The collectors that Gideon made certain Lou and Rory invited to the opening had accepted. Those included the two who were known to collect art from the Delft School—and they knew full well the reason behind their being there. They were, according to Gideon, eager to stop Hanks and would let him know if the forger approached them.
The news story in the Post the morning of the opening garnered a few interesting comments on the gallery’s new website. Most people seemed to be fascinated by Rory’s turn-around from forger to art consultant, teaching new gallery owners how to spot potential forgeries. A few were dubious that Rory could be trusted, wondering if he would try to foist off a forgery of his own on the gallery.
“Either way it’s great publicity. With luck, Hanks will have seen the sto
