Masterpiece

The next morning, Marvin hears some clattering outside the office, so he hides himself in the binding of the open book. A custodian comes in, sweeping the floor and emptying the trash can. When the office is empty again, Marvin goes to the window and watches the people of the city making their commutes. Marvin notices how small the people look from the window and thinks that this must be how beetles look to people.

Marvin sees a photo on Christina’s desk, featuring Christina with two young girls who resemble her. Marvin notes that Christina looks very happy but much more disheveled than her appearance at the museum. He decides those girls are probably Christina’s daughters. Marvin occupies himself by playing with the window shade cord, dangling from it, and pretending to fly, which his species of beetle is unable to do. He also finds a thumbtack and stashes it away, feeling safer now that he has a “weapon.”

Marvin grows hungry and scours the floor for crumbs. He misses the Pompadays’ apartment, where baby William was always sure to drop food scraps from his highchair. Marvin manages to find a few Pop-Tart crumbs that the custodian spilled while emptying the trash cans. Once he’s had his fill, Marvin climbs back up on the book and studies Justice. He wants to replicate it even more than Fortitude; he can’t wait until James returns with the ink.

Several hours pass, and finally, Christina, James, and Karl return to the office. Marvin hides in the book binding again, watching and listening to them. He watches as James scans the walls and floors, happy that James is looking for him. Christina thanks Karl and James for coming back and offers the table to James to work. She flips the book back to Fortitude with a nervous Marvin hiding in the spine.

James says that he’s worried he might not be able to do it, but Christina assures him that she just wants him to try and that the artistic process can be tricky. She tells James not to worry if he can’t do it. Karl looks concerned, so Christina invites him to get coffee while James works, apologizing for their tense first meeting. Karl agrees and asks James how long he’ll need. James says it will take a while.

Karl and Christina leave. James immediately drops to the ground, looking for Marvin under bookshelves and tables. When he stands, Marvin darts across the table so James will see him. James excitedly greets Marvin and invites him onto his finger. Marvin is glad to see James so relieved, noting that he must have been worried because they’re friends and James cares about him.

James expresses how happy he is that Marvin is okay, reciting a list of all the potential dangers that could have befallen Marvin. Marvin notes that James sounds like Elaine with all the worrying. James compares their situation to “Rumpelstiltskin,” likening himself to the imprisoned girl and Marvin to the titular character, though James adds that Marvin is not mean like Rumpelstiltskin is.

James asks if Marvin is ready and opens the ink for him. James props the book up so Marvin can reference it without leaving the page, replicating the way Marvin drew the scene through the window. James asks if Marvin can do it and Marvin is unsure. Marvin is nervous about trying to replicate the work of a famous artist, but he snaps himself out it by comparing the situation to retrieving the contact lens, He decides he can’t think about the dangers—he must dive in.

Marvin dips his legs in the ink and gets to work. He focuses on small pieces of the drawing at a time, working to replicate the effortless strokes while maintaining precision. James watches in amazement, occasionally spouting words of encouragement and praise. Marvin works on the girl first, then focuses on the lion.

James warns Marvin that they’re running out of time because it’s almost five-thirty. Marvin works faster, falling into a trance where he solely focuses on the art. He finishes the piece and lifts his inked legs, stepping off the page with his dry ones. James says that it looks just like the Dürer. Marvin feels less sure of this drawing than he did of his window piece but hopes it will be good enough. James secures Marvin in his jacket pocket before the others arrive.

Karl and Christina return, bringing Denny with them. They are all very impressed by the drawing, despite being able to tell it apart from the real one by some of the spacing of the lines. James blushes at the attention. Marvin notices that Christina and Karl are much warmer to each other now than before.

Christina remarks that the replication gives her hope. Denny and Karl ask what she means, and she finally reveals why she had James replicate the drawing: someone is going to try to steal Fortitude.

Christina explains that the stolen drawing will actually be James’s replica. Denny and Karl are confused, so Christina asks them to sit down so she can further explain. Denny is particularly curious because Fortitude belongs to his museum in California. James stands so Marvin can see from his pocket.

Christina talks about the world of art theft, citing several famous cases and describing the criminals’ methods. She explains that art thieves obviously can’t sell famous works out in the open, so many of the stolen works end up traded on the black market for money, weapons, or drugs. Because of this, stolen artwork is very difficult to track down. Denny adds that some people steal artwork or buy stolen pieces because they want to enjoy it in private, noting that not every theft is about the money. This foreshadows that he is the thief.

Karl asks what all this has to do with the Dürer drawing. Christina tells the group that Fortitude is part of a set of four drawings based on the cardinal virtues: Fortitude, Prudence, Justice, and Temperance. James asks what prudence means and Karl explains that it means being careful and thinking things through. Marvin thinks this sounds a lot like James. Karl also explains that temperance means moderation, and Marvin likes this one less, noting that adults care too much about moderation.

Christina explains that Temperance and Prudence were stolen two years ago from a museum in Germany. She becomes more solemn when she brings up Justice, saying that it was stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art the prior year. It had water damage when the museum came into possession of it, so they had been storing it in the Conservation Department. Someone broke in and stole only Justice, leaving the other valuable works untouched. Christina believes someone is trying to collect all four virtues. Denny says that he was in New York for a conference at the time of the theft and that it ruined his trip.

James asks why they need a copy of the one piece they still have. Christina explains that she’s been working with the FBI. She wants James’s piece to be a decoy for the FBI to track. They hope this theft will lead them to the rest of the pictures; they already have contact with someone who deals in stolen art.

Christina’s plan is to get James to recreate Fortitude again on the correct kind of paper, then stage a theft. Because everyone knows the Metropolitan Museum of Art has the original Fortitude, no one will question the validity of the stolen work. This will ensure the original work is protected while allowing the FBI to track the stolen fake. The thief will actually be an FBI agent, and the fake will have a tracking device for them to follow once it is passed on to the underground world of stolen art.

Christina acknowledges that this might not work, and they may not find the other drawings, but she has hope that it will at least lead them to Justice since it was stolen from the same museum. She confesses that the idea occurred to her months ago, but that she didn’t think she could find someone like James with the talent to replicate the works. James agrees to copy the work again.

Karl, James, and Marvin arrive at the Pompadays’ apartment later that evening. Karl convinces Mrs. Pompaday to allow him to take James back to the museum. He tells her that James has private art lessons with the Curator of Drawing and Prints, which pleases Mrs. Pompaday. Karl is to pick up James again on Wednesday afternoon.

When James reaches his bedroom, Marvin crawls down and begins his journey to his home in the kitchen cupboards. Marvin knows his family is worried about him and wants to get home quickly to show them he’s okay. James stops Marvin, placing a finger down in front of him. James offers to take Marvin where he needs to go, which Marvin is thankful for because it’s a long journey to the kitchen.

As they wander through the apartment, James and Marvin work out a method of communication. When James is close to where Marvin needs to go, Marvin will crawl to the end of James’s finger, and when James is far from where Marvin needs to go, Marvin will crawl back up James’s hand. Using this method, they work their way through the apartment. At one point, James laughs, catching the attention of Mrs. Pompaday, who leaves the kitchen to ask what James is laughing at. James quickly lowers his hand, forcing Marvin to hold on tightly to not fall or be seen.

Once James gets rid of Mrs. Pompaday, he takes Marvin through the living room and shows him Karl’s painting. James laments that he’s not a great artist like his father but finds comfort in the idea of working with Marvin. Marvin realizes that he and James can communicate well despite Marvin being unable to speak. Marvin can tell James is good at interpreting Marvin’s movements and looks.

They finally reach the kitchen and Marvin moves closer to the end of James’s finger, reaching his fingertips as they near the cupboard. Sneaking past Mrs. Pompaday, James deposits Marvin on the floor next to the cupboard, and Marvin climbs in quickly before Mrs. Pompaday spots James. She asks what James is doing, and he says that he’s tying his shoelace.