Chapter 23
23
The smart-dressed man who strode confidently toward Magnus dragged a small carry-on suitcase while carrying a metal suitcase that was handcuffed to his wrist. Once Walter spotted the sign meant for him, he flashed a set of white veneers and held out his free hand for a shake.
“Mr. Lepp, I presume? I was afraid I’d have to suffer another wait. This country’s customs agency is a disaster.” He looked around before giving an arrogant sniff. “I suppose that’s the cost of doing business with the East.”
Interesting...
He could tell that Walter would be an insufferable transport. As far as he knew, Anton Lepp was also a Doctor of Fine Arts but he chose not to correct the man. Estonia was a lovely country and he certainly didn’t agree with Walter’s snide comment. But more importantly, Magnus was relieved that the curator wasn’t overly concerned with his appearance.
“It’s good to meet you, Dr. Griffin,” he greeted in a Swedish accent. Even if he couldn’t speak Estonian, he could fall back on something that sounded European. “I trust you had a smooth flight from Heathrow?”
“Splendid,” the man said, lifting his case. “The Imperial and I got on just fine.”
“If I can direct you to our transport,” Magnus said, gesturing toward the exit. “I’m certain you’ll want to relieve yourself of the case.”
Walter’s gray brow furrowed slightly. “That won’t be necessary. As I told your director, the Kensington V everything was in its place, not a stray bottle of cologne or comb rolling about. It made things easier to rifle through. He packed two dress shirts, two pairs of slacks, a velvet sack for another pair of shoes and one toiletry bag.
“Found it,” Magnus said.
Celeste looked over to find Walter’s shirt shoved up to his chest to reveal a money belt strapped to his belly. “Good Lord, really?”
Magnus shrugged. “It’s a good place to hide a key.”
Once they freed the briefcase from Walter’s wrist, Magnus was decent enough to re-dress the man before Celeste taped him up and shoved him next to the other unconscious men. “ETA on drop-off?”
“Six minutes,” Santiago said. “When we stop, I’ll wipe down the front, and you guys wipe the back.”
“Roger,” Celeste said.
Magnus made quick work of the briefcase. Celeste sucked in a breath when she saw The Third Imperial Egg nestled in a foam mold. Its rippled egg surface gleamed with eighteen karats of gold and sat atop a three-legged pedestal. Her hands couldn’t help their slight tremble as she carefully lifted the egg from its case.
“Three sapphires set in wreaths of rose-cut diamonds,” Magnus breathed as he watched her turn it over in her hands. “Open it.”
Celeste bit back a grin. Giddiness overran her nervousness as she shared this moment with him. After all these years of stealing, she was still awestruck to hold history in her hands. This egg was a gift to Czar Alexander III, possibly in his Winter Palace, well before the First World War or the Russian Revolution.
When she pressed the diamond button, the top of the structure sprung open to reveal an upright white enamel watch that was covered in more gold and tiny diamonds. It was stunning.
“Can I keep it?” she whispered.
A broad smile lit up Magnus’s face. “Of course, you can,” he chuckled. “We’ll just explain it to the oligarch’s son and his goons.”
She sighed as she gingerly closed the egg and laid it back in its foam mold. “There’re always goons, aren’t there?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He closed the briefcase and flipped the latches tight. “The certification papers are in the back compartment, so we’re good to go.”
“Good, because we’re here,” Santiago announced. “Roll out, kids.”
They ended up in a run-down neighborhood on the other side of the Telliskivi district. It looked a little dodgy, but they were all convinced that no one would tamper with a security van. Of course, the museum would eventually locate it once Santiago removed Beatrice’s surveillance jamming device.
Magnus entrusted the case to her before flinging open the back door. Lawrence was waiting for them. “Hurry up now,” he said, waving them toward him.
With the crew once again reunited in the same vehicle, Santiago was now in the driver’s seat and ready to flee the scene. Celeste sat beside Beatrice, who beamed brightly.
“We did it,” she said, bouncing in her seat.
Celeste squeezed her knee. “In large part to you, my dear. The hacking you did was brilliant!”
“Absolutely brilliant,” Magnus agreed. “Thanks for pausing the stoplights.”
“How did you do it?” Santiago asked.
“A lady never tells,” Beatrice preened.
Apparently, Celeste had taught her young protégé well. When you’re skilled enough to pull off a job like a magic trick, you keep the details to yourself. Always keep people wondering. Admittedly, those were the lessons Doris taught her .
“If there are no more errands to run, I’m heading back to the safe house,” Santiago said.
“Please,” Magnus said. “I want to get off the street before things heat up.”
“Hear, hear,” Lawrence agreed. “Let’s get the hell outta Dodge.”