He threw himself into his work and a few weeks later Petra Schmidt, J�rgen’s wife, commissioned a gown for the Midnight Masquerade Ball her husband was giving to launch his new fashion magazine -Midnight.

Kurt was asked to design a gown as well as to be available the week prior to the ball to make sure everything was perfect. Kurt arrived at their estate right outside of Frankfurt and was given a large suite in which to work his magic. A few days before the Ball, Kurt was wandering around the estate trying to find his way back to his suite when he stumbled across a large hallway that served as an art gallery. The paintings on display were worth millions of dollars. Kurt was not an art expert but he knew that some of the paintings were obviously painted by Picasso and Monet. He had taken a few art history classes but even if he had not these paintings were famous.

He noticed one painting that looked familiar. As he stood in front of the painting it finally dawned on him as to why it looked familiar. It was a portrait of Greta! He looked at the signature at the bottom of the painting and it read “Beto.” He looked at the brass marker underneath the painting and it read, “Fraulein: Humberto David.” The young lady in the painting was the spitting image of Greta. She was a beautiful young lady wearing a white, lacy dress and sitting under a tree holding a few sprigs of flowers. She was smiling at something or someone off in the distance and everyone could plainly see the love shining in her eyes. Kurt was mesmerized by the painting. The artist was truly talented. He had somehow managed to bring the painting to life.

Kurt forgot to breathe. This was the painting that belonged to Greta’s family. Kurt had pictured this painting guarded under lock and key simply because of its worth. He realized that to someone whose net worth was in the billions a simple painting worth a simple million was not that much of a big deal. Kurt continued walking until he found his suite. He kept thinking about the painting and how much it would mean for Greta to have it back in her family’s possession.

As Kurt worked on the gown for Frau Schmidt he listened attentively to the caterers and the party planners talking about the event. There were over a thousand invitations that had been sent out by special delivery. Each invitation had included a diamond pendant and a set of diamond cufflinks as party favors.

Kurt realized that while the party was in full swing the alarm systems would be turned off. This was so that guests who had imbibed too much would not accidentally set off the alarms. The Schmidts had invited people who were rich and powerful and they wanted to make sure everyone had a good time. This new magazine was to be the pinnacle of his success and Herr Schmidt wanted everything to be perfect - an alarm going off would not be conducive to a successful party especially if the polizei responded to the alarm.

The seed was planted and it started to grow. Kurt couldn’t stop thinking of the painting. Everyone was going to be wearing disguises; it was the Masquerade Ball after all. Kurt was to be in attendance in case there was a wardrobe malfunction and he would also be in costume. He sat there and sewed and planned his first felony.

On the day of the Ball Kurt finished his work early. Frau Schmidt’s gown was absolutely stunning. Kurt had outdone himself. He was free to attend the festivities and enjoy himself but he had to keep his cell phone handy in case he was needed. Kurt wandered around the portrait gallery and noticed that the area was not really open to the guests since it was on the other side of where the festivities were taking place. He was ready.

Before he knew it, Kurt had managed to pull the frame off the wall and get the portrait out of its frame. Luckily, his disguise included gloves and a mask although he wasn’t worried since he knew the cameras were not in use tonight. It was well known that inappropriate, intimate rendezvous’ happened whenever members of the rich and powerful gathered and nobody wanted an indiscretion recorded. Cameras were expected to be turned off and security kept outside the building which is why Kurt managed to hide the empty frame in a closet under some linen without being noticed. He had planned out the shortest route to his suite. He didn’t want to get caught red-handed. He pulled out the mailing tube he used to store his sketches and designs when he traveled overseas. He carefully placed the painting among his sketches and slowly rolled everything until it fit into his mailing tube. He placed the tube in a bin that contained ribbons, buttons and sewing notions. His heart was beating a mile of minute. He was sure that everyone was aware of what he had done.

He rejoined the festivities and managed to down so much alcohol that he started to actually have a good time eating and drinking the best foods money could buy. He could feel the adrenaline high buzzing through his system and he wondered how long it would be before the crash hit. He finally went to bed that night exhausted but expecting to be roused from his bed and arrested for theft. He wasn’t surprised that the theft had not been discovered yet. There literally were thousands of people moving around the estate – the caterers and estate staff were everywhere making sure every guests was being catered to. No one had a reason to worry about the artwork hanging in the gallery.

The next morning Kurt had a serious hangover and felt like crap. He managed to roll out of bed and finish getting everything packed and ready to go. Frau Schmidt was extremely pleased with the compliments that she had received on her costume and she managed to give Kurt quite a healthy tip before he was able to escape to the airport. Wow, he thought I get paid to steal….he was so scared he almost started laughing like a loon…he needed to get out of the house before he broke down and confessed!

The closer they got to the airport the more his nervous he felt. He could feel the sweat pooling on his body and he could feel an anxiety attack coming on. How the hell was he going to clear customs without being caught with the painting? He didn’t know how criminals were supposed to act. What was he supposed to do now? He was angry at himself for acting so thoughtlessly. What had he been thinking? His body hurt – the alcohol in his system and the after effects of the adrenaline rush were taking their toll on him. He finally had a coherent thought – Heidi. He needed to talk to Heidi. Once the Schmidt’s driver dropped him off at airport he rushed in to the ticket counter and delayed his departure 24 hours. He needed time to go see Heidi.

He dialed Heidi’s phone and anxiously waited for her to answer. She was glad to hear from him and was delighted when he told her he had a layover in Frankfurt and wanted to stop by to visit her. She insisted on sending a car for him and 20 minutes later he was on his way to her estate.

Kurt didn’t know how he was going to address the issue of the painting. He couldn’t just blurt out that he had stolen the painting. He just hoped that when he confessed she wouldn’t call the polizei and report him. He knew Heidi was his friend but sometimes friendships end when felonies are brought into play. Kurt couldn’t imagine covering for a friend if they confessed to stealing a painting worth millions!
As the car pulled up to the front of the house he could see Heidi waiting at the door. As soon as the car stopped he wrenched the car door open and fairly flew across the driveway hurtling himself at Heidi.

“Umph!” she exclaimed as she tried to keep her balance.

Kurt could feel the tears starting to fall and he just tightened his grip on her when she tried to untangle herself from his grasp. She finally waited until his tears subsided and he pulled himself together.

“Sorry, I just really needed to see you,” he smiled sheepishly trying to dry his face.

“It’s okay Kurt. Let’s go sit in the library. I ordered you some lovely tea when I heard the car drive up.”

“Tea sounds lovely but do you think I could have something a little stronger?” Heidi nodded looking at him. He could tell she was concerned but was too polite to ask him directly.

She led him into the library and settled him down on the comfy leather couch while she poured him a tumbler full of whiskey. Instead of sipping the whiskey, Kurt slammed the drink down coughing and sputtering as the heat burned his throat. He really had to get a grip on his emotions. He looked at Heidi and opened his mouth to say thank you but instead, “I stole Greta’s mother!” came tumbling out of his mouth.

“Greta’s mother?” asked Heidi reaching over to feel his forehead. “Are you feeling okay Kurt? Do you need to lay down for a bit?” She wasn’t sure what he was talking about but she was starting to think he was either working too hard or under some type of influence. She hated to think he had started using drugs but one never knew with young people.

“Do you remember the day when Greta was sick and she started talking about how she just wanted to see her mother’s face one more time before she died?”

“Yes, she was in a nostalgic mood. We aren’t spring chickens anymore Kurt. We are all aware how little time we have left. Any sickness, at our age, could be the start of the end for us so whenever we get sick we always think about those we have loved and lost.”

“I stole the painting of Greta’s mother.” Heidi just looked at him waiting for the details.

“I’ve been at the Schmidt’s house this past week getting the costumes ready for the Masquerade Ball. I had totally forgotten about that conversation until I got lost and started wandering around their estate looking for my room. I happened to find myself in this long hallway containing tons of paintings on the walls and as I was walking by glancing at some of them I saw Greta’s face looking at me. I stopped to admire the painting when it hit me – this was the painting Greta was talking about. This was her mother staring at me.”

“So you decided to steal it?” asked Heidi calmly.

“Well no – not at that specific moment. I’m not sure what happened either. One minute I was admiring the painting the next minute I was in my room planning a heist. All I could think about was the fact that Greta wanted – no needed - to see her mother’s face one more time before she died. She sounded so sad and I just want her to be happy for however long she has left. I thought about the unfairness of everything that had happened to everyone in the circle and I think I talked myself into thinking it was the right thing to do – now I’m not so sure. I mean I could end up in prison for years and I don’t think I could survive that. I barely survived high school and the criminals in high school weren’t hard core like the ones in prison.” Kurt stopped talking. He knew he was rambling and he had to force himself to calm down.

“How did you manage to take it without getting caught? I can’t imagine it was easy to just walk up and cut the painting right out of the frame without anyone noticing. The Schmidt’s have the best security known to mankind. They own a lot of valuable, priceless art and spend tons of money on protecting their assets.”

Kurt chuckled, “It was surprisingly easy. The alarms were off due to the ball and since costumes were mandatory, I didn’t have to worry about being recognized. I just simply walked up to the painting and took it right off the wall. It didn’t take long for me to get the painting out of the frame. I rolled it up and managed to hide the empty frame in a random closet under a bunch of linen. I took the painting to my room and hid it amongst my sketches and designs. It just blended right in with my own artwork. What do I do now?”

“First thing we need to do is to make sure that the painting is not discovered on your person. I will take care of the painting until we are sure it can’t be traced to you in any way, shape, or form. I’m sure the authorities are going to want to interview everyone who attended the ball. You need to make sure you don’t give yourself away while you are being interrogated. Did you change your ticket?”

“Yes, I almost had an anxiety attack just thinking about trying to clear customs. They only thing I could think about was changing my ticket and calling you.”

“I’m glad you did but the authorities will want to know why the sudden change of plans. It will look suspicious.”

“I hadn’t thought about that,” said Kurt looking worried.

“My son attended the ball along with his family. You will tell the authorities that you ran into him and he mentioned that I wanted to order some new gowns for my granddaughter’s 21st birthday. I actually was going to contact you to design some dresses for the whole family so this works out perfectly. When you mentioned that you were leaving the next day he asked if you could change your ticket to come see me since you were already in town and he thinks I’m too old to travel. You got to the airport changed your ticket and then called me so that I could send a car to pick you up. That is a perfect alibi.”

Kurt was speechless. “Do you think your son will cover for me?”

“My son will do anything I ask him to do especially since Greta is his godmother and he loves her dearly.”

“I’m so sorry for forcing my stupidity on you and making you lie for me. Do you think I’m a horrible person?” he asked.

“I think that this was the most beautiful, wonderful thing anyone has ever done for us. You risked everything because you wanted to see an old lady happy. I don’t think you are a horrible person Kurt, impulsive maybe but not horrible.” Relief swept through his system. Heidi would help him. She would make everything better.

“I’ll show you to your room. Relax for a bit and then get started on designing the most stunning gowns you can imagine for my family while I go speak with my son. I want you to be able to show some of the preliminary sketches to show the authorities in case they ask too many questions.”

Kurt was exhausted. He sat on the bed for a minute and he must have fallen asleep. He woke up 2 hours later when he heard someone knocking on the door. He crossed the room to find one of the maids holding a tray. A can of Diet Coke and a tall glass full of ice and a chicken salad sat on the tray.

“Ms. Heidi sent this up to tide you over until dinner. She went to visit her son but will return shortly.”

“Thank you,” he said as he suddenly realized he was starving. This was exactly what he needed to help him get back to work. He was feeling better already.