Masterpiece

Christina informs them that it will take a week to get everything sorted out for the burglary. She has been in contact with the museum director, the FBI, and the New York City police department. Denny is also getting approval from his museum even though the original Fortitude will be safe.

James worries he’ll never see Marvin’s work again. Christina gently tells him that there’s a risk he won’t get it back. James asks if he can come back and see it one more time, and Christina agrees that he can come next week. Karl says he’ll need to clear it with Mrs. Pompaday first.

Karl takes James home. Mr. Pompaday greets them, telling James that his mother has something to talk to him about. Karl pulls out James’s pen, saying he’ll clean the brown ink off for him but is confused when he finds the pen is clean. James lies that he already cleaned the pen at the museum. Karl is skeptical but lets it go.

Mrs. Pompaday waits in the living room, holding Marvin’s first drawing of the window scene. She excitedly informs James that she showed it to her friends, the Mortons, and they want to buy it. Marvin hopes James won’t sell it because he made it special for James’s birthday. Mrs. Pompaday says that James will make more money than Karl. She tells James that the Mortons offered four thousand dollars. Marvin silently pleads with James not to sell, but James agrees to let Mrs. Pompaday sell the work. She gives James a big hug. Marvin becomes angry, thinking humans only care about money, not beauty or friendship.

Back in James’s room, Marvin tries to avoid James, crawling to the opposite side of James’s arm whenever James tries to look at him. Thinking Marvin wants to get down, James lets Marvin crawl onto the desk. Marvin tries to rush away, but James blocks him, offering to take him home because it’s faster. Marvin is furious now and crawls around James’s hand. James catches Marvin and scoops him up, asking what’s wrong. Marvin curls into a defensive posture and sits still in James’s palm, not wanting to communicate with James. James realizes Marvin is mad about him selling the drawing.

James takes a seat at his desk and admits he doesn’t want to sell it either. He says he loves the drawing and rolls Marvin onto the desk, telling Marvin he can leave if he wants. James continues to vent about his mom, wishing she could be proud of him for regular things so he wouldn’t have to lie about making the drawing just to get her attention. James laments his parents’ divorce, questioning whether he really is the most important thing to them.

Marvin is listening now, thinking about his own family. Mama and Papa are always supportive; Marvin has never wondered what it’s like to not feel your parents cheering you on. James adds that the one good thing that came from the divorce was William. Marvin is no longer angry.

James admits he likes talking to Marvin and offers to bring Marvin home, which Marvin accepts. That night, Marvin can’t sleep. He calls Mama in and asks her why beetles don’t have divorce. Mama tells him that beetles have short lives, and it’s pointless to waste time not trying to be happy. Beetles have simple needs: safety, food, a home, and loved ones. As she leaves Marvin’s room, Mama jokes that they don’t have lawyers anyway.

The week passes quickly and uneventfully. Marvin notices James is much happier, which makes Marvin happy. On Friday, Karl brings James (and Marvin) back to the museum for one last look at Marvin’s Fortitude. Christina greets them in her office and explains that the forged drawing has been hanging in the museum all day, fooling visitors. She and Denny worked to ensure the framing was identical and ironed out the details of the plan. The FBI will attach a microchip to the matting of the drawing once their plant steals it. Christina explains that this leaves some risk if the underground dealers remove the matting.

James asks where the real drawing is. Christina says she and Denny were in her office the night before comparing the two before the switch and that the real one is stored safely in the vault of the director’s office. Christina swears James to secrecy, then explains how the plan will unfold.

An FBI agent disguised in a guard’s uniform will enter the gallery with a canvas bag after the hall has closed to the public. When the coast is clear, he will lift the drawing off the wall and tuck it into a canvas bag. He will go straight to an unlocked supply closet in the gift shop. There, he will have a change of clothes, including a jacket with a flat internal pocket that has been reinforced and waterproofed. He will remove the framing and install the microchip in the matting, change into civilian clothes, secure the drawing in the pocket, and leave as the rest of the public files out.

Karl and James compliment Christina on having thought of everything. Christina assures James that he’ll see his drawing again. James asks if he’ll see Christina again, and Karl says that they will. Christina promises to keep them updated.

Karl and James see the drawing one last time. Christina can’t come with them because she has another meeting with FBI personnel to make sure everything is ready to go. It takes a minute for crowds to clear before they can get a good look at the drawing, but once they are close enough, Marvin examines the drawing and realizes it’s the real thing. Marvin knows his work and despite being able to fool everyone else, Marvin is sure this is not his drawing. Terrified that the real Dürer is about to be stolen, Marvin tries to get James’s attention. However, James fails to notice Marvin’s panicked movements. As they are about to leave, Marvin does the only thing he can think of: he dives off James’s shoulder toward the wall.

Marvin plummets through the air and lands on the museum carpet. He scurries to the wall and hides against the baseboard. Knowing he’ll stand out against the museum wall, he decides he’ll wait until the museum closes before he makes his way to Fortitude. He occupies himself counting shoes and eating a Cheerio that dropped from a stroller.

A speaker system announces the museum’s closing, asking visitors to make their way toward the exit. Marvin makes sure no one is looking and climbs the wall to Fortitude. He takes a moment to admire the drawing once more, then hides on the inside of the frame. Not long after, Marvin feels the frame get lifted off the wall. He holds on tight as the drawing is placed in a canvas bag, lined with dark fabric on the inside. He rides with the drawing to the supply closet, where the man removes it from the bag and begins disassembling the frame with a knife, narrowly avoiding Marvin.

Marvin stays out of sight as the man uses a penlight to illuminate the dark supply closet. Marvin catches a glimpse of the man, noting that he looks very average and could easily blend in. Marvin holds onto the matting of the drawing as the man removes it from the frame. The man delicately attaches the tracking device to the piece, then turns off the light. Marvin holds tightly as the drawing is slid into the protective pocket.

Marvin rides in the pocket with the drawing, trying not to feel motion sick or claustrophobic as the man exits the building and enters the back of a vehicle. The man makes a phone call. Marvin strains to hear the conversation and gathers that the man is about to meet another person at a hotel to exchange the drawing. Marvin worries about Christina, who worked so hard to plan the theft. He worries about James and Mama and Papa, hoping he’ll eventually return to them. He knows at this point that he’s bound to Fortitude for the rest of its journey.

Marvin feels the car stop, and the FBI agent exits. The agent walks into a building and takes the elevator to the right floor. A new voice, another man, asks if the FBI agent has the drawing, and the agent confirms he does. The new man asks to see the drawing. Marvin tries to hold onto it as it’s pulled from the pocket, but he gets caught at the lip and tumbles out onto the table, which he is thankful is dark wood. Marvin holds perfectly still, hoping to blend in with the wood. He can tell they’re in a hotel room because he’s seen many hotel rooms on the Pompadays’ television.

The two men inspect the drawing. Marvin gets nervous but then remembers that it’s the real drawing and that it will surely pass the scrutiny. After a moment, the new man says he’ll take the drawing to his contact. The FBI agent asks for his share, which the man indicates is in an envelope on the nightstand.

When the men turn away, Marvin runs toward the drawing, hoping to grab onto it before they can see. Suddenly, a hand swipes him off the table. Marvin falls to the floor and narrowly avoids stomping shoes. The man asks the FBI agent if the drawing is bug infested; the agent replies that it must be a bedbug from the hotel room. Marvin is offended by the comparison.

The two men leave the hotel room, leaving Marvin stranded.