Page 38 of An Inside Job

“What do you suppose the thieves intend to do with it?”

“That depends on the identity of the thieves.”

“Your point?”

“It’s possible the painting might end up in the hands of a wealthy collector who wants to possess the unpossessable. But the more likely scenario is that the thieves will attempt to cash in on their score by bringing the painting to market.”

“Can it be done?”

“Quite easily.”

“How?”

“The first thing they would need to do is remove the Madonna and Child and alter the appearance of the panel itself. If I were doing the work, I would adhere a second panel to the back of the originalpanel. Then I would restore the Leonardo and invent a convincing story to explain its reappearance.”

“Like the cover story of a spy?”

“The concept is rather the same.”

“And where do you suppose our girl will resurface?”

“Somewhere we least expect it.”

“TheSalvator Mundiwas discovered at a gallery in New Orleans.”

“A likely place for a Leonardo,” said Gabriel.

“And twelve years later it sold for four hundred and fifty million dollars at Christie’s.”

“Four hundred million plus fees and commissions. But who’s counting?”

“How much isyourLeonardo worth?”

“The art historian Kenneth Clark describedHead of a Young Womanas one of the most beautiful sketches in the world. If Leonardo in fact made an oil painting of the woman, it would be worth considerably more than theSalvator Mundi.”

“A half billion?”

“Easily.”

“But there’s just one problem,” said Veronica. “YourLeonardo was stolen from the Vatican Museums.”

“Do you know how many versions of theSalvator Mundithere are? At least thirty. And there are scores of versions of theMona Lisa. It would be quite easy to explain away two different versions of the same portrait. Besides, you know what they say about possession being nine-tenths of the law. That’s doubly true in the art world.”

“Won’t serious collectors be reluctant to acquire it if they suspect it’s somehow tainted?”

“Surely you jest.”

A maid in a starched uniform appeared with the pasta course.

“Amatriciana,” explained Veronica. “I hope you like it hot.”

“The hotter, the better.”

Veronica filled his bowl. “It seems to me that we have no choice but to go public.”

“If we do, the Leonardo will vanish forever.”

“What’s the alternative?”