“These will do nicely. I have a collector in Kansas City who will take them.” One statue in particular captivated his attention. It was crafted during the Jin Dynasty nearly seven hundred years earlier. Made of heavily painted wood, the statue was titled Guanshiyin. Supposedly she was some sea goddess, but otherwise he knew very little about the piece. Nevertheless, he liked what he saw. “I think I’ll keep this piece for my own collection.” He motioned to his man. “Take this to the Madison Building with the other cargo. Put this in my office.” “Sure thing, Mr. Welby.” Carl Neely picked up the piece as he might a sack of potatoes. “Be careful with that,” Priam chided. “It’s ancient and priceless.” The man looked at the piece for a moment, then nodded. “You want me to check on the girls?” He gave Priam a leering smile. “There are a couple in there that speak a little broken English.
