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Chapter 41 The garage stood idle at the edge of town. The young attendant looked at the tire and suggested he remove and check it. It would take about an hour so they decided to wait. The young attendant sat down to read. "I'll have to wait for the boss," he announced. I don't do that kind of thing." After
a few minutes an older man arrived. He introduced himself as the owner. Bruce
told him he was surprised that the attendant didn't change tires. The older man
frowned. "The war has destroyed young people's desire to work," he said
with a sneer. "Ils sont une generation perdue". Bruce understood his
remark. They are a lost generation. He mentioned it to Marie Claude. She understood. A Proud Catalan "No. I was here until late 1942. That's when things were getting bad. We lived in horror. My father wanted us to leave. Carlos suggested Barcelona as that was where he was born. He's a proud Catalan." Bruce thought before he said, "You know, I met Marina Alvarez when I was in Barcelona." "I knew you would," Marie Claude said quietly. "After all, she's Carlos's business partner." "They never married, or lived together?" "Apparently not." Then she looked at Bruce and said, "Look. I know I have a lot to be bitter about but really I'm not. Sometimes I feel sorry for Carlos. Rina is a very aggressive woman. She usually gets what she goes after. I think Carlos lost more than he gained when he became involved with her. She has very strange friends and is capable of anything. I think she's a dangerous lady. But enough said. I'd like to change the subject." They sat in silence for a while. The garage owner reported that the tire was holding the air but when they ended their journey they should consider buying a new one. Apparently the little accident had twisted the rim slightly. Very Few Cars on the Road They drove on and reached Vierzon before long. There were very few cars on the road. "Why don't we turn off here and go to Bourges. It's beautiful there and you might like the museums. We can swing back to Chateauroux after that, stop there and be home tomorrow night. Had they gone through Chateauroux at that moment, they would have passed Karl Hellstrom, behind the wheel of his rebuilt Jaguar, heading back to Amboise with his tail between his legs. They had entered an area called Berry, a haven of wildlife. Bruges was in a rich agricultural area and the fields were alive with the sharp yellows of rape seed and sunflowers. They drove around the town and admired the great Cathedral St-Etienne one of France's finest Gothic places of worship dating back to the middle 1200's. It was wider and higher than anything Bruce had seen and it seemed brighter. The colors and the stained glass and the double flying buttresses made it memorable. The town also boasted a 15th century astrological clock worth seeing. Not far away was the remarkable octagonal shaped tower, once the house of the alderman and now so called as Hotel des Echevins. Work had begun in renovating the building and providing for an art gallery. Marie Claude knew the curator who was busy collecting works of art by a local, self-taught artist Maurice Esteve who was from the area. They examined some of the canvasses which Mademoiselle Amiel was proud to show them. "He specialized in water colors and collages and did a few line drawings. I think his strong colors will do well in this Gothic setting." Miss Amiel was proud of her work and it showed. Marie Claude told her old friend that Bruce investigated stolen art. She showed surprised. "I don't want you to be burdened by our problems, but we, too, had an art robbery here some time ago." "Really," said Marie Claude. Did you ever recover what was stolen?" An Art Robbery Some Time Ago "Actually, we did, but in a very unusual way. The paintings turned up on our doorstep a few months later." "They were just returned?" "Yes, but not by the person who stole them. Somebody wrote a note saying he or she had seen the works and was surprised when they appeared in an art gallery, for sale. He bought them and brought them back." "Who was this person? Did you know him? Was he from here?" Bruce was really astounded. "No." Miss Amiel replied. "They were returned in good order by the stranger. We did nothing but made sure they were under lock and key and not stolen again." Bruce was intrigued. He had heard of good Samaritans coming forth to tell where stolen paintings had been hidden but never of someone who bought them from someone because he knew they were stolen. "In all my years, I have never heard of such a thing. What were the circumstances under which they were stolen in the first place?" The Paintings Were Downstairs Miss Amiel though for a moment. "The paintings were in a room downstairs and someone had forgotten to lock the window. In the morning they were gone. We heard nothing and people were living in the building that night." Then she added. "I remember, it was a stormy night. There was thunder. Maybe that's why the sound was muffled. But we got them back so the story ends happily." Bruce looked at Marie-Claude and nodded. Marie-Claude took this as a sign to tell Miss Amiel about the coincidence." Amiel listened attentively." I am stunned, "said Miss Amiel. "I can get you a copy of the police report. Maybe there are certain coincidences." "It's a long shot," Bruce confessed, "but I learned some years ago that all information is good information." (Click here for Chapter 42)
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