but an excellent oddity. There are people who collect oddities. Tamsin Woo was one of those.”
Sadie picked up the paper from her lap and read, “ Sadie, please keep this safe for me. Hamilton has tried to steal it several times. ~ Tamsin”
“Who is Hamilton?” Lucy asked. “And why would he steal Tamsin’s watch?”
“He’s a rival collector,” Sadie said.
“They used to try to beat each other to the best stuff. Hamilton always was trying to get me to sell him things that Tamsin asked me to find for her. Only last week he was telling me that Tamsin was just using me.”
“How can you be used in a business relationship?” Lucy asked. “It’s not like she didn’t pay you.”
“Exactly,” Sadie said.
“Hamilton was trying to convince me she wasn’t really my friend. I told him she was a client, not a friend. That shut him up for about five minutes. It’s hard to keep Hamilton down for long.”
“What will you do with that?” Lucy asked, nodding in the direction of the watch.
“Take it to the Chief,” Sadie said. The Chief was Zack Woodstone, the chief of police and Sadie’s boyfriend.
“Want to come?”
“Of course,” Lucy said and extracted herself from the Best Armchair Ever.
They pulled on jackets, for it was turning toward autumn and there was a nip in the air, and Sadie clipped Mr. Bradshaw’s leash to his collar before they left through the shop’s front door.
“I love this time of year,” Lucy said as they kicked through the leaves that had littered the sidewalk.
Mr. Bradshaw jumped and caught an especially bright specimen that floated down from a red maple.
“I know,” Sadie said. “The air just glows. I think it has something to do with the angle of the sun.”
“Or the fact it’s shining through red and gold leaves,” Lucy said.
“I’m sure someone up at the College could tell us, “Sadie said.
“It’s probably something very scientific that has nothing to do with leaves or the angle of the sun.” She sighed.
“It’s okay not to be an expert at everything , Sade,” Lucy said. “Your expertise is junk. Leave the quality of light to someone else.”
It was a quick walk to the stationhouse where they found Zack sitting in his office surrounded by paper. Sadie let go of Mr. Bradshaw’s leash and he ran around to greet the Chief while Sadie and Lucy sat in the wooden chairs facing his desk. Sadie wondered if he used them to keep people from getting too comfortable in his office. Well, it wouldn’t work with her.
Chief Zack Woodstone finished rubbing Mr. B behind the ears and reached under his desk. He tossed them each a seat cushion. Sadie looked at it in surprise and then it dawned on her. She stood up and fit the cushion on the chair. Lucy did the same.
“I save those for the lucky few I actually want to sit in my office,” Zack said.
“If my chairs are too comfortable my staff will sit and chat instead of running off to do their jobs. Can’t have that. I have my own work to get done.”
“You make yourself sound like a horrible boss,” Lucy said. “But I bet that’s not true.”
“He’s a great boss,” Sadie said. “It’s his boss, the mayor, he’s trying to keep from sitting around.”
“Only too true,” Zack said. “What brings you ladies down here today?”
Sadie pulled out the tiny pocket watch and the letter that arrived with it.
“This,” she said and explained the delivery earlier that morning.
“Interesting,” Zack said, examining the watch.
“Impossible to use, but very beautiful. Reminds me of that period of time when beauty without function was in fashion among the very rich.”
“Exactly,” Sadie said. “But what interests me is that Tamsin sent this, one day and was killed the next. See, look at the postmark.”
Zack pulled a magnifying glass from his drawer and bent over the
Sadie picked up the paper from her lap and read, “ Sadie, please keep this safe for me. Hamilton has tried to steal it several times. ~ Tamsin”
“Who is Hamilton?” Lucy asked. “And why would he steal Tamsin’s watch?”
“He’s a rival collector,” Sadie said.
“They used to try to beat each other to the best stuff. Hamilton always was trying to get me to sell him things that Tamsin asked me to find for her. Only last week he was telling me that Tamsin was just using me.”
“How can you be used in a business relationship?” Lucy asked. “It’s not like she didn’t pay you.”
“Exactly,” Sadie said.
“Hamilton was trying to convince me she wasn’t really my friend. I told him she was a client, not a friend. That shut him up for about five minutes. It’s hard to keep Hamilton down for long.”
“What will you do with that?” Lucy asked, nodding in the direction of the watch.
“Take it to the Chief,” Sadie said. The Chief was Zack Woodstone, the chief of police and Sadie’s boyfriend.
“Want to come?”
“Of course,” Lucy said and extracted herself from the Best Armchair Ever.
They pulled on jackets, for it was turning toward autumn and there was a nip in the air, and Sadie clipped Mr. Bradshaw’s leash to his collar before they left through the shop’s front door.
“I love this time of year,” Lucy said as they kicked through the leaves that had littered the sidewalk.
Mr. Bradshaw jumped and caught an especially bright specimen that floated down from a red maple.
“I know,” Sadie said. “The air just glows. I think it has something to do with the angle of the sun.”
“Or the fact it’s shining through red and gold leaves,” Lucy said.
“I’m sure someone up at the College could tell us, “Sadie said.
“It’s probably something very scientific that has nothing to do with leaves or the angle of the sun.” She sighed.
“It’s okay not to be an expert at everything , Sade,” Lucy said. “Your expertise is junk. Leave the quality of light to someone else.”
It was a quick walk to the stationhouse where they found Zack sitting in his office surrounded by paper. Sadie let go of Mr. Bradshaw’s leash and he ran around to greet the Chief while Sadie and Lucy sat in the wooden chairs facing his desk. Sadie wondered if he used them to keep people from getting too comfortable in his office. Well, it wouldn’t work with her.
Chief Zack Woodstone finished rubbing Mr. B behind the ears and reached under his desk. He tossed them each a seat cushion. Sadie looked at it in surprise and then it dawned on her. She stood up and fit the cushion on the chair. Lucy did the same.
“I save those for the lucky few I actually want to sit in my office,” Zack said.
“If my chairs are too comfortable my staff will sit and chat instead of running off to do their jobs. Can’t have that. I have my own work to get done.”
“You make yourself sound like a horrible boss,” Lucy said. “But I bet that’s not true.”
“He’s a great boss,” Sadie said. “It’s his boss, the mayor, he’s trying to keep from sitting around.”
“Only too true,” Zack said. “What brings you ladies down here today?”
Sadie pulled out the tiny pocket watch and the letter that arrived with it.
“This,” she said and explained the delivery earlier that morning.
“Interesting,” Zack said, examining the watch.
“Impossible to use, but very beautiful. Reminds me of that period of time when beauty without function was in fashion among the very rich.”
“Exactly,” Sadie said. “But what interests me is that Tamsin sent this, one day and was killed the next. See, look at the postmark.”
Zack pulled a magnifying glass from his drawer and bent over the
Similar Books
