Lewi's Legacy (16 page)

This is all I know, soon I will be gone but I ask my little Leah to mark my grave at the temple in Hagenau. Shalom. Lewi Levi.’

Louis had never thought that he would hear the words written by the great man from the lips of his daughter, it was the most moving event that he had experienced, or ever would do. He stood up from his chair and faced his new relatives, tears continued to stream down his face as he held on to them for what seemed a very long time. The story of Lewi, and the legacy he left made the young man so proud.

An hour or so later he was sandwiched between his two new family members in the same car that he had brought to them the previous day. Roger the butler was driving them to Hagenau to see his namesake Lewi. He was surprised how short a journey it was.

Soon they had pulled up outside a sombrely built building that he recognised as a synagogue, with the familiar Star of David in the front window. There were little in the way of buildings around it, and given the history, Louis was surprised that it was still standing. As they got out, a little old woman dressed in black stood in front of the main door to welcome them. She seemed to recognise Leah and bowed to her, opened the temple door and ushered them inside. It was dark and quiet and Louis noticed that the layout was very similar to the on he went to with his Aunt Ruth in Southampton. The three of them sat at the back and Leah held both the men’s hands as they bent their heads in silent prayer.

She squeezed her nephew’s hand gently to indicate that they were going outside and so they filed around the back of the building. There were many unmarked graves in the cemetery, a case of the few burying the many. All were victims of the holocaust in this area.

They carried on past the graves and came upon an unusual sight. Two trees that looked like ancient yews had grown so closely together, that they had joined over the centuries and had become one. As he walked up to them Ethan grabbed one of the branches that were overhanging, as if he was shaking its hand. Amongst the leaves were large quantities of little red berries shaped as if someone had already taken a bite of them.

‘What do you feel Ethan.’ Leah asked her husband.

He looked back to her with tears in his eyes. ‘I can feel the roots of the trees and they have been soaked in the blood of our fallen tribes, cut off in their prime by the oppressor.’

‘And the berries, they represent the drops of blood shed.’ Said Louis

Leah took hold of Louis’s hand and led him around the ancient pair of trees. Only a few metres beyond the old Yews there stood a large rough boulder of granite, it seemed to be just sitting on the grass as if a giant had thrown it there.

He looked at it carefully, and saw that one of the sides of the boulder had been polished flat, and inscribed in gold Hebrew print. He laid his hand on the smooth surface and looked to Leah for a translation. Leah stood in front of the written dedication and read out loud to them.

‘Rest in peace dear son of the tribe of Levi, we shall forever remember you.’

Ethan told Louis that they had chosen such a piece of granite as they desired that their tribute should last forever. Then he put his arm around Louis and the other around his young wife and they solemnly walked back to the car. Quietly Ethan left a sum of money in the Temple and came out again.

As the limousine glided towards home, Louis, in all the excitement had forgotten about picking the car up from Stuttgart. ‘I think we know what you’re thinking about dear boy, but I’m one step ahead of you.’ Ethan laughed. ‘The car you are worrying about should just about now be sitting in one of our garages waiting for you.’

‘How could that be done Uncle?’ Louis asked.

‘Just a small phone call to Harold is all that it took. He was happy and now so are we, am I right dear boy?’ Ethan asked.

‘We want you to stay with us Louis, as long as you like. There is plenty of room and we know you would be very happy here.’ Leah looked at him awaiting an answer.

Louis explained that he wanted to go back home the next day, to which they both looked disappointed. So when the young man talked about Esther, whom he had just met, he promised faithfully that he would return with his new wife on his next visit. Ethan smiled broadly.

‘That’s what I like to hear Leah, a man who knows what he wants!’ Then they all laughed loudly.

15
The Big Sale

The auction house in NYC

Victor woke up on the Sunday morning in his apartment with a hangover, grateful for the fact that he wasn’t going to the warehouse. Mikhail certainly knew how to have a good time, but still the question remained how much could he trust this Russian Ambassador?

The most important job to do first at the Warehouse was to obtain the individual numbers to attach to, and follow each individual item right up to the successful disposal. This number, which represented the item’s own Swiss bank account, would automatically be credited by the Auction house after charges. Mikhail had made it very clear to him that only four parties would know the number. Mikhail, Victor, the auctioneer and Philippe, the Swiss banker, the provider of the number in the first place.

He agreed with the Ambassador that Victor would choose the first five artefacts, Mikhail would obtain five numbers from Philippe to start with, and Victor would shipped them to the auction house, duly marked, and accompany the shipment to the chosen auction house for the first sale. This would enable them to then judge what, if anything, did not go smoothly, and then rectify it.

Victor had spoken to Mikhail on the Sunday on the special mobile number to ask him a question. Mikhail sounded uncomfortable on the phone, but told him the address of the café on his boulevard where he would meet him after dark, and suggested after ten. Mikhail was dressed in the same strange disguise as last time, and Victor could not disguise his mirth. The young man had been thinking ahead about any hitches that could arise, and he asked if the Russian could trust him to make contact with his friend Leah-May from Bonham’s in London.

Victor explained that Leah-May
would be very useful in getting the details right and would make the whole operation much smoother. Mikhail asked about her credentials and said to leave it with him, as he wanted to do some checking first. He was happy though for Victor to ‘touch base’ with her to ask if she might be interested, but warned Victor not to disclose any details of their arrangement. Victor also told the Ambassador that subject to a generous financial arrangement with her, together they could more than halve the time it would take to dispose of all the artefacts, which would mean probably more proceeds, much quicker.

As he slept that Sunday night he hoped that Mikhail would see sense and agree to his request, as he really did not want to even attempt such a considerable disposal without professional help. In fact he was sure that the task was too big for one person. Victor’s ploy would be to temp Mikhail, by telling him that with two people, he would complete the sales considerably quicker.

The next day, Victor was pleased to see that Levka had retained the job to ferry the young man to and from the Warehouse. It was helpful to at least know the person, and on the surface, trust him. The guards were still at the warehouse although two of them had been changed. Victor quite understood that, considering how long they had to be there for the Ambassador. Levka had given Victor a sealed envelope, hand written to be opened when he had arrived at their destination.

The letter outlined that Mikhail’s investigation had proved positive and he agreed ‘in principle’ to his request. In respect of the person that Victor had suggested, he was happy for him to allow remuneration, however it would have to come out of Victor’s own commission, and nowhere else. At the bottom of the letter there was a strict instruction to burn his written message for obvious reasons.

Victor was ecstatic about Mikhail’s note and he had soon fired off an email to Leah-May asking her to meet him as soon as possible at his flat in Montmartre. Amazingly he received a reply in less than five minutes, asking what it was all about. He answered, apologising for the lack of detail, but asking if she could she take a couple of days off and come. Also, just for interest, he mentioned that she could finish up a wealthy woman.

He then intimated to her that it would be the most exciting offer she might ever receive. He received he reply that she would be on the first flight from London on the Tuesday, and a request that he meet her at the airport at ten in the morning. His reply was affirmative and he told her what he would be wearing, and told her look out for him.

The young man made pretence of inspecting the layout of the artefacts, moving them slightly here and there, and checking against the listings. Soon it was lunchtime, and he told Levka that he was done for the day and that he would not need his services the next day. He also told him that there could be another person accompanying him on the Wednesday morning. The senior guard also had to be told and he gave him Leah’s full name Leah-May Owen, so that his records would be in order. On the way back to the city Levka said that he would have to report to his boss the change of instructions and Victor nodded in agreement as he got out of the Renault.

As he sat in the back of his taxi heading for De Gaulle Airport, he just couldn’t help feeling excited. For once there was a chance that someone else could be helping to complete the huge task in front of him, and without a doubt the disposals would be done correctly.

As she breezed through customs he remembered how pretty she was. Although she was about ten years older than he was, her self-assured persona came through loudly and her smile, when she spotted him, filled him with delight. He took the suitcase from her and it was heavy.

She looked at him and asked. ‘I’m not staying just for one night, am I Victor?’

He opened the front door of the building and they entered the panelled hall. She just said ‘Wow’ as they climbed the staircases, and looked at the French tapestry on the walls. Her eyes widened even more as he opened the apartment door.

‘This is impressive Victor, what rent do you pay for this place?’ She asked.

‘Well Leah, I don’t pay anything, and when we have lunched somewhere nice, I’m sure that you will understand why it is free.’

‘How many bedrooms do you have darling?’ Leah asked as she threw her long arms around him. She had taken her shoes off to push her toes into the thick cream carpet.

‘Do you want to freshen up?’ He held the bathroom door open and she surveyed the marble floor and the gold plated fitments.

She rushed in and closed the door after she shouted, ‘just five minutes darling!’

Victor was shocked when she emerged in just a short time, ready to do lunch. He asked her if she wanted a ‘posh nosh’ or his favourite café along the boulevard. She knew it was a weighted question so she did what he suggested, and went for the local café, saying that was good enough for her. After their dinner it was good to relax with no time limits on them. They gently walked back to his apartment and his pretty guest put her arm though his, as if they were an old couple.

‘If you were to accept what I am going to offer you, what would you do about your current, job Leah?’ he inquired

‘I have been at Bonham’s for a long time, and sometimes it feels like I’m a piece of furniture. I think that I need a new challenge, and I hope that this could be just what I’m looking for.’ Leah answered.

Victor tried to outline the sort of people that he was currently working for. There was a particular accent on secrecy, and he had to admit to her that that level of secrecy had recently got to him, and that was one of the reasons why he had requested for her to be involved in the project. He passed her the complete catalogue of the items stored and explained that although he had had very little time, he had been able to describe and value most of them. Before he went for a bath, he asked her to read the list and, where possible, mark the prices with a tick if she agreed, and with the green pen, write the amount if she felt it should be higher and with a red pen if it should be lower.

An hour later he emerged from the bathroom, and she was in the kitchen brewing some coffee. He sat and looked at her assessment. Three quarters of the items had a tick on them, and only two had a red figure. He had a smile on his face as Leah passed him his fresh coffee. ‘Good news darling?’ she asked.

‘Yes, for two reasons. First, it looks as if my figures were pretty ok, and secondly, and more importantly, it means that the real auction price has a good chance to be higher than them.’

‘Why does that matter Victor?’ She asked, as she sat close beside him on the couch.

He explained that the only way that his employer was going to agree to take her on was if they shared the commission that had been arranged. She looked puzzled. He explained that the principals had offered that he could take one percentage of any auction sale value that had exceeded his estimate.

‘Say that Matisse on the list.’ He said, pointing halfway down the first page. ‘I have estimated as you can see, eight million pounds, and you have estimated ten.’

The penny suddenly dropped with Leah, and she could easily calculate that a substantial sum of money could be involved if they did a good job. He gave her a kiss and she put her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. ‘Are you interested, Leah, so far?’ he asked.

‘Interested?’ she opened his dressing gown and looked down. ‘Of course I’m interested!’

The next morning early they were waiting for their car. Levka was driving the big Renault and that pleased Victor, and Levka didn’t look too unhappy about it either as Leah gave him a smile that would have brought the sun out. She was wearing a tight pencil skirt with a matching coat over a white open blouse.

‘A treat is in store for the guards as well.’ he said quietly to himself, smiling.

Levka, ever the gentleman ran around the car and opened the door for Leah, the sight of a generous rear walking in front of him towards the warehouse was as good as a fried breakfast for him. Victor smiled to himself as he watched Levka’s face, as he never missed a jiggle.

Just before they reached the side door of the huge building, the four guards appeared. They virtually fought each other to open the door for her, and she made the best of it as she gingerly touched the barrels of their automatic weapons as she walked by. The Russians all stayed in the little office, no doubt taking note of their new visitor, as Victor opened the inner door leading to the cavernous treasure trove. He passed her the list and let her wander down the generous isles, stopping here and there to look closely at some of the items. She looked back at Victor and he quickly joined her. Well, Leah darling what’s your first impression?’

‘Did you sort all this out for them?’ she asked.

‘Well, I got some help with the carrying, but the organisation of it was all mine,’ he answered her smiling. ‘What I want from you, Leah is to tell me how long it would take to shift this lot. Remember the principal doesn’t want us to use London or Paris auction houses.’

This was why Victor had made the right choice in asking Leah to partner him. She was able to make the impossible into the achievable. He left her to look around and indicated to her to take her time, although he had told her that he needed her best estimate that day so he could tell Mikhail.

He left her alone and walked into the office to speak with the guards. He kept his eyes on her as she made her way back, but suddenly stopped just before the office door. She noticed the small amount of objects in a sort of quarantine area. Leah looked down the list that she had, and found them under the heading of ‘UNKNOWN’. She called Victor out of the office and he joined her as she was holding a painting up and looking at it carefully.

‘You can’t identify this?’ she asked him.

‘Maybe I would have, but I had only one week to catalogue and value the rest of them.’ He waved his arm as if he was scanning the whole display.

The young woman could see that he was a little self-conscious about it, so she put her arms around his waist and kissed him fully on the lips. She then looked over his shoulder and saw the guards standing in a row at the window grinning at them In defiance she then squeezed his bottom, which only made them laugh out loud and point. Victor of course heard them and pulled away embarrassed.

‘Erm, sorry Victor, I felt sorry for you my little er.. Big boy, she giggled to herself. Changing the subject, she then asked him how long he would give her to complete her report that day.

‘Take as long as you need, and by the way please don’t do that again in front of the Russians, OK?’

‘Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself.’ She said, coyly. ‘I really want to get on with my estimate now Victor, so you go and get some fresh air for an hour and I’ll see you then.’

He looked at his watch it was nearly lunchtime so he decided to ask Levka to get some lunch for all of them and pick up some of his favourite Stella beer. All the guards cheered when they heard about the beer.