“I see someone’s had their coffee! Good morning, Sir Robert. How are you?” She knew she’d answered a question with a question, but Sir Robert didn’t really want to know her plans for the day. He was always this jovial in the mornings.
“I’m great. I’ve already been to the gym, and I’ve got an appointment at Barnaby’s at ten. Then Francesca’s coming by the shop with lunch, and I’ll be holding down the fort for bit while we go through our French Riviera cruise itinerary. A perfect day,” he said. “And you didn’t tell me what you’ve got on your schedule.”
Avery told him about the key with the LEX1073 inscription and finding the bank that her parents had apparently stored something at. She assumed it was related to the Emperor’s Twins. She’d had that strange phone call and the key had been in their files, though come to think of it, so had the key to the baseball cards. “Anyway, that branch of Bennington is just over on Third, so I’m going to run over there when we break for lunch and collect whatever is in the safe-deposit box. Do you have any idea what it could be?”
“Not a clue,” Sir Robert said. “But I wasn’t really involved in the Emperor’s Twins assignment.”
“I’ll let you know what I find. I’m almost to MOA; keep your fingers crossed Micah and I can confirm the ruby is the missing dragon eye today.”
“Fingers crossed. Call me when you know!”
Avery waited for Micah at the MOA elevators, surprised he wasn’t already here. When he hadn’t shown up yet by 9:05, she went down the hall to buy coffee, iced this morning instead of her usual hot. It was surprisingly warm today, despite the early hour. Her car thermostat on the way in had read the outside temperature as seventy-eight degrees. Several members of the film crew were in line for coffee ahead of her, speculating over what had been stolen that had lost them a whole two days of shooting. Avery hadn’t realized the museum had stayed closed on Saturday as well. That was unheard of. Saturday was the busiest day of the week. None of the movie folks seemed to know what had happened. Avery recalled Francesca’s explanation and disdain; she’d given the impression that a heating duct cover had fallen off and that Goldie or the powers that be had overreacted by calling the police.
With her and Micah’s coffees in hand now, she was surprised to find he still wasn’t at the elevators when she returned. Maybe he’d arrived and gone up to the lab, in which case he’d take care of calling to get the medallion brought up. Avery had one quick stop to make first.
She’d been in the administrative wing only twice, but she found Goldie Brennan’s office easily. It was the largest. She knocked once on Goldie’s open door, and the older woman smiled widely at her and motioned her in.
“Oh, you’re an angel! They weren’t open yet when I passed by on my way in. Thank you so much, Avery!”
Avery set Micah’s coffee on Goldie’s desk. “Of course! We have to have our coffee—believe me, I know! Goldie, I stopped by because I have a quick question for you.”
“Will I need my coffee first?”
“Oh, I doubt it. I was hoping you’d tell me about the museum closure Friday. Was there really some sort of break-in? We arrived to work in the lab, and the police were keeping everyone out.”
Goldie sighed. “I’d hoped it wasn’t true. My grandson found evidence that someone might have used the museum ductwork to get to the records department. We called the police, of course, but I think we were both hoping the heating duct cover had just fallen off or been run into by a hi-lo, or something like that. But if you’re here about what happened, then I assume you already know?”
Avery sat in the chair opposite Goldie’s desk. “Know what?” She shook her head. “I know nothing.”
Goldie raised her eyebrows. “Oh. In that case, I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this. Your friend at the party, the detective? He’s been moonlighting here, part of some case he’s working on, I’m told. I’m sure that’s not news to you. He happened to be patrolling the lower level when Nate discovered that duct cover broken. It’s a good thing he was down there, as Nate was able to show him exactly how he’d found the cover. Your friend—our guard—had recently requisitioned the original certificate of authenticity for the Emperor’s Twins. We keep the original here, and as you know, the yellow and pink go to the certifying parties and the collector. I’d told him we’d have it ready for him to look at by today, but it’s gone. It was the only thing taken, so far as we can tell.”
Avery closed her eyes. “And our yellow copy was stolen from the home office last week. I can’t help thinking this has something to do with my mother signing the certificate early. Was that normal? Had she ever done that before?”
Goldie frowned. “I don’t believe so. Getting the paperwork squared away was a bit nerve-racking as it was. I didn’t think much about the date she’d signed.”
“Nerve-racking because my parents were gone but the report was due? She was pretty organized. I’d figured whoever got it to you just took it from her open assignment files.”
“It took some doing to locate it, that’s all. I remember Sir Robert brought it to me in person. It had been misplaced on Micah’s desk or something like that. With what happened to your parents, there wasn’t even any rush to get it to me that Monday. I’d have accepted it late. I know your partners were devastated, as we all were.”
“Yes, that makes sense,” Avery said. She’d hardly given the business a thought the first few weeks after the accident. “Well, Micah is bringing in anything he had from the initial notes on that case. So at least we’ll be able to learn more from that end—where the collector came to acquire it or how he chose MOA to submit to.” She stood.
“Let me know if I can be of any help, Avery. With our charity gala this Friday, I still hope to have this all wrapped up. I’ve got our best antique-fine-jewels repairman on standby to return the dragon’s missing eye to its rightful place in the medallion, if you find it’s a fit.” She lifted her coffee. “And thanks for this!”
Avery’s mind was spinning as she headed up to the lab. She so hoped to find something helpful in the papers Micah had gathered, and now she had to ask him about that Monday after the accident. Had Anne signed the document and then left it on Micah’s desk? It didn’t seem like something her meticulous mother would have done.
She pushed through the lab door, resigning herself to handing over her untouched coffee to her partner, since she’d given the other one away. “I brought you a—” She stopped short, realizing she was talking to no one. The lab was empty.
Chapter Seventeen
Avery set her phone down after leaving a voice mail for Micah. It was completely unlike him not to show up, but maybe he was stuck in the subway without a signal or something. He was only a few minutes late. She called to have the medallion as well as the new ruby brought up, and ten minutes later Art and another guard were in her lab.
“Hi!” She smiled at him. It was strange that a week ago he’d probably been one of the guards in her lab and she hadn’t even known. His visor was still pulled low over his brow, and now Avery knew that was by design; he’d probably been trying to stay incognito on the small chance she’d remember him from the few times they’d crossed paths during the accident investigation; she obviously hadn’t. Dr. Singh said Avery had likely remained in latent shock for a number of days. Avery thought that was probably true for both her and Tilly. They’d been inside the car, and she’d never be able to erase those moments from her memory; they were still as clear as when it had happened.
Art nodded at her, unsmiling. “Let us know when you’re ready to go to lunch, Ms. Ayers.”
She stood up straighter and gave him a little salute, regretting it instantly. He was only doing his job. He clearly didn’t want his coworker knowing anything about his outside work. “I’ll do that,” she said, keeping her expression serious.
He held the door open for his coworker, then glanced back and gave her a quick wink as he left.
Avery’s heart jumped, making her smile ag
ain. He was a good guy. She was glad he was in her corner, with all the crazy stuff going on. She was learning his serious demeanor didn’t mean he was a stick-in-the-mud. He just had a dry sense of humor.
Avery donned her cotton gloves, opened the case that held the dragon medallion, and got to work. Without Micah, the going was a little slow, but she made decent progress. By lunchtime she was nearly certain that the jewel Oliver Renell had submitted was the missing ruby eye of the dragon. She’d taken measurements of every angle of the void where the jewel belonged, then converse measurements of the ruby. It appeared to be a perfect fit, down to the micromillimeter. But the perimeter of the eye socket was another story. When she compared the existing right eye of the dragon to the void on the left and examined the way the inlaid ruby sat, flush to the perimeter of the gold, the measurements came out skewed differently for the new ruby. She’d run a computer simulation of the new ruby being placed into the empty eye socket, and she couldn’t quite get the two dragon eyes to be perfectly symmetrical.
Avery growled in frustration and stepped back from the lab counter, removing her gloves and her Miltex magnifying loupe glasses and rubbing her eyes. Was it possible the problem wasn’t a problem at all and it was simply the way the medallion had been poured when it was cast in eighteenth-century China? Or was it that the existing ruby eye wasn’t seated correctly? In which case, had it been loose and repaired at some point? Or . . . she could hardly bring herself to entertain the idea, but in light of all the red flags with the certificate her parents had submitted, was the current eye not the original, authentic ruby? Was it indeed a spinel? It would certainly explain her father’s scribbled calculations.
God, she wished Micah were here. She tapped her phone, but no calls or messages had come through. She used the phone in the lab to call for Art and his partner to come and lock everything back up. She’d get back into this after lunch.
Avery rode down in the elevator with them, Art just as quiet and professional as he had been this morning. Avery headed toward the front of the museum and Art went with his coworker in the other direction to Acquisitions Pending. Avery popped into the cafeteria just long enough to grab a sandwich to go. The line at the register seemed long today, but it was probably only because she was in a hurry. She’d planned to walk the handful of blocks to Bennington Bank and clear out whatever was in the safe-deposit box, but now she also wanted time to go by Micah’s house and make sure he was okay. The lengthy line meant she had longer than she liked to decide between the subway and her car. If she took her car, she could hit the bank, the office to see if Sir Robert had seen Micah, and then run up to Harlem and knock on his door. She was beginning to get worried. She’d texted him and it had gone through, so she didn’t think there was anything wrong with his phone.
In the parking garage, Avery pressed her remote start button, getting the air conditioning going so the car was beginning to cool when she got in. She wrapped up her half-eaten sandwich and set it on the passenger seat and pulled out of the MOA parking garage. She called Sir Robert on her way to the bank.
He picked up on the first ring. “Is it the eye?”
“What?” Avery asked.
“Sorry. I figured you were calling with an update on the medallion. No good news yet?”
“Oh,” she said, chuckling. “It’s looking good, sort of. I mean, the new ruby does seem to be the missing dragon eye.” Should she get into the rest? There was too much up in the air. And she knew the science end of their job tended to go a little over Sir Robert’s head at times. She’d seen his eyes glaze over while she and Micah were explaining the intricacies of authentication. “I found a, um, discrepancy with the other eye, though. It may be nothing; I just have to work through it. We’re getting close. I hope to have a firm answer by tomorrow at the latest.”
“Fantastic!” Sir Robert exclaimed. “Goldie will be thrilled when you tell her she can include the complete restored Emperor’s Twins piece in her announcements at Friday’s gala.”
“Right, Nate said so too. If, Sir Robert. Just keep your fingers crossed. There’s still an if to this. I really could use my other lab rat to take a look. My eyes were crossing by lunchtime today. Has he been in? Did he just forget his phone at home or something?”
“Micah? No. I thought he was meeting you there.”
“He was supposed to,” she said, disappointed and now more worried. “I don’t like it. Micah’s Mr. Reliable. It’s not like him.”
Sir Robert was quiet for a moment on the other end of the line. “Didn’t you say he had to take his son back to school last night?”
“Just to the train station.”
“Ah. He wouldn’t have just gone along with him, would he? They’re pretty close since Cicely died.”
Would he have? “No, I don’t think so. At least, not without letting one of us know he wouldn’t be at work today.”
“Hmm. Well, we’ve been here for a couple hours and he hasn’t called or been in. I’ll keep trying him, if you want. I’m sure he’s fine,” Sir Robert said.
Avery had a flash of irritation at him; he couldn’t be sure Micah was fine. But he wasn’t being callous, he was just Sir Robert. He and Micah were friends, but Avery and her parents had always been closer to Micah and his family. Sir Robert cared, but he probably truly believed it wasn’t a big deal that Micah was unreachable.
“Yes, please, if you don’t mind,” she said, quelling her irritation. “That’d be good. Let me know when you get him.”
She found a parking spot around the corner from the bank, and moments later she was in the bank lobby. Her heart raced with anticipation as she waited for the bank manager to meet with her. She should have let Art in on what she and Aunt Midge had figured out last night, but she’d tell him as soon as she got back to the museum. By then, she hoped to have something from the safe-deposit box that would knit together some of the pieces of this chaotic puzzle.
A pretty, middle-aged blond woman approached Avery in the lobby, holding out her hand. “I’m Mrs. Samson. You’re Avery Ayers?”
“Yes.”
“Come with me.” The manager led Avery to her office, motioning for her to sit. “I understand you have the key to one of the safe-deposit boxes moved from the other branch last year?”
“I do,” Avery said. “I don’t have the vault number, unfortunately. I assume it’s in one of my parents’ names, Anne or William Ayers. I know you’d normally have to verify identity, but I’m not sure if you’re aware—they’ve . . . they’ve both passed away. All of their legal and financial holdings are now in my name. I can show you my ID.” She reached for her purse.
Mrs. Samson looked sympathetic. “We are so sorry for your loss, Ms. Ayers.” She tapped the keys on her computer, reading something. “Both Anne and William passed?”
“Yes. Last year in June.”
“I see.” She tapped the keys again, frowning. “One moment. I have to access a separate page, and this portal . . .” She appeared to be reading, her fingers momentarily frozen above the keys. “All right then. I see right here it’s no problem to give you access. Your name is on the account.”
Avery stared wide-eyed at the woman. “My name’s on the account?” she repeated.
“Yes. Sometimes clients take that precaution, in the event it’s necessary. Your parents did.” She slid Avery’s driver’s license across the desk and checked it. “All set. Shall we?” She ushered Avery out and down two long hallways.
Avery had expected more difficulty in convincing the bank to grant her access to the safe-deposit boxes. Her parents had only ever used the small Springfield County Fidelity Bank, at least as far she knew. An unpleasant chill settled around her shoulders at the thought that they’d predicted the unpredictable, using a different bank for whatever was locked up and adding Avery’s name to the account.
Mrs. Samson opened a heavy steel door and checked the note she’d made before leaving her office. “Let’s see. We need vault five-seven-four.” She move
d to the far wall. “Here we are.” She inserted her bank key and directed Avery to do the same.
Avery had never seen this process outside the movies. She helped Mrs. Samson pull the long metal box from the compartment once the small vault door was open. She stood looking down at it on the granite counter top. “Do I just open it?”
Mrs. Samson smiled. “I’ll leave you in privacy to do that.” She pulled the door closed behind her, and Avery was alone.
Avery took a deep breath, summoning her nerve. Much as she’d tried to imagine what could be in here, she really had no idea what to expect. Her parents’ attorney had handled everything smoothly after the funeral, sitting with Avery, Tilly, and Aunt Midge and going over each item one by one, the bulk of which were now in Avery’s or both girls’ names: the bank accounts, the deed to the house, both their cars, their retirement account and annuities. Midge had been named as guardian to Tilly, and there was a trust fund with enough to cover the cost of a four-year university almost anywhere. Avery recalled being completely overwhelmed and confused, but the attorney had been infinitely patient and met with her and Midge a few more times until she felt she had a handle on things. She’d known then that her parents’ planning had kept her and Tilly in their home and comfortable. But this. This was something else entirely. She was a little afraid to learn what they’d felt was so precious or controversial that it had to be separated out and hidden.
She lifted the lid, peering inside the red cloth-lined box. She blinked, making sure she wasn’t missing anything. A lone black-and-silver key-chain flash drive lay at the bottom of the box. That was all.
Avery pulled on the chain she’d kept under her shirt since Saturday. She opened the clasp and threaded the necklace through the key chain hole on the flash drive, then tucked it back inside her top. Not positive she believed that was really all there was, she ran her fingertips over the entirety of the cloth-lined box, then turned it upside down, but there was nothing else.
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