The Summer Palace Heist
THE HEIST
Richard Rios caught the interest of an older Chinese invitee who was eyeing for the longest time the same ceramic piece Richard was interested in by only asking him if he thought the ceramic horse and rider belonged to the "Summer palace." The provenance of the piece was doubtful at best. The piece is said to have been uncovered from a French soldier's grave after an old tree toppled over ripping open the grave.....
(Ming Rui) Shook his head but face his betrayed interest..
Richard introduced himself while picking up the piece without asking "And your name is?"Richard gently put the ceramic back upon the Blood red velvet covered pedestal as five burly men approached him from all sides... Backing away with hands in the air to indicate no trouble intended...He grabbed a champagne flute that was passing by... He looked at the guest whose face had turned ashen , shook his hand firmly but warmly...
"I'm Ming Rui" he said as the color returned to his cheeks from the fright Richard gave him.
"Ming Rui? Really?" He paused. Was you named by chanced after the son in-law to the emperor Qualong"... Ming smiled, raised his own glass. Said nothing for a moment... Then took a few step to get closer to Richard
"You surprised me Mr. Rios Not many people know such details"
Richard smiled with pride as he had read that little
Ming asked, "What is it that interests you regarding the summer palace artifacts?"
"The Hunt, Mr. Ming, The hunt."
"With millions of pieces to hunt for, for me few are as intriguing the Emperor's tea set" He paused for drama as well as to read the man's face for hints of interest...
"This is hardly the place to hold a good conversation, I see there are others who want your ear Mr. Ming...I look forward to seeing you again perhaps we might have other interests in common... "
Rios knew that Mr. Ming knew more than he let on... Curiosity will make him call...
That was a few years back here today they met in a Old french restaurant in the oldest part of France...It was busy for 2 PM in the middle of the week...
Ming was some what annoyed by the woman and her unruly child seated a few tables away...
Mr. Ming lost focus on the woman and focused instead on the old map upon the wall behind Richard's seat, and said, "This city has certainly come a long ways." he pointed to the map.
Now that he mentioned it the walls of the restaurant were adorned with old maps of Paris.
Having discussed politics, the weather, religion even grand children. They both knew but did not bring up the private investigators each had on each other...
"This wine is not as good as I hoped." Richard made a sour face.....
A waiter having his full attention on his table, scurried up to Richard, took the sour wine away without asking...
Ming did not touch the wine or food, merely played with a sliced piece of french bread plucking away at the sesame seeds one by one....
"You might be interested to know Mr. Ming I've come across an old shipping manifesto dating back to 1885 with it a letter detailing Ceramics taken and shipped together with what appears hundreds of Gold pieces...." Richard didn't volunteer any more waiting for Ming to show interest...
Ming simply asked. "Why are you telling me this?"
Richard stopped taking while the waiter displayed a bottle with some older ragged label. He motioned to Ming for his favor Ming just slightly shrugged his shoulders and made his hands in an open hand gesture..
Tasting the Red wine Richard just pushed it away.
"Come back with something better." He thought it better.. You know what why don't you call the owner ask them what they would serve themselves and bring me that.. Ok?
"Because, You Mr. Ming know more capable people than I ...The right kind of people to get what you want..."
Ming stood.... Richard reached out touched Mr. Ming,s hand...Without looking up knowing that The Palace looting was a subject of keen study of Ming's....Said out loud.
"The sender was Jean Batiste Gros."
"Mr. Rios, you suddenly have my undivided attention."
Again the waiter was at Richard's left with a bottle whose label had seen some hustle.
"House Reserve 1954 is what the owner's said" He said head held back as if holding something he did not want to let go..
Richard pointed for the wine to be placed on the table waited for the wine to be poured and motioned to the waiter to leave
"Jean Batiste Gros?"..." The Baron Jean Batiste Gros?"
"Found it in a old Shipping ledger in a pawn shop.. Hundreds of Ivory, jade and Gold pieces. What is of our interest is where it was shipped to..."
Ming looked at Richard with a raised eyebrow..
Sipped some wine... Richard copied his facial expression and waited in silence.. Ming sucked air between his teeth... Said while taking another sip, "Our Interest?...Mr Rios, Tell me how?."
Richard knew that in all negotiations, who ever speaks first loses.
He took a small bite of the unknown local cheese.
"It is simple Mr. Ming You send your assistants shopping, I send my assistants home, and we can talk freely and frankly..."
Richard poised himself ready to leave the table with the top of his 8 fingers wiggling as if waving goodbye.
Richard took the initiative beckoned the head assistant who was busy on the phone way over in a corner seem he never ate Richard never saw him eat or drink.
Tom left his the table moved like a large cat on the hunt never putting down the phone from his ear...
Tom looked at Richard's guest... Said, "Forgive my intrusion sir."
Richard again took another sip... "Tom, you and the crew can take the rest of the night off"
Tom Pressed the phone screen 3 or 5 times. 5 cars out on the street turned on their lights and moved away.
Seen that Ming held his hands as if to rub them moved the index and middle fingers as if the were chopsticks... 3 people who were unseen came out of hiding, one dropped the apron, the other two came out as if from the very walls. a long stream of cars passed by the restaurant window...
Richard smiled. His chief of security was spot on. Richard knew that he would never be truly alone and neither would Ming.
As they walked along the old streets Richard made a motion towards the early November night sliver of a moon that was peeking over some sparse clouds the city lights illuminated from below.
Richard broke the silence that Ming was not in a hurry to break, "Mr. Ming the number of full moons we will both see are numbered, How do you think, we'll be remembered?"
"Richard, I'll call you Rick, Rick, My passing will be felt by few, But my fingers will be felt for decades."
THE HEIST IS BORN
All great enterprises have very delicate wings in their beginnings.
Ming and Richard walked along the row houses, Richard put his right index finger to his ear. Ming did not notice or pretended not to notice. They walked in silence a little longer.
Richard asked Ming, "Hey Ming, did you hear the joke about the Two balloons floating along the Arizona desert?"
Richard put his index finger to his lips, put his hand in the inside of his jacket...
"No? " As he put a pair of clear glasses upon Ming's face...
Ming's face and eyes opened and grew wide as the Glasses revealed a laser dot upon Richard's right side. He took the glasses off the dot disappeared. He understood. Said nothing more
Richard said. "One balloon said to the other,.. 'Don't worry, just stay away from the CACTUSSSSSSSS."
Ming put his hand on Richard's shoulder....Said, "Dick. It's getting late. Can this walk wait for another day?"
"Mr. Ming, This new project won't wait too long, Will you visit me in my Philadelphia office? We'll have Breakfast we can have fun reading the contents of the Manifesto..."
Late may Spring in center Philadelphia, Slight breeze this morning. this Place was Rick's go to place eat when in Philly. Rick was waiting at the door when they opened late in the morning.
From this table he saw the rowing teams float by on the Schuylkill river.
Ming showed alone wearing the same glasses Richard loaned him last November...
Rick got himself another pair but with a different frame... Questions remained unasked as to who was behind the November laser incident...
For more than a few moments after pleasantries were exchanged both men killed time looking out the window, a pelican landed on a pier pilling spread it's wings started to let the sun soak.
Ming was the first to ask, "Should we move forward?"
Richard looked up from book he was holding. "There's a change in the payday." Richard let those words hang in the air to gauge the interest...
"What ever do you mean." Ming asked annoyed he didn't like changes or surprises.
"Sorry Ming. Didn't mean to alarm you.... The projects stands, But I've lost interest in the palace items, you and your friends can have them all, If you can, let me have one piece you'd think I'd like. Is that fair?"
Ming Smiled, Said "Most generous Rick, There is something else of interest in the place? Can we help you get it in exchange of your generosity?"
"I thought you'd never ask."
The big dig
Two years have past. Rental of Villas were in place, It was really Richard's job to procure the warehouses tools and living quarters for the workers. Secrecy and shell co's were the rule of the day.
Ming was getting 8 trusted workers And Richard 4. They were to work in close quarters for six months. No time was to be spend outside alone. All of them came with multiple talents in case things went south.
Their quarters was amply furnished and stocked with the favorite foods and entertainment. Many of the things were requested by some members. They knew and agreed to the conditions spurred only by curiosity and doing something different Only Ming and Richard knew the real aim of the project. The men only knew what they were told 'working for a top secret government branch' and that the pay was more than excellent.
After 6 months they would be replaced by 12 others before the objective is reached.
For now they waited for deliveries and assembled a few things but mostly played cards and videos.
Richard and Ming were inside the cavernous warehouse Both looking at their watches. Waiting for the final trucks to deliver the rest of the parts to finish assembly of the mini tunneler they copied from the big daddy tunneler of them all
A heavy truck horn sounded and the men all dropped their playing cards ran to open the interior gate they lowered it as soon as the truck was in, the rest were already attaching straps to lift the cargo. In 3 minutes the truck was out the door again.
"Well" Said Ming..."It's in their hands now
"Same time next month?"
"Same time next month."
They gave themselves a spacing of 30 minutes before each headed to the airport.
They finished assembling the mini tunneler Two days later. The small dozer was busy shoving dirt from the rectangled pit they dug into the warehouse floor. At 72 inches across and 14 feet long the tunneler looked small as it was lowered in 30 foot deep pit.
They dug further away and deep from the warehouse making tunnel wall as they moved forward train tracks were assembled behind the tunneler. Setting things ready to transport the loot
when the time came.
Time to chase the rabbit
Four months have past, it was time to relieve the men working on the tunnel. Time to take them home and leave the new crew in their place...
The G650 taxied to the reserved spot on the tarmac. The stairs were lowered and the custom agent went directly to the pilot who already had the passports for all on board. As if they had done this many times before six smacks of the portable stamp. The passports were handed back to the pilot who in turn gave a slim envelope to the customs agent.
Richard wore the special glasses as matter of routine now. As he walked among the hired hands he saw the otherwise invisible laser dot skim among one of the men...
He kind of expected it, there was no need for alarm as the men were deep into into a "Who's the best soccer player Europe Vs Latin America argument..He made a note to himself to get to the bottom who's hand is on the laser pointer.... Already he had 3 reference points. He'd get Ming to run a parallel investigation to his....See if we can flush this rabbit out.
This delays the crew swap....
"Get back in the plane, all of you, back in, let's go. Let's do something else."
In the Plane Richard sat, alone deep in thought. Took out the paperback sci-fi book, "God Emperor of Dune"
Typed in his company's email server, Opened the book random page, selected the needed word, wrote the page number, paragraph number, line line number then the word number.
On it went, for an hour, tedious but impossible to crack the code unless you knew which book was the current key book. The message ended looking like a lottery list.
His cell phone rang before he could press the send key, it was his IT communication specialist...
He knew the call was to tell him his special watch is ready.
Richard still did not know the exact location of his target only the general direction. He made his hacker team rig up a fancy spy watch disguised as a fitness tracker. That watch when "gifted" to the target would give him the location including altitude....
Time to pay his target a visit..
Hooking the target
Richard was waiting by a wall near the Belvedere courtyard according to the intel The vatican library director would be coming this way for the new grand unveiling of a discovered manuscript fragment relating to the 1st pope Peter.
Richard felt the heavy gold watch in his pocket. He Spotted the director but waited until he past him, Richard ran to catch up to him say as politely as he could to get his attention. " Excusa, Excusa. Señor?"
The director stopped not sure what was going on or if he was being addressed.
Rick made a production of his lack of air acting as best he could. Placing one hand on his knee he acted as if out of breath
The Director instead place a hand on Rick's shoulder as if to assure him.
"I found this in the men's bathroom" Rick said in his best Italian. "And It being such an Expensive piece, I didn't know who to give it to to get to it's proper owner."
Rick held out his palm showing the unusual watch. "It may belong to one of your staff."
The Director smiled, took it heft it with ease. Replied in sing song italian, 'Thank you my son I'll make sure it gets to it's proper owner."
With that he turned, took off his own watch and replaced it with the new one. Just as Rick and Ming knew he would.
The Vatican Apostolic Library is located inside the Vatican Palace and is entered via the Belvedere Courtyard. Pope Nicholas V (1447-1455) is credited with having founded the library but the first Cardinal librarian was appointed by Pope Paul III a century later, in 1548. Enriched by important donations, bequests and acquisitions under the pontificates of Leo XIII and Pius XI, the Library contains an enormous amount of books, manuscripts, incunabula and prints. It also runs the Vatican School of Library Science.
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