Free Date with a Sheesha by Anthony Bidulka Page A

smile.
    But she wasn’t ready to let go of her muscle—such as it was—
    just yet. “Why did you run?” she demanded. “If you didn’t mean to steal anything, why did you run?”
    Good point. I was guessing that the answer “If I’m being chased, I run;” wasn’t going to suffice.
    I threw a pointed look at the overhead projector, and the fake frieze on the wall in front of it.
    Lucy’s and Cardinale’s eyes moved to the suspicious set-up.
    Then, in the instant before coming back to me, I caught them sharing an ever-so-quick smile. Lucy gave the guards a dismissive wave. As the two men left without so much as a “toodles,” I fought the temptation to call them back. Even though I’d been running away from them only minutes ago, I was beginning to wonder if I would be better off with the goons present. As witnesses against these two curator types.
    I assessed my potential foes. Even though Cardinale was big, and I was guessing Lucy Wu could hold her own in a fight, I was pretty certain I could take them down. Unless they had hidden weapons somewhere nearby.
    After the boys left, Lucy stepped closer to the forged fresco.
    “It’s going to be lovely, isn’t it?” she asked, her voice growing gentler.
    I eyed the woman closely. Was she the scariest of all criminals?
    The kind so confident in the success of their scheme, they gaze upon flies in their ointment (i.e. me) with apparent calm polite-58
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    ness, a disguise for sneering contempt.
    “Yes,” I said slowly. “I suppose it will be. But a replica is never as lovely as what it pretends to be, is it?” I could do contemptu-ous too.
    She gave me a strange look. “I disagree with you, Mr. Quant.
    Quite vehemently, in fact.”
    I shrugged. I looked at Cardinale, then back at Lucy. Okay, kids, show me what ya got. I’m ready for it. Is it guns? A knife? Or did they have their own band of thieving merry men ready to come out of the shadows and attack me?
    Instead, Lucy kept talking. “If it wasn’t for the pursuits of this museum, Mr. Quant, most of our students would never have had the opportunity to appreciate and study the artistic accomplishments of the world’s major civilizations. You must know that examples of classical art are, quite simply, unavailable to us at the U of S, either because of their price or because they are priceless.
    This museum of replicas allows us visual encounters with ancient art that would otherwise be impossible without spending the vast sums of money and time that would be necessary to visit the originals in distant countries. If the originals even exist any longer.”
    “What?” I exclaimed, my eyes taking another trip around the room. Suddenly I saw things quite differently. The musty odour of ancient treasure I thought I was enjoying earlier was nothing more than the smell of plaster cast and glue, I now realized. “You mean all of this… everything in here is a replica?”
    “Pretty much.”
    I don’t often get to say this, but I think it is fair to say I was agog.
    “This museum is unique in Canada…” Cardinale began.
    I’ll say.
    “…in that it houses replicas of very carefully selected important works of ancient art. Many of the pieces were obtained from the Atelier de Moulages —the castings workshop—of the Louvre in Paris.”
    I had to admit that did sound remarkable.
    Lucy carried on. “These are meticulous reproductions, cast from moulds of the originals. All the colours are the same. The 59
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    textures are identical. Our pieces were created by experts, replica and technical artists, who pride themselves on the fact that their work can withstand very close comparison with the originals.
    What we have here, Mr. Quant, quite simply put, is astounding.
    Not only are University of Saskatchewan students given the rare opportunity to study and research great works of