It Takes a Forger Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Blurb

  Copyright Statement

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  About the Author

  Titles by Edward Kendrick

  BLURB

  Officer Lou Hernandez is surprised when he's asked to help Gideon Monahan catch an art forger. He not too happy, though, when he meets the man he'll be working with. Lou thinks Rory Kinley is a supercilious pain in the ass. Rory, on the other hand, sees no reason why Lou has been brought into this. After all, he's just a cop, albeit one who is good at going undercover.

  The art forger they're after—Nate Hanks—cons collectors, saying he has an undiscovered painting by a famous artist. He's killed one of his marks already to keep from being caught.

  Lou and Rory will have to set aside their differences as they set up a sting to stop Hanks. When they do, they discover they may not be as incompatible as they thought. The question becomes, will their growing feelings survive what's to come—or be destroyed in the process?

  FIREBORN PUBLISHING COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

  It Takes a Forger...

  Copyright © 2016 by Edward Kendrick

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-943528-69-1

  First eBook Publication: May 2016

  Cover Artist: Allison Cassatta

  Photo Credit: 123rf

  Editor: Jamie D. Rose

  Logo copyright © 2014 by Fireborn Publishing and Allison Cassatta

  Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED UNDER INTERNATIONAL AND PAN-AMERICAN COPYRIGHT CONVENTIONS: Payment for this title grants the purchaser the right to download and read this file on any/all personal electronic devices personally owned by the purchaser, now or in the future, and to maintain backup copies of the file for the purchaser's personal use. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or electronic storage and retrieval, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. File sharing, with or without payment, is an international crime, prosecuted by the United States DoJ, Division of Cyber Crimes, in partnership with Interpol. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is punishable by seizure of computers, up to five years in federal prison, and a fine of $250,000 per offense.

  Please remember that authors are paid per legal purchase. We thank you for your support of author’s rights and their earnings. If you spot illegal cut-rate or free copies of this work being passed on peer-to-peer or other pirate sites, even those masquerading as legitimate retailers, please let us know at [email protected] or via the author’s personal email.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is strictly coincidental.

  This book is written in US English.

  PUBLISHER

  TRADEMARKS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  11th Avenue Hotel: 11th Avenue Hotel and Hostel – 1112 Broadway, Denver CO

  Art Recovery International: Art Recovery Group Ltd.

  CCD – Community College of Denver

  Citibank: Citigroup Inc.

  Convention Center: Colorado Convention Center

  Cricket: The Cherry Cricket, 2641 E 2nd Ave, Denver, CO

  DAM – Denver Art Museum

  Denver Broncos: PDB Sports, Ltd.

  El Noa Noa: El Noa Noa Mexican Restaurant

  Guinness: Diageo Ireland PLC

  Kansas City Art Institute: Kansas City Art Institute Corporation

  Kansas City Chiefs: Kansas City Chiefs Football Club, Inc.

  Kansas City Royals: Kansas City Royals Baseball Corporation

  Mickey D / McDonald's: McDonald's Corporation

  Realtor: National Association of Realtors Corporation

  Skyline Park: Downtown Denver Partnership, Inc.

  The ART: Corporex Companies, LLC

  The Cheesecake Factory: TCF Co. LLC

  The Denver Post: Denver Post LLC

  The Irish Hound: The Irish Hound – 575 St. Paul St., Denver, CO

  The Stock Show: National Western Stock Show

  CHAPTER ONE

  "I'll have another, Jack," Lou told the bartender at his favorite local watering hole, tapping his empty beer bottle.

  "You got it," Jack replied, adding, "I thought two was your limit."

  "Usually, but tonight I'm breaking my rule."

  "I'll pay for it," a man said, taking the empty stool beside Lou, "and one for me as well."

  Lou turned to see who was offering to buy his drink.

  The man, who had dark blond hair and looked in his mid-forties, smiled. "We haven't officially met, Mr Hernandez, but I was at the trials for both of the men involved in the death of John Pierce. My name is Gideon Monahan."

  Lou cocked his head. "That rings a bell. I think Quint Hawk mentioned you at one point. You have something to do with recovering stolen art."

  "I do…privately. I'm not connected with the FBI or any other law enforcement agency." Gideon took a drink when the bartender set it down in front of him.

  "So you tracked me down to congratulate me on helping to put them behind bars?"

  "Yes. I don't like it when one of my operatives is murdered. However, that's not the reason I'm here. I'm impressed by the job you did to trap them. You seem to be good at undercover work, the same way John was."

  Lou shrugged. "I have my moments."

  "I hope they're often, because I have a proposition for you."

  "You're propositioning me?" Lou said, straight-faced. "Does that mean I'm going to get lucky tonight?"

  "I don't swing that way," Gideon huffed in reply. Then he chuckled. "I know… Well, I hope you weren't serious."

  "Nope." Not sure I like his reaction, but…might as well hear him out. "So, back to what you said. I'm good at what I do. I'd better be. I am a cop."

  "An excellent one, from what I've heard. I could use a man like you."

  "Sorry. Not interested. I'm a police officer for a reason. I like my job. With luck, I'll make detective soon."

  "So Lieutenant Harber told me when I talked with him this afternoon."

  "About me?" Lou raised one dark eyebrow in question.

  Gideon nodded, turning to put his back to a man who had just sat down on the stool next to him. "Why don't we find a table where we can talk without being overheard?" he suggested quietly.

  With a shrug, Lou picked up his fresh beer, following Gideon to a table in the back corner of the bar. When they were seated, he said, "I've already told you I'm not interested in leaving my present job."

  "That wouldn't be a problem, as far as I'm concerned. As I said, I talked with your lieutenant. He's willing to loan you out to me—"

  "Just a damned second," Lou said tightly. "I'm not a…a thing to be passed around at your—or the lieutenant's—whim."

  Gideon nodded in agreement. "I phrased that wrong. Let me preface this by telling you that one of the men you helped bring to justice was a small fry compared to the guy I'm after now."
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  Lou tried not to show any interest in what Gideon was saying, only asking, "How so?"

  "What do you know about art forgery?"

  "Not a whole lot, other than what I learned on the case you mentioned. The perp had his cohorts copy an existing work when it was brought in to be appraised. Then he returned the forgery to the owner with papers saying it was valued at whatever, knowing the owner thought it was the original painting and would take his word for it."

  Gideon took up the story. "Leaving the appraiser with the original, to sell or use for collateral when purchasing—in this case—drugs. That's a tried and true ploy but only the tip of the iceberg." He took a drink then continued. "Art crime is the third or fourth highest grossing criminal activity in the world today, depending on who you talk to."

  "You're kidding."

  "Nope. Think about it, Lou. The art trade is the largest legal, unregulated business on the planet, according to the founder of Art Recovery International. I agree. When a work of art changes hands, there is almost no paper trail other than the provenance papers associated with it. Before you say anything—if a forger can copy a Manet or a Degas or whomever, what makes you think they couldn't forge the provenance papers as well? Suppose you're Mr Got Rocks. You're dying to get your hands on a painting by so-and-so. When the word gets out, you're approached by a man who claims to own one—and can prove it."

  "If I'm smart, wouldn't I do my due diligence?"

  "You're greedy. You want the painting. The man offering it for sale has the provenance papers and an appraisal from a reputable company. And…he wants less for it than you know the painting is worth. Would you turn that down?"

  Lou chuckled. "I would. But then I'm not the trusting sort. I get what you're saying, though."

  "Good. Consider that the forger has several excellent copies of the original and sells them to unwary buyers spread around the world. He does it relatively quickly then disappears with the money. Even if Buyer A does brag about owning the painting, Buyer B hears about it and they compare notes, it's too late to do anything about it."

  "Clever."

  "Exactly. Another ploy is to take advantage of an art theft from a museum, gallery, or personal collection. The forger makes a copy—or again, several copies—of the painting, then contacts a buyer. His story is that he has the original and the one that the museum claims was returned to them is actually a copy they put up to 'avoid embarrassment'. Yeah, you'd have to be stupid to believe that story, but as I said, avid collectors are greedy. They want to get their hands on the piece and they put common sense aside. Of course, the forger reminds them that telling anyone they have what they believe is the original will bring the law down on their heads."

  Lou nodded. "So they hide it away and gloat over it—along with the fact that they put one over the authorities."

  "Yep."

  "I gather you're after one of these forgers."

  "I am, although his con is a bit different than most. His forgeries aren't of existing works of art. Instead, he claims he's gotten his hands on an unknown painting, done by an artist—in this case Leonaert Bramer, during his early period before he became famous."

  "How does he pull that off?" Lou asked. He realized he was beginning to be intrigued by what Gideon was telling him.

  "He creates a painting in Bramer's style—but with minor variations. Those will corroborate his story that it is a very early work, from when the artist was only beginning to develop the characteristics that would make him famous."

  Tapping his teeth with a thumbnail, Lou wondered where he would fit into whatever plan Gideon had in mind to stop the man. Not that I'm about to offer. But… "Can't you get the buyer to testify against him, once they've had the painting appraised and find out it's not the real thing?"

  Gideon smiled dryly. "You'd think so. But he has a good gimmick to keep that from happening. He admits"—Gideon made finger quotes—"to the buyer that he obtained the painting illegally, then suggests they shouldn't publicize they have it because the real owner will come after them."

  "Meaning, they shouldn't get it appraised—especially forensically, which involves carbon dating or X-rays, among other things. And these people are still willing to buy it from him? Damn."

  "There are quite a few under-the-table collectors out there who are more interested in knowing they have an original piece of art—no matter how they obtained it—than they are in showing it off to one and all. If that wasn't the case, a great many forgers would be out of business. Haven't you wanted something so badly you'd do anything short of murder to get your hands on it?"

  "Not really. But then I'm not into collecting things. Sure, maybe I'd like to own a seventy-two inch flat-screen TV, but not if I had to buy it off the back of a truck, which, essentially is what these people are doing, but on a much grander scale."

  "Precisely."

  "How are you going to stop him? By the way, who is he?"

  "He calls himself Nathaniel Herriot."

  "The way you phrased that, I presume it's not his real name."

  "No. His birth name is Nate Hanks."

  "Doesn't have quite the same ring," Lou commented with a grin. "If you know that, you must know more about him than the fact he's running a con using forged art."

  "Not much, I'm afraid." Gideon glanced at his watch and said, "I have an appointment I have to keep. Would you be willing to continue our discussion tomorrow?"

  "I… Yeah, sure. Why not. When and where?"

  "Say seven tomorrow night at my hotel. They have a decent bar-restaurant on the premises."

  "It might help if you told me which hotel," Lou pointed out.

  "Ah. Yes. The ART. We can meet in the FIRE lounge and take it from there."

  "You chose the place because of the name?" Lou asked with amusement.

  "Not really. It's close to the museum…and to downtown." Gideon pushed away from the table. "Now if you'll excuse me. I'll see you tomorrow evening?"

  "Yes. It was…interesting meeting you."

  Gideon smiled as he stood, saying, "You as well." He turned, walking quickly out of the bar.

  That was intriguing, to say the least. Not that I plan on getting involved in whatever he's planning. I'd like to find out what it is, though. My nosy gene must be kicking in. Lou chuckled, went back to the bar to pay for the beer he'd had before Gideon arrived, then took off for home.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Quint looked up when Lou came into the Robbery-Homicide squad room the next morning. "I didn't expect to see you here."

  "Didn't expect to be here, but I need to talk to the Lieutenant, if he's around."

  "Uh-oh. Something wrong?"

  Lou grabbed the chair by Quint's desk, swinging it around to straddle it. "You tell me. I ran into Gideon Monahan last night. Or rather, he hunted me down."

  "Okay. For a reason, I take it. I never met the man. What's he like?"

  "Dedicated to what he does. Has a one-track mind on the subject of stolen art and forgers—or at least that's all he talked about." Lou smiled wryly. "Although I have to admit, I prompted him to tell me about it."

  Quint chuckled. "You're good at getting people to open up. Would I be wrong in supposing he wants your help?"

  "We didn't get that far, but since he's talked with Harber about me, from what he said, I think so. I told him it wasn't an option. I'm a cop, first and foremost."

  "Even cops moonlight at times. You know that."

  "Yeah, but…" Lou scowled. "It was the way he put it. It came across like he talked with Harber about me as if I was something to be traded around."

  "Sounds like diplomacy isn't Monahan's strong suit." Quint chuckled. "So you're going to give Harber a piece of your mind?"

  Lou shrugged. "Or at least find out why he's willing to let me work with Monahan. From what Monahan told me about the guy he's after, he doesn't sound all that dangerous. He seems more like a con man than anything else."

  "That's still a crime, Lou. And if he's taking his
victims for a lot of money, he needs to be stopped."

  "Rich people with too much cash and no common sense," Lou said sourly. "Before you say they're still being ripped off, I know that."

  "I wonder why he talked to Harber. From what I understand, Monahan has his own people he uses."

  "He calls them operatives," Lou replied with a snort. "Good question." He smirked. "I'm so good at going undercover that he couldn't pass up the chance to get his hands on me?"

  "It's your sexy smile and—"

  "He's straight. He made that clear from the get-go." Lou eyed Quint. "Sexy smile?"

  Laughing, Quint said, "Thought that would get you. Okay, now that you've calmed down some, go talk to Harber."

  With a nod—not certain he'd calmed down, though—Lou went to the lieutenant's door and knocked.

  "It's open," Harber called out. When Lou walked in, Harber nodded to the chair by his desk, saying, "Just the man I wanted to talk to."

  "Yeah? Because of Monahan?"

  Harber lifted an eyebrow. "How did you know?"

  "He tracked me down last night. Told me you and he had had a chat and that you're willing to loan me out to him," Lou replied tensely.

  "Did he tell you why?" Harber asked, not seeming the least bit fazed at Lou's words or attitude.

  "Something about stopping a con man who forges artwork, claiming the paintings he creates are early, undiscovered works by a famous artist."

  Harber nodded. "Essentially the same thing he said to me."

  "I don't get why he thinks he needs my help, and why you seem to be willing to let me give it to him. It's just a con. Yeah, lots of money changes hands but come on, lieutenant. I'm needed out on the street, stopping the real criminals, not bringing down some petty crook."

  "Are you supposed to meet with Monahan again?"

  "Tonight."

  "Then I'll let him fill you in on why catching this guy is important. After you've heard him out, you can make up your own mind about whether or not you're willing to get involved."