'No Nicky, that pretty much covers it. Thanks for sharing.'
Nicky Gambelli raises the gun and points it at my head. I told him not to do that. What happens next occurs simultaneously and practically in the blink of an eye.
See if you can picture this: As Danny Morelli raises his gun from Kelly's chest to her head an apparition the size of a bear starts running from the corner of the basement. With each step Uncle Moe transforms into ever more degrees of opaqueness. By the time that he reaches Danny, Moe Aronson is a solid as a rock. With his massive arms, Moe embraces Danny from behind, lifts him from the ground and pivots so that Danny is facing the back wall.
Nicky's arm pivots a few degrees to the right and fires into Uncle Moe's back. The sound of the shot in the enclosed area is deafening. The bullet passes right through Moe into Danny's back, through his heart and out his chest. Moe collapses to the floor.
The moment that the shot is fired one hundred and twenty five pounds of German Shepherd launches through the basement entrance. His jaws lock onto Nicky's throat with a vice like grip. And squeezes. Nicky Gambelli thrashes around for all of five seconds and the smashes into the concrete floor. There is blood everywhere.
For the briefest of moments time comes to a halt. I'm knocked out of reverie by the sound of sirens speeding down the alley. I run over and kneel down next to my Uncle.
'Uncle Moe, Uncle Moe, are you alright?' The old guy's starting to fade back to his natural state.
'How'd I do, laddie?'
'You did great, Uncle, unbelievably great.' Cops in black bullet proof vests are streaming into the basement. Out there in front is Special Agent Robert Simmons. 'I just have to know, are you okay?'
'You mean the bullet. Aye, son, I'm just fine. Bullets can not be harming the likes of a ghost.'
'Moe, that wasn't very ghost like, you know, grabbing that guy and turning him like that. Jeez, I didn't even know that it was even possible.'
'I do not recommend trying it. The effort was the problem, had to use too much energy. I'll be fine. You won't be minding if you don't see me for a couple of days, will ya? Think I'll be taking a wee rest.'
'Not a problem, Uncle.' And with that he was gone.
I stood up. Kelly walked over and put her arms around me. Kissed the side of my face and whispered, 'My hero. I knew you would come.'
'Yeah, about that. This may not be the right time, but I've been thinking. You know, it would really mean a lot to me if you stayed.'
Kelly gave me this deep throated laugh. 'It would mean a lot to you, is that right?'
'Yeah, I mean… you know, the way that I feel about you and all. It's just that…'
Another laugh. 'Okay tough guy. I'm been thinking about it too. There might be one or two small things to talk about, but yeah, I'll stay.'
Just between you and me, my heart filled with joy.
6 Months Later
'30… 30… Do I hear 30 million dollars…'
'Mother and Child' is being auctioned today in New York City.
'I have 30 million, do I hear 35 million, 35… 35…'
This is one of the two most prestigious auction houses in the world. I hesitate to mention which one in fear of a lawsuit involving libel.
'I have 35 million…'
If you find yourself overwhelmed with curiosity, you can always Google what former chairman of a major auction house was sentenced to a year in prison for conspiring to fix commissions.
Earlier in the day, Kelly and I had made a quick stop at the bank. We then headed to The Big Apple to witness the auction of the century.
Some of the post Nick Gambelli shootout was interesting.
The immediate aftermath involved a couple of days of interrogation by local, state and federal authorities. For the most part Laurence Finegold did the talking. The one thing that law enforcement couldn't work out is why all the fuss over a reproduction painting that wasn't a copy of any known work. Equally intriguing was that it was not meant to deceive; it was signed Anthony DeAngelo clear as day in the lower right hand corner.
Nick Gambelli and Danny Morelli both were pronounced dead at the scene. It didn't take long for any government agency to decide not to press charges. Special Agent Robert Simmons of Interpol produced an audio recording with Nicky's confession to all the events leading up to his death.
'Aye son, did everything work out as ye hoped?' Two days after becoming a corporeal being, albeit a temporary one, Uncle Moe came strolling through the door while TJ, Kelly and I were having breakfast before another go around with the authorities.
'Looking good, Uncle Moe. Feeling better, I hope?' Kelly asked. The nature of Kelly's relationship with Moe had obviously changed after the little incident in the gallery basement.
'Feelin' like a new man, lassie. Never been better.'
I couldn't help but laugh. Kelly Lane talking to an apparition. Who would have thought? As for the painting, there were still a few lose ends before actually putting it up for auction.
While the days following the 'incident' were more than a little time consuming and distracting; the best was yet to come.
'Check tomorrow's headlines.' Connor was calling me directly on my cell. It was mid-summer.
'Which newspaper?' I wanted to know.
'Doesn't matter, bro. Take your pick.'
The following morning, a Saturday, I drove to the store and bought a New York Times. On the front page, above the fold, was the following story:
Vatican Cardinal Stuns Art World
In what appears to be an unprecedented move for the Vatican, Cardinal Francesco Carlo Calgiliano announced today the return of 'Mother and Child' by Johannes Vermeer to what the Church is calling its rightful owner. A high ranking member of the Vatican Bank, Calgiliano convened a news conference and made the following statement: 'The rightful ownership of this painting has been established beyond all reasonable doubt. The Vatican cannot, and will not, justify a lengthy legal process where the outcome is obvious. Arrangements are being made for a timely and safe return to the rightful owner. The Vatican is pleased to be in the position to make the damaged parties involved whole once again.'
A complete printed copy of the statement was provided to the press and made available on news organizations’ websites worldwide.
All the pieces were falling in place for the eventual sale of the painting. That little piece of manipulation involving Cardinal Calgiliano was not as difficult as you may think. When this project first got off the ground, Connor was musing aloud that the last piece of the puzzle was the Vermeer being Nazi war loot.
'It's not difficult to imagine some of this war time treasure ending up in the hands of the church.' Connor's reasoning continued, 'It's a two step process, really. The first is to find someone in the Vatican where we can apply some pressure. The other step is to have someone with enough clout or contacts to handle the negotiations.'
'You got someone in mind?' I asked.
'Don't sweat it, little brother. Take care of your end; let me take care of the provenance.'
Huh? Little brother! Sonofabitch is only a year older.
Take care of it he did. Eckhart did what can only be considered magic regarding hacking one of the world's largest private banks. The Institute for Works of Religion, more commonly known as the Vatican Bank, is located within Vatican City. It is managed by a professional CEO who, in turn, reports to a committee of cardinals.
It was in the 1980s that the Vatican Bank was involved in a far reaching financial scandal. What is publicly known is that Archbishop Paul Marcinkus was about to be indicted but was never brought to trial. What is not known anywhere is that Cardinal Francesco Carlo Calgiliano was a serious player in this debacle. Through extreme cleverness and politics, his role in this shocking controversy never came to light.
