Chapter 3: 2 – Antique watch

After passing by the guards at the entrance, John still had to go through another, more rigorous check.

"ID and invitation please."

"Here you go."

The guard checked if the name at the ID and the invitation were the same, and then if John was the one shown at the ID.

For John, it wasn't that hard to create a fake ID that could fool most people.

"Everything checks Mr. Smith." Told the guard before handing John his ID along with a plastic tray. "Please place any metal objects in there and then go through the metal detector. As mentioned in the invitation, guns and other weapons aren't allowed inside the museum."

"Of course." John placed his phone and car keys on the tray and went through the detector.

He wasn't worried as he wasn't planning on using any guns inside the museum. His plan was to find an opportunity to poison Verich.

Hidden in his left sock he had a capsule with ricin, an almost undetectable poison. If that didn't work, and something unforeseeable happens, he still had a wooden knife strapped to his right ankle.

Though wooden, it was made of Lignum Vitae, a super heavy kind of wood. In fact, the knife he was carrying was so sharp that it could slice through regular wood.

After passing through the detector, John took his things from the tray and proceeded to the inside of the museum.

'Now I blend in and wait.'

John proceeded to check the items that would be put for auction. They ranged from paintings and sculptures to antique items and ancient pieces of armament. The star of this auction was a painting by Vincent Van Gogh, with the starting price of 800 thousand dollars.

Most of the people attending the auction were already past the fifties, so John attracted a bit of attention both for his relatively young age at mid-thirties and for being one of the few black people attending.

John proceeded to mingle with the other guests while keeping an eye at the entrance.

"...how interesting Mr. Smith. I, for instance, am a great of a fan of The Persistence of Memory. It transmits a surreal feeling of how time and space are relative. When seeing it, I begin to wonder if all my work will even matter in a few decades."

"I can see your point." John was talking to the owner of some company which he didn't really bother to remember.

"As for myself, the single piece of art that touched me the most was Guernica. I remember the first time I saw it as a kid and thought it was something another child had painted haha." John laughed in a self-deprecating manner.

"Only years later, after fighting in the army did I come to appreciate it's value. Through this painting, I believe Picasso was able to convey the pain and chaos of war and delivered one of the strongest anti-war messages in history."

Everything that John said was what he really felt. As a secret agent, he learned that the key to a good lie was to be as close as possible to the truth, without revealing any valuable information.

"Oh, so you served in the army. Which division?"

"At Ivy, 4th Infantry division, though I-" John paused for less than a second after noticing the white-haired old man that just came in with his bodyguard, then continued like nothing happened.

"Though I was only a Private first class before I retired. Fortunately, I was able to land myself a job at a private military contractor."

"So you were one of the Iron horses. My grandfather has served too, at WWII..." After that John no longer paid much attention to the old man, as he was too focused on Verich.

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*Clink* *Clink* *Clink*

John was talking with a middle-aged woman when he heard the sound. At the center of the room stood a tall young man lightly clinking a glass with a spoon.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats, the auction is about to begin." Around the man were five rows of numbered chairs in a semicircle."

"Mr. Smith, come, let's find seats for us." The middle-aged woman said as she headed towards the chairs.

She had long, blonde hair and light eyes, dressed in a white dress which accentuated her figure coupled with a pearls necklace.

They both sat at the third row to the right of the man at the center, at seats 74 and 75. From there John was able to observe Verich and his bodyguard.

"Mr. Smith, is there any item in particular that has caught your eye?" Asked the woman.

"I did see a few pieces of art, but none that I felt like bidding for. Now we'll be able to see all of the items, so I'm hoping there's something interesting. How about you Mrs. Keuss?"

"Please, you can call me Jane. And I do have my eye on a set of Chinese dinnerware made of green jade. As long as it doesn't go over 50 thousand dollars, I will be able to make a profit. I just hope you are not planning on bidding against me." She said with a laugh.

"Since you asked nicely I promise you that I won't. Later you can buy me a drink as thanks haha."

"Most certainly haha."

At this moment the young man at the center began to speak again.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I shall be this auction's host. Seeing as everyone has found a seat, we may begin. The first item of this auction will be..."

The auction went on. Jane was able to win a few items including the set of dinnerware she wanted. She was able to buy it for just 40 thousand dollars.

John himself bid for a few paintings but didn't really try to win anything, while Verich got himself a steel gladius for 6 thousand dollars.

That's when finally came something that caught John's attention.

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"This next item is a 19th-century original pocket watch by Franz Heinlein. Heinlein used solid gold to make the case, while for the backside, he actually inserted a bronze inscription from ancient Greece."

"The watch is still in working condition, and the inscription pictures a Zodiac wheel."

"Though the inscription dates back to the 1st century BC, it shows a remarkable dexterity at the carving. The starting bid will be of 3 thousand dollars, with minimum increments of 100 dollars."

One by one came the bids.

"3.100!"

"3.200!"

"3.400!"

"3.700!" John also placed his bid.

"So, you plan on getting this watch?" Jane asked.

"Yeah, I hope Mrs. won't fight me for it."

"It's of great quality, but unfortunately it's for men and my husband already has too many watches. I shall let you have it." She said with a smile.

The biddings continued.

"5.000!"

"5.100!"

"5.200!"

Now the bids were just between John and an old man with glasses.

Initially, John was only gonna bid for a few items to keep the pretense, but now he wanted to win this watch. He had quite a bit of cash saved up, and he figured it wouldn't put too much of a strain on his budget.

"5.800!" John spoke, and this time the man with glasses didn't place a bid, therefore the host prepared to close the bids.

"5.800 dollars at seat 75, going once, going twice-"

"6.000!" Suddenly spoke a white-haired old man with a sharp gaze.

John knew this old man, as he was the reason for John to be attending this event. Verich!

Normally, John would give up so as to not call Verich's attention towards himself. Unfortunately, despite all his training, John wasn't in complete control of his emotions.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that John wasn't in his right state of mind, as he was planning the assassination of a high ranked army officer on U.S. soil.

That was treason, to say the least, and would land him in a secret prison for the rest of his life if found out, besides seriously straining relations between the CIA and the army.

"6.000 dollars at seat 23, going once-"

"6.200!"John wasn't going to give up.

"6.500!"

"6.800!"

The watch whose value was only in the 7-8 thousand dollars range quickly reached the 9 thousand mark, only slowing down when approaching 11 thousand.

"10.400!"

"10.500!" Verich bid then said with a laugh. "Friend, this is as high as I'm willing to go. If you can place a higher bid, then the watch is yours.

John acted like he was hesitating, but on the inside, he had decided already. He would get the watch, and through this, he would obtain his opportunity to poison Verich.

After a few seconds, John finally spoke.

"Thank you, Sir, then it looks like I will be taking it with me. 10.600!"

"10.600! At number 75, going once, going twice, sold! Our attendants shall receive your payment so that you may take your prize."

"Now, for the next item..."

Verich no longer paid attention to John and was now focused on the next item.

"Wow, you really wanted that watch, huh?" Jane spoke by his side. "I wonder what you would be willing to give me if I had it."

"What can I say, it's a great piece of jewelry." John smiled as he thought about how he would approach Verich.

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