Screams and howls of laughter echoed off the walls in the war room, and there were fist pumps, high fives, hugs, and some tears.

Myra stood with her arm around Annie. “That was quite a spectacle. Everyone and everything getting busted across televisions everywhere.”

“It’s all in the timing.” Annie chuckled. “Almost every newspaper in the country is going to run the headline BITTER PILL. But we now have to put the second phase into action.”

“Yes, we do,” Charles added. “We are getting the information from all law enforcement agencies as to where and when they are going to transfer the prisoners.”

“Let’s not forget Interpol,” Fergus reminded them. “When the original painting is returned to France, there will be a reward. Do we have a plan for that, and who will get the money?”

Myra looked at Annie, who in turn looked at Fergus. “When don’t we have a plan?”

More laughter ensued.

“We have a plan for everything!”

Nikki spoke up. “As I mentioned a few days ago, Lizzie and I were able to find most of the Live-Life-Long patients, and we are about to launch a class-action suit against the individual men and their assets.”

“But they were seized, right?” Yoko asked.

Charles spoke next. “We, as in us, and our contacts can unfreeze them, but we want to wait until the snatch is complete.”

“I must confess, I have what one could call contraband.” Annie plunked several velvet bags on the conference table. It was the real jewelry from Norma’s safe. “I think if we pool all the resources, we should have a nice sum to divide up among the families. There will be the reward from the motorcars and the reward from the painting.”

“How do we determine who gets the reward money?” Kathryn asked.

“We gave the name of Marjorie Brewster’s sister to the FBI for blowing the whistle on Steinwood’s garage,” Charles explained. “She’ll get that reward money for the recovery of the stolen cars from the various insurance companies. Steinwood’s real cars will be auctioned by Christie’s, and the money will go into the kitty.”

“And Victor will get commissions on those.” Annie folded her arms and nodded.

Charles added, “There is also a reward for blowing the whistle on the Michigan property. That, too, will be added to the fund.”

“What do we do about the painting?” one of the sisters asked.

“Maggie is going to call Lorraine Thompson’s daughter and instruct her to go to the local flea market in Huntington on Saturday. She is to look for booth one-twenty-nine, where she will ask for Rudy. Rudy will sell her the Chagall for twenty-five dollars. She’ll take the painting home, and Mrs. Spencer from MoMA will pay her a visit. Mrs. Spencer will authenticate the painting and arrange for it to be returned to France. France will give Lorraine’s daughter the reward money.”