Talin Vandescent, a tall brunette beauty, was the acquisition person for the gallery whom Peter had contacted. She arrived at the FBI office to meet with Peter and his team to discuss how to lure Gerard out.
After looking over Peter's few team members, Talin shook her head, these people didn't look like rich heirs at all.
In the end, they could only choose Jimmy. He had a youthful face and was of Chinese descent, so they pretended he was a wealthy heir who had just come to the United States. It made sense for such a person to buy oil paintings, as a way to elevate their taste, and it wouldn't be embarrassing.
However, the biggest problem was that Jimmy had never played the part of a rich heir before. He wore cheap suits, which, although not too shabby for an FBI agent, were completely unfit for a wealthy heir.
Peter took Jimmy to the FBI's evidence storage, which contained a variety of items seized by the FBI. Here, Jimmy picked up a Rolex Submariner, then he had to figure out how to get a more upscale suit, and he also needed to stop by a hair salon to try to salvage his usually unkempt hair.
Accessories could be found in the evidence storage, but not the clothing. Luckily, this was New York, where connections could solve many problems, and eventually, they secured a fitting suit from a costume rental company.
This type of rental company typically provided services to less famous stars or actors who needed gowns for important events. After all, not every minor celebrity or actor could afford luxury goods and designer labels, especially since they wouldn't want to be seen in the same outfit at every significant event.
After the makeover, Jimmy was transformed, at least in appearance. With his robust physique and youthful face, claiming he was a second-generation rich kid posed no issue.
Early the next day, Peter took them to Langbo Gallery. The FBI intelligence personnel had installed several cameras and wiretaps inside the gallery, of course with the gallery's permission.
Peter, Jones, and Diana were in a room in the gallery setting up monitoring equipment and waiting there. Once Jimmy confirmed the painting was real, they would rush over to make the arrest.
Jimmy went into the gallery with Talin, carrying a suitcase that contained $100,000 in cash prepared by the FBI. The money wasn't new, but rather taken from the evidence room and neatly stacked inside the case after being sorted.
Actually, $100,000 was a lot, enough to be two years' total income for many people, and thus very tempting.
Of course, for Jimmy, he wasn't tempted by the suitcase of money. The income he officially received from his company was already several hundred thousand a year, and if he was lucky, and the Police Lights series went national, Jimmy's earnings would be even greater.
Everything was ready. Jimmy waited in the gallery's storeroom, while Talin returned to the gallery area to wait for Gerard's arrival.
Gerard came with Joshua. Gerard led the way, and Joshua followed behind with a black bag. Talin welcomed them into the back storeroom of the gallery and introduced them to Jimmy.
Talin, "The gentleman I mentioned over the phone, this is Mr. Yang Liansheng, who has just arrived in New York from his home country."
Jimmy, "Call me George."
Gerard looked at Jimmy and nodded, as Joshua put the bag on a table in the storeroom.
Jimmy put on a pair of gloves he had taken from nearby, opened the bag, and took out the framed painting, which was 30X20 cm in size, the actual painting inside being quite small.
Jimmy, "It looks a lot smaller than I expected."
Gerard, "Have you ever seen the Mona Lisa? It's super small. Can I take a look at the money?"
Jimmy nodded to Talin, who opened the suitcase on the table, the money that Jimmy had brought over.
Gerard didn't touch it but glanced at it, mostly $20 bills, and the quantity was more or less correct.
Talin reached out to take the painting, "I need to authenticate it. Please turn off the lights."
Gerard turned to look at the door behind him, walked over to close it, and then noticed someone outside continuously watching the gallery's entrance.
His movements slowed a bit, he closed the door and turned to look at Jimmy and Talin, "Can we make this fast?"
Talin turned on a UV light over the painting, "Under the UV light, cadmium green and cerulean blue should appear, indicating the painting was colored before 1960..."
Before Talin could finish, Gerard drew his gun and pointed it at Jimmy, while his associate Joshua also pulled out a gun, pointing it at Talin.
Gerard, "Can someone explain to me why there are suspicious people outside?"
Peter, who was monitoring from the adjacent room, also started to tense up when he saw the sudden turn of events.
Jones, "Should we move in now?"
Peter, "Hold off, we can't risk it."
Gerard kept questioning Jimmy and the others, "Who are those people outside?"
Jimmy looked at Gerard, "I've just come to America, I'm just here to buy a painting, how would I know what's going on outside?"
Gerard shifted his gun slightly, pointing at Talin, "You speak."
Talin, hiding behind Jimmy, shouted, "I don't know!"
Gerard moved aside, standing together with Joshua, "Something's not right, we're tight on time, let's go, consider the money my compensation."
Gerard grabbed Jimmy's suitcase, while Joshua picked up the painting, which hadn't been placed back in the bag yet, and started running toward the exit.
As Joshua turned around, Jimmy drew his revolver from under his armpit and emptied six bullets into Joshua and Gerard. "I hate it when someone points a gun at my head. F**k!" Jimmy muttered softly, then shouted, "Don't move, FBI."
Well, it was actually just for show, following protocol. To Jimmy, since he had emptied the cylinder, there was no way the two of them were still alive. He was all too familiar with the power of a .357 Magnum. Even though he shot them in the back, both took one bullet to the left chest.
As Jimmy was shooting, Peter and the others had left their room, but they were a step too late. By the time they arrived, Jimmy had already reloaded and walked over to the two men, kicking away the guns on the ground.
The painting that Joshua was holding fell to the ground, luckily still framed—it might be a bit damaged, but considering it was an accident, they hoped the higher-ups wouldn't fuss over it, given they had managed to recover the painting.
What Peter and the rest saw upon arrival was this scene; Jimmy holding a gun in his right hand, picking up a painting from the ground with his left, with two bodies lying on the floor, blood already flowing.
Peter, "Sh*t! Jones, call an ambulance!" Peter glared at Jimmy, "I need an explanation."
Jimmy tucked the revolver back under his armpit and placed the painting on the table, "Sorry, it was a reflex, my hand moved too fast before I could think."