“Please, let’s.” She looked up and smiled. “You’d like to make me an extravagant offer to come work for you.”

“I would?”

“Yes, you would.”

Zizi returned her smile. “We have an opening in our art department.” His smile faded. “An unexpected opening, but an opening nonetheless. I’d like you to fill it.”

“Your art department?”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s how we refer to the various divisions of the operation. Hassan is chief of the communications department. Mansur’s department is travel. Herr Wehrli is banking. Mr. bin Talal is—”

“Security.”

“Exactly,” Zizi said.

“Who’s the chief of your art department?”

“At the moment, it’s me. But I’d like you to take over that job.”

“What about Andrew Malone?”

“Andrew Malone is no longer working for me.” Zizi fussed for a moment with his prayer beads. His eyes went again to the television screen and remained there while he spoke. “My arrangement with Andrew was supposed to be exclusive. I paid him a generous retainer. In return he was to give me advice with no possible conflict of interest on his part. As it turned out, Andrew repeatedly betrayed me. For the last several years he’s been taking money from me and from the people I’ve been buying from, a flagrant violation of our agreement. Among the dealers and collectors who made payments to Andrew in violation of his contract was Julian Isherwood.” He looked at her. “Were you aware of any cash payment by Julian Isherwood to Andrew Malone?”

“I wasn’t,” she said. “And if it happened, I’m sorry.”

“I believe you,” he said. “Andrew would have sworn Julian to secrecy. He was careful to cover his tracks in his double dealings. Unfortunately he could not hide the evidence of his betrayal inside his bank accounts. That’s how we found out about it.”

He made another glance at the television and frowned. “The job I have in mind for you is much larger than Andrew’s. Not only will you assist me in the acquisition of works, but you will also be responsible for the care and conservation of the collection. It’s my intention to begin lending some of my pieces to European and American museums as a means of fostering better cultural relations between my country and the West. As a former curator, you are more than suited to manage those transactions.” He scrutinized her for a moment. “Would you be interested in such a position?”

“I would, but—”

“—but you would like to discuss money and benefits before giving me an answer, which I understand completely. If you don’t mind my asking, how much is Julian paying you now?”

“Actually, I think I would mind.”

He sighed heavily and gave his prayer beads a twirl. “Is it your intention to make this as difficult as possible?”

“I try not to make a habit of negotiating against myself.”