PALM BEACH FAKE 

Art to die for…

Do you remember the most famous art heist in history… where 13 rare paintings were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum? Rembrandt’s, Vermeer’s, Manet’s, now thought to be worth 2 billion dollars and still missing…well, except maybe one.

What was not widely reported was that one, a Degas, turned up in an art gallery off of Worth Avenue in Palm Beach. Was it real or just a very convincing fake? A Gardner Museum expert said real, a New York Degas expert wasn’t so sure. What we definitely know happened was the owner of the painting was found dead with a knife in his chest and a wad of ten and twenty dollar bills stuffed in his mouth.

Detectives Charlie Crawford and Mort Ott catch the case but five days into it are totally clueless. Until they catch a break…but again, is it real or is it not?