Chapter Eighteen of The Art Thief delves deeper into the covert world of Stéphane and Anne-Catherine as they navigate the aftermath of their art heists and outsmart law enforcement. The couple vigilantly follows media coverage to gauge the police's knowledge of their crimes, utilizing newspapers as a source of information on the ongoing investigation.

Unlike Bernard Darties's federal art crime team, local police are not bound by a gag order and are free to share details with journalists. Stéphane and Anne-Catherine know that there have been eye-witnesses to their thefts, and descriptions of the thieves are accurate, increasing the risk of exposure. To leave their mark and perhaps taunt the authorities, the couple adopts a calling card by leaving a frame behind after each theft. While Stéphane claims not to feel joy during the act of stealing, he cannot resist...