus’s movements.
    â€œWhere is Bingham now?” Smart asked.
    â€œHe’s in the Hotel de Russie but he’s scheduled to be on a train to Paris by ten o’clock tomorrow morning. He’ll arrive at eleven thirty the following day and will take the morning Chunnel train to London.”
    â€œI want you to get somone to fly to Paris and another person to fly to London to meet both trains. Harris, you’ll follow him directly from Rome.”
    â€œOkay, boss, but what do we do about Holliday?”
    â€œSomehow I have a suspicion that Holliday isn’t going to be too far away from any of this, so keep your eyes open.”
    Smart turned off the encrypted satellite phone and idly watched the screens in the control room. Something was wrong. He could smell it from a mile away. If he wasn’t absolutely careful, the whole damn project would come crashing down and more than likely take the entire CIA with it.
    *   *   *
    Holliday and Lazarus stood in the plain but luxurious lobby of the Hotel de Russie. Holliday stood by one of the house phones while Lazarus stood at the reservation desk talking to