Page 113 of Fairy Godmothers Aren't Cheap
“Could be. The fact that both of them happened here in Calgary is unusual. And no. We have no new leads,” he added, cutting me off before I could ask about the museum. He unfolded a piece of paper from his breast pocket and showed it to me. “Have you ordered from this store before?”
“Grandma’s China?” I nodded. “Yeah. I thought it was a weird name since they don’t sell China. Some nice pieces, though. All original artifacts.” Something flickered in my mind. I’d ordered a piece online that I’d seen in the museum gift shop. It had been cheaper online, but who had I ordered it from? And did the timeline fit? “I haven’t bought anything since April or May.”
“Do you have detailed receipts of the items you bought from Grandma’s China, along with the online description?”
“Yeah. I think that should be in an email receipt. Hang on.” I pulled out my phone and did a quick search through my email, showing the officer several, my mind still whirling, unable to focus. When had I seen the online pieces in the gift shop? Had it just been one? That could be explained. But more than one? Possibly not.
“Could you forward those to me?” Officer Beddoe handed me a fresh business card.
I was still focused on a receipt and its attached image of the item I’d ordered. A small, somewhat indistinct fragment of a commonly found sandy-coloured urn. Easy to reproduce and switch out for the real one in the gift shop. But had I seen this exact one in the museum before spotting it online? That would be a lot of work for a few bucks, seeing as this wasn’t rare, and therefore a relatively inexpensive piece.
“It feels like I might have seen this in the museum’s gift shop at one point,” I said to the officer. “But I can’t be sure.”
His gaze sharpened. “Any others?”
I shook my head. “I can’t confirm they were the same piece. Sometimes smaller fragments from the same dig site flood the market, and if they’re not very distinct, it’s difficult to tell them apart unless you see them side by side. It could be that both this seller and the museum bought artifacts from the same sale. Maybe check this piece against the gift shop’s inventory?”
The officer nodded. “Will do. Could you come in and look at some evidence? I’d like your opinion, as well as to possibly verify the authenticity and age of a few pieces.”
I gasped in pleasure. “Yes!” A thousand times, yes! “When?”
“As soon as you can.”
I looked at my grubby clothes. I was dirt from head to foot.
“Tomorrow,” Officer Beddoe stated.
I nodded. “Tomorrow.”
He walked back to his car, stopping to talk to some kids who asked if he was a real police officer. He assured them he was, showed them his badge and even his handcuffs. The sight warmed my heart.
“Wow. That’s cool.” James was smiling at me, looking proud.
I nodded. Finally, my weird arcane knowledge might be worth something to someone.
“Char? Do you have more cookies?” Avery, a small boy I met yesterday, came over and leaned against my leg, his body weight pushing into me as he gave me the most adorable look of hope. His messy ringlet-like brown curls brushed his eyebrows, his mouth smeared with melted chocolate chips.
My heart flipped over at his utter cuteness. “You ate the last one an hour ago, Avery.” I showed him the empty container that had held close to the end of Sally’s cookie stash from the freezer. I’d made a lot of friends thanks to the treats, but I wasn’t sure what I’d do when I ran out. Sally and Otto weren’t due home again for a few more weeks.
“Bake more,” Avery said.
“Sally made these, and she’s away, but I’ll ask her when she gets home.”
“I like chocolate chip cookies.”
“I’ll let her know. But it’s going to be a week or two.”
“My mom said she’d buy some. She stole a bite.”
“They’re pretty good, right?”
“Sally should open a cookie store! I have five cents and I could buy one for my mom so she can have her own.” Avery was doing his very convincing puppy dog expression with his big brown eyes. Little did he know I’d already grown immune to it.
Nah, I wasn’t immune. I was a total sucker where Avery was concerned.
“I’ll pass that idea on to her, okay?”
“I’ll bring my money tomorrow!” Avery shouted, racing off to tell his friends.