Page 12 of Hard to Kill

Miss Becker looked taken aback. Clearly, she wasn’t used to explaining art terms to nonartists. “Paintings are often forged. Before the museum will release the reward to the Roy family, they will need to ensure this is, indeed, a Rubens.” Anxiously, she added, “It’s no reflection on your integrity, General Slater.”

Kellen almost snorted. His integrity, indeed.

The general relaxed. “I see. Get on with it, then.”

Major Aimes and Miss Becker went to the mouth of the cave and collected the men needed to carry the enormous, weighty framed canvas. Slater and Kellen watched as the painting disappeared through the opening of the cave.

Kellen clicked on her flashlight. “I’ll look to see if there are more works of art.” She wandered toward the back of the cave.

The general watched her for a long moment, as if assessing her intentions, and then he began to use his flashlight as if he were searching, too.

She didn’t know if he was actually looking or scoping out his theater for murder.

Miss Becker directed the workers to turn the painting on its side, cover it in canvas and a ridiculous amount of Bubble Wrap and strap it to the back of the lead truck.

When the Rubens was secure, Miss Becker reentered the cave. “Find anything?” she called.

Kellen shook her head. “Not a thing.”

Miss Becker was unfazed. “Finding a Rubens is enough for me. Thank you for this opportunity. I’m going to head back with the workers. I’ll need their help getting the painting onto the plane. You’ll go, too?”

“Aimes will drive us back in a moment,” Slater said, stepping forward to shake Miss Becker’s hand. “Keep our painting safe.”

Miss Becker smiled and bobbed back out of the cave, called goodbye to Aimes and climbed into the truck. The workers piled into the other trucks, ready to leave the dark forest.

As the sound of the trucks receding echoed in the cave, Major Aimes returned. “I thought there would be more treasure in the cave. My research said that often the Nazis hid multiple works of art in one location.”

Slater walked toward the back of the cave. “Sorry, Major, but this drop-off looks like the edge of the cave.”

“I did research and found many missing works of art, including a Botticelli, a van Gogh and two beautiful Monet paintings,” Aimes insisted.

Kellen walked to the edge of the precipice and looked down. Without her flashlight on, there was no end to the dark abyss below. “If Roy’s maps are to be believed, the Rubens is all there is in this cave. There’s nothing beyond to be recovered. Here it drops off into an unimaginable abyss. No one has ever found the bottom of this cave.” Kellen watched the general out of the corner of her eyes, waiting to see if this was the moment he would strike.

Behind them, she heard the click of a safety being removed.

In that instant, she knew she’d been suckered.

General Slater got a chagrined look on his face.

Aimes had caught them both.

They both turned to face Major Aimes.

Aimes pointed his sidearm at them and smiled in a way that made Kellen’s insides grow cold. “It really is too bad that General Slater and Captain Adams were both killed during the recovery of the Rubens painting. Cave-ins can be so unpredictable. But since Kellen and I were in a deeply romantic relationship, and I was integral to retrieving a stolen masterpiece, I’m sure the museum won’t balk at giving me her share of the reward.”

Kellen’s anger welled up inside of her. “As though anyone would believe you and I were together.”

Aimes laughed. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, my dear, but I’m the consummate actor. They’ll believe it.”

Time to do her share of acting.

Turning to General Slater, she yelled, “You might die, but I’m not going down with you.” She rushed at him, slamming him in the solar plexus with her good shoulder.

He stumbled backward, arms flailing, and fell into the abyss.

Major Aimes took his shot.

The bullet grazed her shoulder—what did everyone have against her shoulder?—and the impact knocked her over the edge of the precipice, into the dark.

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