Masterpiece

James and Marvin enter the small apartment. James wonders where they are. He and Marvin also wonder who Gordon Perry is, the name on the address label. Using their hot and cold method of communication, Marvin leads James to the study. James remarks that there’s nothing there. He tells Marvin that he needs to get back to the museum so he doesn’t get in trouble with his parents. Marvin frantically moves to the ends of James’s fingers, pointing out the closet. James opens the closet and again remarks that nothing’s there. All James can see are boxes and coats. Marvin tries to point out the leather briefcase. Growing impatient, he throws himself to the ground and crawls to it.

James sits on the floor and takes the briefcase, carefully unlatching it. He says that it’s just papers and tries again to tell Marvin that they need to get going. James is worried that Gordon Perry will return and catch them. Marvin grabs onto the paper that’s protecting the drawings and pounds his legs, begging for James to look closer. Marvin rolls onto his back dramatically and kicks his legs in the air. James finally removes the top layer of paper and spots Fortitude.

Overwhelmed, James paces the study, clutching his head and trying to figure out what to do. He spots a phone and tries to call his dad, but no one answers. He decides to try calling the museum and has the call directed to Christina’s office. Denny answers, and James tells him that he’s found the real Fortitude.

James tells Denny about the drawings and Gordon Perry. He relays the address to Denny, telling him to hurry because Gordon Perry might return. James asks for his dad or Christina, but Denny tells him that they left the office to look for him. When James gets off the phone, he tells Marvin that they saved Fortitude and that Denny will be on his way. Marvin panics, trying to figure out how to tell James that Denny is the culprit.

With Marvin’s insistence, James replaces the drawings in the briefcase. Marvin gets James to close the case. Once the briefcase is shut, Marvin notices three letters printed on the top. Marvin recalls seeing three letters before, on the Pompadays’ items and on James’s pen and ink set. He realizes that these are identifying letters—initials—and directs James’s attention to them. James reads D-E-M on the top of the briefcase and tries to put together how that would relate to Gordon Perry. As he studies the briefcase, James notices more markings. These show that the briefcase came from the Getty Museum in California, where Denny works.

James slowly puts it together, and when he realizes that Denny was involved in the theft, he panics. Marvin celebrates, indicating that James has the right idea. James realizes he needs to escape the apartment because Denny will be there soon. He grabs the briefcase, tucks Marvin into his sleeve, and leaves. The elevator dings as he exits the apartment, so he runs down the stairs, through the lobby, and out into the streets.

Out in the streets, James is fired up while Marvin is exhausted from the energy he spent communicating. James decides to try to call his dad again; he steps into a restaurant and asks the hostess if he can use the phone. She assumes he’s lost and allows him to. James gets through to Karl and explains that he’s not at the museum, asking Karl to wait in Christina’s office. When James leaves the restaurant, the hostess tries to stop him, but James presses on, running through the streets and only stopping at crosswalks.

When James arrives at the museum, a security guard stops him and asks his name. James tells the guard who he is, and the guard is relieved, commenting that James’s dad is looking for him and that security has been searching all over the museum. The guard radios his crew that he has James and points James to Christina’s office.

When James enters the office, Karl embraces him. Christina says that she’s glad James is all right. James apologizes but explains that it was important and that he found Fortitude. He holds up the briefcase. Karl and Christina are confused and skeptical. James insists they open it. Karl does and asks who it belongs to. Christina recognizes it as Denny’s and asks where James got it. James tells them to look.

Christina looks at the wrapping around the drawings. Karl unveils Fortitude, which leaves Christina stunned. Marvin watches intently, hoping they notice the other drawings. Karl continues to unwrap and finds the rest of the Virtues. Christina’s knees buckle, but Karl catches her. Christina, barely able to speak, says she can’t believe that all four drawings are there.

Everyone looks at the virtues in awe. Karl asks if they’re real and Christina confirms they are. Christina asks James how he found them, and Karl presses James about the briefcase. James says he found them in an apartment and presents the address label that Marvin gave him. Christina recognizes the address as Gordon Perry’s and explains that Gordon Perry is one of the museum curators, who is currently in Europe. Denny is staying at Gordon’s apartment while in town.

Karl asks where Denny is. He says they need to inform him, but James says that Denny already knows and explains how he called earlier and spoke to Denny. James tells Karl and Christina that Denny was supposed to tell them about the discovery but didn’t. Christina asks James to relay exactly how he found the drawings.

James tells them he found the rolled-up address label earlier the previous day and had a feeling it was supposed to be on the packaging that Fortitude was stored in. The story is flimsy, and Karl and Christina are still skeptical, but it’s the best James can do without telling them about Marvin.

Karl tells James that accusing Denny is very serious. Karl is unwilling to believe that his longtime friend is involved in the theft. James points out the initials on the briefcase as well as the logo for Denny’s museum. Christina adds that Denny knew about every facet of the staged theft. Karl continues to argue against Denny’s involvement. Christina says that she trusted Denny to hang the fake Fortitude in the gallery, but they were apart at times, and he could have had the opportunity to switch them.

They decide to try calling Denny, but he doesn’t answer. Still skeptical, Karl wonders why Denny would risk his career for the drawing. Christina says he was devoted to Dürer’s works. Karl asks why not just steal it from the Getty instead of waiting for the drawing to be at another museum. Christina says that Denny was in New York City the night Justice was stolen and that she gave him access to the museum during that trip as well.

They agree that Denny must have taken the works because he loved them and wouldn’t be able to sell them. Marvin knows this is true because of what he witnessed in the study. James asks if Denny will go to jail. Karl tenderly points out the sadness on the face of the woman in Justice and explains how doing the right thing can feel bad sometimes. James asks if they can just give the drawings back because that’s what’s important, but Christina says that what Denny did was a serious crime. She explains how justice is the most important of the virtues and reminds James that the Greeks believed the four virtues contained the rest.

Karl interjects that they lack compassion and forgiveness. Christina calls the FBI. Karl tells James it’s time to go home but the FBI may need to speak with him later.