Анна Керн - A Paw-sible Theory

“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.

“You don’t happen to have it on your shelves, do you?”

“No, not that one. I do have a couple of other law books, though. It would make me very happy if I could interest him in one of them.”

“Just out of curiosity, how much?”

“They’re both first editions, one is five hundred dollars and the other is one thousand dollars.”

“Wow, I had no idea.”

“You think that’s a lot of money, there’s an Internet site that lists law books with prices ranging from one dollar to ten million.”

“What is a first edition, anyway?”

“A first edition is a copy of a book printed from the first setting of type. It’s the first time the text appears in public in that form.”

“And how do you know it’s a first edition?”

“Well, that can be one of the most difficult aspects of collecting. One of the keys is to verify that the book is at least a first printing. A number line on the copyright page often indicates this, with the lowest number being the printing.”

“I know you deal in both antiquarian and rare books. What’s the difference?”

“Antiquarian refers to collecting older/antique books. The age of a book has very little to do with its value, by the way. Dealers and collectors consider factors like intrinsic importance, condition, and demand.”

“Do you think it will take you long to find this particular book for my friend?”

“It depends, if my usual sources don’t have it, I’ll try the Internet. Sometimes I can have it in a week and sometimes it takes months for a book to turn up.”

“Well, he’s been looking a long time for it, and I’m sure he won’t mind waiting a little longer.”

“Hey, not to change the subject,” said the man on the screen with a saucy tip of his head, “but changing the subject, I’m going to be out your way on business in a couple of weeks, how about getting together for dinner?”

“You ask me that every time I talk to you. I’m truly flattered but I don’t think I can,” said Alyx.

“And that’s what you say every time I ask.”

“So why do you keep asking?”

“I keep hoping you’ll change your mind.”

“Call me when you find the book, and I’ll let you know about dinner.”

I already knew what her answer was going to be. She had asked Ethan once what he thought about her dating a younger man. He said it would only bother him if the guy were close to his own age. Although it’s difficult to tell someone’s age these days, this guy didn’t look a lot older than Ethan did, maybe ten to fifteen years older.

After this Internet chat, I figured Alyx was safe in the office for a while, so I went back out on the floor to make my rounds and check on my housemates who were also on the lookout for anything unusual. I expected foul play from one of three suspects: Rupert Moresby, Dan Ramsey, or Charvette.

After Pooky’s friend Jemma had reported that according to James Dunne, Novie had decided not to sell, I figured one of them was going to make a move soon.

“It always gives me a shiver when I see a cat seeing what I can’t see.”

–– Eleanor Farjeon

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE: The Cats Help Prevent a Murder

The next day, Alyx moved a couple of pieces of light furniture away from the entrance and unlocked the door before Charvette arrived. Maggie had taken a couple of well-deserved days off to spend with George and Bernice had called in sick, so it was just the two of them and the three of us in the store. I instructed the girls to be on the lookout for a walrus mustache, and black button eyes, although I wasn’t sure of what or even if anything was going to happen. That meant no napping. They didn’t like that and I had to remind them that our job was to help our humans.

“The weather report I heard before I left the house said nothing about rain today…it sure looks like rain to me,” said Charvette, sounding a little angry about it.

“Personally,” said Alyx, “I think the weather people try to put a positive spin on the weather so as not to scare the tourists from going out and spending money.”

“I think it’s silly when they say there’s a twenty percent chance of rain and its pouring outside,” laughed Charvette unusually loud.

The day was slow, giving Alyx the time she needed to work on the projects that had fallen behind. A few regular customers had come in during the day to check for new merchandise and bring goodies for the cats, and we rewarded with loud purrs.

The threatening storm clouds swirling overhead all afternoon had gathered into a serious thunderstorm by early evening, releasing torrential rain with no sign of letting up. Charvette was with a customer when Rupert Moresby walked in and stood by the counter. Pooky let out a yowl and ran off somewhere, the reason unknown to anyone. Misty chased after her, and I took an Egyptian cat pose on the checkout counter. Charvette acknowledged Moresby’s presence with a clandestine nod and he left. Then, she left for her dinner break as soon as she finished with her customer.

On Friday evenings, employees had two hours for dinner. They could go whenever they chose as long as they were back by eight o’clock. Both Alyx and Maggie felt very strongly about two people always being in the store for closing, not because there had been any trouble but only because they wanted to play it safe.