An Inside Job

Gabriel was supposed to be chipping away at the painting in his spare time, but tonight he hadn’t the strength, so he sat atop a stool at the kitchen counter, drinking from a large glass of Brunello, while Chiara prepared dinner. He had once discovered the body of a notorious Italian tomb raider in a vat of acid. She had purchased her Greek hideaway with the proceeds of a summerlong crime spree in Saint-Tropez. Bertoli was sent next to Nigeria, followed by the Philippines, Buenos Aires, and finally Madrid, where he was much admired by the Spanish elite.