The Key in the Attic(47)
“I don’t know. Just that they were about to start breaking ground for a mall or something out by some old white place. I didn’t know if it was some people or some building or maybe the ground that was white.”
The old Whyte place. What had that Dawson woman found out? Frank kept his expression pleasant, his tone conversational, impersonal. “Very odd. So do you take pictures of the clocks people bring in?”
“No. What for?” The girl looked at him as if he had lost his mind. “We wouldn’t use them for anything. She said it probably wouldn’t help anyway, because she really needed the real thing to take out there. Something about turning it to face north or something, and then knowing the path from that.”
“Did she say anything else about the clock? Anything at all?”
Again the girl stared at him. “No. I don’t know why she would ask us in the first place. Does any of that make any sense to you?”
“No, not at all.” Sanders laughed, hoping he hadn’t been too intense before. No need to make the girl suspicious. “I just think people are very interesting. I always like to try to figure out what makes them tick. Don’t you?”
“Not really. I just—”
“You wouldn’t mind figuring out what makes Robbie Harris tick, would you?” The blonde flashed her phone at the dark-haired one, giving her a glimpse of a text message. “Stacy says he asked about you.”
“No way! What did he say?”
The dark girl tried to snatch the phone while the blonde shrieked with laughter and held it away from her.
Sanders felt his eyes glaze over, but he kept an indulgent smile plastered to his face until, after the giggles had turned to whispers and the whispers had finally stopped, Jennifer finally turned back to him.
“Sorry,” she murmured.
“Not a problem.”
“Anyway, I don’t know what Mrs. Dawson was so urgent about. I mean, it was a very nice clock, and it was a family heirloom, but the shop’s insurance will pay her friend back for it. It wasn’t worth all that much.”
“People are funny. Now, you wanted something for your mother’s birthday, right?”
Neither of the girls bought anything, and as soon as they left the shop, Sanders hurried back to his desk. He rummaged through a glass bowl full of business cards until he found the one he wanted and dialed the number it displayed.
“Come on, come on,” he muttered after four rings, and finally there was a click.
“Permits. This is Avery.”
“Dave. How’s it going? This is Frank Sanders.”
“Hey, Frank. What’s up?” Dave’s tone changed from businesslike to laid back. “You gonna let me fleece you again at poker on Saturday? Heh heh.”
“Listen, do me a little favor, and I’ll double that for you.”
“Oh yeah?” Dave lowered his voice. “What’s going on?”
“You guys ever do any work in Virginia? Fairfax County?”
“Yeah, some. Anything from Portland down to Charleston, we have people there, or I know somebody. What do you need?”
Frank smiled. “Just a little information, that’s all. I just need to know if they’re about to start clearing for construction on a mall or something like that near this house in Fairfax County.” He gave Dave the location of the old Whyte place. “I’d say anything within ten or fifteen miles.”
“That’s all? Sure, I can find that out for you. I know a guy at the clerk’s office over there. He’ll know what’s been approved.” He chuckled. “I won’t ask you why you want to know.”
“Good idea.”
“And that means you are gonna let me take you for some big bucks on Saturday, right?”
“Oh definitely. If you can find out what I want to know today.”
“Today!” Dave laughed and swore softly. “What do you think I am, man? Houdini?”
“Gotta know today, Dave. Tomorrow may be too late.”
“What exactly is going on here? This isn’t going to get me in trouble, is it? I’m still not sure about that clock I picked up for you. I should never have let you talk me into that one.”
“No, no, no. Look, all you have to do is find out where they’re about to clear in that area. Maybe starting tomorrow. Maybe any time this week. Sometime really soon. That’s all. Can you do it for me? What do you say?”
“I say it’s a long shot for today, but I’ll try.”
“Trust me, I’ll make it worth your while.”
Just as he hung up the phone, Sanders heard the front door open and the chatter of several customers. Putting on his professional smile, he went out to greet them.