Honor Code Read Online Free PDF Page B

point.”
    “Oh?” Could this get any weirder?
    “As I mentioned, we do not maintain a permanent collection. Visiting artists, however, occasionally display their work here. A prominent artist is currently exhibiting as part of a cultural exchange program. Mr. Beason picked up one of the smaller paintings and attempted to leave with it. Our security intercepted him, of course. The younger man did not say anything, but his body language indicated he was very angry. I do not know if it was because of the incident itself—if he was humiliated by Mr. Beason’s actions—or because the grandfather acted confused. Some people do not tolerate the infirmities of the declining years. Whatever the reason, Mr. Beason insisted he wanted the ‘pretty picture’ for his wife.”
    Robbins’ internal radar pinged. “Beason said that? That he wanted the picture for his wife?”
    His dead wife?
    “Yes. In advanced senility, the old often become like children, losing societal distinctions of right and wrong. He did not seem to understand he was stealing.”
    Miz Rose insisted the guy was sharp as a tack.
    “If I had realized his family was concerned and unable to locate him, we would have detained them. It occurred to me later—when I saw the news coverage—that the young man might not have been his grandson.” A touch of chagrin tainted the director’s voice now.
    “Do you have security monitoring?” Robbins asked.
    “Of course. I anticipated you might ask. I made a CD, a copy of the relevant sections.”
    “Thank you.” Robbins wanted to watch that security tape. Body language might tell him as much as the spoken words about what was going on with the two men.
    He glanced at his watch. If the Greenville guys would meet them at the county line, the round trip would only take an hour.
    Robbins ran through the director’s story again, then obtained details about the Center’s location and hung up. He dialed another number and arranged for a Greenville deputy to collect the CD, while Jordan nearly crapped his pants with impatience.
    Questions piled on top of each other as Robbins relayed the information to Jordan. “Wonder why Beason didn’t ask for help if the young guy threatened him.”
    “Maybe they’re in on it together, whatever ‘it’ is,” Jordan said.
    “If they planned to steal these cylinder things, they’d have made sure the seals were at the Center first.”
    “This trip could’ve been about casing the joint. If that was it, Beason screwed up by snagging the picture. It called attention to them.”
    Robbins’ fingers drifted toward his shirt pocket in search of a phantom cigarette. He settled for a pencil and idly twirled it across his fingers. “Maybe getting attention was the point—at least from Beason’s perspective. If for some reason he felt he couldn’t ask for help directly, by taking the picture, he made sure the director noticed him.”
    “Why would they think the seals were at the Center in the first place?”
    “Good question. The other good questions are, where are they now and what are they planning?”
    Jordan moved a few papers around on his desk, then asked, “Is the old man losing it? Didn’t you say his wife was dead?”
    “I think mentioning his wife was a message. But I don’t have a clue what he’s trying to tell us.”

Chapter 6
     
    The Greenville deputy assigned to the southern part of the county agreed to retrieve the security CD from the Nippon Center. Since he’d only have to travel to the county line, the Newberry County deputy meeting him should make it back to the station before lunch. Robbins fiddled around online while he waited. What did they do before the Internet and Google? he wondered.
    He smirked as the screen refreshed. He knew exactly what they did back in what Jordan called the Dark Ages. Research then was time consuming or involved next to impossible to get information. He clicked on a link to the British Museum and tapped into their research