29 #2
I bent down, inspecting some of the antiques.
There were old pocket watches, a few necklaces, a cigarette holder and some jewelry items. She was right.
Most of this stuff was, if not authentic, were straight up historical artifacts.
And Effie had at least six boxes full. "Effie? Where did you get this?"
"I told you. I bought it off some old lady who wanted to clean her apartment."
I picked up an ashtray that looked vaguely familiar. I could have missed it because of all the dust that lined it. But after a few rubs, it was clear someone artificially added the dust to make it look like it hadn't been polished for a while. "And you believed this woman?"
Effie shrugged. "I mean, I knew the story was fucking baloney. But." She picked up a brooch. This is real shit. I wasn't exactly going to say no to a treasure trove.
"Fucking hell. And what if it was a thief?"
Effie shrugged. "Then I'll sell it to other thieves."
I glared at her. Effie always tried to run an ethical store. She never sold stolen goods, and she always made sure to get the genuine certificate of a watch or jewelry. It's one of the reasons why the shop wasn't making money.
"Listen," she said. "The old lady didn't seem like a thief. And she also seemed lucid. As lucid as one can be at her age."
I examined the ashtray again, and then I remembered where I had seen it before.
Levi's mom's castle. Either the old lady had stolen this shit from Levi's mom or Levi found a way to give it to her.
Or Rebecca somehow knew about our plight and did this herself.
Or… the less likely scenario, this was all a coincidence.
I got up, got out of the storeroom and made a call to Levi. He wasn't answering. So I sent him a text.
Me: Did you give my sister your mother's old stuff?
And shoved my phone back in my pocket. Effie followed me out to the storefront.
"Listen, I know you think I hoodwinked some old lady into selling me expensive antiques, but I promise you, she was eager to get them off her hands. She came in here last week wondering if she wanted me to look at her stuff."
"How much did you pay her?"
Effie cast her gaze down, scuffing the toe of her boot. "She gave it to me for free."
My eyes widened. Yeah, this was no coincidence. "And you didn't think this shit was cursed or something?"
"I did everything I could to find out if that wasn't what was happening. And then I realized why look a gift horse in the mouth? When have good things ever happened to us, Elly? This was my lucky shot, so I took it."
There was one way I could easily find out if what I suspected was the truth. "Let's go meet her."
"Like right now?" Effie took her phone out of her pocket. "Okay. Let me call her."
"Don't call. A surprise visit would be better."
"Elly! She's an old woman! What if she's out walking or something?
" But I wasn't listening to her protests.
I was already making my way to the truck.
I heard Effie curse behind me as I opened the car door and sat in the driver's seat.
But soon I heard her close the shutters of the shop.
She opened the driver's door and asked me to scoot over.
I've had a license for a decade now, and still she acts like I can't drive.
I slid to the passenger side and, a third of an hour later, we were at the woman's place.
She wasn't responding to her intercom, but we managed to slip into the apartment building when someone else opened the door.
When we got to her apartment, it was to find out from a neighbor that no one had been staying there for months but that he saw several people the other week move in, only to move out yesterday.
Yeah, this was definitely Levi's doing. I sent him another text.
Me: Please answer
Levi: What's up? Sorry for the late reply. I was up late last night. Got a headache.
Levi: Old stuff? What are you talking about.
Me: You know what I mean. We're at the place you rented. The jig is up. If you don't tell me the truth, I am taking all of this stuff and reporting it to the police as stolen property. I definitely recognize your mother's ashtray. Hell might as well rope in Interpol. This is an international crime.
Levi: Ok. Ok.
Levi: I asked my mom if she had some antiques she did not need and she happily obliged in handing them to me. I set up the ruse, because I knew you or your sister would not accept it if I gave it to you.
Me: Because it would be fucking charity. You think because you can pay me, we should accept your charity?
Levi: I knew this was how you were going to react.
Me: That's it. We are returning it all to you.
Levi: No. Take it please. You should have seen my mother's face when I told her it would help you.
Levi: She was asking after you by the way.
Me: My love for your mother is not going to make me accept charity.
Levi: I didn't give it to you I gave it to your sister. Does she think it's charity?
I paused and glanced at Effie, who was trying to peer through the keyhole. "It's empty alright." She straightened and glanced at the neighbor, who was now scratching his bulging belly. She leaned in and whispered, "What the fuck is happening?"
I might as well come out with it. If it was Effie he gave the antiques to, it should be Effie who should make the decision. I took her hand and wandered further away from the door. The neighbor got back into his apartment. "It's from Levi. Or rather, I should say, Levi's mother."
"You're telling me I met his mother!"
"You probably met an actor."
I explained the whole thing. Redwood hall and its artifacts, including the ashtray. What Levi told me as well as my summary of what he probably did to make Effie think she was probably getting antiques from an old lady who wanted to move away. When I finished the story, she stared at me blankly.
"A castle, huh? Damn. Your husband is rich rich."
"So? What are you going to do about the antiques?"
Effie rubbed her chin. "I mean, it's kinda yours too, right?"
◆◆◆
I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN she would not mind the gift.
She was even team Levi now. Asking me why I wasn't spending time with him.
And why I didn't want to be with him anymore.
I wasn't even sure that last part was true.
I wanted him now more than ever. But she didn't understand the nature of our relationship.
We weren't just boyfriend and girlfriend or husband and wife.
I wasn't sure I understood it myself. It was so murky now, I had a tough time describing it.
As we sat down to eat our dinner, takeout from her favorite place, mine too, Dad used to take us there all the time, she said "He's better than Wyatt, that's for sure. And he did all that because he didn't want you to find out." She held her heart to her chest. I rolled my eyes.
"Since when did you become a romantic? Speaking of Wyatt," I jabbed the chopsticks into my noodles, "He is suing me."
Effie dropped her chopsticks. The silver rods clattered onto the wooden table. Mouth agape, she said, "That asshole!"
"You don't even know what he's suing me for!" I chuckled.
"I know that, whatever it is, it must be some bullshit."
I told her about what happened at work. The tea I threw at him, the impromptu hearing, Wyatt demanding I be suspended, but I left out Levi's help. The man didn't need anymore glazing from my sister. And finally ended with the lawsuit he served me with.
"Knew it. Bullshit from the most diseased bull in the herd." She picked up her chopsticks and rolled a string of noodles around them. "So what are you going to do? Will the university help you with a lawyer?"
This part I couldn't leave out if I didn't want her to worry. "Levi promised to get me representation. His brother is a famous lawyer."
Effie slapped the table, food and plates jumping in the air. "That's what I'm talking about."
"I swear you hated him when you first met him."
"He's growing on me. To tell you the truth, I didn't like the idea of you sleeping with your boss. I thought he was taking advantage of you at first, but since we've gotten to talking…"
"Excuse me."
Guilt was written on her face. "Well, I have to speak with my sister's husband. It would be weird if I didn't, now would it?"
My eyes narrowed. "Please don't tell me you gossip about me."
"What else is there to talk about between us?
Knights and shit?" she scoffed. When I continued to glare at her, she added.
"Don't worry, I am not spilling your secrets or anything.
He calls like once or twice a week. I gave him my number.
And don't look at me like that. He told me you talk to his family all the time! "
I tsked tsked. "A couple of antiques and you're worshipping at the altar of a white man."
"Listen, that white man saved our business. He deserves a tiny shrine."
My phone rang. I almost ignored it until I saw it was the name of a hospital.
My heart skipped a beat remembering that this was the same place my father died.
But what would they want with me now? I answered before I could give it further thought.
"Mrs. Hawthorne?" I wondered if I should answer in the affirmative.
They could have gotten the wrong Mrs. Hawthorne. "Elvira Hawthorne?"
"Yes?" My voice was shaking. As though I could sense there was something wrong.
"Your husband, Levi Hawthorne, is in the ICU."