The Louvre's director in charge, Théophile Homolle was pacing back and forth within his small disorganized office. With the setting where the Mona Lisa was once proudly displayed now empty, he wondered if the mystery of her disappearance would ever be solved. The whole country screamed with retribution and if the police didn't start producing results soon, the whole of France would be screaming at him too!

Just as the director was about to pack up and leave for the day, the phone rang. He quickly slouched down in his chair, and picked up the receiver.

"Bonjour."

"Monsieur Homolle?" queried a monotone voice.

"Yes."

"I have the Mona Lisa and if you want her returned, you'll pay me a ransom of 50,000 francs!"

Homolle was momentarily speechless as he tried to digest what he just heard. With the mystery of exactly how Mona disappeared having played out in his head over and over during the past few days, he asked, "How did you acquire the painting?"

"It was simple. I stowed overnight in the Louvre knowing that the next day, a Monday, the museum would be closed for cleaning. With the Lourve being chiefly vacant, I took the portrait, carefully removed it from it's frame, rolled it up and placed it under my smock. I then headed down the stairs, where I discarded the frame and promptly left the museum." After a brief ominous laugh, he continued. "It was as easy as that! So if you would like to see ..."

Homolle interrupted. "Although I am sure that the police would love to meet with you, it won't be to recover the Mona Lisa. It's obvious to me that you do not have the painting!"

How did Monsieur Homolle know that the mystery caller did not have the Mona Lisa?

Answer: Da Vinci painted his masterpiece, the Mona Lisa, on a plank of poplar wood. Since the painting is not on canvas, as the unidentified caller probably assumed, it could not have been "rolled up" and placed under his smock as he claimed.

Jane Long is a Squidoo lensmaster who enjoys writing and family. Her website can be found at Mona Lisa - Da Vincis' Magnum Opus http://www.squidoo.com/the-mona-lisa