Antique Forgery: An Alicia Trent Mystery, #2

By Eileen Harris

Magic, forgery, betrayal, and fabulous jewels surround Alicia as she struggles to find the reason for her friend's death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wings ePress, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9781613090893

Book preview

What They Are Saying About

Antique Forgery

Antique Magic was superbly written by Eileen Harris, and one of the best novels I’ve read in quite a while. To say it is fast-paced is an understatement! The characters are interesting and believable, the plot intriguing, and the story a page-turner with twists and turns that will keep readers engaged. The ending may or may not be a surprise, but it will be satisfying. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope to read further mysteries written by Harris. She has a knack for keeping the pages turning. Every time I was going to put the book down to do something else, the next sentence would catch my eye and I would keep reading. This will make a fabulous summer read at the beach, although sitting by a warm fire in the middle of the winter sounds just as good. Grab it up soon if you are looking for a truly magical time.

Edie Dykeman

Mystery Book Editor

BellaOnline

Antique Forgery

Eileen Harris

A Wings ePress, Inc.

Mystery Novel

Edited by: Jeanne R. Smith

Copy Edited by: Joan Powell

Senior Editor: Jeanne Smith

Executive Editor: Marilyn Kapp

Cover Artist: Richard Stroud

All rights reserved

NAMES, CHARACTERS AND incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Copyright © 2012 by Eileen Harris

ISBN: 978-1-61309-089-3

Published by Wings ePress, Inc.

Published In the United States Of America

Wings ePress Inc.

3000 N. Rock Road

Newton, KS  67114

Dedication

To: Michael Rush because he makes my stories fit to read.

One

I t's not like you to be this worried about a job, Ali. If you're this upset by the prediction, maybe you shouldn't go.

I certainly wouldn't go for the money this will bring into the shop, but I can't tell Janice and Arthur no. These people are the closest thing I have to family. Before Mom died, they were the one constant she could depend on. When my dad died, they took Mom and me in until she pulled herself together. Now when they need me, how do I say no? I did try to put Janice off for a week so my trip would be after the thirteenth, but they have the house for sale and the real estate agency wants to begin showing it right away. I know they're moving quickly, but I understand they have lives they need to get back to. They want the collection safely in my care by then.

"Look at it this way—Eclectic Treasures will be fine while you're gone, you'll get to see one of the finest jewelry collections around, and whatever is going to happen won't change wherever you are.

Hang on a minute. A customer just came in out front. I'll go see what they want.

When Barry left the back room, my mind began going over the reasons for my trip and for my fears. Janice's sister, Olivia Knox, had died recently, leaving them a huge rambling house near Somerset, Pennsylvania. Her sister had spent years gathering a fabulous collection of very valuable antique jewelry, and they needed me to fly out right away to assign value to the individual pieces. Normally I would be thrilled at the prospect. However, last year I'd done an appraising job on a gigantic collection of antiques in my hometown of Casa Grande in Arizona. The collection had belonged to a Mrs. Hall. Her son, Jed Hall, had hired me to catalog and sell her possessions after she died. The job ended up involving theft and murder, but that wasn't the reason for my apprehension about the upcoming job.

During the time I was at the Hall mansion, I'd discovered two items Mrs. Hall had left for me among all her hoarded treasures. She had conducted a life-long search for a cure for bi-polar disease. In her quest to cure her lover, she eventually turned from medicine to searching ancient records for possible disease cures. She had discovered two unique items. I'd come to believe what she had discovered must be magic. I would prefer to believe in science, but if these items used scientific knowledge, it was as-yet undiscovered science.

The first was a thick glass bottle that looked like the glass part of an hourglass but had three bubbles rather than two. Swirling colors of what resembled smoke appeared inside, and the colors represented what could only be a reaction to events occurring close to the bottle. I believed at first these reactions were Mrs. Hall's. Now I didn't know what to believe, except that on more than one occasion, what I called the swirling bottle had reacted correctly and been very helpful. This bottle also had the ability to answer questions, but only if the right question were asked at the right time. Figuring out what to ask and when wasn't easy, but I'd used it more than once and the information I'd been given had turned out to be correct.

As if this weren't enough to convince me I was crazy, the second item was what looked like a beautiful small bedroom clock, with three gold knobs on top and rubies surrounding the face. I called it the future clock. It predicted specific events that would occur in the future. It only predicted for the dates it chose and only gave certain information. When I turned the knobs on the top, a date would appear. If I chose to listen to that prediction, I could move on and listen to the next. I couldn't move forward until I listened to each one in order. This clock was the underlying reason for my apprehension about the upcoming job. It had predicted I would find a friend's body on February twelfth in Pennsylvania. A second prediction for a few days later had merely said to look behind a certain brick in the fireplace. I hadn't tried to listen to anything else. My belief in the clock's prediction was based on the fact that the bottle had been reliable. If I believed in one of the items, it wasn't a huge stretch to believe in the other.

In preparation for my trip, I'd checked with everyone I could think of and casually made sure they didn't have plans to be back East during the next two weeks. That should have made me feel better, but it didn't. I still believed someone would die, but I was also beginning to realize that what I did or didn't do wouldn't change the future. People wouldn't live or die because of what state I happened to be in. I might or might not find a body, but even if I managed not to be there, it wouldn't change anything.

Barry returned and said, That was Mr. Dennis. He's looking for a roll-top desk and I happen to know where to find one. I need to go make the arrangements. Are you going to be okay?

Actually, your advice did some good. I'll be fine. You go do whatever you need to.

I'm amazed that for once my advice sank in, but seriously, Ali, you know if you need anything at all, I'll be here.

I know, and I really do appreciate both the advice and the fact that you listen. Now go deal with our customer. I'll call you in a day or two and let you know how everything is going.

IN SPITE OF ALL MY pre-travel nerves, I got from my house in Scottsdale to the airport in Phoenix in record time, caught my plane, and arrived in Harrisburg right on schedule. Even before my bags arrived on the carousel, Janice and Arthur were there. She said, I can't believe how much you look like your mother these days. Give me a hug! It seems like way too long since we've seen you.

It has been quite a while, I said. I get so busy I forget how fast months turn into years. You guys look great! I can't wait to catch up on everything you've been up to.

Arthur said, You look better than great, but these days I just look a little older and a little grayer. Better give me one of those hugs or I'll feel left out.

I gave him the requested hug. He was a little grayer, but he looked fine. Janice seemed unusually thin and I wondered briefly if she'd been sick recently. My concern was quickly forgotten as we began making plans for dinner.

Janice said, I know you have to be hungry. Since the airlines quit serving meals, a person could starve to death. We thought we'd take you to the Firehouse Restaurant unless you have somewhere else in mind.

I am starving and I don't know much about Harrisburg, so anywhere you suggest is fine with me.

The Firehouse it is, then. We picked it because it's located in the historic Hope Station Building. I think it's the oldest firehouse still standing in Harrisburg, and the whole place has been restored. We thought you'd enjoy seeing it.

It sounds perfect. Just let me grab my suitcase and we can be on our way.

The Firehouse was decorated in the revival style and beautifully authentic. Even better, the food was great and the conversation lively. It had been too long since I'd spent time with these people who were the closest thing I had to family. I promised myself I'd do better in the future. We were so busy catching up, we lost track of the time, and it was late when we got to the house.

Two

The amount of time I would need to sort and pack the items depended on the system Olivia Knox had used to maintain her collection. I didn't think the job should take more than a week or two at the most. I'd been worrying about all my friends, but I'd been especially concerned the friend destined to die might be either Arthur or Janice, because they were in Pennsylvania. This time, fate stepped in and I got lucky. They collected paintings, and there was a two-day auction in New York they wanted to attend. It began the day before the death was to occur and lasted through the whole next day, so I had strongly encouraged them to go. Janice and her sister, Olivia, hadn't been especially close for years. Janice was sorry she had died so unexpectedly at age forty nine, but she wasn't devastated by grief. She'd told me when she called about the job that she was completely surprised to be her sister's beneficiary. She had always expected Olivia to leave everything to charity. Neither woman had any children, and when their parents died, they'd inherited a huge estate. Olivia had never married. Janice had married Arthur when she was almost thirty, and now at fifty-one she had been happily married for twenty plus years. When they'd married, Arthur was new to money in the amount inherited by Janice, but they both seemed to enjoy spending it together.

When the Darnells left for New York, I wouldn't be alone in the house. There were five employees working there: a cook, a housekeeper and two maids. In addition to the help inside, there was a groundskeeper who lived over the garage. There was also a guesthouse in the back, but no one was living there at present. I wasn't worried about the employees' safety, because the prediction stated specifically the person to die would be a friend of mine. I hadn't met the household staff before I'd arrived, so for now, at least, none of them could be considered friends. Since my stay here was supposed to be short, I'd left the swirling bottle at home. I'd brought the future clock, because the next two predictions would occur while I was here. I wondered if I'd come under suspicion for whatever happened. Being at the scene and having encouraged the owners to leave at exactly the right time might seem suspicious. I hoped it wouldn't be a problem, but I was never quite sure how law enforcement officials in a new location might react.

I had hoped that when I saw the jewelry it would be perfectly sorted and logged in a nice orderly computer program. If that were the case, I could just pack it up and leave early in the week. That way I could avoid being here next Friday when I was supposed to find the body.

First thing Saturday morning, Janice and I had gone up to the collection room where the jewelry was stored. The room had a sliding metal door and was built much like a vault. I knew the insurance company would have demanded lots of safeguards when they'd agreed to take the risk of insuring such high value items. The lawyer who handled Olivia's will had given the Darnells the key to the metal door when he'd given them the keys to the house. I was eager to see what was one of the largest personally-owned jewelry collections in America. Janice admitted she hadn't seen it in years, but even back then it had been impressive. I waited expectantly while she inserted the oversized key and slid open the heavy door. Inside this door was another metal door, but this one required a combination rather than a key. This seemed like overkill even for an insurance company, but I expected Janice to pull out a paper with the combination and open this door as well.

She stood still for a moment, then looked at the door and then at me. I'm at a complete loss, Alicia. This door wasn't here the last time I visited, and I have no idea how to open it. I'm positive there was no combination in the paperwork the lawyers gave me. I'll have to call them and find out what's going on. Oh, damn, this is Saturday! I'll call right away, but I’ll bet they won't be in the office until Monday.

That killed any hope I had of packing the collection and escaping right away. It was still remotely possible I could get away before Friday, but it didn't look good. It wasn't Janice's fault, so I said, Well, if we can't open the door, we'll just have to wait until we can. I guess we'll have the weekend off if you can't get the lawyers to answer the phone today. At least that will give us plenty of time to catch up before I have to spend my time working.

We gave up on the door for the moment and went directly to the suite Janice and Arthur were using. They had a temporary office in one room where she immediately called the lawyers. I was encouraged when they answered the phone and she began explaining our problem. The longer they talked, the more confused I became. All I could tell from hearing only Janice's end of the conversation was that there seemed to be some kind of a problem.

When the conversation ended, she said, That's the craziest thing I've ever heard. According to the lawyer, they gave me all the paperwork they had. Everything was in the packet I got from their office. The probate courts haven't finished the inheritance costs quite yet, but all that should be settled in a few days. That will make the will absolutely final and there will be more paperwork then, but nothing like a combination.

She leaned over and pulled a large blue, zippered case out of a bottom drawer and slapped it down on the desk. I read everything in here at the time. I don't see how I could have missed a combination, but you look through it and see what you can find.

I'll be glad to take a look. Isn't it unusual for the lawyers to give you possession before the probate court has finished everything?

I don't really know. I assumed the part about inheriting was settled and the only thing left was the amount of inheritance taxes, which by the way, will be hefty.

I took the case and read every word on each piece of paper. Parts of the will seemed to be worded strangely. I knew Janice and her sister had been estranged, but even so, some of what I was reading seemed a little cruel. One paragraph said, "I am making this bequest even though Janice doesn't deserve to receive anything from me. I don't know if I'm leaving it to her to atone for our problems, or in the useless hope she will feel guilty for accepting it. In the end, I suppose she is my sister, and if I'm dead, she might as well enjoy what our parents worked so hard to leave us. I hope she and her husband have the time together to enjoy it."

There were other areas where the wording seemed odd, and I wondered how sound Olivia's mind was toward the end. When I'd finished checking everything in the file, I said, I can't see that you missed anything. I certainly didn't see a combination.

It wouldn't surprise me if Olivia left it out just to be troublesome. She didn't seem to like me very much by the end. The lawyers said they'd check their files to be sure they hadn't missed anything and promised to get back to me this afternoon. I guess if they don't find the combination, we'll have to get a locksmith out here on Monday. I'm so sorry to have ruined your weekend for nothing.

It isn't your fault, so stop worrying, I didn't have anything special planned anyway.

What, no cross country date with that handsome tycoon of yours I've been hearing about?

I laughed. No, not this weekend. Maybe it will work out where you'll get to meet Nick while I'm here. I hope so. I think you and Arthur would like him.

I'm sure we would, dear. I can't imagine you being in love with anyone we wouldn't like. I guess since we can't get into the jewelery room, we might as well go down to the breakfast buffet. I know you don't eat much in the mornings, but there's bound to be something to tempt you in the spread our cook puts out. She really is amazing. You won't get the full picture until you've eaten a dinner here, but she's world-class. I can't understand how Olivia got her to work out here in this little town. She could work anywhere.

The buffet was impressive. Even though it's true that in the past I hadn't normally eaten breakfast, my last job had convinced me that a little something in the morning wasn't such a bad thing. I couldn't resist putting together a small fruit plate from the wide variety of choices. It wasn't long until Arthur joined us, and we spent a leisurely hour eating and talking. Since I couldn't work until we figured out how to open the door, I thought I'd probably spend the day talking to Janice and reading the book I'd brought along. The Darnells had other ideas, and made it their mission to entertain me. I think we visited every attraction close to town.

My favorite was watching maple syrup being made. For me, the making of maple syrup always seemed surrounded by a certain mystique. In the West, we never saw it happen and just bought our maple syrup, when it was available, at an exorbitant price from the local store. Watching the process happening first-hand might have lessened the mystique, but greatly enhanced my appreciation for the final product. I was here at the perfect time, because the taps they put in each February were in place, so I got to see the whole process.

I was surprised to learn the Department of Agriculture regulated the size of the trees the growers were allowed to tap in order to prevent damage to the trees. Since they had to drill a hole in the tree trunk, a tree less than ten inches around might be killed. Our tour was on one of the bigger farms. Plastic tubing was everywhere I looked, and I could see the sap dripping out of the tree and running into the tubes. When we went inside, they showed us how the tube from each tree brought the sap to the evaporators, where they boiled it down into syrup. Our last stop on the tour was the building where they graded the syrup into light, medium, or dark amber. Naturally, all three types were for sale here, and after the wonderful smells in the previous room, we bought a bottle of each grade.

They made a lot of different products using the syrup. While we were there, we ate snow cones that were made by pouring cold syrup over ice. It was a stiff, chewy delight I knew I would remember fondly during hot Arizona summers. We also visited a smokehouse and sampled ham with more flavor than anything I'd had before, and at our final stop, we ate apples that were locally grown. It was the wrong time of year to pick them ourselves, but they were delicious. I'd never had a store apple that held a candle to these and was a little envious of all the home grown foods available in the area. Winter was slow getting started this year, so