Jack was asked to leave the boardroom for fifteen minutes so that they could discuss his request. He correctly guessed that they would be reluctant, believing that the current fraud squad was up to the task. But they would also prefer to keep Jack in-house where they could keep an eye on him. And Jack’s new team could always be disbanded if it proved to be a waste of time.
Two hours later, Jack left Scotland Yard with a spring in his step. He flagged down a taxi to take him to Bond Street. The gallery was covered in scaffolding, with a notice saying it was closed for refurbishment. Looking up at the empty, fire-blackened windows, he realised how fierce the fire must have been. Peering through the entrance, he noticed a light on in the reception area. After pressing several different buttons, the door finally buzzed open and he stepped inside.
The gallery looked nothing like it had when Jack had first blagged his way in among the throng of well-heeled art lovers. The walls had been stripped bare, the carpets removed and the huge chandelier was missing. And at first, he didn’t recognise Ester when she walked out of the first gallery wearing fawn trousers and high-heeled boots with a matching draped cashmere sweater. It was not just the different clothes, she had also cut her hair short and was wearing very little makeup.
‘I saw you getting out of the taxi,’ she said. ‘I am waiting for the new leaseholder’s assessor to check the building, which, as you see, is now back to the way it was before we made it into an art gallery. They are very unpleasant. And it is frankly going to bankrupt me to get the fourth floor rebuilt. At least the paintings lost in the fire were covered by the insurance.’
She cocked her head to one side as if expecting him to leave; when he didn’t, she went over to a small table and opened a file. A briefcase was propped beside the table. He slowly walked towards her, and she pursed her lips.
‘What do you want?’
‘To talk. Is there anywhere else we can go, or is this all that’s left?’ He gestured to the table, and she shrugged.
‘As I said, I am waiting for the assessor.’
‘It won’t take long. We can talk here,’ Jack said.
She sighed, sitting down on the only chair behind the table while he perched on the edge.
‘I know who you are, Detective. You’ve had quite a lot of press recently. If this is an official police visit, I refuse to have any further conversation with you without my lawyer present.’
‘I wouldn’t call it official,’ Jack said. ‘It’s more like move three places and pick up a get-out-of-jail-free card.’
She tightened her smile. ‘I’ve never played Monopoly. So why don’t you just tell me what you want from me.’
‘How is Kurt Neilson?’
‘Mad.’
She laughed softly. ‘You know the value of his sick paintings have gone through the roof. Eventually, as Detmar’s main beneficiary, I will get them, with a proviso that I take care of the madman until his death.’
‘So you are a very wealthy woman.’
She laughed again, shaking her head. ‘Not really, maybe just a little more financially secure. I am still waiting for the money taken from his penthouse to be handed over to me.’
Jack smiled. He noticed that she had perfect, very white teeth. She looked prettier than when he had last seen her. ‘Your new haircut suits you,’ Jack said with a smile, trying to put her at her ease.
‘Thank you.’ She smiled. ‘With Detmar gone, I no longer need to look like the dominatrix. He was very particular about how I dressed. He said his clients liked the steely, sophisticated approach.’ Reaching down, she opened the briefcase and took out a silver vape. She breathed in and exhaled, releasing a fine white trail.
‘I’ll get to the reason I am here, Ester. And don’t even think about lying because I know very well that Detmar’s real source of income was dealing in forgeries.’
‘That is ridiculous,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘Detmar was an astute collector. He bought well and sold even better. His knowledge of art was—’
‘Don’t bullshit me,’ Jack interrupted. ‘I don’t have the time and neither do you. You need to listen to me carefully, Ester. I know you were involved in every aspect of his illegal business. But I’m here to offer you a deal.’
She sucked hard on her vape but didn’t protest. He leaned closer. ‘The deal will be that you agree to work with me and pass on your knowledge, because I’m certain you intend to carry on Detmar’s business when the publicity around his murder has died down’.
‘You are wrong. I was never involved... I was just instructed to organise the shipping.’
‘Stop it, don’t lie to me because I have enough evidence already to have you arrested. It’s not an empty threat, Ester... it’s a reality.’
She blew out another puff of the vape. ‘Aren’t you overplaying the hard man act a little? I think you should just fuck off.’
Jack swiped her briefcase off the table and put his own down. He clicked it open and took out his laptop, while she pressed back in her chair. Jack turned the laptop around so she could see the images on the screen — photos of all the information detailed on the walls: sales, shipments, names, along with the crates with their delivery labels, in particular the open crate clearly showing a section of the oil painting he had seen previously at Adam Border’s studio, Lady with a Fan. It amused him to watch her face, her tight lips, her eyes glued to the images on the screen. He switched it off.
‘Seen enough, Ester? If you agree to my proposition, it will also give you some leverage over me. Do you understand?’
‘I am trying.’
‘You tell me everything about how Detmar ran his business, including his artists and contacts in Europe and the USA. Just one of the paintings I’ve filmed gets sold, any one you claim was destroyed in the fire, and I will release this footage, unless you agree. And I want a percentage of every sale. Do you understand now?’
She nodded, taking another heavy pull on her vape.
‘I also want you to contact Helga Meirling and schedule a meeting with her as soon as possible.’
‘That will be difficult. She is abroad. I don’t know where. And you should know she is a very astute businesswoman. She has immensely rich friends, who are very careful about protecting her, just as you should be very careful about threatening me.’
‘All right, let me tell you how well I know Adam Border.’ Jack saw the glimmer in her eyes as he said Adam’s name.
‘I don’t know any Adam Border,’ she said. He reached over and took hold of her chin.
‘Don’t lie, Ester. I know about Adam and Helga, so just do as I ask, or be prepared to take the consequences...’ He released his hold on her chin and clicked his fingers.
‘I don’t know where Adam is,’ she said finally. ‘He’s as dangerous and as untrustworthy as she is.’
It took Jack another half an hour to explain everything he wanted her to do, starting with how they would arrange their meetings. ‘I will always contact you, not the other way round,’ he said.
She nodded.
‘Do you trust me, Ester?’
She laughed softly. ‘Do I have an option?’
‘Not really.’
‘You have a lot to learn.’
‘That’s why I need you, Ester.’ He stood up, putting his laptop back in his briefcase. She walked around the table to show him out, and he was surprised when she hooked her arm through his.
‘Shall I tell you something funny? After it happened, I had to move everything from the fourth floor, moving the paintings down in the lift, getting them all out and hidden before the sales could go through. Then I had to clear the rest of the basement; the crates of unsold paintings had to be moved. I organised skips to be loaded with all the wooden crates and taken to the main tip. Eric, one of the old security guards, a good man, stayed close to see them destroyed. You know they separate all the wood items to be pulverised by this big heavy machine that smashes them to bits, and he watched as one after the other was crushed.’