18
Josie
Florence stands up, walking deliberately toward Marin. "What did she say?" She turns to me briefly. "My executive assistant at work. She wouldn't call unless it's urgent."
"Woodhouse's EA, Aimee, called her after work."
"Get to the point, Marin."
"Of course, ma'am." She glances at me before continuing. "Stefanie is assistant to the Chief of HR." She turns back to Florence. "Chloe and three others have talked to her this week. Woodhouse approached all four of them to dig around to see if you were sleeping with any of them." She frowns. "Gwen's words, not theirs—but that's what it boils down to."
"Which other three?" Florence demands.
"Valerie, Katherine, and Peter."
"What, he thinks I'm sleeping with the whole C-suite?" She grimaces.
"Gwen thinks he's putting out feelers to see if you've—" She glances at me.
"If I'm fucking the women, too?" Florence spits out disgustedly.
"I wasn't going to put it that way," Marin says softly.
Florence rolls her eyes. "Of course not. You're a professional—even if you do cross the line sometimes." She bites her lip thoughtfully. "Did Stefanie talk to Cristine or Carole about it?"
Marin shakes her head. "Not yet. I told Gwen to reprimand Stefanie. She should have followed proper protocol and gone to Carole or Cristine."
Wait. Marin is telling off Florence's EA?
Florence nods. "Good. Thank you." She turns to me. "Can you give me a few minutes? I need to make a phone call."
My phone rings in my back pocket, and she laughs. "You get that while I try to contain some fires."
I glance at the screen before answering. It's the coin expert, less than two hours after he left my grandfather's penthouse. "This is Dr. Mueller." I step into the other room.
"Doctor. It's Dieter Engelmann. I—" He clears his throat. "I wanted to give you an update on one of your coins."
"Already?" That was fast.
"Your grandfather had many valuable pieces. You have many valuable pieces," he emphasizes. "What was your grandfather's name again, if I may ask?"
I frown. "Karl Schneider," I tell him. "Is that important?"
"How old was he?" Dieter asks.
"Is this relevant?" I ask. I glance around, realizing I'm in a huge library, before returning my attention to the call.
"Bear with me, Doctor."
"Okay. He turned one hundred last year. He was born in 1923 in Germany. He immigrated after the war."
He makes a noise of affirmation. "With the coins I saw today, you have at least half a million dollars." He hesitates. "However, there's a problem with one of the coins."
"A problem?" I repeat.
"The coin on the wall—the one front and center—"
"The one you saw first," I supply. He acted almost nervous with it.
"Yes. It's stolen property. There will be legal implications along with it."
I sit down in one of the reading chairs and sigh. "What does that mean?"
"I cannot give you legal counsel. I haven't contacted our legal team. Yet," he adds after a pause.
"What can you tell me then, Mr. Engelmann?" I'm not in the mood for games.
He clears his throat. "You have a twenty-dollar Saint-Gaudens gold double eagle from 1933." He drops the information like a nuke—one that doesn't land.
"Care to elaborate on what that means?" I ask drily.
"Yes, ma'am." He takes an audibly deep breath. "When these were minted, they were never released into circulation. They were minted before President Roosevelt ordered gold coins to be melted down in 1933. All but a handful were destroyed by the mint."
That's interesting. "So if it's rare, it should be worth something then, right?"
"Because they were never released into circulation, they legally belong to the federal government."
"Oh." I scratch my head. "How did my grandfather get it, then?"
"He was an upstanding member of the local numismatic and philatelic communities," he says. "You knew him better than I did. I've heard of him, but never dealt with him directly."
The what communities? I stand up.
"I haven't seen him since I was four years old. I didn't even know he was still alive." I start pacing. "If it belongs to the federal government, then I can give it back to them."
"Ultimately, it will end up in their possession," he affirms. "There's one other case similar to yours. Let me tell you a story."
Ten minutes later, Florence sticks her head into the library. "Josie? Is everything okay?"
Surprised out of my stupor, I shake my head to clear it. "No. Not really." I'm still trying to wrap my head around what Engelmann told me.
She sits down in the chair next to me. "Who was that?" She nods toward the phone in my hand.
"The coin guy."
"The one you met tonight? He works fast." Her forehead creases. "Does he think you can sell enough to pay off the judgment on the property?"
I shake my head, still trying to process everything. "Yes, but he won't work with me until I talk to a property rights attorney with expertise in rare coin law."
She chews on that for a minute. "He thinks one of the coins was stolen."
I snap my head to look at her. "How do you figure?" How did she make that jump so quickly?
She shrugs apologetically. "My family's been working with one for decades. My parents have put tens of thousands of dollars into finding stolen property over the past thirty or forty years."
"What was stolen?" I ask curiously.
"Mostly mundane things. Some engraved silverware, my nonna's first wedding ring, a painting of the hills where she met my grandpa. Things that will never be found, because they're not remarkable to anyone but Nonna—but my parents will continue to look as long as she lives." She sighs, pressing a hand briefly to her heart before she reaches for mine with her other.
"Did you get things under control for work?"
She smiles weakly. "I talked to Cristine. She's the chief HR officer. She'll talk with Carole tomorrow. He won't be back."
"What about the gala next week?"
She shrugs dismissively. "Everything's already in place. Aimee can take care of any last minute issues." She chews on her cheek, her gaze distant. "I might consider promoting her—or at least recommending her to the board."
"Florence?" Marin sticks her head in the door.
Florence glances at the clock before she answers. "Marin," she says drily, a hint of amusement in her voice. "The Woodhouse situation is being dealt with. Can you do one more thing for me before you leave? Write down the contact number for the family property rights lawyer and my brother's numismatist for Dr. Meuller, please."
"Of course. Is there anything else I can—"
"Marin." Florence's voice is soft as she stands up. She crosses the room, placing her hands on the woman's shoulders and meeting her eyes. "You're worth your weight in gold to me. You know that."
Marin's eyes drop, but a smile tugs at her lips. "Yes, ma'am."
Florence lifts her chin, forcing her to meet her gaze. "You earn your keep here. Don't feel guilty when I give you a few free hours." When Marin opens her mouth to respond, Florence puts a finger over her lips. "Don't argue."
Marin's eyes flick to me before she nods, stepping back from Florence. "I'll get that contact information and leave it on the counter by Dr. Mueller's purse. You'll call me if you need anything."
Florence frowns. "Do we have fresh batteries?"
Marin's eyes widen. "Bottom drawer," she answers before retreating down the hallway.
"What do you need batteries for?" I ask curiously.
She blushes a deep pink. "Nothing." She waves off my question. "So your numismatist won't work with you. How long do you have to come up with the money for the judgment?"
"About seven months now."
"This problem, will it include all dealings with the auction house?"
I shake my head. "At the moment, no. He unofficially suggested that I put that coin away and work with someone who doesn't know about it, at least until the judgment is settled."
She frowns. "That's a little dishonest, don't you think?"
I raise an eyebrow at her. Not that I disagree, but— "Like this isn't?" I motion between us.
"That's different. I like you."
I don't see how that matters. "Most likely, when it becomes public that I have this coin, the entire estate will be tied up in legal battles for years. If I keep it quiet until I pay off the judgment, the estate will be rightfully mine, and I can settle the legal issue on my own terms."
She thinks for a long moment. "How much do you need?"
"I'm not taking your money."
"Why not? You were going to borrow it from your friends and pay them back double. Pay me back double, and we both win." She pulls her hair into a messy bun, leaning back and crossing her arms.
"You're doing that on purpose. Stop it," I tell her.
"Doing what?"
I swallow. "Tempting me with that damn neck of yours." I close my eyes before taking a deep breath. "It would feel like money for sex."
"So don't have sex with me," she teases, seductively dragging her fingertips across said neckline.
"It wouldn't matter." I shake my head. "We're publicly engaged, it would be logically assumed that I'm sleeping with you, and as far as public perception goes…"
"Then let me see what you have," she says matter-of-factly. "Between my brother knowing coins and my sister Catalina knowing art, we can raise enough. I don't think it would be that hard."
I bite my lip thoughtfully. "Let me think about it." I need to look at the big picture. I also need to talk to Mom and Dad to find out what they know about Grandpa Karl's history. I don't think Mom will talk, but Dad might.