LITMIR.BIZ

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is training as a classical musician. He plays the cello, amongst other things. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to think he’d swap the scroll for the Mollier cello. Word is he’s a fan of Mollier, God rest his soul.”

      I smiled. “The Mollier cello!” Dion had already half done the deal for me. He was like that: outwardly the tough guy, inwardly a teddy bear looking out for his closest clients. “My estimate for the cello was around ten thousand Euro. If he’d swap for the scroll, I’d be well in front. Time to visit our young musician and see what can be done.” Dion shook my hand, slipping me a folded piece of paper. Without reading it I knew it would contain the man’s phone number and address. “Let me know if you need a chauffeur,” he said.

      “Oui, I will.”

      Dion smiled, flashing his tobacco-stained teeth. “When you win it, don’t forget your friends, will you?” He winked.

      I smiled back. “Never. And until the deal is done, here’s a little something to tide you over.” From the depths of my handbag I took a bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild, a wine from Bordeaux, and handed it to Dion. I kept my cellar, which was only really a wine rack in the corner of my shop, stocked with fine wine in order to have something tangible to give thanks.

      “Château Lafite Rothschild for me? This is worth a lot of money, Anouk.” He inspected the label on the bottle. Dion knew a lot about everything, from wine to antiques, to people’s secrets.

      “It’s the least I can do.” I bent to kiss his still-stunned face.

      “Merci,” he said, collecting himself. “Call me if I can help with the grandson.”

      I smiled and managed a quick nod. “I will, same as always.” Dion didn’t believe in lengthy phone calls – thought the government was listening in, recording every single one of us. If I called him he automatically named a place to meet, and that was that.

      I had a soft spot for Dion in a paternal way. Life had been a struggle for him, and he was doing his best to climb out of a black hole, by whatever means he could. It was the way sometimes his eyes clouded, the slump to his beefy shoulders, like his sadness hovered above him and pressed him down. Sometimes I wanted to play Lilou’s trick and be the matchmaker for him, but I knew well enough not to meddle. Who was I to help him find love when I’d been so spectacularly bad at it myself?

      ***

      “I’m so sorry for the loss of your grandfather,” I said softly after introducing myself. I tried very hard not to drop eye contact and exclaim over the sumptuous furniture surrounding me. Besides, it wasn’t fitting in the circumstances.

      The young man, Andre, nodded solemnly and stared out the bay window. I was just out of Paris in the town of Rocquencourt, on the family’s lush sprawling estate. Not far from here was the Palace of Versailles, and while Andre’s estate was on a much smaller scale, from what I had seen so far it was equally as opulent as the former royal château.

      Andre had the serenity of an expansive garden with a small lake but was close enough to Paris, giving him the best of both worlds. There were stables on the property, and some dog kennels. Thick hedges and fat-trunked trees, standing close together like a row of gruff watchman protecting the property, surrounded the garden.

      “Merci,” he said eventually. His thin, drawn face appeared much older than Dion had thought him to be. “Were you close?” I wanted to kick myself for my nosiness, but something about him suggested he was angry, rather than grieving. It was just a feeling, the fleeting look of mutiny on his face when I mentioned his grandfather.

      He let out a bitter laugh. “No we weren’t close. Unless you were a wad of rolled-up Euros, he didn’t have the time of day for you.”

      “Oh,” I said lamely, unsure of what to say to such a thing.

      “My grandfather was a cold man. Driven by money, and money only. Hence I have no desire to continue with his legacy of collecting things, which will never be appreciated. You’ve heard about the arcane scroll, I take it?”

      I clasped my hands, feeling a wave of empathy for Andre. “I did.” It struck me he’d invited me into his house without clarifying my reason for visiting, as if he knew I was coming. Dion, again, helping grease the wheel. “I was hoping to secure the late Monsieur Mollier’s cello for you, in return for the scroll if that’s something you’d consider.”

      “Mollier’s music was the soundtrack to my youth, a way to block out the real world.”

      His cheeks pinked as if he’d said too much, so I hurried to reassure him. “Music has the ability to be a friend, an escape hatch when we most need one.”

      “Oui,” he said, smiling.

      “May I see the scroll?” I spoke quickly, not wanting to scare him off by getting too personal; instead I tried to be businesslike and brisk.

      He surveyed me for the longest time. I felt he was weighing up whether he could trust me. I only hoped I could afford any counter offer he made, like the cello for the scroll, and extra funds on top, if the scroll was in good shape. Because of Joshua’s theft, my business was still teetering, so I didn’t have the high reserve of funds I used to for deals like this.

      Red-haired Andre took a key from his pocket, unlocking a drawer. From the vague scent wafting out I knew it was a humidity-controlled space. I was relieved that the scroll had been well cared for in its time here.

      “Anouk, please come closer, but don’t touch it. It’s whisper thin, and will have to be handled correctly by experts if it’s moved from here.” While he wasn’t keen on keeping his grandfather’s collections at least he respected the antiques, which made me soften toward him even more.

      I made my way over, a hand on my throat as my pulse beat a fast rhythm. It never waned, that first flush of excitement seeing something that was hundreds of years old. It was preserved as well as it could be for its age, though damaged in places, as if it had been set alight, and someone had snuffed the flame out in time to save the body of it. It resembled a fairy-tale treasure map, with its rough black edges. But instead of sketches of geography it contained text.

      “It’s a poem,” he said, smiling. Andre’s posture relaxed, and when grinning, he looked infinitely younger. What hate he must’ve held in his heart to transform his entire being when he recalled his grandfather, and how quickly it disappeared once he was distracted.

      I leaned close and tried to read the tiny words, written in fancy flowery cursive that was difficult to translate. Goose bumps prickled my skin and I knew I couldn’t simply swap the cello for the scroll. The scroll was worth far too much money, and I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I wasn’t honest with Andre. But would I have enough funds to make the deal?

      “It’s breathtaking,” I said pulling my gaze away and meeting Andre’s, whose expression was haunted once more. “A treasure.”

      “I’d like to take you up on your offer,” he said abruptly. “The cello of Monsieur Mollier’s in exchange for the scroll. But only if experts transport the scroll, and you vouch for its safety in transit and with its new owner. As much as I hate what it represents, it still has historical significance, and I’d hate to see it ruined by inappropriate handling.”

      “Oui, of course, I can have all of that arranged. But there is a problem,” I said, fluttering my hands. “This scroll is worth more than I thought. While it has been slightly burnt at the edges, the writing is still well preserved. I’d have to get a specialist to investigate its origins and likely author, but I know from experience and by sight it’s worth a lot of money. Much more than the cello.”

      Andre moved to the plush lounges and sat, motioning for me to do the same. “I have papers from numerous scholars who’ve studied the period. You can have those too. And I’m well aware of its value, Mademoiselle LaRue, but you see, this holds only bad memories for me. My grandfather manipulated the former owner, bullied him into selling it really, for far less than it was worth. He then had the gall to brag about it. Greed is a terrible thing;

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