Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
The doorbell rang, and he sighed as he left the office. When he opened the door, the estate sale manager, Rick Aspen, offered a wide smile.
“You ready for this?” he asked as he gestured behind him to the three employees he’d brought with him.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Everett stepped back to let them in. One woman carried a box of supplies while two of the men carried electronic tablets.
Rick looked around for a moment, his friendly smile still in place as he took in the antiques that lined the foyer. “Anton and Jeff will be doing the research on each item, so we’re sure to get your money’s worth. No worries there. Jessica comes armed with extraordinary knowledge, as well. The contract was for thirty percent of sales on our end. Did you go through and tab the items you’re keeping?”
“I did. Also, remember that the study is off limits. I’m packing everything in there up myself.”
Rick nodded. “Noted. Should you change your mind, we have no issue adding that room.”
“I won’t. That room is personal.” Everett had already gone through the rest of the house and taken the smaller items he didn’t want sold.
“We’ll just get started then,” Rick said as he walked to a cherry wood table and ran his hand over the surface. “This is going to take some time.” He opened the small drawer underneath the surface and bent to peek inside.
Everett nodded, though he felt a prick of annoyance at the man’s snooping. He quickly shoved it away. Rick was only doing what he’d been hired to do. “I understand. I’ll be packing up the study if you need anything from me.”
Jessica walked up to him and held out her hand. She was about his height and had her long, brown hair pulled into a high ponytail. “It’s nice to meet you. I have to say, I’m excited to see what your grandfather collected. Antiques are my jam.”
“That’s probably a good thing considering your profession.”
“I know you’ve marked everything you’re keeping, but I will still put estimates on those items as well, so you’ll know their worth. That work for you?”
Everett nodded. “I don’t plan to sell them, but the knowledge couldn’t hurt.”
Rick clapped his hands. “Let’s get started, then.”
Jessica and the two men quickly dispersed.
Everett left them to it and grabbed a stack of flattened boxes he’d left in the foyer, carrying them to the office. He set them on the loveseat, then moved to sit in his grandfather’s big desk chair. The top of the desk was cluttered with folders and various paperweights, as well as figurines of mythical creatures. Wilson had been the whimsical sort, with a particular fascination with Norse creatures of lore. There were wolves and Valkyries and elves. Even a set of trolls. There was also a rather elaborate depiction of a chimera, one of Wilson’s favorites. The man had been business sharp, but that dreamier side had made him a fun grandpa. He’d loved nothing more than telling Everett the old stories while they’d been curled up under that gray throw next to the warm fireplace.
Everett hadn’t minded this room during those times.
He opened the top drawer to find an assortment of office supplies and a stack of handkerchiefs. He ran his finger over the monogram on the top one, smiling at the memory of Wilson always having one of these on hand.
The top right drawer held folders, and he dreaded going through them. But it was the bottom right drawer he’d wanted to investigate first. It had always been locked, and he’d been adamantly warned against ever opening it. Wilson hadn’t even left him the key.
With no idea where the key could be, he grabbed a sturdy letter opener and started working on the lock. It took a good ten minutes to finally hear a click, but the drawer still wouldn’t open. He stood and started tugging hard on it.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t put down the letter opener, which had been pretty damn stupid. The sharp end sliced through his hand just as he wrenched the drawer free.
Blood splattered all over the contents of the drawer.
Cursing under his breath, he inspected the cut. It wasn’t bad enough for stitches but was sure bleeding a lot. He dropped the opener onto the desk and wrapped one of the handkerchiefs around his palm. The cut fucking stung.
There were only two items inside the drawer.
Everett let out a quiet, “Wow,” as he picked up a chunk of what looked like jade. It was as big as his hand. He held it up to the light. White lines swirled throughout the stone. It was really quite beautiful.
The second item was a leather-bound journal that had been beneath the jade. He set the stone down and opened the journal. Inside, there were pages with symbols, or perhaps runes. Ones he had no knowledge of. Flipping through, he found no words in English, so he set the journal down and picked up the jade again, frowning. His blood was all over it. He rubbed it down thoroughly with another handkerchief.