Анна Керн - A Paw-sible Theory

“I prefer not to answer that, if you don’t mind. Buyer beware has always been understood with antiques and it’s the same now with modernist furniture.”

“How long have you known Alyx?”

“We’ve run into each other at antique fairs and estate sales for years, and she always made a purchase or two at antique shows and fairs for just as long.”

“Do you tell all your customers about the authenticity of your pieces?”

A terse, “Yes, I do,” was his answer.

“Do you know anything that might help Ethan’s case? Anything you heard or saw that seemed unusual?”

“I regret to say, no.”

“What about Antiques & Designs’ other employees? Ever hear them discuss any grievances?”

He shook his head. “I never heard them say one derogatory word about Alyx or Maggie. Customers here are treated well and seem to appreciate it, as far as I know.”

“Just to make sure I have this right––you and Alyx never argued about making customers aware of the authenticity of the pieces you worked on?”

George stood up. “No, there has never been a question about it, and if you don’t mind I have a lot of work to finish.”

The interview was obviously over. Hunter turned off the recorder and handed Lucas his card. “It’s my job to ask unpleasant questions. Please call me if you have anything to add to our conversation, and thank you for your time.”

Hunter received a call from his assistant as George left the room and I gathered from the one-way conversation that Dan Ramsey had agreed to see him on short notice.

“Please would you tell me,” said Alice, a little timidly...“why your cat grins like that.”

–– Lewis Carroll , Alice in Wonderland

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: Important Appointment

Chaos greeted my entrance. The name of the store was Ramsey’s Collectibles––what I saw when I slid through the partially-open back door was junk. The shelves along the walls of the narrow room were overflowing with assorted items that had nothing to do with each other. There were several tables and other pieces of furniture in the middle of the room piled with bulging boxes. Up against one wall, was a small, glass display case filled with small figurines, which I assumed were the collectibles the store name implied.

Hunter entered from the front entrance and scanned the room for signs of life, positioning himself by a display case, which also served as a counter. He asked a clerk to see Dan Ramsey and the un-kept, surly teenager slouching in a chair behind the display case pointed to the ring for service bell at the end of the display case. Hunter hit it twice, and Dan Ramsey crawled out from behind a wall in the rear of the store, to my right. Another scruffy-looking youth, older than the one behind the counter, followed him out.

Ramsey was about sixty-years old, heavyset with a full head of white hair, and dark, button eyes. He was dressed in jeans, a loud flowered-shirt, and flip-flops on his feet.

“You must be the lawyer who wanted to see me. I don’t get too many people in here dressed in a suit. It makes it too hard to dig through the junk,” he chuckled, as he slid behind the counter.

“I appreciate you seeing me so soon, Mr. Ramsey.”

“Yeah, well, I figured that someone told you that Alyx Hille and I have our differences––and I don’t deny that––but she and that partner of hers have all these hoity-toity ideas about our downtown and they’ve managed to talk other owners into making unnecessary changes. They’ve tried to change the essence of Ocean Street, the flavor of the place, and I won’t stand for it if I can help it!”

“Do you feel strongly enough about stopping her to want to kill her, maybe?”

The hands in his pockets came out and slammed on the counter. “I agreed to see you, buddy, because I couldn’t wait to tell you that on the day in question, I was out of town at a flea market. At least a dozen regular dealers can testify that they saw me there from six in the morning to late afternoon.” His eyes narrowed. “And just for the record, I don’t know anything about what happened to Ms. Hille––and I can’t say I care!” He turned abruptly and went back to the hole behind the wall.

Although, I was truly exhausted, not to mention hungry, I couldn’t go home yet.

“In a cat’s eye all things belong to cats.”

–– English Proverb

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: A Business Deal

Although the outside of the building looked like Antiques & Designs, the inside of Ocean Street Café was different. The restaurant took up half of the downstairs, the rest was divided into retail stores––a candle shop, a jewelry store, and a candy store. In square footage, it was roughly twice the size.

Novie Moresby was behind the mahogany checkout counter––I was in the vicinity.

“Mrs. Moresby, I represent Ethan Hille and I have a couple of questions to ask you. I can see you’re busy, I’ll try to be brief.”

“I hope I can help you, but I don’t see how. Of course, I know Alyx and Ethan; they used to come in often when they first opened their store and Ethan still lived at home. I see Alyx all the time, but Ethan only occasionally.”

“When was the last time you saw them in here?”

“Let’s see now. I think they were in here for breakfast about a week ago.”

“What kind of relationship did they appear to have?”

“The kind every parent hopes for when they first think about having children. It was obvious they had love and respect for each other.”

“Did you ever hear them argue?”

“Not any of the times I saw them together.”

“Would you be willing to testify to that?”

“Yes, I certainly would.”

“Earlier I spoke to your husband about the real estate proposition he presented to Maggie Broeck. What do you know about it?”

“Just that the Dunne Development Company wants to buy our two buildings,” she said, with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Did your husband mention any stipulation about the developer buying both buildings?”

“No, he didn’t mention anything like that.”

“Did he mention whose idea it was?”

She looked puzzled for a second. “I don’t recall discussing it with him specifically, but I got the impression that Dunne Development approached him.”

“I understand you own this building. How do you feel about selling it?”

One of her employees walked in the door, interrupting before she could answer.

“Excuse me, Novie, there seems to be a problem with the soda order. What’s being delivered isn’t what was ordered, and Mike wants you to talk to the delivery guy.” Novie shook her head in resignation, “They never get that order right; tell Mike I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Hunter. What did you ask me?”

“I asked how you felt about selling this building.”

“I inherited this building from my parents and when my husband first mentioned it, I was against it. A few years ago, no one was interested in opening a business here. All the department stores moved to the Mall while others went out of business. In some cases, the owners died and family members weren’t interested in keeping the businesses going. There were just a few die-hard businesses that hung on: the lamp store down the street, the fruit-shipping store, and a few others. After my parents passed away, I decided this was my opportunity to fulfill my dream and theirs. It was a slow start but business has really boomed during the last three years. Anyway, my husband Rupert explained that I could still rent the space and keep the Ocean Street Café since the developer was not going to make any changes to the first floor; I told him I’d consider it. I know he wants me to sell, but I’m still thinking about it. Can you wait a few minutes while I take care of this soda problem?”