“It’s a habit, Mr. Merritt.” Decker pointed to McAdams. “We’re dealing with very serious stuff.”

Merritt lowered his voice. “I’m sorry for what happened to him. But to come in here and accuse me—”

“We’re not accusing anyone,” Oliver said. “Just gathering information.”

“Those charges you mentioned are decades old!”

“They are,” Decker said. “But because of what happened, we’re investigating everything. So please bear with us. So the last time you looked at the Petroshkovich book in the library was over two years ago.”

“At least two years ago.” Merritt had lowered his voice.

“At Littleton or at Pretoria?”

“I’ve been to both colleges, but I’ve not been to either recently. Look, I don’t know how many times I have to say this. Despite that charge, I don’t deal in stolen art. I pleaded a nolo contendere on the advice of my lawyer because I was in a no-win situation with a horribly aggressive man. I should have fought harder. But at the time, I just wanted this terrible chapter in my life to go away.”

“So why didn’t you just return the money?”

“I did return the money. He sued me anyway! And once he claimed fraud, it became a criminal charge and took on a life of its own!”

“And you won’t tell me who it was?”

“I’d love to give you his name. But I won’t as a matter of principle.”

“We can check court records.”

“You can’t. Everything was sealed at the settlement. He was a horrible man. He did it to spite me. And, may I add, it took him forever to return the piece back to me.”

“Did you give him the money right away?”

“There were some expenses that were incurred like shipping and insurance. I should have just absorbed everything but he made me mad.” Merritt shook his head. “Suffice it to say, it was an expensive lesson. Now, I don’t deal with anyone without references.”

“He was a walk-in?”

“A Russian national with a big wallet.” He waved Decker off. “I don’t want to talk about it other than to say that I’ve had the piece authenticated by three separate dealers. But it’s not for sale. It’s hanging in my living room as a reminder of carelessness.”

Rina wheeled McAdams over to Decker. “Lovely pieces,” she said. “I noticed you wrote a book on icons. Can I buy it?”

Merritt said, “I’ll give it to you.” He looked at Tyler. “I’m sorry about what happened. That’s terrible.”

McAdams shrugged. “I consider myself lucky.”

“Is there anything else?” Merritt asked.

“Actually, yes.” When Merritt groaned, Decker said, “I believe you when you say that no one offered you any plates.”

“Does that merit a thank you?”