Page 123 of Bea's Book Wagon
‘I’ll certainly do my best…’ said Arthur, putting on his spectacles. ‘Well, well, well,’ he chuckled, reading the title page.
‘It is a first edition, isn’t it?’ asked Bea, on the edge of her seat.
‘It certainly looks like it,’ Arthur agreed, running his hand over the cover.
‘That’s what I thought, too,’ said Bea, quickly. ‘I’m pretty sure it’s a first Canadian edition, published the year before the UK one.’
‘Let me make some calls. I know a couple of excellent book dealers that might be able to help.’
‘Really? That would be great,’ Bea replied. ‘I know it’s the first Poirot novel and a bit more obscure than some of her others, but I don’t know if that would have an impact on the value?’
‘I’m afraid I wouldn’t really know. Maybe? Let’s talk to the experts. Are you happy to leave it with me for a few days?.’
‘Of course! Thanks, Arthur.’
‘My pleasure, my dear’ said Arthur. ‘You never know, this could be just what you need to help get that bookshop plan of yours back on track.’
‘Well, the landlord did say to contact him again if my circumstances changed…’
‘There you are then,’ said Arthur, brightly. ‘Leave it with me. I’ll get in touch with my contacts and as soon as I’ve got any news, I’ll let you know.’
‘Thanks, Arthur, you’re a star.’
* * *
‘What time do you finish?’ asked Nathan, leaning on the counter at the Cosy Cat the following afternoon.
‘In about half an hour, why?’ said Bea, glancing up at the clock on the wall.
‘Fancy spending the afternoon with me?’ he asked.
‘Doing what?’ Bea asked, intrigued.
‘It’s a surprise,’ said Nathan, jiggling his eyebrows comically.
‘You can head off now if you like,’ Tori called on her way to the kitchen, balancing a tray of crockery in her hands. ‘It’s pretty quiet, and Mum will be back soon, anyway.’
‘Are you sure?’ Bea asked, already untying her apron strings.
‘Absolutely. Go have some fun,’ said Tori with a smile.
‘Thanks, Tori, I’ll see you tomorrow,’ said Bea, dashing to the door.
Bea climbed into the passenger seat of Nathan’s truck and popped her sunglasses on. It was a glorious sunny day, a stark contrast to all the rain they’d had recently, and she was determined to enjoy her afternoon.
‘Any news from Arthur yet?’ Nathan asked, fastening his seatbelt.
‘Yeah. One of his dealer friends came over to take a look at the book this morning and apparently he confirmed it’s genuine. He’s going to reach out to some of his clients who he thinks might be interested in buying it.’
‘Bloody hell, that’s great news!’
‘I know. I don’t want to jinx it, but he thinks I might get a couple of grand for it!’
‘That’s amazing!’
‘I know, right? I’m thinking about contacting Mr Pritchard again and offering to pay more rent up front for the shop.’
‘Ah, you might want to hold fire on that,’ said Nathan, smiling. ‘That’s kind of what today’s about. I’ve got something I want to show you…’
