“I assume those were stolen as well?”

Isherwood shook his head. “Only my Rembrandt.”

“No other paintings? You’re sure?”

“Trust me, darling. I’m sure.”

They emerged from the hollow into the open terrain. In the distance, a pair of massive Sea King helicopters floated like zeppelins over the naval air station. Gabriel’s thoughts, however, were focused on a single question. Why would a thief in a hurry grab a large Rembrandt portrait rather than a smaller Cézanne or Monet?

“Do the police have a theory?”

“They suspect Liddell must have surprised the thieves in the middle of the robbery. When it went bad, they killed him and grabbed the closest painting, which happened to be mine. After this summer, Scotland Yard is quite pessimistic about the chances for recovery. And Liddell’s death makes it more complicated. This is now first and foremost a murder investigation.”

“How long until your insurance company pays out?”

Isherwood frowned and drummed one finger nervously on the wheel. “I’m afraid you’ve just hit upon my dilemma.”

“What dilemma?”

“As of this moment, the rightful owner of the Rembrandt is still the unnamed client of David Cavendish. But when I took possession of the painting, it was supposed to come under my insurance policy.”

Isherwood’s voice trailed off. It contained a melancholy note Gabriel had heard many times before. Sometimes it appeared when Isherwood’s heart had been broken or when he had been forced to sell a cherished painting. But usually it meant he was in financial trouble. Again.

“What have you done now, Julian?”

“Well, it’s been a rough year, hasn’t it, petal? Stock market declines. Real estate crashes. Falling sales for luxury items. What’s a small independent dealer like me supposed to do?”

“You didn’t tell your insurance company about the painting, did you?”

“The premiums are so bloody expensive. And those brokers are such leeches. Do you know how much it would have cost me? I thought I could—”

“Cut a corner?”

“Something like that.” Isherwood fell silent. When he spoke again, there was a note of desperation in his voice that had not been present before. “I need your help, Gabriel. I am personally on the hook for forty-five million dollars.”

“This isn’t what I do, Julian. I’m a—”

“Restorer?” Isherwood gave Gabriel a skeptical glance. “As we both know, you’re not exactly an ordinary art restorer. You also happen to be very good at finding things. And in all the time I’ve known you, I’ve never asked you for a favor.” Isherwood paused. “There’s no one else I can turn to. Unless you help me, I’m ruined.”