“My grandmother. She had old books, old furniture. Dusty, forgotten things. Every piece felt like it held a story. I wanted to uncover them.”
“That’s a strong start. Tell me more about yourself.”
“I’m twenty-five, from Greenwood Falls—a small town six hours away by train. My parents split when I was young. My mom stayed there; my dad’s in Rome.”
“Rome? Do you see him often?”
“Not much. We talk on the phone.” I didn’t add more. “I worked through college—waitressing, museum temp jobs—to pay for my degree.”
“And now you live here?”
“Yes. Small apartment in Cold Spring.”
“And before?”
“Woodstock. I came here to focus on my career, see what opens up.”
“That makes sense. Woodstock is beautiful, but change is necessary. Do you miss it?”
“No.”
Her smile edged sharper. “You’ll adjust here. I think you could be a valuable addition.”
“So… do I have the job?”
Beatrice removed her glasses, leaned back, and studied me. “You’re not the first applicant, Miss Elfhorn. Before you, there were two others. One had an impressive résumé. The second couldn’t read ancient scripts, which, as you can imagine, isn’t ideal.Mr. Miller rejected both. He told me to hire you if I had a good feeling—and I do. Your qualifications and your obsession with this work are what we need. It’s a heavy responsibility, managing this shop. But if you’re ready, I believe you can handle it.”
Relief surged through me. “Of course. Thank you for trusting me.”
“Just remember,” she said, her voice sharpening, “Mr. Miller will be watching you. His rules are strict. You’ll follow them. Always.”
My pulse stumbled, quick and clumsy, as if my heart didn´t know whether to speed up or stop.
“I understand. May I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“If you’ve been here half your life, why are you leaving?”
A shadow crossed her face. “This shop is dear to me, but I can’t stay. My husband and I are moving to Switzerland for medical treatment.” Her voice softened with sadness.
“I’m sorry. I hope it helps.”
“I hope so too. But let’s focus on your duties.” She straightened. “The work may look simple, but it isn’t. Security is strict. You’ll enter with a fingerprint scan and a coded card. As you saw, two guards are always at the door. It’s strange, though… we never had two men posted out front before. That started only recently, after Mr. Miller made some changes.” Something inside me tightened—not out of fear, but from that sharp awareness that there was more hidden here than I´d realized.
“Has something happened recently?” I asked carefully.
“Nothing youneed to worry about,” she said quickly, smoothing her voice. A flicker—too fast to name-crossed her face before she continued. “Your main tasks: document and assess every delivery. Inspect them carefully. Once they’re here, you store them. Sometimes they’re delivered in person.”
“Understood.”
“Equally important is the release of items. Every pickup follows rigid protocols, depending on value.”
“Sounds structured,” I said.
“It is. At times, you’ll transport high-value pieces to our New York office. You’ll never go alone, bodyguards will escort you. It’s a demanding role, but I believe you can do it.”
“I look forward to the challenge.”
