After dinner, the Count de Matigny turned to Tracy. “You mentioned that you were interested in seeing some of my paintings. Would you like to take a look now?”
“I’d love to,” Tracy assured him.
The picture gallery was a private museum filled with Italian masters, French Impressionists, and Picassos. The long hall was ablaze with the bewitching colors and forms painted by immortals. There were Monets and Renoirs, Canalettos and Guardis and Tintorettos. There was an exquisite Tiepolo and a Guercino and a Titian, and there was almost a full wall of Cé-zannes. There was no calculating the value of the collection.
Tracy stared at the paintings a long time, savoring their beauty. “I hope these are well guarded.”
The count smiled. “On three occasions thieves have tried to get at my treasures. One was killed by my dog, the second was maimed, and the third is serving a life term in prison. The château is an invulnerable fortress, Duchess.”
“I’m so relieved to hear that, Count.”
There was a bright flash of light from outside. “The fireworks display is beginning,” the count said. “I think you’ll be amused.” He took Tracy’s soft hand in his papery, dry one and led her out of the picture gallery. “I’m leaving for Deau-ville in the morning, where I have a villa on the sea. I’ve invited a few friends down next weekend. You might enjoy it.”
“I’m sure I would,” Tracy said regretfully, “but I’m afraid my husband is getting restless. He insists that I return.”
The fireworks display lasted for almost an hour, and Tracy took advantage of the distraction to reconnoiter the house. What Jeff had said was true: The odds against a successful burglary were formidable, but for that very reason Tracy found the challenge irresistible. She knew that upstairs in the count’s bedroom were $2 million in jewels, and half a dozen masterpieces, including a Leonardo.
The château is a treasure house, Gunther Hartog had told her, and it’s guarded like one. Don’t make a move unless you have a foolproof plan.
Well, I’ve worked out a plan, Tracy thought. Whether it’s foolproof or not, I’ll know tomorrow.
The following night was chilly and cloudy, and the high walls around the château appeared grim and forbidding as Tracy stood in the shadows, wearing black coveralls, gum-soled shoes, and supple black kid gloves, carrying a shoulder bag. For an unguarded moment Tracy’s mind embraced the memory of the walls of the penitentiary, and she gave an involuntary shiver.
She had driven the rented van alongside the stone wall at the back of the estate. From the other side of the wall came a low, fierce growl that developed into a frenzied barking, as the dog leapt into the air, trying to attack. Tracy visualized the Doberman’s powerful, heavy body and deadly teeth.
She called out softly to someone in the van, “Now.”
A slight, middle-aged man, also dressed in black, with a rucksack on his back, came out of the van holding onto a female Doberman. The dog was in season, and the tone of barking from the other side of the stone wall suddenly changed to an excited whine.
Tracy helped lift the bitch to the top of the van, which was almost the exact height of the wall.
“One, two, three,” she whispered.
And the two of them tossed the bitch over the wall into the grounds of the estate. There were two sharp barks, followed by a series of snuffling noises, then the sound of the dogs running. After that all was quiet.
Tracy turned to her confederate. “Let’s go.”
The man, Jean Louis, nodded. She had found him in Antibes. He was a thief who had spent most of his life in prison. Jean Louis was not bright, but he was a genius with locks and alarms, perfect for this job.
Tracy stepped from the roof of the van onto the top of the wall. She unrolled a scaling ladder and hooked it to the edge of the wall. They both moved down it onto the grass below. The estate appeared vastly different from the way it had looked the evening before, when it was brightly lit and crowded with laughing guests. Now, everything was dark and bleak.