Ruby Red Herring Read online

  “Sounds good to me,” Micah sighed, removing his gloves. “I’ll call the guard.”

  “Our job”—Avery focused her attention on Nate—“isn’t to look at the jewel. Anyone could do that. You could do that.” She could feel Micah’s gaze on her, but she couldn’t help it. Nate Brennan rubbed her the wrong way; he had since she’d met him. “My partner and I take a scientific approach, which involves investigating and proving whether a piece is original, researching the provenance or documented history of the piece, verifying that the documentation is genuine, and examining the piece in terms of characteristics and distinct features. Once that process is complete, we begin the task of valuing the worth of the piece, using authenticity and current market value. And if this jewel makes it through all of that and turns out to be what your grandmother and I believe it might be, the assignment gets even more complicated.”

  Micah cleared his throat. “It’s a bit of a long and time-consuming procedure. Not something a layperson would have any reason to know about,” he told Nate, his tone much kinder than Avery’s. “But it’ll take us a little while, I suspect. There’s a lot involved, especially with this piece. It’s pretty exciting. Have you seen it?”

  Avery sighed loudly and rolled her eyes at Micah, bending to pack up her notes and laptop in her case.

  Nate moved a little closer, looking chastised. “Sorry,” he said, looking at Avery and then Micah. “I got to take a look in Grandmother’s office when it first arrived. It’s really huge—the biggest jewel I’ve ever seen, for sure. It’s pretty heavy.”

  Micah nodded. “I’ll agree with that, and we’ve seen our share of dazzling artifacts.” He stepped aside. “It’s quite brilliant, especially when seen through the loupe. Go ahead, check it out.” He watched while Nate bent to get a closer view.

  “It’s really beautiful,” he said. “What would it be worth if your appr—the verification process and everything else—shows it’s real and belongs to the dragon medallion?”

  “That’s impossible to say,” Avery spoke up, softening. “We don’t know anything yet. But we’ll keep you updated, Nate. I know it’s a fascinating acquisition.”

  “Thank you. I know you’re experts in this. I’d love to watch your process, at least some of the time, if you don’t mind.”

  He was staring at Avery, which she appreciated. Micah was always more tolerant, and she knew she should try to adopt his attitude. “I suppose that’d be fine. Once in a while,” she added.

  Nate nodded vigorously. “Sure. Okay. Well, maybe I’ll stop by tomorrow and see how it’s going then.”

  Two guards entered the lab and moved to the counter top to transport the jewel. “Going to lunch?”

  “Yes! Ready?” Avery tugged Micah’s sleeve. She was more than ready to get out of there. “Thank you. We won’t be long,” she told the guards as they followed Avery, Micah, and Nate out.

  When they all exited the elevator, Avery and Micah headed toward the café. Nate had gone in the opposite direction. As they stood in line for the daily special, a chicken fajita bowl with rice, Avery voiced her thoughts. “Micah.”

  “Hmm?”

  “What do you think of Nate?” She kept her voice low.

  “I think he’s a little green and immature, but he doesn’t seem like a bad kid.”

  “I don’t think he’s a bad guy,” she agreed. “But he’s definitely Goldie’s blind spot, don’t you think?”

  Micah frowned at her. “You mean, because she gave him the job even though he had no qualifications?”

  She chuckled. “Well, yeah, you’re making my point for me. But no, that’s not what I meant. Francesca and Sir Robert stopped by to see the jewel and then went on their way. Why does Nate feel it’s okay to just hang over our shoulders all day asking questions? How does watching us have anything to do with his actual job in acquisitions? And did you catch what he said about getting to handle the jewel in Goldie’s office when it first got here?”

  “I did catch that. I think he’s just excited. It’s a major acquisition.”

  “Maybe you’re right. But I don’t want him in and out of the lab constantly. It bothers me that he doesn’t have any boundaries, and Goldie seems to think that’s fine.”

  Micah nodded. “Well, Goldie may not impose boundaries on Nate, but we certainly can. Don’t worry,” he said, his tone reassuring. “Nate Brennan is manageable.”

  Chapter Three

  When the phone rang at four thirty in the afternoon, Avery’s eyes were beginning to cross from looking at her laptop. As Micah was handling the imaging of the jewel, she had taken the opportunity to learn more about the Emperor’s Twins medallion. She’d always been a little superstitious and would never want to jinx their progress, but she was dying to know if they might have a headline-making discovery on their hands. Best to be well versed in the known and rumored history of the Emperor’s Twins medallion, just in case.

  After the death of Emperor Xiang and speculations regarding the fate of the dragon’s missing ruby eye, the last documented date that the medallion had been observed intact and complete—with both rubies—was 1818, roughly twenty years after the emperor’s rule ended and his subsequent death. A whole lot could have happened to the ruby in two centuries.

  Interrupting Avery’s research now and then was a pop-up notification on her screen alerting her that another image was available; Micah was uploading them one at a time to Avery from the other side of the lab. MOA’s lab held the newest state-of-the-art equipment, and Micah was using hyperspectral imaging as part of their verification process. Even though the transparency of the ruby seemed striking, there was so much more the hyperspectral images would show than could be seen with the naked eye or simpler equipment. Antiquities and Artifacts Appraised did possess its own traveling lab equipment, from tools as rudimentary as a loupe magnifier and handheld dichroscope to high-end instruments—stereo microscope, refractometer, spectroscope—but the MOA equipment was excellent as well and didn’t need to be carted around.

  Avery wasn’t familiar with the type of setting that held the jewel, and she had yet to identify the era it was from. There was no hallmark stamp visible, but she hoped to know more when she and Micah removed the ruby from its housing on Monday. It was impossible to tell what they’d find under the setting, especially as so far it appeared to be eighteen-karat gold but with odd wear patterns on one side. In some circumstances, precious metals were known to have a hallmark stamp—the identifying stamp placed there by the maker, often denoting location and year and even specific creator. If they found a hallmark on this piece, it’d be an amazing game changer in their appraisal and certification.

  “Hello?” She spoke into the phone. “MOA lab,” she said uncertainly.

  “Ms. Ayers, this is Security Officer Woodson. We’re just letting you know we’ll be up shortly to collect the jewel. The museum closes at five PM.”

  “Thank you, Officer. We’re just finishing up for the day.” She hung up and returned to Micah’s side. “We’re done for now, right?”

  He glanced at her. “I wish we could get the setting off tonight. But I’ve got to pick up Noah from the train station. Back here Monday morning, right?”

  “Monday morning,” Avery confirmed. “How exciting Noah’s coming home! How long is he staying?”

  “He’s got a week off before his internship starts,” Micah said. “Lehigh set him up with an engineering internship at DeSouza Corporation. But the boy’s got nothing in the way of proper attire, so we have a little prep work to do next week.”

  “Oh, how fun,” Avery said, moving to the door to tell the guard they were ready to send the jewel back and close up for the night. “I’d be happy to help. Tilly and I both would. You know she lives for that kind of thing; makeovers are her specialty.”

  Micah laughed. “I’m not so sure he’ll go for the idea, but better you two than me. Obviously.” He made a sweeping motion from his head to his feet.

  Avery patted his arm
. “Micah, you’re the pinnacle of fashion. Midcentury modern fashion, at least. You’re always put together.” She smirked at him, knowing he wouldn’t take offense. Micah’s whole style was a throwback, definitely not what a nineteen-year-old college student should wear for a Fortune 500 company internship.

  The duo of guards returned and secured the ruby, and Avery and Micah finished packing up and headed for the elevator. Avery stepped in, scrolling through an article on her tablet, and crashed right into a man already in the car. Her tablet slid out of her hands, and she grappled for something—anything—to stop the slow fall she could feel herself in the middle of. The man caught her around the waist, steadying her as she got her footing.

  Mortified, Avery stared at him. “I’m so sorry! Totally my fault!”

  The man’s blue eyes crinkled with a smile, and he shook his head. “No harm done.”

  Avery glanced quickly at Micah as he handed her tablet to her; thank goodness she’d had the case on it. The doors whooshed shut and she took a step sideways, knowing she was invading this man’s personal space, first falling all over him and then him having to catch her. She read the badge on a lanyard around his neck: Tyler Chadwick, Action Entertainment. Wasn’t that . . . Avery racked her brain. This guy had to be part of the movie being made in the south wing. His perfectly combed hair was three shades of blond, there was just a hint of five-o’clock shadow over his chiseled jawline, and his V-neck shirt stretched nicely across his broad chest.

  “Are you all right? Miss—” He tipped his head, reading the name tag clipped to her lapel. “Miss Ayers? Or is it Mrs.?”

  “Miss. Avery.”

  “Ah. Good to know.” His mouth went up at one corner, and he met her eyes. “I’m a little lost, but I’m thinking I don’t mind so much now, Miss Avery.”

  Micah cleared his throat beside her. Avery’s cheeks burned. “It’s just Avery,” she said, and her voice came out sounding ridiculously girlish. For Pete’s sake, put one movie star in her path and she turned into a teenager. “You’re . . . are you in the movie they’re filming here? You must be.” She pointed to his lanyard and badge.

  “I am. I have no clue how I ended up on the wrong side of the museum—though I’m glad I did. Could you direct me to the south wing?”

  “Of course,” she said, as the car came to a stop on the main floor.

  Chadwick allowed Avery and Micah to exit ahead of him.

  “All right,” she said. “So you’re just going to take that hallway there, all the way to the end, and then make a left. Go through the set of double doors with the guard stationed outside, and that will take you right onto the film set.”

  “Perfect. Thank you. Maybe I’ll see you again? Do you work for the museum?”

  “Oh,” she said, taken off guard. “I, ah. No. Well, sort of.”

  “We’re privately contracted,” Micah said. For the second time that day, she could feel him looking at her. Micah was probably the closest thing she had to a father figure, and this whole interaction was making her feel squirmy.

  “Hmm.” Chadwick took a few backward steps toward the hallway Avery directed him to. “Well, maybe I’ll see you around anyway. I’d like that. And you know where to find me.” He gave her the sexiest wink she’d ever seen before turning and heading away from them.

  She finally turned and looked at Micah. “Stop it.”

  Micah looked surprised. “I’m not doing anything.”

  She groaned. “Well, don’t. I’m sorry. He just kind of surprised me.” She dropped her voice. “He was flirting with me, right?”

  Micah chuckled. “If you want to call it that. He was fairly obvious.”

  “Okay, that’s enough. Let’s go. You’ve got a son to pick up.”

  Goldie was coming toward them from the opposite end of the atrium. She waved a hand. “I have news.”

  Avery raised her eyebrows at Micah. “Think she got ahold of the collector for us?”

  When they met, Goldie shook her head. She looked exasperated. “I heard back from Oliver Renell. I cannot convince him to come in. I honestly don’t understand what his concern is. I’ve assured him the MOA has ample security, if that’s what he’s concerned about.”

  “That’s odd,” Avery said.

  “Yes. Listen, the bottom line is, he told me to pass his email address on to you. I think that’s the only way you’re going to be able to ask him questions. I’ve never run into this situation before. Normally the collectors are proud to present their acquisition in person—they want to be acknowledged. Not Renell.”

  Avery shook her head. “That’s definitely odd.”

  “I’ll forward you the email he sent me,” Goldie said. “Let me know if there’s anything else you need. I’ve got to run.”

  Micah spoke on the way out. “Avery, about Noah’s internship wardrobe, I actually would appreciate your help. We both would. Cicely was a much better shopper than I am. Without her, I’m afraid Noah will buy one pair of slacks and a white dress shirt and consider it taken care of. Maybe we could go before his internship starts?” Micah’s wife, Cicely, had passed away two years ago.

  Avery gave his arm a squeeze. “Absolutely. Aunt Midge and Tilly are out of town midweek for Tilly’s voice audition in LA, but they come back Friday. Maybe next Sunday?”

  Tilly would be excited to hear of the shopping trip with Noah; she’d nurtured a little crush on him for years.

  Avery walked with Micah out onto the wide front steps of the MOA. “Give Noah our love. Have a great weekend!”

  He nodded. “I plan on it. You too, and tell Midge she owes me a game of bridge.”

  Avery kissed his cheek as they parted. “I forgot—that was from Aunt Midge yesterday. Monday we get some answers,” she called as he flagged down a cab and climbed in.

  He raised a hand as the car pulled away, and Avery headed for the parking garage.

  Next weekend was the Ayers family annual summer barbecue, and Avery couldn’t wait. All of their friends would be in attendance, even Goldie and Sir Robert. Croquet set up on the expanse of green lawn, the smell of grilled corn on the cob, the crackle of the fire in the evening—it all sounded wonderful, especially with the commute and long hours she’d been working lately.

  Arriving at home, Avery went right up the wide staircase to her bedroom, intending to change into her running gear, and nearly did a somersault over the small tower of bins stacked just inside her doorway. Aunt Midge had been busy while she was at work. Avery’s compulsively organized mother had labeled them:

  Avery baby

  Tilly baby

  Lilac Grove office archive

  Midge came around the corner in the long hallway from the attic and deposited another bin next to the stack, labeled Manhattan office archive.

  She raised her eyes to Avery’s.

  Aunt Midge came close and planted a kiss on her forehead. “I thought it’d be fun to see what’s in these, from when you were babies. And there’s one more, but it looks to be household finances, appliance warranties, that kind of thing. We don’t need that brought down, do we?”

  “No.” Avery pushed the bins out of her bedroom into the hallway. These were items her mother had saved with the idea that maybe one day she or Tilly might want to go through them. Two things ran through Avery’s spinning thoughts: she couldn’t do this without Tilly, and she wasn’t sure she could do this at all.

  Midge adopted the same stance as Avery, possibly without meaning to—arms crossed over her chest, looking down pensively at the bins now stacked in the hallway. “The nice thing about these boxes,” she said, “is that every secret they’ve kept for years, they’ll continue keeping until you’re ready.”

  When Avery had asked to have a look through her parents’ belongings, it had seemed like such a routine task. And this was just—what? Baby clothes and work stuff. There was no reason she should have this heavy stone in her chest all of a sudden. But she missed her parents. More than she usually let herself admit.
/>   Avery slid down the wall until she was sitting crossed-legged on the hardwood floor and pulled a bin over to her from the deep-red-and-gold carpet runner that split the hallway down the middle. She looked up at Aunt Midge.

  “I’m twenty-five years old. I should be able to handle this.”

  “I’m sixty years old, and there are still things I’m afraid to do.”

  “I’m not afraid.”

  She nodded. “I know that. Would you like me to leave you alone? Or maybe you’d like to wait for your sister?”

  “No. I’m fine, and please stay,” Avery said quietly.

  Midge pulled the padded hallway bench away from the wall and sat next to Avery and the bins.

  She lifted the lid off the first one, labeled Avery baby, and it was exactly that: articles of hers from twenty-five years ago. Little footed sleepers, a rattle, a worn stuffed bunny, and a priceless find buried at the bottom: a baby book. Avery leafed through it too quickly, unwilling just yet to linger and read words her mother had written about her. She packed everything back into the bin and pushed it to one side but set the baby book against the wall next to her.

  She stood, picking up one of the two boxes labeled office archive. “Let’s take their work papers down to the home office. I want to start going through the files down there along with these.”

  “Good idea.” Aunt Midge bent to lift the other box, and Avery stopped her.

  “What are you doing? I’ll come back for it.”

  “And why would you do that? Do I look incapable? How do you think these boxes made it down here from the attic, young lady?” She picked up the second work box, the thing dwarfing her small frame. “Let’s go. Don’t treat me like an old woman again, or I’ll have to ground you for a week.”

  Avery laughed. “I believe you. I’m far too busy to be grounded. Sorry, Auntie.” Midge certainly didn’t appear to be struggling with the box. Avery led the way downstairs.