Legal Artistry

by Andrew Grey

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  Chapter Six

  Gerald woke with a smile, Dieter's warm body curled right next to him in the air conditioned room. It didn't seem to matter if the room was warm or cold, Gerald had quickly discovered that when they spent the night together, Dieter spent the entire night curled as close to him as possible. It almost seemed like he was expecting Gerald to disappear in the middle of the night. Actually, Gerald thought it nice that Dieter wanted to be close to him. He'd had previous boyfriends who never spent the night with anyone, and those who, after sex, rolled over and went right to sleep without so much as a hug. Selfish pricks.

  Two, no, three weeks had passed, Gerald realized, since he'd taken Dieter to meet his family, and unfortunately, he'd been so busy most days that he'd gone home and fallen right into bed. Gerald made a point, no matter how tired he was, to spend at least one evening a week with Dieter, and they got together on the weekends, but he wanted more, and Gerald could sense that Dieter did as well. But in order to make sure Dieter's case progressed, at as little cost as possible, Gerald would do his normal work during the day, and almost every evening he'd work for a few hours on strategies and research for Dieter. He'd made excellent progress and had even begun the outlines and ideas for a basic brief, but as they expected, the information Gerald needed now was in Austria, hopefully in the archives of the Belvedere Museum.

  "Gerry,” Dieter mumbled softly, burrowing closer, “go back to sleep."

  "I'd like nothing better, but we need to get ready to go to the airport,” Gerald explained, holding Dieter to him. “I'd love to stay in bed with you, but we need to be at the airport in less than an hour.” Gerald kissed his adorable lover before slipping out of bed, figuring he'd get cleaned up and let Dieter sleep for a few more minutes. Padding to the bathroom as quietly as he could, Gerald shaved and brushed his teeth before turning on the shower. Stepping in, Gerald pulled the shower curtain closed and let the hot water wash over him. At five thirty on a Saturday morning, his body and mind wanted nothing more than to go back to bed with Dieter.

  The bathroom door opened, and Gerald heard Dieter moving around outside, and then the curtain opened slightly and Dieter slipped in behind him. Gerald was now instantly awake in more ways than one as Dieter pressed to his back, hands gliding over Gerald's chest. Over the past few weeks, a lot of Dieter's reticence had slipped away, and it showed when Dieter's hands moved lower before encircling Gerald's hard cock. “Feels good,” Gerald said quietly, stifling a groan when the hand disappeared only to return a few seconds later all slippery and soapy as Dieter washed his back for him. When they stayed over, a morning togetherness shower was one of the highlights. Sometimes they had sex, but more often than not, their morning showers were an exercise in quiet, luxurious intimacy that Gerald had never had with anyone before.

  "Do we have time?” Dieter asked, his voice deep as his fingers lightly caressed Gerald's balls.

  Gerald groaned in a mixture of pleasure and frustration. “I wish, but we have to be at the airport to catch our shuttle in less than an hour, and the cab will be here soon.” Dieter's hand slipped away. “Turn around and I'll wash your back,” Gerald told Dieter and let his soapy hands roam over Dieter's back and down to his butt before both of them rinsed off.

  After stepping out of the shower, Gerald dried quickly before leaving the bathroom and pulling on his clothes. He knew if he stuck around, he'd get distracted by Dieter, and there were things that had to be done. Once he was dressed, Gerald packed the very last things before hauling his suitcase into the entry. “Dieter, the cab will be here anytime,” he reminded him lightly before making a pass through the house, verifying that all the doors were locked. When Dieter was ready, Gerald took his suitcase to the hall as well, and as the cab pulled up, they were hauling their suitcases to the curb.

  The ride to the airport took ten minutes, and they waited another ten minutes for the shuttle to O'Hare, and less than two hours later, they were in line at the international terminal for their flight to Vienna. Dieter could barely stand still, jumping from side to side to see what was happening around them. “You have your passport?” Dieter nodded, still bouncing with excitement as they approached the desk.

  "Is this your first trip to Europe?” the ticket agent asked Dieter when she saw his excitement.

  "You never told me that,” Gerald said, and the agent smiled at them as she typed before checking and taking their bags. Handing them their boarding passes, she told them their gate and wished them a pleasant flight.

  Security was a nightmare, with a line snaking down the hall for what seemed like half a mile, and it moved as slow as molasses. Thankfully, they had time, and eventually made it through and down the concourse to their gate with only a quick stop so Gerald could buy a snack for the flight: Garrett's caramel corn and cheese popcorn. “I can't stop in Chicago without getting some,” Gerald explained to Dieter as they stood in line. “You'll love it."

  They made it to the gate, and their flight began boarding a half hour later. At the end of the Jetway, Gerald showed the flight attendant their seating stubs, and she directed them toward the front of the plane where they found themselves seated in the wide seats of business class. In order to help save money, Gerald had booked economy-class seats, and all he could figure was the ticket agent had decided to give Dieter a special flight.

  Dieter could barely settle next to him, and thankfully, the flight attendant brought around champagne and Gerald handed Dieter a glass. “Drink this. It'll calm you down a little,” Gerald said with a wink and a smile.

  "I'm okay,” Dieter protested.

  "You're so excited that the plane could take off on your energy alone,” Gerald said before leaning closer to whisper, “Not that I really mind, but you'll be more comfortable when you're calm, because it's going to be a very long flight, and if you can sleep, you'll be better off."

  Dieter drained his glass and smiled at Gerald. “Happy?” Gerald laughed, and the flight attendant took away the glasses as the doors were closed and announcements began. Then the plane began to move, and Gerald watched as Dieter's excitement ramped up again as the plane picked up speed and they lifted off the ground. Once the plane leveled off, Dieter settled down somewhat. “Okay,” Gerald said quietly after he'd gotten out his laptop, “here's the plan. We'll arrive on Sunday morning, and we're expected at the museum at nine Monday. I was able to secure us most of the day, which probably won't give us enough time, but we'll have to find what we can. They wouldn't commit to more time than that because, they claimed, of the availability of people to retrieve the materials."

  "Do they have a catalog online?” Dieter asked as he leaned over to look at what Gerald had already.

  "Some things are online, but they aren't what we need. I was able to find some documents a few days ago,” Gerald said before pulling printouts out of his case and handing them to Dieter. “But I'm not sure these will help us.” Gerald watched as Dieter scanned the documents, handing back two of them quickly, but he gasped when he read the third. “What is it?"

  "This appears to be the documentation regarding an appeal Gram made twenty-five years ago.” Dieter flipped the page as he continued reading. “They found that there was insufficient proof that the paintings belong to my family. It also says that the paintings were left to the museum by Anna Meinauer. There's a copy of a letter that my great-grandmother wrote saying that she wanted her portrait to go to the Belvedere, and they consider the matter closed.” Dieter turned, all the wind gone from his sails, the excitement from earlier gone.

  "Is it a letter or a will?” Gerald said as he looked at the document, kicking himself that he hadn't researched these documents earlier, but he'd just found them yesterday and had only printed them on the chance that they were meaningful. He felt like such a newbie. He should have checked everything.

  Dieter showed him a copy that was attached to the report. “It looks like a handwritten letter."

  Gerald breath
ed a sigh of relief. “First thing, it isn't a will, so that argument should be easy to dispel, and from what we understand, the painting wasn't hers to give away, anyway. It belonged to your great-grandfather. It was his money that paid for it, regardless of whether Anna commissioned it, and hopefully we'll be able to prove that. But this is better than I thought because it gives us a clue as to what they will argue, and we'll need to be able to refute that."

  The flight attendant asked if they wanted more champagne, and Gerald motioned for a glass for both of them. “We need to keep our heads cool and our brains engaged. I know this is very emotional for you, but if we're going to do a good job, we need to leave those emotions behind so we can think clearly. That's the only way we're going to find what we need.” Gerald watched closely as a lot of different emotions flashed behind Dieter's eyes.

  "I guess this is going to be more emotional than I thought,” Dieter explained.

  "There's nothing wrong with that. I just don't want you riding a roller-coaster. The chances are that we're going to find things that will help us and hurt us. The important thing is to know what can hurt us so we can minimize it."

  "So this doesn't hurt us?” Dieter asked, still holding the document.

  "Actually, it may help us, because it could help show a pattern of disregard for their own laws as well as international property rights, because this is very plainly not a will and yet they have used it as such. Hopefully we can find something within their own records that disputes this, and then we can paint them as putting their own interests ahead of the rightful owners. Courts really hate that.” Gerald could feel himself getting excited now.

  Dieter smiled at him. “You really are a total lawyer. You take everything and change it to suit what you want it to."

  "That's what we do, and hopefully the end result is justice."

  The flight attendants came around with warm towels and began serving fruit and nut appetizers to everyone. Dieter got out his book and began to read while Gerald continued making notes and getting his thoughts on paper. After dinner, the lights in the cabin dimmed, and Gerald continued working for a while before reclining his seat and covering himself with a blanket to try to get some sleep. The seat was comfortable, but thoughts of the case and Dieter kept running through his mind. Eventually Dieter turned out his light and tried to sleep as well.

  Gerald must have slept because when he woke, the cabin was still dark and quiet. Dieter's eyes were closed in the seat next to him, and he snuffled lightly, the way he always did when they slept together. Gerald closed his eyes again, and thankfully, the next time he opened his eyes, the flight attendants were serving breakfast. Reaching over, Gerald gently woke Dieter. He wanted to wake him with a kiss, but refrained and woke him with a gentle caress instead. Dieter blinked at him a few times before pulling the blanket up over his head. A few seconds later the blanket slipped down again, and Gerald was treated to one of the most beautiful sights he knew, Dieter's sleepy eyes blinking up at him.

  "Would you like an omelet or a fruit plate for breakfast?” the flight attendant asked, and they ordered one of each, figuring they could share. By the time they'd eaten and their trays were taken away, the tone of the plane engines had changed and Gerald felt the telltale pressure in his ears as the plane began to descend.

  Tray tables were stowed and seats returned to their upright positions, and they landed half an hour later and deplaned. Going through immigration and then customs, they moved through the airport to the train station. They could have taken a taxi, but Dieter wanted to ride a train and Gerald had already researched the route and knew how easy it would be to take the City Airport Train right into Vienna. The best part was seeing Dieter's excited bouncing again. Exiting at their station, they walked to their hotel, looking at the buildings. “I picked this hotel because it was one of the few non-chain hotels that had air conditioning,” Gerald explained as they walked, but Dieter wasn't paying attention, which didn't bother Gerald at all.

  "Is this it?” Dieter asked, mouth open, standing in front of their hotel, looking up at the facade of the eighteenth-century home now converted into a small hotel. Gerald had probably paid more than necessary for their room, but he wanted Dieter to stay someplace special, and since they were staying together for more than a single night for the first time, he sort of wanted to impress.

  "Yes. I hope you like it,” Gerald said, but from the look on Dieter's face, he knew it was a hit. “Let's go inside,” Gerald prompted, and Dieter looked both ways down the sidewalk.

  "Can we see things?” Dieter asked, practically jumping out of his skin.

  Gerald nearly groaned out loud, but stopped. Dieter had so much energy, but their time in Vienna was very limited. They were scheduled to leave again early Friday morning. “Sure. Let's get checked in and our things up to the room, then we can explore a little.” God, he loved Dieter when he was this happy. The man practically glowed with energy and excitement.

  Picking up the bags, Gerald led the way inside and walked to the small front desk in what had once been a grand living room. Gerald rang the bell, and a middle-aged man appeared through a door behind the desk. “Guten Morgen,” he said and began speaking in German, only parts of which Gerald understood. Turning to Dieter, Gerald noticed that he wasn't behind him, and he craned his neck and caught sight of him just outside in the hallway.

  "Guten Morgen,” Gerald replied, “I'm afraid that's about the limit of my German."

  "Do you have a reservation?” the man inquired, switching to near perfect English.

  "Yes, one room under the name Young."

  "Yes. We're expecting you,” he said, handing Gerald a reservation card. “Your room will not be ready until 1400 hours this afternoon. We can hold your bags for you and put them in the room when it is ready,” he explained pleasantly, and Gerald thanked him before filling out the registration card and handing him a credit card and his passport. Dieter rejoined him, still looking around, and after signing the credit slip, they placed their bags in a small room before leaving the hotel, heading to the subway station.

  "Where are we going?” Dieter asked as they descended beneath street level.

  "How about visiting a palace?” Gerald asked before buying their tickets and making their way to the train.

  He and Dieter spent most of the morning and early afternoon touring Schonbrunn Palace, the gardens, and grounds. Both of them stared open-mouthed as they stood in the middle of the ballroom, looking up at the frescoed ceilings, glittering gold walls, and massive crystal chandeliers. Once they'd toured the palace itself, they played hide and seek in the hedge maze, climbed the hill to the fountains, and then walked farther to the Gloriette on the hill. “This is beautiful,” Dieter commented as they stood on the roof of the Gloriette looking down at the gardens, palace, and then the whole city beyond. “To think, from one of the pictures in Gram's album, Anna and Joseph stood right where we are now."

  Gerald slipped an arm around Dieter's waist, squeezing him lightly. “I hope they were as happy as I am to be here with you.” Heedless of the people around them, Gerald leaned to Dieter, kissing him to accentuate his sentiment, and the sun, which had been absent for most of the day, hidden behind low clouds, chose that moment to break through, bathing them, the gardens, and the golden palace in showers of light that seemed to reflect off everything.

  They ate a late, light lunch in the Gloriette cafe before walking back down the hill. Gerald took as many pictures as he could, some of a couple on their honeymoon in front of the Neptune fountain, and the couple returned the favor. By the time Gerald and Dieter left the palace grounds and rode the subway back, they were exhausted, and the final walk to the hotel seemed to take forever.

  Their room was ready when they got back, and they found their bags already waiting for them. Gerald's body screamed for sleep, but he forced himself to stay awake through the rest of the afternoon. After eating dinner in the small restaurant around the corner, Gerald convinced Dieter to take a walk
before going to their room and falling into bed, where Dieter curled next to him in the cool room. Gerald slept like the dead, waking only to use the bathroom before falling right back to sleep, and as far as he could tell, Dieter never moved a muscle the entire night.

  Gerald's traveling alarm woke them in the morning, both of them having difficulty waking up, but they made it to breakfast and left the hotel on time, arriving at the Belvedere Museum as they opened the doors. Gerald told the woman in the information booth who they were there to see, and she asked them to wait and quietly made a phone call. “Can we see the paintings before we leave?” Dieter asked softly.

  "Without a doubt. We just need to get as much research done as we can,” Gerald answered.

  "Herr Young,” a woman in her midthirties said as she approached. “Guten Morgen, I'm Hanna Weis,” she said by way of introduction.

  "Guten Morgen,” Dieter answered, continuing the conversation in German. Gerald caught their names in the conversation, but that was all, and she shook hands with both of them.

  "We can speak English if you prefer,” Hanna explained as she led them through controlled doors to utilitarian portions of the building that the public never saw. At another door, they paused at a desk where they were instructed to sign in and their passports were checked. Badges were issued, and then Hanna swiped her card and the door opened and closed behind them. The air felt instantly cooler and drier as they passed through metal detectors before being led through another door and into what looked like a catalog room. “Some of our more recent records have been computerized, but many are still cataloged in these card files and record books."

  "We understand you are interested in records involving art transferred to the museum during the Nazi period,” Hanna said as she pointed them to that portion of the catalogs, and Gerald felt his eyes roll when he realized the amount of material they would need to search. “I can assure you that there is no art in the museum's collection that does not belong. We have researched everything extensively,” she explained proudly. That was almost equivalent to a statement he'd read on the Internet when the records were opened a few years earlier.