51 pages 1 hour read

Grace D. Li

Portrait of a Thief

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022

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Part 3, Chapters 59-69Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 3: “Act Three”

Part 3, Chapter 59 Summary: “Alex”

During Alex’s interrogation, she tells Daniel’s father that he already knows why she was at the Met. Yaoxian’s phone rings, and she suggests he take the call. When he hangs up and Alex asks what the call was about, he says she knows.

Part 3, Chapter 60 Summary: “Will”

While Will’s still in handcuffs, a news story breaks about museums trafficking stolen art. A New York Times article contains evidence of museum complicity based on internal documents from the Met, as well as emails between the Met and other major museums. Will denies involvement, but knows Daniel’s father sees the truth—that the article’s evidence was stolen from the Met that day. Being in FBI custody when the story breaks is the crew’s alibi. Yaoxian releases Will, saying trespassing doesn’t warrant FBI involvement.

Part 3, Chapter 61 Summary: “Lily”

A flashback of the heist is told from Lily and Daniel’s shared perspective. While Will, Irene, and Alex are “caught” by the FBI in the Chinese art gallery, Lily and Daniel break into a Met office and steal a computer’s hard drive. During the others’ interrogations, Lily uploads the data to her computer and sends it to Zhao Min and Liu Siqi, who forward it to news stations.