Numb3rs (2005–2010): Season 3, Episode 3 - Provenance - full transcript
When a painting is stolen from a museum and a person is killed. The owner claims that he thinks a woman who is a Holocaust survivor who claims that the painting belonged to her family and that it was taken by the Nazis. But the owner claims that his father got it from a man who was saved by his father. Eventually the painting's authenticity is questioned.
♪ ♪
(beeping)
♪ ♪
Hey Jimmy,
check Gallery One, will ya?
Hey, Jimmy?
You there?
(alarm blaring)
(electrical buzzing)
(alarm blaring)
(electronic beeps)
DAVID: No sign
of an outside entry.
Guy must of come in during
business hours and laid in wait.
He had key-card access
to the entire building,
could've hid out anywhere.
Any witnesses?
No. He was wearing a mask.
Guards didn't get a look.
Well, this thing looks
pretty high-tech to me.
What'd they get?
Pissarro painting.
Estimated worth...
22 million. Yeah?
What is it?
Paris au Printemps,
Aprés-Midi.
You speak French?
There was a girl,
once upon a time.
Who's that?
Museum curator, Arthur Ruiz.
He was in bed
when he got the call.
Excuse me, guys,
I got it, thanks.
How are you doing?
Don Eppes, FBI.
Hello. So, uh,
what can you tell me
about the security here?
Well, we're a small museum,
but the system's state of the art.
Any changes in routine,
security guard roster changes?
You're thinking one of my people
had something to do with this?
Well, we're gonna
need to see a list.
Any security footage
you might have.
Of course, of course. That, uh,
that Pissarro was the
most valuable piece we had.
And frankly, the timing
couldn't be worse.
And why's that?
The painting was scheduled
to begin a major
tour next month.
Well, you got insurance, right?
Actually, the
Pissarro was on loan
from a private
owner in Glendale.
He's out of town
on vacation. He must
be a generous guy,
loan you something so valuable.
Actually, one of the
advantages of loaning a painting
to a museum is the savings
on an insurance policy.
Assumption being
that a secure museum
is as safe as a bank vault.
I'll get you that
personnel list.
So much for safe assumptions.
So much.
You're not leaving that?
So, so I'll... I'll clean
it up when I get back.
This isn't Animal
House, Charlie.
Right, this is my house.
Yeah, I've been meaning
to talk to you about that.
It's not for sale.
I'm not interested in
buying the house back.
Just like to see you put
more into maintaining it.
It's a cup of coffee, it's
a bowl of cereal. Yeah?
What about the
leak in the attic, huh?
The garage door
needs fixing, cable is out.
Cable's out? Yeah.
Since when is the cable out?
Since our resident math
genius forgot to pay the bill.
Look, I don't want to be a nag,
I just want you to live
up to your responsibilities.
All right, all right,
I'll tell you what.
Make a list for me. Okay.
I already did.
DAVID: Running down the museum
employees, but no one's popped.
And we have eyes on the video.
So this guy beat a
card-entry system,
lasers and motion sensors.
He's a pro. Hey, guys.
Which is why we
have to move fast
if we have any hope of catching
him or finding this painting.
Jack Tollner, from
New York, Theft Unit
out of D.C.; David
Sinclair, Megan Reeves.
Morning. You got
here pretty quick.
Yeah, well, 22 million
buys you a red eye.
There you go. Art
Theft Unit, huh?
I always pictured you guys
for horn rims and bow ties.
Well, Lasik surgery took
care of the horn rims, and I've
never been partial to bow ties,
but if you like them, I'll
go out and get myself one.
Oh, what are we looking at here?
Well, based on the paperwork
the museum sent over, I'm guessing
a piece like this may
be difficult to move.
Because of its value?
Because of its provenance.
Provenance?
The paper trail of
ownership, the documentation
of a piece of art's origins...
And this Pissarro has quite
a tainted one. What do
you mean, by tainted?
This isn't the first time
this painting's been stolen.
First time was by the Nazis.
Nazis stole the painting?
The provenance shows a pattern
of Nazi looted art
that I've seen before.
Looted how? When the
Nazis came into power,
they passed laws forcing Jews
to register property,
it provided them
virtual "shopping lists."
They looted homes by day,
shipped the families off to
the camps the same night.
Right and no witnesses.
Except for the few who
survived. All right, well,
what we do know is that
whoever stole the Pissarro
had skills. Well, the Bureau
has a database of career art
thieves... I'd start there. All right,
I'll get on it.
This is the perfect way to show
that electric and
magnetic forces
are two sides of
the same coin. Right.
Hey, guys, what, uh,
what are we doing here.
Oh, this screw is attached
to this battery by a magnet
and the current
running through the wire
is causing that screw to spin.
Let me guess, show-and-tell day?
Yeah, Charlie and I are
preparing a joint lecture
on circular motion.
Yeah, the movement is governed
by Fleming's Left Hand Rule.
Our lecture's also looking
at the Coriolis force.
It's the same principle that
causes hurricanes to spin
counterclockwise in our
hemisphere So, what's happened?
What's up? A Pissarro was stolen
last night, the father of
Impressionist painting.
Pissarro, I'm sorry?
At, uh, The Roland Museum,
they were in and out less
than six minutes, so we got
a database of art
thieves, names, M.O.s.
I'm figuring you can get
through it faster than us.
Maybe we could use a
Quadratic Discriminant Analysis.
Right, we can Look for a
combination of attributes
in this existing set of data
that match to a new set of data.
Good, good.
In this case,
identifying variables
of a particular
theft. Type of art,
museum, security, specifics
of the crime. Because
there has to be something
to this museum or something
about this particular piece
of art that proved attractive
to your thief, right? Right.
In a field of flowers,
we know that
only certain types
of flowers attract
certain types of insects.
An insect will alight
on certain flowers,
just like a thief will only be
attracted to certain targets,
based on specific
characteristics.
We know the characteristics
of this most recent theft.
And we can compare
that data to past
thefts using a Quadratic
Discriminant Analysis, I mean,
we should be able to quickly
and, you know, efficiently
boil down your suspect pool.
All right, I came
to the right place.
MEGAN: I might
have a suspect here.
Eight years ago, Mrs.
Erika Hellman, was notified
by the Art Loss
Register that the current
owner of the Pissarro
was trying to sell it.
Art Loss Register? Database
of lost or looted
artworks, I've often seen it
come into play in Holocaust
claims. Owner's dealer
checked the Pissarro
against Registry,
found Mrs. Hellman's claim
that it had been
looted by the Nazis.
She sued the owner, his
name's Peyton Shoemaker,
and she lost.
Apparently, there
was insufficient
documentation. Not surprising.
The Nazis were very good
at covering their tracks.
How old is this woman?
Um, according to the DMV,
she's 78.
There are people
she could have paid
to do this.
Did you know about the
Pissarro's provenance, Mr. Ruiz?
Well, of course. As the museum's
curator, I have to know.
Doesn't sound like
you were too troubled
by the indications that it
was once looted by the Nazis.
No, it was a concern.
But we did our due diligence.
The owner's
paperwork was in order.
We were satisfied with the
assurances he provided us.
Especially with the importance
of an acquisition like this one.
There are many paintings
with problematic
provenances, Agent Reeves.
That doesn't mean
they're all Nazi looted art.
Yes, but none of those
other paintings would have
increased your admission
revenue by 50 percent. Look, I don't
deny the Pissarro's been a
boon to a small museum like ours.
Perhaps the Guggenheim
can afford to be more selective,
but we can't.
So, one family's misfortune
will be another man's treasure.
The painting hung
in our home in Berlin.
When I was little,
my father used to pretend we
were the people in the painting.
He always promised that
when I got old enough,
he would take us
all there to Paris.
Obviously, did not happen.
I'm sorry for your loss,
and I hope you understand why
I would have to ask you about it.
Well, I hate to disappoint you,
but you, you have the wrong man.
Naturally, I would love
to have it back again.
You see, the Nazis,
they took everything.
Not just the painting.
I don't have one
photograph of my family.
But when I look
at the Pissarro...
I-I feel as if I was
seeing them all again.
You have any idea
who might have taken it?
(door opens)
No, but we know who
stole it 70 years ago.
Sorry, Nana, traffic
on the freeway. Yeah.
I got here as soon as
I could. Oh, thank you.
Hi. This is my
grandson, Joel. This is Agent
Eppes, Don Eppes.
FBI.
From what I understand,
a federal court
denied your grandmother's claim?
They used the law against her,
same way they used it against
my great-grandfather in 1938.
We just didn't have the money
to continue the fight.
Mm-hmm.
What my grandson is saying
is that we did not
lose the painting
on the merits of the case.
We lost it
because my memory is failing.
My grandmother is the only
living witness who
ever saw the Pissarro
hanging in her father's home.
The rest of the family
were murdered by the Nazis.
The court would not accept
the failing memory
of an old woman.
I had seven sisters
and brothers.
You have family?
Yeah, I have a
father and a brother.
My mother passed
away a few years ago.
You know what loss is, then.
Well, I-I, um...
Look, I'm going to
need to take a look
at your phone and
your bank records.
Now, of course, this
would be with your consent.
Maybe you'd like
to take a painting.
Joel, please.
I did not steal the Pissarro.
Though I admit,
it has run through
my mind many times.
Surely you can understand this.
Family is our anchor to life.
We lose it, we're adrift.
You have no idea what it's like
to be the only
survivor of your family...
and to have no idea why.
LARRY: I find this whole
Nazi association
just so sadly ironic.
How do you mean?
Okay, just observe
this perspective.
Now, most artists at the time,
they painted street scenes
from the street level.
AMITA: Yeah, but
this was painted
from a rooftop.
Why? Artistic choice?
Survival. Pissarro was Jewish.
He was living in Paris at
the time of the Dreyfus Affair.
Anti-Semitic mobs
were roaming the streets.
He feared for his life.
How do you know so
much about Pissarro, Larry?
Oh, my father was a painter.
Really? You never told us that.
It's not a memory
that I gladly inhabit.
Why, all this went
under the heading of,
what, parental disappointment?
He wanted you to be a painter?
He wanted me to see the
world the way he saw it.
Which is the folly
of fatherhood.
Tell me about it.
Why?
Are you and your
dad having problems?
You know, he's been
getting on my case
about how I maintain my house.
LARRY: Now you see
why I sold my house, okay?
Renounce all worldly cares
for the more sublime
pursuits. (computer beeps)
I think we've got something
from the FBI's Art Theft Database.
Three similar robberies.
Analyzing past thefts
for common variables
with our current crime,
I've succeeded in
identifying three suspects...
Michael Ness,
Ben Larkin, and this
is Ronald Wheeler.
TOLLNER: Ness is
in a prison in Turkey.
Now, there's a good time.
And I think Larkin's dead.
Yeah, murdered
three years ago in Kiev.
All right, so we
focus on Wheeler.
TOLLNER: Wheeler's Canadian.
Database has a current
address for Wheeler in Toronto.
You know your art thieves, huh?
I'm impressed with how quickly
you combed through our database.
DAVID: Homeland
Security has no record
of Wheeler entering the country.
All right. Well, no
surprise there, right?
No. He'll be traveling
on a false passport.
DON: All right, let's get
his picture out to
everyone, right?
The hotels, airports,
train stations, you know?
And I'd start with
the upscale ones.
And within the last week.
You got a $22 million painting,
you're not going to
stay in some dump.
MAN: He said his
name was Gautier.
His real name is Wheeler.
Good morning, Mr. Gautier.
Mr. Gautier is not
entertaining visitors.
We're going to need
you to stay back.
Ronald Wheeler, FBI.
We want to talk with you.
Clear.
You smell gunpowder?
We just went way past
stealing high-end art.
Somebody's willing
to kill for this painting.
Mrs. Hellman's
story's not that unusual.
Similar thing
happened to a woman
who got several
Klimt paintings back
from an Austrian
national museum.
They fought her for years.
I mean, she said
it's the only thing
that's left from her family.
MEGAN: I guess the federal court
didn't see it that way, though.
Not for the Hellmans anyway.
Or the owner, this
Mr. Shoemaker,
just has more bucks to throw
at a high-priced legal team.
Is he back from his vacation?
Why? Do you think he
stole his own painting?
Look, I mean, he tries to
sell it and gets a lawsuit.
Right. Maybe an
insurance company
won't ask the same questions?
When did you get home?
Uh, about an hour ago.
Didn't you hear me
working outside?
No, I didn't.
The re-circ pump on
the koi pond's on the fritz.
Yeah? Fish are okay?
Yeah, thanks to me
playing bucket brigade.
Don't you remember I told you
that that pump needed servicing?
The list? Yeah, right.
I'm sorry. I've
been busy. I'm busy.
Yeah, well, I've been
busy, too, Charlie.
You know, at your
age, I had a house,
a wife, and two
kids to take care of.
Any murders to solve?
No, seriously.
Any life-altering mathematical
advances to conceive of?
Oh, I see... the same old story,
the same excuse for everything.
I don't need... You know what?
I don't need a lecture on
how to run my own home,
much less my life.
The Pissarro was inherited.
My father's the one who
made the original purchase.
Any idea from who?
A reputable dealer in Paris.
It was right after the war.
My father was in the
Army on leave in Paris.
He stopped by a shop,
saw the painting, fell in love.
MEGAN: And did he
question its origin?
After the war, it was difficult
to know where
anything came from.
So many had died or fled.
Well, how hard did you
think he, uh, actually tried?
My father bought the painting
from a legitimate dealer.
I have the paperwork.
He paid a fair price.
What, $12,000?
$12,000 was a great amount
of money in those days.
Well, still, it's nowhere
near the 20 million
you were trying to
get eight years ago.
DON: I'm just
curious... does it...
even bother you at all
knowing where it came from?
Well, the fact is, I don't
know where it comes from.
No one does. But they have
their suspicions, don't they?
And I understand with
the taint on the painting,
it'll be almost
impossible to get the price
you're asking.
I'm not sure I understand
where this is going.
The Pissarro is insured...
For $22 million.
If you're suggesting what
I think you're suggesting...
Yeah?
I feel bad for Mrs.
Hellman, I really do,
but the court heard
all the evidence.
That woman did
not stand a chance.
Which is precisely why I
offered her a settlement.
30% of the proceeds
of any sale I made if she agreed
to drop her claim
against the painting.
And she refused?
Her grandson.
He threw my attorney's offer
in my face.
You know, I had my
father's honor to consider.
I had to match it
against the compromised
memory of an elderly woman.
If it were your father,
who would you believe?
(knock at door)
Hey. Ooh, it looks
pretty serious.
Huh? No. Oh, no. Come in.
Yeah? No, actually, no.
I'm just, uh... I'm
balancing my checkbook.
The bank called.
I guess I overdrew
paying some bills.
Oh, don't say it.
What? I'm a math genius,
and I can't even balance
my own checkbook.
Right. I got an earful from Dad.
I didn't say anything.
I should have known, you know,
this arrangement
of dad living with me
would just end up driving
us both completely insane.
Nah. I sort of get it now.
I mean, why you
bought the house.
It's, like, it gives you
an anchor, you know?
I mean, where you
grew up, your family.
What's up?
Why do you think we
were never religious?
Mom wanted a Christmas tree.
Yeah, exactly.
I mean, it's funny, right?
This case got you
thinking about that?
Yeah, a little bit.
Actually, I need some
help with this, Charlie.
Oh, great, and Dad wonders
why I can't get any work done.
Well, it's just I'm trying
to figure out where,
you know, whoever stole
the Pissarro would go next.
With Wheeler dead...
I imagine the options
are pretty limited.
Totally.
But I do suspect that
there are only a few places
that this painting might end up,
and that can be charted
with a diffusion map
using a network
diffusion proba...
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Just slow down.
It's like a vehicle
traveling along a
network of roads.
You know, cars can
go anywhere, right?
But a commercial
truck is limited
to how many
routes it can travel,
and if that truck is
carrying hazardous material,
well, then, the network
becomes even more restricted.
If it's carrying nuclear waste,
the network becomes
even more limited,
and there are only
a few destinations...
Repositories... Where
nuclear waste can go.
It's the same with the Pissarro.
There are only a few
places that it can travel.
Shoemaker might be right
on target with the grandson.
I have phone logs
going back to the time
that Shoemaker made
the settlement offer.
And?
Mrs. Hellman's grandson
made several calls
to a private investigator
specializing in the recovery
of stolen artwork, Peter Tucci.
Why do I know that name?
He has, uh, pending
charges in Istanbul
related to the crime
that Michael Ness is
doing time for in Turkey.
Ness is one of the art thieves
that Charlie pulled
off the database.
Yeah, check this out.
Uh, the museum records its,
uh, security footage digitally.
I pulled an MPEG file from
about three months ago.
Nice.
MEGAN: Mrs. Hellman's
grandson?
Is he casing the place?
He contacted Tucci
three years ago.
About hiring Ness
to rip off the Pissarro.
TOLLNER: But when Ness
got caught, he
couldn't do the job.
Wow. Joel Hellman really
couldn't take no for an answer.
I don't know a guy
named Ronald Wheeler
or how he ended up dead.
Have a seat.
I haven't done anything.
Look, tell me about
your relationship
with Peter Tucci.
That was over three years ago.
Right around the time the
courts decided against you.
(sighs): I lost my cool.
It was a stupid thing to do.
Look, I understand how you feel.
I mean with your
grandmother and all
and then not being
able to help her.
They embarrassed her.
They brought in doctors
and tested her memory
and made her live
through things that...
That's you at the museum,
taken three months ago.
I go a lot.
I don't know, somehow
it made me feel...
better to be close to it.
Not as good as having it
would make you
feel though, right?
No.
I told you, I haven't
done anything.
So what do you think?
Well, I think he
thought about it,
but I don't think he did it.
He didn't make any real
efforts to cover his tracks either.
Well, then we're
back to the owner,
Shoemaker, and
the insurance scam.
It's a nice theory, but so
far I can't find a paper trail
between Shoemaker
and our thief, Wheeler.
I mean, there's no
payments to a middle man,
there's nothing.
That painting's got
to be somewhere.
AMITA: Yeah, the
numbers are staggering.
The Nazis looted hundreds
of thousands of artworks.
Nearly a fifth of all
European art at the time.
Yeah, there's still a
lot out there, you know?
Museums, dealers, collectors...
Yeah, it's just
appalling... Blood trade.
I am starting to
see a pattern here.
You know, the
heaviest flow of art
running along these networks.
With China being
a prime destination.
So we should start
concentrating on networks
supplying to China.
(cell phone ringing)
(phone beeps off)
Wouldn't be Dad, would it?
It's a standoff.
Hey, here's another chestnut
from my rather exhaustive
study of the great artists.
Did you know
that Monet's father
wanted him to be a grocer?
Oh, yeah? Hmm.
Good thing he didn't listen.
Well, fathers
imposing their wills
on their sons... I tell ya,
that is the stuff of legend.
CHARLIE: This
is hardly so grand.
I mean, the last
message he left me
equated my refusal
to take out the garbage
with my supposed
commitment-phobia
and my failure to settle down.
There might be
some truth in that.
What?
Uh, I'm just saying...
Where were we? China?
Uh, yeah...
(muttering)
DON: That smells good.
Where's Charlie?
I don't know,
working late I guess.
Or hiding from you.
He's been complaining?
You been giving him a hard time?
Hey, he owns the
place, you know.
Remember when I was
looking for a place of my own?
And I thought that
staying on here
was gonna keep
me from moving on.
What does this have
to do with Charlie?
Well, he just comes and he goes.
He has no idea how
to maintain a home.
Dad, the guy's got
a lot on his plate.
Hey look, I don't
want to be a pest.
I just want to make sure
that when the time comes,
he knows how to take
care of his own house...
His own family if
he ever has one.
Well, talk to him.
I mean, you can't just
ride him like he's a little kid.
Are you referring to
my failures with you?
Me? I'm a lost cause, pal.
What's up?
You had a tough day?
You know I had to interview
that Holocaust survivor
yesterday, her grandson today.
Oh, about that
painting, huh? I felt weird
'cause nobody believes
the woman; it's like
her life never existed
because there's nobody left
who remembers it. Yeah.
You remember my
mother's cousin, Anna?
Yeah, I mean... Yeah, it
was the same way with her.
She got out before the war,
but she spent her whole
life... The whole rest of her life...
Searching for her people.
Can you imagine that?
I mean, living that life
going through all that?
This woman finds a piece
and it gets taken away again.
Let me get you a plate.
Hey, did your mom's
cousin ever find anyone?
No, not a single soul.
LARRY: Oh, still taking your
meals outside the home, I see.
CHARLIE: Still brown bagging it.
Is this some of your work?
It's my submission
for entry into art school.
One of the many
life steps I never took.
You're pretty
good. Don't mistake
technical ability
for originality.
Almost every one of these
is a copy of a masterwork.
My father insisted that before
I attempt anything
original, I had to understand
those who came before me.
I mean, what is all this
red marginalia here?
When network
analysis came up empty,
I found these leads to China.
Still no sign of the Pissarro
so I must've miscalculated.
You know, some of the
greatest errors in cosmology
have come not from poor math,
but from poor assumptions.
What poor assumptions
am I making?
Well, current wisdom
holds that the picture's
Nazi associations
have compromised
its potential for sale
on the black market.
Compromised yeah,
but eliminated no.
Yet you can find
no market to which
you can trace a sale.
China seemed the best
bet. Don came up empty.
Perhaps this Pissarro
is not for sale anywhere
because for some reason,
it's simply not saleable.
Even with the taint,
it's still worth millions.
Why wouldn't it be "saleable"?
No idea.
I'm leaving.
All right.
CHARLIE: I think
I've figured out
why you haven't been
able to find the Pissarro.
Using a computer program
that analyzes fine art paintings
from enhanced photographs.
Now uses two
criteria: craquelure...
Craquelure?
It's a fancy word for
the cracks that form
on the surface of a painting.
And those cracks form patterns,
which will give us an idea
of where and when
a work was painted
because the pattern depends
on the artist's materials:
the paint, the brush...
even the canvas.
A painter in 15th century
Florence used different
materials than a painter
in 17th century London.
Or a painter in
19th century Paris.
See, different materials
and the vagaries of time
create specific
craquelure patterns
which we can analyze
using mathematical models.
You said there were
two criteria. Right, well...
The analysis also
looks at visual style...
The artist's actual
brushstrokes.
Like a fingerprint?
More like a signature.
See, with currency, I
used a wavelet analysis.
But with paintings, I can
use a more sophisticated
curvelet analysis,
allowing us to look at the
art in three dimensions.
Using curvelet analysis,
we can measure the
contours and the depth
of an artist's brushstrokes,
giving us a
mathematical expression
of the artist's
unique signature...
which we then use to
evaluate other works
attributed to the artist
to see if the same hand
did, in fact, paint them all.
Enhancing the museum
catalogue photo of the Pissarro,
I ran both analyses
and compared it
to other Pissarros
from museums around the world.
The results are undeniable.
This isn't a Pissarro.
It's a fake.
The Pissarro a forgery?
It's not possible.
Our math consultant
did an extensive
analysis, Mr. Ruiz.
From a photograph.
With a computer's
enhancement. I'm sorry,
but whatever consultant
you used is mistaken.
I'm afraid that's
not really possible.
Well, it has to be.
This painting underwent
an extensive
authentication process
when it arrived here a year
and a half ago. Then what about
a switch? What if someone
changed the painting
since the authentication? How?
Hmm? When?
I don't work at a museum,
but have you cleaned
the painting in the past
year and a half?
Under the strict supervision
of the museum conservator.
Who also, by the way,
performed the authentication.
And that would have been done
on the premises, correct?
Yes. In our
restoration department.
The Pissarro was taken down
June 3rd for a cleaning.
Who did the work?
Me.
And you also performed
the authentication
on the Pissarro when
it first arrived here?
That's right. And you're certain
that the painting you cleaned
on June 3rd is the same one
you authenticated 18 months ago.
Patrick has been
with me 20 years.
I trust his judgment completely.
So, there's no chance
you missed something?
This painting was the
most important piece
we've ever displayed here.
Mr. Holden?
I'm certain that the painting
was the same one that I
examined a year and a half ago.
You have your answer.
Is it you that also does
the museum
catalogues, Mr. Holden.
For every exhibition.
When was the photograph
of the Pissarro taken?
I don't know.
What do you mean you don't know?
This particular
photograph was furnished
by the owner.
Peyton Shoemaker
gave you the photograph?
Once in a while an owner loaning
a painting does
accompany the piece
with his own photographic
documentation.
MEGAN: So Shoemaker provided
the photo when he first
loaned the piece to the museum.
The same photograph
your brother used
to determine it was a forgery.
Okay, so we're saying, what,
the stolen one was a fake.
But did Shoemaker know it?
He may even be the
one who had it made.
Forgery of his own painting?
Owners often have forgeries made
to protect their
art against theft.
But maybe Shoemaker was afraid
he'd lose his
painting another way.
The Hellmans.
TOLLNER: Those type of
claims never really go away.
Collectors tend to shy
away from paintings
with questionable histories
for that very reason.
In other words, if the Hellmans
ever find more evidence
to support their claim...
They could go
right back to court.
He creates a fake
to hedge his bet.
Then he loaned it
to the museum to get the break
in the insurance premium.
Shoemaker might even be trying
to pull off a double scam...
Have the fake one
stolen for insurance, right,
and then sell the real
one later on the sly.
Why steal back the
fake Pissarro now?
I mean, it's been hanging
on the museum wall
for a year and
a half. Hey, wait,
what'd that guy,
that curator guy say...
it was going on
tour? Next month.
Which would have meant
another authentication.
Fool me once shame
on you, fool me twice...
Now, the question is...
where is the real Pissarro?
Right.
You can add, but you can't hide.
What's broken?
I've come with a peace offering.
French dip.
Thank you, but you
didn't have to do that.
There are a lot of things I
don't have to do, Charlie,
but I just do them
because I want to.
Just feel like you worry
about me too much, Dad.
Charlie, look, you're a grown
man, but you're still my son
and I'm still your father.
Okay,
it-it's not about the
house or chores.
It's, uh, it's about...
accepting responsibility.
(slams book shut)
Dad, I'm a... I'm a full-tenured
professor at one of the most
prestigious universities
in this country.
How do you think I got
here, by slacking off?
You can do the math,
Charlie, we all know that,
but, uh, sometime, you're
going to want more for your life.
I know you can't see
that right now, but...
sometime, God willing, you're
going to have to make a choice
between one of your algorithms
and one of your kids
upstairs with the flu.
I have a kid with the flu now?
Charlie, I look at Larry, you
know, an-and I respect him,
but look at him...
He's all alone.
I mean, he sleeps on couches,
puts his work ahead
of relationships.
You got to start somewhere.
The kind of life
I'm talking about,
it just doesn't happen by magic.
Is that what this
has been all about?
You're worried that I'm
going to turn into Larry?
(chuckles)
I worry about that,
too, sometimes.
Yeah...
because I look around and I
don't see the best role models.
For example, Einstein.
Einstein never had a home life.
Einstein dumped his wife
and married his cousin.
I hope that's not your way
of making me feel better.
Dad, I'm wrestling
with all this, all of it.
My math, my work with Don,
Amita.
I'm sorry, I just don't
have it all figured out yet.
You have no right.
MEGAN: Actually,
we have a warrant.
This is ludicrous.
You're telling me that
my painting is a forgery
based on an analysis
of a photograph?
A photograph that you
submitted to the museum,
and I spoke to your
insurance company...
They're going to
withhold your payment.
Yeah, well,
I'll take them to court.
I wouldn't count on the courts
backing your play a
second time, Mr. Shoemaker.
The Hellmans are
behind this, aren't they?
They paid some sleazy math
expert to look at a photograph
and say that my
Pissarro is a fake.
Well, if they
think they're going
to get something out
of this, they're wrong.
That's a really
interesting theory,
but the math
expert works for us.
Why?
Why would I steal
my own painting?
And if it was a fake,
why would the Hellmans
have fought for four
years to get it back?
Nothing so far. Of
course, there's nothing!
I didn't steal the painting,
and I never shot
a gun off in my life.
My father was an honorable
man who served his country.
He was not a criminal
and neither am I.
So, where would someone like
Shoemaker hide that original?
If he is our guy, he's done
a real good job of eliminating
the one witness who
could pin the forgery on him.
By killing Wheeler.
Wait a minute, if he
commissioned a fake,
there's got to be a forger.
Maybe our second witness.
Find him, we find the killer.
TOLLNER: It won't be
easy catching this guy.
I've met any number of forgers
capable of work this good.
Maybe he's been caught before.
Maybe he even has a file.
That's a lot of
names to run down.
Well, what if we don't
run down the names?
What if we run
down the paintings?
We have a photograph of
the forged Pissarro, right?
Yeah, and the Bureau has
a photographic database
of other forgeries
seized over the years.
So, we give the photograph to
Charlie, he can do an analysis
against all the other forgeries.
If he can tell us Pissarro
didn't paint the fake,
maybe he can tell us who did.
So per your request,
I compared my analysis
of the forged Pissarro
to the FBI database
of other recovered forgeries.
The algorithm identified
one painting in the database
that most closely
resembles the handiwork
of our suspect to
an accuracy rate
of, like, 89.9%.
All right, so you found him?
Oh, I definitely found him.
So who's our forger?
His name is Gustav Stolberg.
Well, where is he?
He's in a Jewish cemetery
in Budapest.
He died in 1948.
So, our forger
died 60 years ago?
Yeah, so the fake's
at least that old, then.
Interpol just faxed over
the file on Gustav Stolberg.
In 1946, he was
convicted of fraud.
He died in prison
two years later.
Hungarian police seized
what they believed to be five
forged paintings in his shop.
Take a look at the list.
Fourth title down.
TOLLNER: The Pissarro.
Hungarian police assumed
all five canvases were a fake.
Right, but one wasn't. So,
we think that the real Pissarro's
been sitting in a Hungarian
police vault for 60 years?
Wouldn't surprise me.
The Communists never
threw anything away.
They packed the
Pissarro into a crate
along with the other forgeries.
So Mrs. Hellman's father
must have paid Stolberg
to paint the forgery
and then gave him the
original for safekeeping.
At least there's some
justice; the Nazis looted a fake.
It also means that Shoemaker's
probably telling the truth.
That he didn't know the
Pissarro was a forgery.
And maybe no one did.
Look, the fact that that
painting was stolen a month
before it was supposed to go
on tour can't be a coincidence.
Wait a minute.
Holden, the museum conservator.
Yeah.
If what you're saying is true,
that the real Pissarro
has been found,
then I must have made a mistake.
A mistake?
But you've been
doing this for 20 years.
The fact is, you
lied to us, didn't you?
You knew that Pissarro
was a fake the whole time.
Now we're not just
talking about a painting.
A man is dead.
And you're looking at
conspiracy to commit murder.
Whatever you were paid,
Mr. Holden, it's not enough.
Paid?
You think my integrity
would be for sale?
He said it would ruin us.
We'd already
announced the acquisition.
It's one thing to
display a painting
that's suspected of
being Nazi looted art...
but to exhibit a forgery?
Who said it would ruin you?
(laughter and chatter)
(classical music playing)
Excuse me. Excuse me.
Holden gave you up, Ruiz.
I spent my life devoted
to the reputation
of this museum.
Killing a man's not going to
do much for the reputation.
Wheeler was a charlatan.
He found out the painting
was a forgery, he
tried to blackmail you.
Do you know how difficult
it is for a museum like ours
to actually acquire a Pissarro?
Yeah, but you didn't
actually acquire a
Pissarro, did you?
By the time Patrick
alerted me to the forgery,
it was already too late...
The Pissarro had
put us on the map.
Only the tour next month
would have exposed you.
I thought if the
painting had just...
disappeared, what
would be the harm?
Shoemaker had his insurance,
and the museum would
have had its future.
Yeah, it's not much
of a future now, is it?
Is this really necessary?
Yes, this is really
necessary. Come with me.
The Hungarian police
just delivered it to us.
Oh, my...
It's yours, Nana. Oh, my...
Always has been.
Oh, my God...
You know... I think your father
clearly saw the writing on the wall
with the Nazis.
So he went to Stolberg
and commissioned a forgery.
After all these years...
to think, even I was beginning
to question whether what
I remembered was true.
Well, I hope this will give
you a little bit of comfort.
♪ It goes like this,
the fourth, the fifth ♪
♪ The minor fall,
the major lift ♪
♪ The baffled king
composing Hallelujah... ♪
(crickets chirping)
LARRY: You know, I can't
imagine... six years old...
The world around you safe.
Then one day,
everything disappears...
Parents, family,
everything you know...
One painting can only
give you back so much.
LARRY: Well, maybe
for Mrs. Hellman,
given the wisdom of her
years, that'll be enough.
(door opening) Oh.
Oh, hey.
What, you guys
started without me, huh?
ALAN: I'd think
Einstein would say
we started with you.
Just a different time
and space, am I right?
I like that.
I've been taking a closer
look at Einstein lately.
What's to eat?
Red meat on the barbecue.
Provided we still
have a barbecue.
Did you get my note?
We're out of propane.
I thought you'd take care of it.
I'm kidding.
We got a new tank.
We're good to go.
All right...
No, no, no, stay, stay.
I got it.
You're gonna grill?
Yeah, you know, T-bone steak
with Mom's amazing steak sauce.
A little corn on the cob.
Hey, you want some help?
No, no. Think I can handle it.
Charles, that is white corn.
Hey, you know how you told
me about your mom's cousin
not finding anyone. Yeah.
You think you could
give me a list of names?
You're gonna find them?
Yeah, I mean I'd like to try.
What do you think?
Okay.
♪ ...And broken Hallelujah ♪
♪ Hallelujah ♪
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
♪ Hallelujah ♪
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
♪ Hallelu... ♪
(beeping)
♪ ♪
Hey Jimmy,
check Gallery One, will ya?
Hey, Jimmy?
You there?
(alarm blaring)
(electrical buzzing)
(alarm blaring)
(electronic beeps)
DAVID: No sign
of an outside entry.
Guy must of come in during
business hours and laid in wait.
He had key-card access
to the entire building,
could've hid out anywhere.
Any witnesses?
No. He was wearing a mask.
Guards didn't get a look.
Well, this thing looks
pretty high-tech to me.
What'd they get?
Pissarro painting.
Estimated worth...
22 million. Yeah?
What is it?
Paris au Printemps,
Aprés-Midi.
You speak French?
There was a girl,
once upon a time.
Who's that?
Museum curator, Arthur Ruiz.
He was in bed
when he got the call.
Excuse me, guys,
I got it, thanks.
How are you doing?
Don Eppes, FBI.
Hello. So, uh,
what can you tell me
about the security here?
Well, we're a small museum,
but the system's state of the art.
Any changes in routine,
security guard roster changes?
You're thinking one of my people
had something to do with this?
Well, we're gonna
need to see a list.
Any security footage
you might have.
Of course, of course. That, uh,
that Pissarro was the
most valuable piece we had.
And frankly, the timing
couldn't be worse.
And why's that?
The painting was scheduled
to begin a major
tour next month.
Well, you got insurance, right?
Actually, the
Pissarro was on loan
from a private
owner in Glendale.
He's out of town
on vacation. He must
be a generous guy,
loan you something so valuable.
Actually, one of the
advantages of loaning a painting
to a museum is the savings
on an insurance policy.
Assumption being
that a secure museum
is as safe as a bank vault.
I'll get you that
personnel list.
So much for safe assumptions.
So much.
You're not leaving that?
So, so I'll... I'll clean
it up when I get back.
This isn't Animal
House, Charlie.
Right, this is my house.
Yeah, I've been meaning
to talk to you about that.
It's not for sale.
I'm not interested in
buying the house back.
Just like to see you put
more into maintaining it.
It's a cup of coffee, it's
a bowl of cereal. Yeah?
What about the
leak in the attic, huh?
The garage door
needs fixing, cable is out.
Cable's out? Yeah.
Since when is the cable out?
Since our resident math
genius forgot to pay the bill.
Look, I don't want to be a nag,
I just want you to live
up to your responsibilities.
All right, all right,
I'll tell you what.
Make a list for me. Okay.
I already did.
DAVID: Running down the museum
employees, but no one's popped.
And we have eyes on the video.
So this guy beat a
card-entry system,
lasers and motion sensors.
He's a pro. Hey, guys.
Which is why we
have to move fast
if we have any hope of catching
him or finding this painting.
Jack Tollner, from
New York, Theft Unit
out of D.C.; David
Sinclair, Megan Reeves.
Morning. You got
here pretty quick.
Yeah, well, 22 million
buys you a red eye.
There you go. Art
Theft Unit, huh?
I always pictured you guys
for horn rims and bow ties.
Well, Lasik surgery took
care of the horn rims, and I've
never been partial to bow ties,
but if you like them, I'll
go out and get myself one.
Oh, what are we looking at here?
Well, based on the paperwork
the museum sent over, I'm guessing
a piece like this may
be difficult to move.
Because of its value?
Because of its provenance.
Provenance?
The paper trail of
ownership, the documentation
of a piece of art's origins...
And this Pissarro has quite
a tainted one. What do
you mean, by tainted?
This isn't the first time
this painting's been stolen.
First time was by the Nazis.
Nazis stole the painting?
The provenance shows a pattern
of Nazi looted art
that I've seen before.
Looted how? When the
Nazis came into power,
they passed laws forcing Jews
to register property,
it provided them
virtual "shopping lists."
They looted homes by day,
shipped the families off to
the camps the same night.
Right and no witnesses.
Except for the few who
survived. All right, well,
what we do know is that
whoever stole the Pissarro
had skills. Well, the Bureau
has a database of career art
thieves... I'd start there. All right,
I'll get on it.
This is the perfect way to show
that electric and
magnetic forces
are two sides of
the same coin. Right.
Hey, guys, what, uh,
what are we doing here.
Oh, this screw is attached
to this battery by a magnet
and the current
running through the wire
is causing that screw to spin.
Let me guess, show-and-tell day?
Yeah, Charlie and I are
preparing a joint lecture
on circular motion.
Yeah, the movement is governed
by Fleming's Left Hand Rule.
Our lecture's also looking
at the Coriolis force.
It's the same principle that
causes hurricanes to spin
counterclockwise in our
hemisphere So, what's happened?
What's up? A Pissarro was stolen
last night, the father of
Impressionist painting.
Pissarro, I'm sorry?
At, uh, The Roland Museum,
they were in and out less
than six minutes, so we got
a database of art
thieves, names, M.O.s.
I'm figuring you can get
through it faster than us.
Maybe we could use a
Quadratic Discriminant Analysis.
Right, we can Look for a
combination of attributes
in this existing set of data
that match to a new set of data.
Good, good.
In this case,
identifying variables
of a particular
theft. Type of art,
museum, security, specifics
of the crime. Because
there has to be something
to this museum or something
about this particular piece
of art that proved attractive
to your thief, right? Right.
In a field of flowers,
we know that
only certain types
of flowers attract
certain types of insects.
An insect will alight
on certain flowers,
just like a thief will only be
attracted to certain targets,
based on specific
characteristics.
We know the characteristics
of this most recent theft.
And we can compare
that data to past
thefts using a Quadratic
Discriminant Analysis, I mean,
we should be able to quickly
and, you know, efficiently
boil down your suspect pool.
All right, I came
to the right place.
MEGAN: I might
have a suspect here.
Eight years ago, Mrs.
Erika Hellman, was notified
by the Art Loss
Register that the current
owner of the Pissarro
was trying to sell it.
Art Loss Register? Database
of lost or looted
artworks, I've often seen it
come into play in Holocaust
claims. Owner's dealer
checked the Pissarro
against Registry,
found Mrs. Hellman's claim
that it had been
looted by the Nazis.
She sued the owner, his
name's Peyton Shoemaker,
and she lost.
Apparently, there
was insufficient
documentation. Not surprising.
The Nazis were very good
at covering their tracks.
How old is this woman?
Um, according to the DMV,
she's 78.
There are people
she could have paid
to do this.
Did you know about the
Pissarro's provenance, Mr. Ruiz?
Well, of course. As the museum's
curator, I have to know.
Doesn't sound like
you were too troubled
by the indications that it
was once looted by the Nazis.
No, it was a concern.
But we did our due diligence.
The owner's
paperwork was in order.
We were satisfied with the
assurances he provided us.
Especially with the importance
of an acquisition like this one.
There are many paintings
with problematic
provenances, Agent Reeves.
That doesn't mean
they're all Nazi looted art.
Yes, but none of those
other paintings would have
increased your admission
revenue by 50 percent. Look, I don't
deny the Pissarro's been a
boon to a small museum like ours.
Perhaps the Guggenheim
can afford to be more selective,
but we can't.
So, one family's misfortune
will be another man's treasure.
The painting hung
in our home in Berlin.
When I was little,
my father used to pretend we
were the people in the painting.
He always promised that
when I got old enough,
he would take us
all there to Paris.
Obviously, did not happen.
I'm sorry for your loss,
and I hope you understand why
I would have to ask you about it.
Well, I hate to disappoint you,
but you, you have the wrong man.
Naturally, I would love
to have it back again.
You see, the Nazis,
they took everything.
Not just the painting.
I don't have one
photograph of my family.
But when I look
at the Pissarro...
I-I feel as if I was
seeing them all again.
You have any idea
who might have taken it?
(door opens)
No, but we know who
stole it 70 years ago.
Sorry, Nana, traffic
on the freeway. Yeah.
I got here as soon as
I could. Oh, thank you.
Hi. This is my
grandson, Joel. This is Agent
Eppes, Don Eppes.
FBI.
From what I understand,
a federal court
denied your grandmother's claim?
They used the law against her,
same way they used it against
my great-grandfather in 1938.
We just didn't have the money
to continue the fight.
Mm-hmm.
What my grandson is saying
is that we did not
lose the painting
on the merits of the case.
We lost it
because my memory is failing.
My grandmother is the only
living witness who
ever saw the Pissarro
hanging in her father's home.
The rest of the family
were murdered by the Nazis.
The court would not accept
the failing memory
of an old woman.
I had seven sisters
and brothers.
You have family?
Yeah, I have a
father and a brother.
My mother passed
away a few years ago.
You know what loss is, then.
Well, I-I, um...
Look, I'm going to
need to take a look
at your phone and
your bank records.
Now, of course, this
would be with your consent.
Maybe you'd like
to take a painting.
Joel, please.
I did not steal the Pissarro.
Though I admit,
it has run through
my mind many times.
Surely you can understand this.
Family is our anchor to life.
We lose it, we're adrift.
You have no idea what it's like
to be the only
survivor of your family...
and to have no idea why.
LARRY: I find this whole
Nazi association
just so sadly ironic.
How do you mean?
Okay, just observe
this perspective.
Now, most artists at the time,
they painted street scenes
from the street level.
AMITA: Yeah, but
this was painted
from a rooftop.
Why? Artistic choice?
Survival. Pissarro was Jewish.
He was living in Paris at
the time of the Dreyfus Affair.
Anti-Semitic mobs
were roaming the streets.
He feared for his life.
How do you know so
much about Pissarro, Larry?
Oh, my father was a painter.
Really? You never told us that.
It's not a memory
that I gladly inhabit.
Why, all this went
under the heading of,
what, parental disappointment?
He wanted you to be a painter?
He wanted me to see the
world the way he saw it.
Which is the folly
of fatherhood.
Tell me about it.
Why?
Are you and your
dad having problems?
You know, he's been
getting on my case
about how I maintain my house.
LARRY: Now you see
why I sold my house, okay?
Renounce all worldly cares
for the more sublime
pursuits. (computer beeps)
I think we've got something
from the FBI's Art Theft Database.
Three similar robberies.
Analyzing past thefts
for common variables
with our current crime,
I've succeeded in
identifying three suspects...
Michael Ness,
Ben Larkin, and this
is Ronald Wheeler.
TOLLNER: Ness is
in a prison in Turkey.
Now, there's a good time.
And I think Larkin's dead.
Yeah, murdered
three years ago in Kiev.
All right, so we
focus on Wheeler.
TOLLNER: Wheeler's Canadian.
Database has a current
address for Wheeler in Toronto.
You know your art thieves, huh?
I'm impressed with how quickly
you combed through our database.
DAVID: Homeland
Security has no record
of Wheeler entering the country.
All right. Well, no
surprise there, right?
No. He'll be traveling
on a false passport.
DON: All right, let's get
his picture out to
everyone, right?
The hotels, airports,
train stations, you know?
And I'd start with
the upscale ones.
And within the last week.
You got a $22 million painting,
you're not going to
stay in some dump.
MAN: He said his
name was Gautier.
His real name is Wheeler.
Good morning, Mr. Gautier.
Mr. Gautier is not
entertaining visitors.
We're going to need
you to stay back.
Ronald Wheeler, FBI.
We want to talk with you.
Clear.
You smell gunpowder?
We just went way past
stealing high-end art.
Somebody's willing
to kill for this painting.
Mrs. Hellman's
story's not that unusual.
Similar thing
happened to a woman
who got several
Klimt paintings back
from an Austrian
national museum.
They fought her for years.
I mean, she said
it's the only thing
that's left from her family.
MEGAN: I guess the federal court
didn't see it that way, though.
Not for the Hellmans anyway.
Or the owner, this
Mr. Shoemaker,
just has more bucks to throw
at a high-priced legal team.
Is he back from his vacation?
Why? Do you think he
stole his own painting?
Look, I mean, he tries to
sell it and gets a lawsuit.
Right. Maybe an
insurance company
won't ask the same questions?
When did you get home?
Uh, about an hour ago.
Didn't you hear me
working outside?
No, I didn't.
The re-circ pump on
the koi pond's on the fritz.
Yeah? Fish are okay?
Yeah, thanks to me
playing bucket brigade.
Don't you remember I told you
that that pump needed servicing?
The list? Yeah, right.
I'm sorry. I've
been busy. I'm busy.
Yeah, well, I've been
busy, too, Charlie.
You know, at your
age, I had a house,
a wife, and two
kids to take care of.
Any murders to solve?
No, seriously.
Any life-altering mathematical
advances to conceive of?
Oh, I see... the same old story,
the same excuse for everything.
I don't need... You know what?
I don't need a lecture on
how to run my own home,
much less my life.
The Pissarro was inherited.
My father's the one who
made the original purchase.
Any idea from who?
A reputable dealer in Paris.
It was right after the war.
My father was in the
Army on leave in Paris.
He stopped by a shop,
saw the painting, fell in love.
MEGAN: And did he
question its origin?
After the war, it was difficult
to know where
anything came from.
So many had died or fled.
Well, how hard did you
think he, uh, actually tried?
My father bought the painting
from a legitimate dealer.
I have the paperwork.
He paid a fair price.
What, $12,000?
$12,000 was a great amount
of money in those days.
Well, still, it's nowhere
near the 20 million
you were trying to
get eight years ago.
DON: I'm just
curious... does it...
even bother you at all
knowing where it came from?
Well, the fact is, I don't
know where it comes from.
No one does. But they have
their suspicions, don't they?
And I understand with
the taint on the painting,
it'll be almost
impossible to get the price
you're asking.
I'm not sure I understand
where this is going.
The Pissarro is insured...
For $22 million.
If you're suggesting what
I think you're suggesting...
Yeah?
I feel bad for Mrs.
Hellman, I really do,
but the court heard
all the evidence.
That woman did
not stand a chance.
Which is precisely why I
offered her a settlement.
30% of the proceeds
of any sale I made if she agreed
to drop her claim
against the painting.
And she refused?
Her grandson.
He threw my attorney's offer
in my face.
You know, I had my
father's honor to consider.
I had to match it
against the compromised
memory of an elderly woman.
If it were your father,
who would you believe?
(knock at door)
Hey. Ooh, it looks
pretty serious.
Huh? No. Oh, no. Come in.
Yeah? No, actually, no.
I'm just, uh... I'm
balancing my checkbook.
The bank called.
I guess I overdrew
paying some bills.
Oh, don't say it.
What? I'm a math genius,
and I can't even balance
my own checkbook.
Right. I got an earful from Dad.
I didn't say anything.
I should have known, you know,
this arrangement
of dad living with me
would just end up driving
us both completely insane.
Nah. I sort of get it now.
I mean, why you
bought the house.
It's, like, it gives you
an anchor, you know?
I mean, where you
grew up, your family.
What's up?
Why do you think we
were never religious?
Mom wanted a Christmas tree.
Yeah, exactly.
I mean, it's funny, right?
This case got you
thinking about that?
Yeah, a little bit.
Actually, I need some
help with this, Charlie.
Oh, great, and Dad wonders
why I can't get any work done.
Well, it's just I'm trying
to figure out where,
you know, whoever stole
the Pissarro would go next.
With Wheeler dead...
I imagine the options
are pretty limited.
Totally.
But I do suspect that
there are only a few places
that this painting might end up,
and that can be charted
with a diffusion map
using a network
diffusion proba...
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Just slow down.
It's like a vehicle
traveling along a
network of roads.
You know, cars can
go anywhere, right?
But a commercial
truck is limited
to how many
routes it can travel,
and if that truck is
carrying hazardous material,
well, then, the network
becomes even more restricted.
If it's carrying nuclear waste,
the network becomes
even more limited,
and there are only
a few destinations...
Repositories... Where
nuclear waste can go.
It's the same with the Pissarro.
There are only a few
places that it can travel.
Shoemaker might be right
on target with the grandson.
I have phone logs
going back to the time
that Shoemaker made
the settlement offer.
And?
Mrs. Hellman's grandson
made several calls
to a private investigator
specializing in the recovery
of stolen artwork, Peter Tucci.
Why do I know that name?
He has, uh, pending
charges in Istanbul
related to the crime
that Michael Ness is
doing time for in Turkey.
Ness is one of the art thieves
that Charlie pulled
off the database.
Yeah, check this out.
Uh, the museum records its,
uh, security footage digitally.
I pulled an MPEG file from
about three months ago.
Nice.
MEGAN: Mrs. Hellman's
grandson?
Is he casing the place?
He contacted Tucci
three years ago.
About hiring Ness
to rip off the Pissarro.
TOLLNER: But when Ness
got caught, he
couldn't do the job.
Wow. Joel Hellman really
couldn't take no for an answer.
I don't know a guy
named Ronald Wheeler
or how he ended up dead.
Have a seat.
I haven't done anything.
Look, tell me about
your relationship
with Peter Tucci.
That was over three years ago.
Right around the time the
courts decided against you.
(sighs): I lost my cool.
It was a stupid thing to do.
Look, I understand how you feel.
I mean with your
grandmother and all
and then not being
able to help her.
They embarrassed her.
They brought in doctors
and tested her memory
and made her live
through things that...
That's you at the museum,
taken three months ago.
I go a lot.
I don't know, somehow
it made me feel...
better to be close to it.
Not as good as having it
would make you
feel though, right?
No.
I told you, I haven't
done anything.
So what do you think?
Well, I think he
thought about it,
but I don't think he did it.
He didn't make any real
efforts to cover his tracks either.
Well, then we're
back to the owner,
Shoemaker, and
the insurance scam.
It's a nice theory, but so
far I can't find a paper trail
between Shoemaker
and our thief, Wheeler.
I mean, there's no
payments to a middle man,
there's nothing.
That painting's got
to be somewhere.
AMITA: Yeah, the
numbers are staggering.
The Nazis looted hundreds
of thousands of artworks.
Nearly a fifth of all
European art at the time.
Yeah, there's still a
lot out there, you know?
Museums, dealers, collectors...
Yeah, it's just
appalling... Blood trade.
I am starting to
see a pattern here.
You know, the
heaviest flow of art
running along these networks.
With China being
a prime destination.
So we should start
concentrating on networks
supplying to China.
(cell phone ringing)
(phone beeps off)
Wouldn't be Dad, would it?
It's a standoff.
Hey, here's another chestnut
from my rather exhaustive
study of the great artists.
Did you know
that Monet's father
wanted him to be a grocer?
Oh, yeah? Hmm.
Good thing he didn't listen.
Well, fathers
imposing their wills
on their sons... I tell ya,
that is the stuff of legend.
CHARLIE: This
is hardly so grand.
I mean, the last
message he left me
equated my refusal
to take out the garbage
with my supposed
commitment-phobia
and my failure to settle down.
There might be
some truth in that.
What?
Uh, I'm just saying...
Where were we? China?
Uh, yeah...
(muttering)
DON: That smells good.
Where's Charlie?
I don't know,
working late I guess.
Or hiding from you.
He's been complaining?
You been giving him a hard time?
Hey, he owns the
place, you know.
Remember when I was
looking for a place of my own?
And I thought that
staying on here
was gonna keep
me from moving on.
What does this have
to do with Charlie?
Well, he just comes and he goes.
He has no idea how
to maintain a home.
Dad, the guy's got
a lot on his plate.
Hey look, I don't
want to be a pest.
I just want to make sure
that when the time comes,
he knows how to take
care of his own house...
His own family if
he ever has one.
Well, talk to him.
I mean, you can't just
ride him like he's a little kid.
Are you referring to
my failures with you?
Me? I'm a lost cause, pal.
What's up?
You had a tough day?
You know I had to interview
that Holocaust survivor
yesterday, her grandson today.
Oh, about that
painting, huh? I felt weird
'cause nobody believes
the woman; it's like
her life never existed
because there's nobody left
who remembers it. Yeah.
You remember my
mother's cousin, Anna?
Yeah, I mean... Yeah, it
was the same way with her.
She got out before the war,
but she spent her whole
life... The whole rest of her life...
Searching for her people.
Can you imagine that?
I mean, living that life
going through all that?
This woman finds a piece
and it gets taken away again.
Let me get you a plate.
Hey, did your mom's
cousin ever find anyone?
No, not a single soul.
LARRY: Oh, still taking your
meals outside the home, I see.
CHARLIE: Still brown bagging it.
Is this some of your work?
It's my submission
for entry into art school.
One of the many
life steps I never took.
You're pretty
good. Don't mistake
technical ability
for originality.
Almost every one of these
is a copy of a masterwork.
My father insisted that before
I attempt anything
original, I had to understand
those who came before me.
I mean, what is all this
red marginalia here?
When network
analysis came up empty,
I found these leads to China.
Still no sign of the Pissarro
so I must've miscalculated.
You know, some of the
greatest errors in cosmology
have come not from poor math,
but from poor assumptions.
What poor assumptions
am I making?
Well, current wisdom
holds that the picture's
Nazi associations
have compromised
its potential for sale
on the black market.
Compromised yeah,
but eliminated no.
Yet you can find
no market to which
you can trace a sale.
China seemed the best
bet. Don came up empty.
Perhaps this Pissarro
is not for sale anywhere
because for some reason,
it's simply not saleable.
Even with the taint,
it's still worth millions.
Why wouldn't it be "saleable"?
No idea.
I'm leaving.
All right.
CHARLIE: I think
I've figured out
why you haven't been
able to find the Pissarro.
Using a computer program
that analyzes fine art paintings
from enhanced photographs.
Now uses two
criteria: craquelure...
Craquelure?
It's a fancy word for
the cracks that form
on the surface of a painting.
And those cracks form patterns,
which will give us an idea
of where and when
a work was painted
because the pattern depends
on the artist's materials:
the paint, the brush...
even the canvas.
A painter in 15th century
Florence used different
materials than a painter
in 17th century London.
Or a painter in
19th century Paris.
See, different materials
and the vagaries of time
create specific
craquelure patterns
which we can analyze
using mathematical models.
You said there were
two criteria. Right, well...
The analysis also
looks at visual style...
The artist's actual
brushstrokes.
Like a fingerprint?
More like a signature.
See, with currency, I
used a wavelet analysis.
But with paintings, I can
use a more sophisticated
curvelet analysis,
allowing us to look at the
art in three dimensions.
Using curvelet analysis,
we can measure the
contours and the depth
of an artist's brushstrokes,
giving us a
mathematical expression
of the artist's
unique signature...
which we then use to
evaluate other works
attributed to the artist
to see if the same hand
did, in fact, paint them all.
Enhancing the museum
catalogue photo of the Pissarro,
I ran both analyses
and compared it
to other Pissarros
from museums around the world.
The results are undeniable.
This isn't a Pissarro.
It's a fake.
The Pissarro a forgery?
It's not possible.
Our math consultant
did an extensive
analysis, Mr. Ruiz.
From a photograph.
With a computer's
enhancement. I'm sorry,
but whatever consultant
you used is mistaken.
I'm afraid that's
not really possible.
Well, it has to be.
This painting underwent
an extensive
authentication process
when it arrived here a year
and a half ago. Then what about
a switch? What if someone
changed the painting
since the authentication? How?
Hmm? When?
I don't work at a museum,
but have you cleaned
the painting in the past
year and a half?
Under the strict supervision
of the museum conservator.
Who also, by the way,
performed the authentication.
And that would have been done
on the premises, correct?
Yes. In our
restoration department.
The Pissarro was taken down
June 3rd for a cleaning.
Who did the work?
Me.
And you also performed
the authentication
on the Pissarro when
it first arrived here?
That's right. And you're certain
that the painting you cleaned
on June 3rd is the same one
you authenticated 18 months ago.
Patrick has been
with me 20 years.
I trust his judgment completely.
So, there's no chance
you missed something?
This painting was the
most important piece
we've ever displayed here.
Mr. Holden?
I'm certain that the painting
was the same one that I
examined a year and a half ago.
You have your answer.
Is it you that also does
the museum
catalogues, Mr. Holden.
For every exhibition.
When was the photograph
of the Pissarro taken?
I don't know.
What do you mean you don't know?
This particular
photograph was furnished
by the owner.
Peyton Shoemaker
gave you the photograph?
Once in a while an owner loaning
a painting does
accompany the piece
with his own photographic
documentation.
MEGAN: So Shoemaker provided
the photo when he first
loaned the piece to the museum.
The same photograph
your brother used
to determine it was a forgery.
Okay, so we're saying, what,
the stolen one was a fake.
But did Shoemaker know it?
He may even be the
one who had it made.
Forgery of his own painting?
Owners often have forgeries made
to protect their
art against theft.
But maybe Shoemaker was afraid
he'd lose his
painting another way.
The Hellmans.
TOLLNER: Those type of
claims never really go away.
Collectors tend to shy
away from paintings
with questionable histories
for that very reason.
In other words, if the Hellmans
ever find more evidence
to support their claim...
They could go
right back to court.
He creates a fake
to hedge his bet.
Then he loaned it
to the museum to get the break
in the insurance premium.
Shoemaker might even be trying
to pull off a double scam...
Have the fake one
stolen for insurance, right,
and then sell the real
one later on the sly.
Why steal back the
fake Pissarro now?
I mean, it's been hanging
on the museum wall
for a year and
a half. Hey, wait,
what'd that guy,
that curator guy say...
it was going on
tour? Next month.
Which would have meant
another authentication.
Fool me once shame
on you, fool me twice...
Now, the question is...
where is the real Pissarro?
Right.
You can add, but you can't hide.
What's broken?
I've come with a peace offering.
French dip.
Thank you, but you
didn't have to do that.
There are a lot of things I
don't have to do, Charlie,
but I just do them
because I want to.
Just feel like you worry
about me too much, Dad.
Charlie, look, you're a grown
man, but you're still my son
and I'm still your father.
Okay,
it-it's not about the
house or chores.
It's, uh, it's about...
accepting responsibility.
(slams book shut)
Dad, I'm a... I'm a full-tenured
professor at one of the most
prestigious universities
in this country.
How do you think I got
here, by slacking off?
You can do the math,
Charlie, we all know that,
but, uh, sometime, you're
going to want more for your life.
I know you can't see
that right now, but...
sometime, God willing, you're
going to have to make a choice
between one of your algorithms
and one of your kids
upstairs with the flu.
I have a kid with the flu now?
Charlie, I look at Larry, you
know, an-and I respect him,
but look at him...
He's all alone.
I mean, he sleeps on couches,
puts his work ahead
of relationships.
You got to start somewhere.
The kind of life
I'm talking about,
it just doesn't happen by magic.
Is that what this
has been all about?
You're worried that I'm
going to turn into Larry?
(chuckles)
I worry about that,
too, sometimes.
Yeah...
because I look around and I
don't see the best role models.
For example, Einstein.
Einstein never had a home life.
Einstein dumped his wife
and married his cousin.
I hope that's not your way
of making me feel better.
Dad, I'm wrestling
with all this, all of it.
My math, my work with Don,
Amita.
I'm sorry, I just don't
have it all figured out yet.
You have no right.
MEGAN: Actually,
we have a warrant.
This is ludicrous.
You're telling me that
my painting is a forgery
based on an analysis
of a photograph?
A photograph that you
submitted to the museum,
and I spoke to your
insurance company...
They're going to
withhold your payment.
Yeah, well,
I'll take them to court.
I wouldn't count on the courts
backing your play a
second time, Mr. Shoemaker.
The Hellmans are
behind this, aren't they?
They paid some sleazy math
expert to look at a photograph
and say that my
Pissarro is a fake.
Well, if they
think they're going
to get something out
of this, they're wrong.
That's a really
interesting theory,
but the math
expert works for us.
Why?
Why would I steal
my own painting?
And if it was a fake,
why would the Hellmans
have fought for four
years to get it back?
Nothing so far. Of
course, there's nothing!
I didn't steal the painting,
and I never shot
a gun off in my life.
My father was an honorable
man who served his country.
He was not a criminal
and neither am I.
So, where would someone like
Shoemaker hide that original?
If he is our guy, he's done
a real good job of eliminating
the one witness who
could pin the forgery on him.
By killing Wheeler.
Wait a minute, if he
commissioned a fake,
there's got to be a forger.
Maybe our second witness.
Find him, we find the killer.
TOLLNER: It won't be
easy catching this guy.
I've met any number of forgers
capable of work this good.
Maybe he's been caught before.
Maybe he even has a file.
That's a lot of
names to run down.
Well, what if we don't
run down the names?
What if we run
down the paintings?
We have a photograph of
the forged Pissarro, right?
Yeah, and the Bureau has
a photographic database
of other forgeries
seized over the years.
So, we give the photograph to
Charlie, he can do an analysis
against all the other forgeries.
If he can tell us Pissarro
didn't paint the fake,
maybe he can tell us who did.
So per your request,
I compared my analysis
of the forged Pissarro
to the FBI database
of other recovered forgeries.
The algorithm identified
one painting in the database
that most closely
resembles the handiwork
of our suspect to
an accuracy rate
of, like, 89.9%.
All right, so you found him?
Oh, I definitely found him.
So who's our forger?
His name is Gustav Stolberg.
Well, where is he?
He's in a Jewish cemetery
in Budapest.
He died in 1948.
So, our forger
died 60 years ago?
Yeah, so the fake's
at least that old, then.
Interpol just faxed over
the file on Gustav Stolberg.
In 1946, he was
convicted of fraud.
He died in prison
two years later.
Hungarian police seized
what they believed to be five
forged paintings in his shop.
Take a look at the list.
Fourth title down.
TOLLNER: The Pissarro.
Hungarian police assumed
all five canvases were a fake.
Right, but one wasn't. So,
we think that the real Pissarro's
been sitting in a Hungarian
police vault for 60 years?
Wouldn't surprise me.
The Communists never
threw anything away.
They packed the
Pissarro into a crate
along with the other forgeries.
So Mrs. Hellman's father
must have paid Stolberg
to paint the forgery
and then gave him the
original for safekeeping.
At least there's some
justice; the Nazis looted a fake.
It also means that Shoemaker's
probably telling the truth.
That he didn't know the
Pissarro was a forgery.
And maybe no one did.
Look, the fact that that
painting was stolen a month
before it was supposed to go
on tour can't be a coincidence.
Wait a minute.
Holden, the museum conservator.
Yeah.
If what you're saying is true,
that the real Pissarro
has been found,
then I must have made a mistake.
A mistake?
But you've been
doing this for 20 years.
The fact is, you
lied to us, didn't you?
You knew that Pissarro
was a fake the whole time.
Now we're not just
talking about a painting.
A man is dead.
And you're looking at
conspiracy to commit murder.
Whatever you were paid,
Mr. Holden, it's not enough.
Paid?
You think my integrity
would be for sale?
He said it would ruin us.
We'd already
announced the acquisition.
It's one thing to
display a painting
that's suspected of
being Nazi looted art...
but to exhibit a forgery?
Who said it would ruin you?
(laughter and chatter)
(classical music playing)
Excuse me. Excuse me.
Holden gave you up, Ruiz.
I spent my life devoted
to the reputation
of this museum.
Killing a man's not going to
do much for the reputation.
Wheeler was a charlatan.
He found out the painting
was a forgery, he
tried to blackmail you.
Do you know how difficult
it is for a museum like ours
to actually acquire a Pissarro?
Yeah, but you didn't
actually acquire a
Pissarro, did you?
By the time Patrick
alerted me to the forgery,
it was already too late...
The Pissarro had
put us on the map.
Only the tour next month
would have exposed you.
I thought if the
painting had just...
disappeared, what
would be the harm?
Shoemaker had his insurance,
and the museum would
have had its future.
Yeah, it's not much
of a future now, is it?
Is this really necessary?
Yes, this is really
necessary. Come with me.
The Hungarian police
just delivered it to us.
Oh, my...
It's yours, Nana. Oh, my...
Always has been.
Oh, my God...
You know... I think your father
clearly saw the writing on the wall
with the Nazis.
So he went to Stolberg
and commissioned a forgery.
After all these years...
to think, even I was beginning
to question whether what
I remembered was true.
Well, I hope this will give
you a little bit of comfort.
♪ It goes like this,
the fourth, the fifth ♪
♪ The minor fall,
the major lift ♪
♪ The baffled king
composing Hallelujah... ♪
(crickets chirping)
LARRY: You know, I can't
imagine... six years old...
The world around you safe.
Then one day,
everything disappears...
Parents, family,
everything you know...
One painting can only
give you back so much.
LARRY: Well, maybe
for Mrs. Hellman,
given the wisdom of her
years, that'll be enough.
(door opening) Oh.
Oh, hey.
What, you guys
started without me, huh?
ALAN: I'd think
Einstein would say
we started with you.
Just a different time
and space, am I right?
I like that.
I've been taking a closer
look at Einstein lately.
What's to eat?
Red meat on the barbecue.
Provided we still
have a barbecue.
Did you get my note?
We're out of propane.
I thought you'd take care of it.
I'm kidding.
We got a new tank.
We're good to go.
All right...
No, no, no, stay, stay.
I got it.
You're gonna grill?
Yeah, you know, T-bone steak
with Mom's amazing steak sauce.
A little corn on the cob.
Hey, you want some help?
No, no. Think I can handle it.
Charles, that is white corn.
Hey, you know how you told
me about your mom's cousin
not finding anyone. Yeah.
You think you could
give me a list of names?
You're gonna find them?
Yeah, I mean I'd like to try.
What do you think?
Okay.
♪ ...And broken Hallelujah ♪
♪ Hallelujah ♪
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
♪ Hallelujah ♪
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
♪ Hallelu... ♪