Calvin shoveled eggs into his mouth like they were going out of style.
“You think he had something to do with this?”
“No,” he said around the last bite.
“Filthy liar.”
“I’m just concerned,” Calvin corrected. “This is an artifact you acquired suddenly and without notice. It’s only been seen by a few trusted individuals—and him.”
I considered what Pete had said last night, about showing the film at the antique fair and how it’d be a big pull for attracting more attendees. I looked down at the eggs. They suddenly weren’t very appealing.
“You have a point,” I replied. I leaned over the counter when I heard keys jingle and the front door unlock. “Hey,” I called.
“Morning!” Max said. He walked inside and shut the door behind him. “You’re here early.”
“You’ve no idea.”
Max strolled toward the counter, gave Calvin their customary high five, then looked me over from head to toe. “Didn’t you wear that shirt yesterday?”
“Probably.”
“Great,” he groaned. “What’s happened now?”
Calvin nudged his takeout toward Max, distracting him with an offering of free sausage.
“There was a break-in,” I answered.
Max stared at me, wide-eyed, with a link of meat sticking out of his mouth.
Too easy.
“They—whoever—came for the Kinetoscope movie.”
Max bit the sausage in two, and I grimaced. “How’d they even know about it?”
Calvin cleared his throat and stepped around Max to grab the hardware store bag. He went into my office, took out a few tools, and walked to the back door.
“What’d I say?” Max asked before finishing off the rest of the sausage.
“Nothing. That was our concern too. But anyway, they ran off with only half of the footage. What’s left is in the canister, on the shelf above my computer, okay? Don’t mention it to anyone.”
“I won’t,” he insisted. “But why did you say that like I’m working alone today?”
“Because you’re working alone today.”
Max groaned and dropped his head down on the counter. “I hate working Wednesdays alone! Every time you use Wednesday for any sort of errand or appointment, we always end up swamped with customers, the phone ringing off the hook, and the only time I have to eat lunch and take a piss is when I do them at the same time.”
“Sanitary.”
He looked back up at me.
“I won’t be long.”
“You always say that. But if someone flashes something shiny in front of you….”
I could hear Calvin laughing from the back.
“Pete didn’t pick up the collection,” I told Max. “Calvin’s going to help me schlep it to the Javits Center.”
