Fate Prevails

During the 80 Years War (1568-1648) between the Netherlands and Spain, a three-paneled altarpiece (tryptic) by Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch, disappeared. It hasn't been seen since. Fast forward four centuries. In Charleston, South Carolina, Jacob Dyke lives alone in a once-opulent, now decrepit, mansion (Dyke Huis). He lives as a hermit, his only outside contact is his housekeeper, Barbara Dahl. Hanging on a wall in the mansion is a painting that Dahl recognizes as a triptych in the...
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During the 80 Years War (1568-1648) between the Netherlands and Spain, a three-paneled altarpiece (tryptic) by Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch, disappeared. It hasn't been seen since. Fast forward four centuries. In Charleston, South Carolina, Jacob Dyke lives alone in a once-opulent, now decrepit, mansion (Dyke Huis). He lives as a hermit, his only outside contact is his housekeeper, Barbara Dahl. Hanging on a wall in the mansion is a painting that Dahl recognizes as a triptych in the style of Bosch. If authentic, this would send shock waves through the art world. It would also be worth a fortune. Dahl cannot believe it is the real deal.The housekeeper overhears her employer in conversation with a stranger, breaking all precedent. She eavesdrops and hears a plan to pass the tryptic off to the stranger, to keep it hidden from the world at large. Maybe the tryptic is real. To save the work, she removes the painting herself and stashes it in one of the many hidden nooks in the house...just in time.That night, two culprits enter the home to lift the painting; of course, it's not there. That's when people start dying. The burglars kill Dyke, then the burglars are killed. Forces are at work that will do anything to possess the Bosch.Detective Jack Scott is brought in on the case. A New York City private investigator whose specialty is recovering stolen art is engaged as a consultant to investigate the theft. He has his own baggage--PTSD from his service in Afghanistan. He is paired with Charleston police detective Adam Newman to find the Bosch and solve the murders. The two find themselves engaged in a tumult of murder and spine chilling events. Sadly, evil prevails.