by Alec Peche
"You know I'd be happy to assist Police Scotland at any time if I can get this service at the airport," Jill said admiring the service.
"Jill, I think it's like you said last night, they just want to be sure we leave their territory," Nathan added.
Murray and Campbell smiled.
"I think we'll have less crime with your absence," Campbell said.
"Hey now, we do appreciate your help yesterday with Mr. Floris and the painting and all," Murray said.
"But you're telling me that Nathan got that cut on his hand for nothing as you were never really worried about Mr. Floris and his gun."
"Here's another Scottish expression, 'long may your chimney smoke'," Campbell said choosing valor over truth as he and Murray had come to a stop at their airplane gate.
"I believe you're wishing us a long life with that expression," Nathan said. "I think I heard that at one of the distilleries I visited as a toast."
They both nodded and held out their hands to shake in farewell, and then Nathan and Jill got in line for their final passport inspection and carry-on luggage search.
Epilogue
A few weeks later…
Henrik had arranged many aspects of the memorial service. Nick's body had been held at a mortuary until they could gather for a proper funeral. It was a small private affair of their immediate group and Nick's employees at a church in Stuttgart. The burial would be private and limited to the six of them on Henrik's property.
The five of them had flown in for the weekend, starting with the memorial service with readings by a pastor and speeches by Jill and Angela, and one of his employees. After the service, there was a small reception in the church hall. No one had any idea of how strong Nick's religious values were, so they tried for a moderate ceremony. Without a will, Nick's company would have failed had Henrik not stepped in and provided capital and legal help to see that it continued as a tiny part of his corporation.
They were surprised by the attendance of the family that had contacted Nick years before to find their father's Canaletto painting. They learned more details about Nick through that conversation. Nick had helped another family find a lost painting stolen by the Nazis and this family contacted Nick to help. They provided him a picture of the painting and he promised to search for it.
A year went by and Nick let them know he had no leads yet. About nine months later, he contacted them and said he had a lead that the painting had been sighted in the U.K. which excited them that they might have the painting after more than seventy years.
"What kind of a lead?" Angela asked.
"He came across the word Canaletto in reference to an estate," the son said.
"Apparently the last of an ancient family had died with no heirs and so the property reverted to the government of the United Kingdom. There was a list of the properties and valuables conferred upon the government including mention of the painting. From there Nick had to visit all of the properties of this British Lord to physically search for the painting. He had been visiting the properties over several months and had to covertly examine the properties because it wasn't as if the new owners wanted him on their land be it the government or a new private owner. He almost gave up when he chanced upon it on an island. The Lord had an island that became a bird conservancy and it was the last place he'd thought he find it."
"Why didn't he immediately alert the authorities so he could remove the painting?" Jo asked.
"He found he was being followed by someone he knew, but was highly suspicious of and he didn't want to get our hopes up so he had some friends that could verify the provenance of the painting. This man knew he'd been out on the island but hadn't known what he was looking for. He didn't want to report the acquaintance and hoped they would work out the issues. Then next we heard, Nick had been murdered. "
"This acquaintance is also dead and from what we knew of him, Nick was right in thinking the guy would steal the painting for himself," Jill said.
"We didn't know the name of the Lord or where the island was in the United Kingdom and as you know there are about one hundred islands, so we planned to start over with a new detective and were just interviewing people when we saw the news about the painting. How did you and your team find it?"
"I think the painting was calling for itself to be returned to its rightful owner. It was pure luck that when I showed the detectives that they had remembered seeing it in their childhoods at a camp. Once I heard that I was able to limit the prospective islands down to seven."
"Would you have an interest in searching on behalf of other families that are still searching for their lost art or jewelry?"
"Probably not," Jill replied. "I'm a doctor by training and so I usually investigate someone's murder, not their stolen possessions. Besides, I and my team have a lack of understanding about Europe's cities and history. At one point in this investigation, we were looking at concentration camps in Northern Europe and I was totally unaware of what happened to the Jewish population in Estonia during WWII. That lack of knowledge would probably inhibit my effectiveness as an investigator. Other families that are still searching would be better served to pick someone with that intuitive knowledge. What will you do with the painting once it's confirmed to belong to your family?"
"We wanted the painting back for our grandfather's sake, but now that we have it we don't want to keep it as a reminder of his terrible death. We'll likely send it to auction and use the proceeds to support programs that teach diversity and tolerance. We think he would have been pleased by that function of the painting's proceeds."
Jill nodded at that idea understanding the family's thoughts on the painting. The service came to an end and it was time that they depart with Nick's remains to Henrik's home through the German countryside which was now in deep fall with the leaves an array of brilliant colors. Jill found poetry in brilliant colors as matching the flames of Nick's soul before being extinguished with the arrival of winter.
Henrik consulted with them on his thoughts of where to bury their good friend Nick. His late wife held a plot along a walking path from his house. It didn't make sense to bury Nick there as he wasn't family. Instead, they buried him on an obstacle course that Henrik had created for the security of his house and company. It was occasionally used by German and Belgian special forces for training. They thought Nick would want to be in the thick of it, even in death. So he had a grave near where Henrik had laid a trap of green goo that would cover any intruder trying to get in. Nick had always laughed hugely every time he watched the green goo catch someone by surprise in a training exercise. Now he could laugh for eternity.
About the Author
About the author….
I reside in Northern California with my rescue dog and two cats. I love to travel, play sports, read, and drink wine and beer. I enjoy the diversity of the world and I'm always watching people and events for story ideas. In a prior life, I worked in healthcare which powers my medical knowledge for Dr. Quint.
If you would like to sign up for my monthly blog and announcement of new books, please follow this link: https://www.alecpeche.com/
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Also by Alec Peche
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A Breck Death
Death On A Green
A Taxing Death
Murder At The Podium
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Damian Green Series
Red Rock Island
Willow Glen Heist
The Girl From Diana Park
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