“I see you have your bodyguard with you again,” said Novie.
“Oh, yes; he’s put it in his head that he has to be with me every minute of the day,” said Alyx.
Alyx then introduced Althea, and Novie said she’d send someone right over. After the women were served, Alyx got down to questioning.
“Tell me about your desk, Althea. Where and when did you buy it?” asked Alyx, cutting her apple muffin in half.
“My husband bought the desk for me on our honeymoon. We were married in London and honeymooned in Sierra Leone, Africa, where he had a job as overseer in a diamond counting house.”
“What do they do in a counting house, count diamonds?”
“In a fashion. A counting house is where they sort rough diamonds according to their size. My husband, Paul, was a collector of sorts and enjoyed going to auctions, which is where we found a desk just like the one in your shop.”
“I understand your attraction. I feel the same way about that piece and some others I have in my home––pieces I don’t think I could part with.”
“In my case, it wasn’t just the desk. It was the romantic story associated with it that touched a young bride’s heart. The story was that a poor young man had fallen in love with the daughter of a rich diamond mine executive, who forbade the relationship. They say the young man stole a diamond and brought it to her to let her know that now they had enough money to run away and get married. She held the diamond in her hand when the company guards burst in and killed him. They said she hid the diamond in a secret compartment built into the desk. She never married and kept the desk in her room till she died. My husband and I attended the auction where I saw the desk, and when I saw the same one in your shop, a flood of memories from that time came back to me. You see my husband just passed away four months ago.”
“I’m sorry about your husband.”
“Don’t be. He was very ill and it was for the best.”
“Althea, if you want the desk, we can make arrangements for the payment.”
“No, dear; I don’t buy things on credit, especially sentimental things. I’ll have the money soon enough. It won’t be long before everything is settled.”
Alyx was fascinated by the stories about Althea’s life in Africa and told her she would invite her business partner Maggie to join them the next time she stopped in.
“Thank you so much for this unexpected treat. Novie is a lovely woman, and her muffins are everything you said they were. Mostly, thank you for spending a little time with an old lady. I truly enjoyed myself.”
“You’re an interesting woman, and I enjoyed talking to you.”
When we returned to the store, David Hunter was standing at the checkout counter. He looked a little nervous and I wondered what was going on. I hoped he hadn’t come to tell Alyx he couldn’t make it to dinner. That would disappoint Alex.
Alyx was wearing jeans and a simple, unadorned T-shirt. She smiled when she saw Hunter and his face lit up as if he’d received the best gift ever.
“Hello, David. It’s good to see you. Are you still coming to my dinner party?”
“Yes, definitely. I’m looking forward to it. It will be good to see Ethan again with a smile on his face, I’m sure.”
“I was really worried about him, David. I was happy that you were able to get his case dismissed so quickly.”
“I’m glad it all worked out.”
“What brings you here today, work, or pleasure?”
“Definitely pleasure,” he answered, maybe a little quickly. “The last time I was here, I saw a bronze statue I thought would look good in my office, if you still have it.”
“The scales-of-justice?”
“Yes, you still have it?”
“I think so,” she said, looking around.
He followed her to the other side of the store and carried the bronze back to the checkout counter. Alyx wrote out the sales slip and David took out his credit card.
“Is that it for today?”
“There’s just one more thing. I have a small collection of law books, and I was wondering if you could help me locate a rare first edition book I’ve had trouble finding.”
“Books are not my area of expertise, but I know a book dealer, Joe Borando, owner of The Book Room, a large store that deals in antiquarian, rare, and collectible books.
She grabbed a small pad of paper from the end of the counter and reached for a pen, poised to write down the information.
“Here, let me write it down for you,” he said taking the pen from her.
“It sounds fascinating,” she said tongue-in-cheek when she read what he’d written.
“What makes it even more scintillating, it’s a landmark of jurisprudence,” he answered in kind.
The transaction completed, she handed him the wrapped package. “I’ll let you know if I find that book you want.”
“I know this is short notice, but are you free for lunch as an advanced thank you for helping me find the book? If you’re busy, we can do it another time.”
“Lunch sounds great,” Alyx said. “You want me to meet you somewhere?”
“How about that new place, Angelo’s? I hear the food is excellent.”
“I haven’t been there, but they have take-out, and I agree the food is excellent. The restaurant is actually owned and operated by a real Italian, unlike most of the other Italian restaurants in the area.”
“Alright then. Is one o’clock a good time?”
“One thirty would be better.”
“Great. I’ll see you then, Alyx.”
“Yes, you will,” she said.
Hunter left without further ceremony. I happened to catch Charvette looking at her, and what I saw in her eyes made my fur stand up. Alyx must have seen it too. She told Charvette she’d be in her office doing some catchup chores and to come get her if it got busy.
“If animals could speak, the dog would be a blundering outspoken fellow, but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word much.”
––Mark Twain
CHAPTER FORTY: Search for First Edition Law Book
The next day, Maggie stopped in to pick-up something she had forgotten and needed for a client.
“How did lunch with David go yesterday?” she asked. “Did he clarify what he meant about a wife or a girlfriend?”
“How do you know I had lunch with David?”
“I called while you were out and Charvette told me.”
“Our impromptu lunch turned out to be a very pleasant affair for the most part. The conversation flowed easily, with neither of us running out of things to say. We kept the conversation on a general level, deliberately staying away from discussing anything personal, but by the end of the meal, I felt the tension that had built up in just sticking to general conversation. Then he said something I don’t know how to take. He apologized for offending me for what he called an unprofessional lapse––referring to our first meeting when he had put his hand over mine, barely making contact, and then removing it as if burned. He said he did it because I looked so sad he just wanted to bring me comfort.”
“Were you offended?”
“No, I took it as he meant it––a kind gesture. So what’s the big deal, do you suppose?”
“Maybe it meant something else to him––maybe he never does that no matter how sad and vulnerable his clients may look.”
“Anyway, we shook hands at the store’s door. He said he enjoyed lunch, and looked forward to seeing Ethan at my dinner party, and that was it.”
“You didn’t ask if he’s married?”
“Like I said, we didn’t talk about anything personal. He said lunch was an advance thank you for helping him find a first edition book he wants for his collection; it didn’t seem appropriate to ask.”
The rest of the day was uneventful. Customers were few and Alyx spent most of her time in the office. She called someone using her laptop and I could see him on her screen. After chatting for a few minutes, she asked the man to locate the book David had wanted.