Cassie seemed ill at ease. Faye didn’t press her, so they sat in silence, sipping lemonade.
Eventually, the girl set down her glass and reached into her jacket pocket. She pulled out a folded piece of paper. “I don’t suppose there’s any good way to talk about this. Here, read it for yourself.” She pressed the paper into Faye’s hands.
Faye looked questioningly at the girl, set down her own glass, and unfolded the paper. It was a letter. She began to read it out loud.
“My dear little sis,
I’m sitting here writing this and hoping that you never have to read it. The only reason you would come across this letter is if I’m gone. Maybe the danger will pass, and I can destroy this. Maybe not.
There are times when my work can be risky. This is one of those times. I’ve come across a find that has immense value to the people I work with, but it looks like somebody else wants this find too. Somebody who would be willing to kill for it. For the past week, I’ve gotten the feeling I’m being followed. It might be my imagination. In case it isn’t, and in case something happens to me, I want you to call the number I wrote on the back of this sheet. Ask to speak to Faye. Give her the packet. She can explain everything.
There’s so much I want to say, but there isn’t enough time, and maybe it only comes down to this. I love you. Everything I did, even when you didn’t understand it, was to keep you safe. No matter what you might have thought, I was always looking out for you.
Love,
Sybil”
Faye stopped reading. She glanced up to see Cassie wiping tears from her cheeks. “Oh, my dear, I am so sorry.” She reached out to squeeze Cassie’s hand lightly.
The girl stared off into the distance. She began to speak more to herself than to Faye. “It’s funny the way she ended the letter. She must have thought that I hated her. I suppose I did a little. I blamed her for everything. All the moves. Every year, it was a new school in a new town. She never explained why. She just parked me with housekeepers most of the time while she was off doing whatever it was she did when she wasn’t around. After we came to Chicago, I told her that I was going to finish college at the same school where I started no matter what. She swore this would be the end of the line.” Cassie laughed bitterly. “That was one promise she kept.”
She impatiently brushed away another tear. “I resented her, but I loved her too. I wonder if she knew that. Maybe she didn’t because we were always more like strangers than sisters. But I did love her. She was the only family I had after our parents died.”
The girl shifted in her chair to stare directly at Faye. “Sybil said you could explain everything. Can you explain how somebody could walk into my world and wreck it without thinking twice?” Cassie’s eyes welled up once again with tears. “Do you have any idea who killed my sister?”
Faye hesitated. She measured her words carefully. “We have a notion about who was responsible, and we’re conducting our own investigation. We should have some information to share with you soon.”
The girl nodded and straightened up. Reaching into her jacket pocket once more, she pulled out a thick envelope. She pushed it across the table toward the old woman. “My sister said to give you this packet.”
Faye removed the contents: a series of photographs and a page of numbers.
Cassie leaned over to point at the first picture. “That’s what he took. The man in my dream—” She stopped short.
“The man in your dream?” Faye enunciated the words distinctly. She gave Cassie a searching look.
The girl shied away. As she lowered her head, her hair swung down over her face. “No. That isn’t what I meant. Bad choice of words. I mean the man who broke into Sybil’s apartment. He took that ruler.”
Faye returned her attention to the packet. “How extraordinary.” She flipped through the snapshots.
“I think each one shows a side of the ruler. It had five sides,” Cassie added helpfully.
“I see.” Faye remained lost in thought as she studied the photos. Each side of the ruler contained one line of markings. The left half consisted of pictograms. The right half was a script in some language she couldn’t identify. The bottom edge was etched with indecipherable hash marks and loops.
“And then, in the note with all the numbers, I think she’s giving the measurements. The length and width of the thing. At least they seem to match the size I guessed it to be. Why do you suppose she would write all that down for you?”
Faye paused a moment to consider. “I believe she thought the people who wanted this item would try to steal it. If they were successful, the information you’ve provided would allow us to make a replica. But that puzzles me too.”
“You mean you don’t know why?” Cassie sounded concerned.
“All the artifacts Sybil recovered are originals. Their value lies in their antiquity. From that standpoint, a replica is worthless. Like paste jewels.” She hesitated. “I’ll need to discuss this with my associates.”
“Your associates?” Cassie asked cautiously. “How many are there? And by the way, who are you people anyway?”
Faye smiled and sighed. “Where to begin…”
Chapter 11 – Bowled Over
Cassie adjusted her chair to face Faye directly.
The old woman took a few minutes to gather her thoughts. “As you already know, your sister was in the antique business. Aside from her store, Sybil was part of an organization that collects rare objects. Objects that have a particular significance to our group.”
Cassie pounced on the word. “Group? Does your group
