Do you girls live nearby?”
“Sophie and I do,” Margaret answers.
“Then you’ve probably seen him out walking his dog. He had an English setter named Bertie. Beautiful. And you never saw him without his walking stick.”
“The one that Marcus Klinger seemed so determined to get his hands on last night, I’ll bet,” Margaret says softly.
“Hey, I remember that guy!” I say. “When I was taking care of Tillie, we ran into him and his dog a few times. He was nice; he always had a treat for Tillie. She remembered him, too—she used to pull me down the street to see him and get her cookie.”
“That was Curtis,” says Lindsay. “And now you know almost as much about him as I do.”
Hmmm. Somehow, I doubt that.
No, as a matter of fact, I’m not a member— I can’t imagine how they got my number
The bell jangles loudly, announcing our return to Marcus Klinger’s bookstore. Margaret insists that we all put on our best chipper and cheerful faces for this necessary-but-unwanted reunion, but Klinger, hidden behind a stack of books, scares the gee willikers out of us when—poof!—he suddenly materializes.
“May I help you?” he asks, almost smiling … until he recognizes us. “Oh. You. Again.”
Great to see you, too, Klingon.
“I suppose you’ve come back for the Dickens. Shall I get it down?”
“No, we’re looking for something different this time,” says Margaret, maintaining her smile. “It’s a three-volume set called
Nine Worthy Men
. Do you know it?”
We’re all watching his reaction, and we all notice the same thing. His eyes widen momentarily, revealing something. We don’t know what that something is yet,but you can bet your faux-fur-lined boots we’re going to find out.
“Of course I know it. I wouldn’t be much of a book dealer if I didn’t.” He aims those beady eyes of his directly at Margaret. “Why, in heaven’s name, are you looking for that particular book? I thought kids today were only interested in books about vampires. Besides, a complete set is quite valuable—I’d say something on the order of two hundred dollars. Maybe two-fifty in the original slipcase. If I had one, that is. Which I don’t.”
Bbbrrrinnnggggg!
Hello?… What’s that? You’re calling from the New York Chapter of Liars Anonymous? And you want to talk to Marcus Klinger? Uh, yeah. I’m not at all surprised, because, let me tell ya, he just told us a whopper.
Seriously. I’m looking right at the full set of
Nine Worthy Men
(in a slipcase!) locked away in a glass cabinet behind the counter.
I clear my throat, loudly, and point at the cabinet. “Excuse me, Mr. Klingon, er, Klinger, but isn’t that exactly what we’re looking for?”
He turns his squinty gaze on me. “That’s my private copy. It’s not for sale. But you didn’t answer my question. Why
Nine Worthy Men
? Perhaps I can help you locate another copy.”
“We’re doing some … research,” Margaret says. “We’re especially interested in the first volume, the oneabout Julius Caesar, Hector, and Alexander the Great. We don’t necessarily want to buy it. If we could just, um, borrow it for a few minutes, I’m sure we could get what we need.”
Klinger turns toward the cabinet, and for a second I think he’s going to hand it over to us. “I’m afraid not.”
“You won’t even let us look at it?” Becca asks, indignant. “Why not?”
Klinger half smiles, half sneers (smeers?) at Becca. “It’s quite simple, actually. I’m not a fool, girls. Obviously, you discovered something in that old fountain pen, something that, tragically, I overlooked. Whatever it is, it does not concern you, but it is of considerable interest to me. My old friend Curtis Dedmann had a strange sense of humor, you see, and this little treasure hunt was his parting gift to me. You paid what—thirty-five dollars for the pen, plus premiums, no? I will give you one hundred dollars right now for the pen—and whatever you found
“Sophie and I do,” Margaret answers.
“Then you’ve probably seen him out walking his dog. He had an English setter named Bertie. Beautiful. And you never saw him without his walking stick.”
“The one that Marcus Klinger seemed so determined to get his hands on last night, I’ll bet,” Margaret says softly.
“Hey, I remember that guy!” I say. “When I was taking care of Tillie, we ran into him and his dog a few times. He was nice; he always had a treat for Tillie. She remembered him, too—she used to pull me down the street to see him and get her cookie.”
“That was Curtis,” says Lindsay. “And now you know almost as much about him as I do.”
Hmmm. Somehow, I doubt that.
No, as a matter of fact, I’m not a member— I can’t imagine how they got my number
The bell jangles loudly, announcing our return to Marcus Klinger’s bookstore. Margaret insists that we all put on our best chipper and cheerful faces for this necessary-but-unwanted reunion, but Klinger, hidden behind a stack of books, scares the gee willikers out of us when—poof!—he suddenly materializes.
“May I help you?” he asks, almost smiling … until he recognizes us. “Oh. You. Again.”
Great to see you, too, Klingon.
“I suppose you’ve come back for the Dickens. Shall I get it down?”
“No, we’re looking for something different this time,” says Margaret, maintaining her smile. “It’s a three-volume set called
Nine Worthy Men
. Do you know it?”
We’re all watching his reaction, and we all notice the same thing. His eyes widen momentarily, revealing something. We don’t know what that something is yet,but you can bet your faux-fur-lined boots we’re going to find out.
“Of course I know it. I wouldn’t be much of a book dealer if I didn’t.” He aims those beady eyes of his directly at Margaret. “Why, in heaven’s name, are you looking for that particular book? I thought kids today were only interested in books about vampires. Besides, a complete set is quite valuable—I’d say something on the order of two hundred dollars. Maybe two-fifty in the original slipcase. If I had one, that is. Which I don’t.”
Bbbrrrinnnggggg!
Hello?… What’s that? You’re calling from the New York Chapter of Liars Anonymous? And you want to talk to Marcus Klinger? Uh, yeah. I’m not at all surprised, because, let me tell ya, he just told us a whopper.
Seriously. I’m looking right at the full set of
Nine Worthy Men
(in a slipcase!) locked away in a glass cabinet behind the counter.
I clear my throat, loudly, and point at the cabinet. “Excuse me, Mr. Klingon, er, Klinger, but isn’t that exactly what we’re looking for?”
He turns his squinty gaze on me. “That’s my private copy. It’s not for sale. But you didn’t answer my question. Why
Nine Worthy Men
? Perhaps I can help you locate another copy.”
“We’re doing some … research,” Margaret says. “We’re especially interested in the first volume, the oneabout Julius Caesar, Hector, and Alexander the Great. We don’t necessarily want to buy it. If we could just, um, borrow it for a few minutes, I’m sure we could get what we need.”
Klinger turns toward the cabinet, and for a second I think he’s going to hand it over to us. “I’m afraid not.”
“You won’t even let us look at it?” Becca asks, indignant. “Why not?”
Klinger half smiles, half sneers (smeers?) at Becca. “It’s quite simple, actually. I’m not a fool, girls. Obviously, you discovered something in that old fountain pen, something that, tragically, I overlooked. Whatever it is, it does not concern you, but it is of considerable interest to me. My old friend Curtis Dedmann had a strange sense of humor, you see, and this little treasure hunt was his parting gift to me. You paid what—thirty-five dollars for the pen, plus premiums, no? I will give you one hundred dollars right now for the pen—and whatever you found
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