The Coverups

The honor bestowed upon the Cleveland Museum of Fine Arts, for hosting an exhibition of the Mona Lisa, as part of its world tour, turns into disaster when the work is stolen and replaced by a realistic mockery on its final day. Newly appointed museum director, Eric Bloom, overwhelmed by the crime, is advised by the police and a trusted staff member, Albert Whetsok, to cover up the theft with a phony healthcare scare, until the masterpiece can be found. The Louvre, on board with the subterfuge, sends its snobbish head of security, Henri Bougereau, to Cleveland. He is teamed up with a local detective, Derek Stump, recently assigned to head the force's art unit. Stump's art knowledge and sophistication are polar opposites of Bougereau's and the source of comedic friction. The unwitting accomplice and creator of the Mona Lisa's substitute is struggling artist, Marigold West. She has been duped by Whetsok (in disguise, as an art fancier named Keating) into creating the fraudulent piece, as well as two additional works painted over the two halves, into which the original has been cut and neutrally covered. Marigold, a fast and talented painter, works from her apartment. Unbeknownst to her, her suspicious, miscreant boyfriend, Craig Ransid, has been secretly video-recording all the crime-related events that have transpired in her flat. Unaware of the true identity of the two halves, she mistakenly sells them to a pair of clients and creates replacements for Keating. Meanwhile, Bougereau pursues the case in his own, unique, maddeningly casual way, much to Stump's chagrin. Henri relies on introspection and does his best thinking wile dining at five-star-rated restaurants. When Keating picks up the two pieces from Marigold, he instantly notices the substitution and confronts her. The unlikely duo are now forced to work together to retrieve the original halves. If she refuses, Keating will implicate her. Keating is under additional pressure, as he must deliver both halves to an aggressive, impatient dealer in stolen art, who has secretly sent his agent to tail the thief. The agent's path crosses that of Marigold and Keating, when the latter two attempt to persuade Ransid to relinquish the disc onto which he has placed damaging evidence. The agent kills Ransid, takes the disc and works to cut Keating out of his prearranged deal. A race ensues to obtain the halves of the Mona Lisa. Keating obtains one, sans Marigold; the second remains elusive. An astute observation by a police officer and a fortuitous break in the case draw Stump and Bougereau to the site of the second half, at an especially opportune time: Keating arrives, with his half. They promptly arrest him. Marigold is cleared of the crime when Stump views the disc, which is obtained from the agent after his accidental demise. With the Mona Lisa ruined beyond repair, Bougereau faces a dilemma. Informing the Louvre of its destruction is beyond his comprehension, so he secretly commissions Marigold to create a substitute. He will lie and tell his superiors of the painting's safe retrieval and Marigold will become the unsung hero of the art world.