“Beth, come on. What is this about?”
“Oh good grief, Sebastian. It’s. A. Surprise. Come by tonight, understand? I mean it. Don’t miss this. It’s going to be huge.”
“In what way?” I was almost hesitant to ask.
“Great for business. Really great.”
That’s when I began to wonder… If I didn’t have the copy ofTamerlanein with my antique books, could it have accidently ended up with Beth’s secondhand paperbacks? All of this time, the killer had been targeting antique shops because it made sense that that would be where the book would have ended up.
But it was so easy to mistakeTamerlaneas nothing but junk.
Kate had told me about the antique dealer in the eighties who sold it for a whoppingfifteen bucks. They clearly didn’t know who either a Bostonian was, or thought it to be a facsimile.
Just a little six-inch pamphlet.
Shit.
“Beth, I have to go. I’ll call you back.”
“You’re going to come tonight, right?”
“Yes, of course,” I quickly answered before saying good-bye and hanging up. I called Calvin next.
“I don’t have time,” he stated upon answering my call. His tone was very official. Man, he could turn off that sweet side real fucking fast.
“It’ll be quick. Have you confirmed that Mike was one of the antique shops that put in a bid for the estate’s book collection?”
A moment’s pause. “Sebastian,” he said quietly. “What did I tell you this morning?”
“Just answer me. You’ve told me everything else.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Calvin.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at the diner, behaving like a good boy and waiting for Duncan.”
“Duncan?”
“Andrews. The date. The guy. Come on. Tell me.”
He sighed with such a level of exasperation that if I hadn’t known better, I’d tell him he needed to get laid. “Yes, Sebastian. He did.”
“And Greg?”
“Seb.”
“He didn’t, right?”
“All three of you did.”
That surprised me. “Are you sure about Greg? Was there anything strange about his bid?”
“Other than he offered more than what he appears to be financially capable of,” Calvin said. “Why are you calling?”
My train of thought was halted when I glanced up and saw Duncan stepping inside. He immediately spotted me and waved before hurrying over. “I have to go,” I told Calvin.
