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It was late afternoon by the time Theodosia and Drayton arrived at Helene’s shop. They parked in front of the building, noting that no lights were on inside.
“Cute place,” Drayton said. “Even though it looks deserted.”
“Which is exactly what we expected,” Theodosia said as they climbed out of her Jeep.
“So let’s do it,” Drayton said. “I want to be home in time to catch an episode of Grantchester.”
“You’ve already watched that series twice.”
Drayton shrugged. “I want to see it again. Here, give me the key.”
Theodosia handed over the key. Drayton bounced it in his hand and said, “Interesting.” Then he slipped the key into the lock and pushed open the door. At which point an alarm began to beep loudly and incessantly.
“Nasty,” Drayton said, covering his ears.
Theodosia hastily slipped past him and punched in the code, cutting off the annoying bray. Then there was only silence interrupted by a few ticks and tocks from the antique clocks on display.
“Now what?” Drayton asked as Theodosia snapped on the lights, causing the antiques, ceramics, and glass shelves to shimmer and sparkle. “What do you think you’re going to find here that the police haven’t already?”
“I’ve no idea. But something’s been plucking at the back of my brain. I can’t quite explain it…except I know I needed to come here.” Theodosia walked between two cases that housed a collection of old coins. Shelves lining the walls held clocks, floral vases, antique portholes, and brass fittings. “Helene really did have some high-quality goods.”
“Very impressive. And nothing looks out of order to you? Or out of the ordinary?”
“No, but I’d be interested in your first impression,” Theodosia said to Drayton. “You’re the one with a keen eye for art and antiques.”
Drayton looked around. “I see some nice artwork, lovely old crystal, and…” He stopped in front of a case. “Well, what do we have here?”
Theodosia walked over and peered into the case with him. “What are those?” she asked.
“Looks to me like Roman coins. From the reign of Denarius Tiberius.”
“Okay.” Theodosia did another inspection of the shop, this time making a slow 360-degree turn. “Does this shop seem a little empty to you?”
“I can’t say that it does. I always feel that when antiques are crowded too close together it looks a little junky.”
“And this place looks…”
“Not junky,” Drayton said.
Theodosia took a few more minutes to look around, then wandered into Helene’s office. She was dismayed to find the dark purplish stain still marring the carpet. Blood. A terrible reminder that a brutal murder had taken place in this very room.
Avoiding the stain, Theodosia studied what was left of Helene’s office. Her desk was bare, as were most of the flat surfaces in the room. She decided that the police had taken all the papers and files that had been piled on Helene’s desk and credenza as well as the ones that had toppled onto the floor when she was killed.
The only thing left in Helene’s office was a five-foot-high statue of a Chinese scholar carved out of elm, and a bookcase filled with art books.
Theodosia wandered over to the bookcase as Drayton peered into the room. When his eyes fell on the carpet stain, his face twisted into an unhappy grimace.
“I know,” Theodosia said. “Awful, isn’t it?”
“Macabre.” Then, “What are you doing in here? It would appear the police emptied most of this place out.”
“They’re probably digging through all of Helene’s papers looking for clues. The only thing they left were her art books,” Theodosia said, as she pulled out a book and hefted it. “Too heavy, I guess. Too much trouble.”
“That’s the thing about art books. They’re always massive and difficult to hold, but they’re still magnificent.” Drayton took a step closer to her. “What have you got there?”
Theodosia glanced at the front cover. “This one’s Greek Vases from the Hellenistic Period.”
