by Moody, Mary
“I’m sorry, too, Monica. I thought you were my killer.” She laughed, and winced again.
“Come sit down, Ma,” Philip said. “Brimfield was over hours ago. You’ve played Sleeping Beauty long enough; it’s dinnertime.”
He was serious. So that’s what Hamp meant. I’d missed the whole day. I couldn’t believe it.
“I’d better get cracking. I’ll bet you’re all starved. I’ve got some nice rice cakes. I’ll melt some carob over them, and we can—”
“God, no, Ma,” Philip said. Philip hates carob.
“Don’t worry, Philip. I have a new mint and coconut topping for you. You’ll love it.” It’s been such a long time since we all sat at the table together. Every time I start getting a meal ready the family scatters. They all have their own lives.
“Sit down next to me, Mummy. I’ll make you feel better.”
Nick, my silliest child, pulled up a chair and motioned me over; he calls me Mummy. Nick is as silly as Philip is serious. I still can’t understand how children in the same family can be so different from one another. But Nick always makes me feel good, perhaps because I see so much of myself in him.
He threw his arm over my shoulder in a friendly gesture, but I stiffened in pain. He took my hand and patted it; then he sang to me. His version of Brenda Lee singing “I’m Sorry” always cracks me up. He told me that Spence and Nancy were on their way home. All of us—it’d been so long. I remembered setting off for Brimfield less than a week ago, happy to leave them behind.
“Dad’s making scallion pancakes; he’s taught Monica how to make the dipping sauce.”
“I can do that,” I said, and amid a chorus of nos they assured me that I should sit back down and be waited on. This was so nice and cozy.
“Baker has been calling you all day.”
“What for?” I asked, and right on cue, the phone rang. I reached, picked it up, and the whole family shouted, “Hello, Baker!”
It was turning into a party around here.
Baker explained that he was wrapping up his Brimfield story, and asked if I could fill him in on some details. I agreed, but when I tried to explain, I was lost; I just couldn’t put it all together. I got so frustrated that I could feel tears stinging my eyes, and handed the phone over to Monica.
I heard her telling Baker about Supercart, and the ride to Mr. Hogarth’s, and most of it came back to me. The whole family quieted down and listened to Monica when she told Baker about our terror at Mr. Hogarth’s.
When she hung up she told me that Mr. Hogarth told Baker he feels terrible about his belief in Wilson over the years. That even as the evidence began to mount, he clung to the idea that Monty had masterminded the theft long ago, and had involved Wilson in his scheme, rather than the reverse.
The family sat staring until Hamp put a plate of sizzling scallion pancakes in front of us. We all grabbed some; they were wonderful. We savored them and let Wilson’s vile work slip into the background.
When Hamp told us that his next course, moo shi chicken, would be along soon, I had to decline. I needed a nap. And for the next few days I did plenty of napping. Everyone tiptoed around and treated me like the princess I always wanted to be.
So it’s over. Wilson is where he belongs, and his fund-raising activities are also being investigated. The family has survived what Monica and I have come to call Our Mishap, and we’re all back at the Cape, snug and sound, ready to begin living happily ever after.
Epilogue
THE LEARNED INFORMER’S ANTIQUES REVIEW
SPRING EDITION Vol. 18, No. 2
A KILLING AT BRIMFIELD
by Baker Haskins
The big news at last month’s Brimfield Antiques and Collectible Shows was sad news. Montgomery “Monty” Rondo was murdered in the predawn hours prior to the show’s official opening. He appears to have been strangled with a strip of lace.
Mr. Rondo was the owner of Warehouse Used Furniture in Worcester, a used furniture business. In addition, he was a well-regarded antiques picker, supplying fine antiques to businesses around New England.
John Wilson, of Lodgefield and Martha’s Vineyard, has been charged with the crime. Mr. Wilson was most recently the curator of the Jeffries Jade Museum of Goodtidings, Massachusetts.
Jay Goode, District Attorney for Center County, reports that the charges against Wilson also include kidnapping and aggravated assault upon Mrs. Lucy St. Elmo, and aggravated assault upon Mr. Pettigrew Hogarth. Mrs. Monica St. Elmo, daughter-in-law of Lucy St. Elmo, was also injured in the melee that preceded the arrest of the suspect. Theft and fraud charges may also be brought against Mr. Wilson as the district attorney’s investigation continues.
Mr. Pettigrew Hogarth, business acquaintance of both Wilson and Rondo for many years, theorizes that the murder may have been triggered by the resurfacing of some recently stolen antiques that may be related to a theft that happened many years ago. Mr. Rondo appears to have taken the blame for a theft that Mr. Wilson committed when both were young men. Hogarth now believes that Rondo felt that, in taking the blame, he could free Wilson to rise in the world with a clean slate, whereas he, Rondo, understood himself to have extremely limited horizons.
Knowing of Wilson’s connection to the original stolen goods, it is likely that Rondo became suspicious that his former friend was at it again when he discovered a pickle castor about a month ago, and realized it was taken from one of Wilson’s previous museums. Further investigation by Rondo appears to have uncovered Wilson’s more recent theft of a candlestand. This discovery put Rondo into the situation that led to his murder.
Rondo’s partner, William F. Sylund (known as “Silent Billy” to many Brimfield old-timers), has announced that Mr. Rondo has left a sizable sum of funds to be placed into a scholarship fund that Rondo founded recently, called Unlimited Horizons, for the purpose of educating troubled youths.
Police are interviewing directors of other museums where Mr. Wilson has been employed, seeking information about past thefts from their institutions. The LIAR has learned that objects meant for preservation and safekeeping were placed in museum archives, where they often become “lost.”
Museum thefts may be the tip of the iceberg, however, as the focus now shifts to Wilson’s fund-raising activities. It has come to light that at least one of Wilson’s previous employers is investigating the possibility of embezzlement. An undercurrent of other allegations has surfaced, and audits are under way.
Regardless of the outcome of the Wilson trial, we can say, from our personal experience and from those who also knew him, that Monty was known to be an impeccably honest dealer and a “diamond in the rough.” We will miss him.
LUCY’S COLLECTING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS
Don’t buy it unless you love it. There are wonderful things out there, in every price range. Don’t buy an object just to have another one in your collection, or especially because it might increase in value.
Learn everything you can about the objects you love. There are books on almost any category of collectible or antique. Consult the annual antiques price lists. By the time they are printed, the prices are slightly out-of-date, but they are excellent sources for identifying antiques and collectibles, and they allow you to compare values.
Visit antiques shops, flea markets, and shows to familiarize yourself with objects. Each place is different. Some will be far more comfortable and appealing to you than others.
Cultivate the antique dealers who sell the kind of things you love. They’re fonts of information, and they love to share it, but please, consider their time, too; don’t ask them for information when they’re busy with customers.
Buy the best quality available in your price range. Look for damage, or signs of repair work, as you accumulate your collection. Hold back on cleaning, and “improving” the objects. Although they have survived this long, many have not had to withstand dishwashers and microwaves.
If the price is too low, beware! When a beginner comes across a barg
ain that seems too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t expect to make a killing in antiques until you’ve made yourself an expert.
Use your collection. Don’t just hide it away.
Happy hunting!