Page 35 of The Prize

Squinting inside it I saw the tiny hair. “From a paintbrush?”

Occasionally they were discovered between layers of paint on a canvas and were very often overlooked by the human eye. I was stupefied to be looking at a hair plucked from one of Leonardo da Vinci’s paintbrushes.

“It had already fallen off the brush.” He glanced at me. “I promise.”

“Still.”

“I don’t doubt its sanctity.” Which was his way of saying this was hard on him too.

“Why do you need it?” But I already knew Tobias would insert it into the wet paint upon the canvas he was planning on creating. This fine hair would add a dash of authenticity when Elliot’s specialists performed their analysis to his painting.

Ifhis idea advanced that far.

“There’s no other way.” He glanced over at me. “Only a painting will be taken to his vault.”

I focused beyond the window as we turned left on Washington Square, peering up at the skyscraper that made me feel insignificant when set against such a dramatic landscape. It made me wonder if someone like me could ever make a difference.

CHAPTER FIVE

TOBIASWASREASONABLEat least, and this thought brought comfort as I entered his workshop carrying him a freshly brewed mug of hot tea and a plate of Hobnob biscuits as a peace offering.

The Rolling Stones—“Start Me Up”—was playing loudly and the room was frigid, proving he’d cranked up the air-conditioning. He was probably using it to ward me off and not disrupt his shenanigans, because he knew how much I hated the cold.

He sat on a bar stool at one of his workbenches and his gaze zeroed in on a large screen on the wall in front of him, where a program was cycling different paintings and sketches by Leonardo da Vinci.

His gaze lowered to his smaller drone, Jade, positioned on the bench to his right. Between them lay a chessboard half-played. Tobias reached for one of the pieces and moved it over the black and white checkers. My jaw dropped when one of Jade’s metal arms reached out and lifted a knight from his end of the board up and over Tobias’s piece.

“Hey, guys,” I said cheerfully. “I brought you tea.”

Tobias spun round and beamed a big smile when he saw the biscuits. “I’m winning.”

“Against Jade?”

He flashed a dangerous smile. “Music down, Jade.”

I handed him his mug and then pointed to the screen. “That’s going fast.”

He reached for a biscuit. “I’m inputting data into Jade’s software.” He held the Hobnob between his teeth to free his hand so he could pat her.

I placed the plate near him. “How are you?”

“Good. Starving. You have perfect timing.”

“Why is Jade processing that information?”

He lifted his bishop and waved it in front of Jade. “Yeah, you better be scared. I was going easy on you before.”

“How can you stand those images going so fast?”

“It’s relaxing. It’s everything that exists related to Leonardo da Vinci.” He glanced at the screen. “Jade has a fast processor.”

“Are you dragging her into your scheming?”

“She’s going to mimic Leonardo’s technique.”

“You mean hissfumatotechnique?”

He smiled with appreciation. “Evaporated brushstrokes providing transitions imperceptible to the human eye and thus creating a living breathing woman upon a canvas.”