"Why would you say the risk is less for me?"

"The two million is for someone who has a fear of incarceration if caught. You don't have that fear because of what you are. If you are caught you need only to take your own life and wait to remember who you are when you come back. The money would be waiting for your next Ascension. Their prisons can't hold you. That's why it seems so easy for you."

It hit me then, it really was that simple. Their justice couldn't touch me. His offer became even more tantalizing, knowing it was within my power to commute any sentence if it came to that. That kind of libertinage was intoxicating. I began to see why Samas enjoyed this life as he did and it made me yearn for it. "I like the way you think," I said, turning to the floor plan.

"Thank you. I've been working on this plan almost every day for three months. It's solid."

"I understand what you mean when you say that their justice can't touch us. But with that in mind, why don't you steal the piece yourself?"

He erupted with laughter as he placed his hands on his hips. "As if I could fit this girth inside a trash can. Besides, the sum I offer is affordable. It's no bargain, but it's not unreasonable to me. I've thought about stealing it myself, I think I would derive much more satisfaction if I could. But I can't ignore that the odds of success would be much higher if a more qualified man did it. The Rendevouz's return will be satisfaction enough. What I really wanted was--." An abbreviated ring from the phone cut him off mid-sentence. He turned an ear toward it and waited for a second ring. It rang again 15 seconds later.

"I know who that is," he said. He walked over to the phone. "Mr. Diltz, what a pleasant surprise," he said into the receiver before the caller could speak. "I understand. Thank you. Goodbye." A serious cast came over his face as he hung up the phone and walked back to the table. "They want us back tomorrow. They are close to a decision."

"That's quicker than you thought," I said.

"Yes it is, but it's probably a good sign. Diltz said they want one more session with you first."

"What do you think that means?" I asked.

"We're about to find out."

1 The Vermeer described by Samas here and detailed by the author later in the notebooks as “The Rendezvous” does not match the description of any of the known 37 paintings, though 19th century art critic Thore Burger details 66 additional works attributed to Jan Vermeer in an essay detailed in Thore-Burger and the Art of the Past. Burger is widely credited with having “discovered” the 17th century Vermeer.

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