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“Yeah,” added Phyllis, “you wouldn’t want to be late again.”
“Perish the thought,” said Lucy, already grabbing her barn coat from the hook.
As she walked down Main Street, Lucy reviewed what she knew about Dave Forrest and Cove Jewelry. The shop was a local institution that people turned to for jewelry or other gifts to commemorate big life events like engagements, weddings, anniversaries, and graduations. Many a high school or college grad had received a watch or a string of pearls from Cove Jewelry, engagements were sealed with diamond solitaires and wedding vows confirmed with rings personally engraved by Dave Forrest. While Dave was the person most identified with the shop these days, Lucy knew it had been established years earlier by his wife’s parents, Ronald and Mary Lenk. They were now happily retired in Florida, confident that their daughter, Sandy, was keeping a sharp eye on Dave and the business.
Stepping inside the shop, there was no sign of Dave but his assistant, Alison Souther, was manning the store. “Hi, Lucy, what brings you here? Any engagements or weddings coming up?”
Lucy chuckled, thinking of her two unmarried daughters, Sara and Zoe, busily pursuing careers. Elizabeth, her oldest daughter, was in a serious relationship, but also focused on her career. “No, unfortunately. It’s my watch, it needs a new battery.”
“Dave’s in the back, making repairs. He can pop that battery in for you right away.” Lucy handed over the watch and Alison carried it into the back room where Dave had his workshop. He was a skilled craftsman who not only repaired jewelry but worked with customers to create one-of-a-kind original designs. His ads encouraged customers to bring in old, outdated pieces to be recycled into newer, more current pieces.
“It won’t be long,” said Alison, returning. “Why don’t you look around? If you see something you like I can make a note and when your birthday rolls around give Bill a call.”
“If only,” said Lucy, peering into the glass display case. “Presents in our family tend to run in the fifty-dollar range. A new sweater, maybe. A pair of gloves. That sort of thing.”
“It’s worth a try,” encouraged Alison. “Maybe we can get him to spend a bit more, we have some lovely pearl earrings for under a hundred.”
“They’re quite popular,” added Dave, emerging from the back room. “Here’s the watch, up and running again.”
“How much do I owe you?”
“Ten dollars, and you get a sticker, too,” said Dave. “Which reminds me, any news about the egg?”
“Not a peep, pardon the pun,” said Lucy, opening her wallet and discovering she only had a single twenty. “Have you heard anything?”
He shook his head, taking Lucy’s money and giving her a ten in change while Alison applied a fifth sticker to Lucy’s Easter card. “It’s a valuable artwork worth quite a lot, I don’t imagine we’ll see it again.”
That statement caught Lucy’s attention. “Did you know it’s actually made of bronze coated with silver and gold?”
“I did not,” said Dave, raising an eyebrow, “but it answers something that was bothering me. I thought it was most likely gold leaf but I couldn’t figure out how he got that perfectly smooth, glossy finish.” He continued, thoughtfully. “That wouldn’t have been easy to do, he would’ve had to work with molten silver and gold. I guess I underestimated Klaus, he really is an artist.”
“Could a skilled metalworker recover the silver and gold?” asked Lucy.
“Oh, yeah, for sure. Different metals, different melting temps. You’d need special equipment, I don’t have anything like that here. I work on a much smaller scale.” He paused. “I’d like to see how Klaus actually did that and what his studio is like. It would be fascinating.”
“Like glassblowing,” suggested Alison.
“But much harder,” said Dave, “and in the end, the egg is worth more as a Karl Klaus sculpture than it would be as raw material. For sure.”
“But very hard to sell,” suggested Lucy.
“Not if you’ve got the right contacts. Take Des Jasper, for instance. He has international contacts who could sell the egg for him.”
“What contacts?” asked Lucy.
“Well, you know Des relies heavily on that visa program to get seasonal workers to clean and maintain the properties he manages. There’s a lot of red tape, and through the years he’s put together a network of folks both here and abroad who help him. He was telling me all about it, how he’s got to the top of the list for visas, due largely to the fact that he’s got what he calls ‘friends in high places.’ ” Dave sighed. “But even he admits he’s having trouble, because they’ve really scaled back that program and are limiting work visas.”
“Do you really think he’d do such a thing? Steal the egg?”
Dave looked off in the distance, then turned to Lucy with a smile. “I doubt it, but you know, when you’ve put your heart and soul into something it’s very hard to see it fail. With an influx of cash he could keep his creditors happy at the same time he reorganizes.”
As Lucy buckled her watch strap, she wondered if Dave was talking about Des Jasper’s business troubles, or his own. “Don’t forget your card,” said Alison, sliding it across the counter.
“Thanks,” said Lucy, happily noting how the empty egg outlines were filling up before she tucked the card into her bag. “Have a nice day,” she said, taking her leave. Aware that she only had ten dollars in her wallet, she decided she might as well head to the bank down the street to replenish her cash at the ATM. As she walked along the sidewalk, which was free of the crowds of tourists that arrived in summer, she thought about her conversations with the various members of the Chamber. Corney was absolutely right about it being deeply divided; she chuckled to herself thinking how each member she’d spoken with had quickly named another member as the egg thief. With friends like that, who needed enemies? She wondered if the Chamber, and the town itself, could ever come together.
Nearing the bank, which was on the opposite side of the street, Lucy looked both ways. The road was clear, not a good sign for local businesses, she thought as she crossed. The ATM was located to the side of the brick bank building, in a little glassy cube that also allowed access to the bank lobby. As she entered from the street, Des Jasper was coming through from the lobby. “After you,” he said, holding the door for her.
“Thanks, but I’m here for the ATM.” Lucy gave him a big smile. “Since I’ve got you, would you mind giving me your reaction to the theft of the Klaus egg? It’s for a Courier story I’m working on. In particular, do you think the promo was a good idea?”
