“Shit,” Ben muttered.
“And since you two are the resident Mafia experts in these parts, I thought I’d start with you.”
While that might be true, it wasn’t something either Ben or Erik wanted to perpetuate. They both came to Cape May for a fresh start, and that included leaving their law enforcement interactions with the Mafia behind them.
Unfortunately, mobsters had long memories.
“We had no reason to connect Peter Randolph with organized crime,” Erik told Hendricks. “He had a small stained-glass window that he was in a hurry to sell. All the paperwork was in order, his story of how he got it sounded legitimate and matched the documents, so I made him an offer, and he took it. The window is in the safe.”
Hendricks looked at him, and his eyes narrowed as he parsed through what Erik had said.
“Why on earth would he be in such a rush to sell a window that he’d go out in a Godawful thunderstorm at night?” Hendricks asked.
Erik sighed. “Because he was convinced the window was haunted, and it gave him the creeps.”
Ben knew from their prior interactions with the chief that Hendricks wasn’t inclined to believe in the supernatural. But over the course of solving the crimes that involved him and Erik, ghosts and magic played an important role. Susan also vouched for the reality of Erik’s abilities.
“Haunted? How can a window be haunted?”
Erik explained what had happened the previous night and that the window definitely had bad mojo of some sort.
“A Tiffany window? Aren’t those the fancy ones in churches? Are you sure it wasn’t stolen?” Hendricks asked.
“I saw the paperwork, and based on that and my experience with Interpol busting art thieves, I’m pretty confident that it was a bad bargain on his part,” Erik replied. A little frost crept into his tone. Despite trying to stay on good terms with Hendricks, Ben knew that the chief and his partner often butted heads.
“What are you going to do with it—once the investigation is over,” Hendricks asked, not quite accusing but definitely all business.
“I’m going to pass it over to a contact of mine who sequesters dangerous objects. Like that warehouse inRaiders of the Lost Ark,” Erik said.
“I’m being serious.”
“So am I,” Erik replied. “It’ll be kept under specialized security so it can’t cause any harm, and probably never see the light of day again.”
Hendricks looked surprised, but he recovered quickly. “Why would you buy something just to bury it?”
“Because that’s part of what we do at Trinkets, always has been,” Erik said. “I’m just carrying on the legacy.”
“Seriously? Don’t you lose money that way?” Hendricks looked surprised.
Erik shrugged. “It’s our mission. Keeping the world a safer place by removing dangerous supernatural objects.”
“Huh.” Hendricks seemed to consider that for a moment.
“Would mobsters care about the window? Suppose we set aside the ‘haunted’ stuff. What would something like that be worth?” Hendricks asked. His tone was less challenging than it had been, and Erik wondered whether he was reconsidering his earlier skepticism in light of their shared concern for public safety.
“It depends on the condition and provenance as well as the size,” Erik replied. “I didn’t examine the window too closely, but it had the hallmarks I’d expect from being old, none of the glass was broken, and the soldering between the pieces was solid. I’m guessing it was done on commission and may have once been part of a larger piece, because the picture wasn’t a common theme, so I suspect it came from a collector, not a church or a public building. That said, the price could be thousands of dollars on up.”
“Up?”
“A previously unknown piece with a confirmed chain of ownership and commissioned by someone famous could go for a million,” Erik replied.
“And Randolph was in such a hurry to get rid of it that he sold it to you for a song instead of cashing in and moving to the islands?” Hendricks asked incredulously.
“Like I said, it creeped him out,” Erik said with a shrug.
“Other than the double-tap, is there any link between Randolph and the Mob?” Ben spoke up, hoping to diffuse some of the tension.
“We’re working on that,” Hendricks replied. “He hasn’t been in Cape May long. Got here a few months ago and was renting a room month-to-month at a hotel. Told the manager that he traveled around going to antique and estate sales. The business card he gave her goes to a website that talks about the same thing. No idea yet whether that was a real company or a front.”
