Page 7 of Tide and Seek
I put the book I held back on the shelf and joined him.“What’s that?”
He tenderly fingered the focusing knobs and murmured, “This is the binocular microscope I was telling you about.”
“The six-thousand-dollar microscope?”I lifted my brows.
“That’s the one.”He inspected it with an almost reverent expression.“Instruments used to be so beautifulanduseful.Now, everything is merely about functionality.”
I leaned closer to study the microscope.“Do you know how to use it?It looks complicated.”
He smiled at me, and his blue eyes glittered with excitement.“Oh, I’ve used it many times before.It’s an amazingly accurate instrument, especially considering how little they knew compared to what we know now.”
I couldn’t help smiling at his eager response.It was so rare that Max showed childlike enthusiasm for things.I always felt touched when he let down his guard around me.“You look like a kid on Christmas morning.”
He laughed.“I’d hope I look happier than that.”He set the microscope down and picked up another item.“Don’t forget, most of my Christmas mornings were spent hiding in my room while my parents got sloshed and argued downstairs.”
I winced.“Right.I always forget that holidays weren’t fun for you.”
He glanced up.“Oh, that’s okay.Don’t let it bother you.It was just a joke.I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Of course it bothers me.I love you.”
His eyes gentled.“The past is the past.Thanks to you, Christmas means something to me now.I can see why people like celebrating it so much.”
“I’m glad.Means a lot to hear you say that.”I rubbed his back, feeling compelled to comfort him.Or was I comforting myself?“We’ll have many more happy Christmases together.”
“Absolutely.”He turned back to examine the item he held.
“Now, tell me what that odd-looking thing is.”I gestured to the circular device he held.It was made of silver and black leather, with a spike at one end.In the center of the device was a gauge.“I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“This”—he held it up with a sheepish grin—“is a ‘Révélateur-Électro-Radio-Magnétique.’I don’t exactly know what it is or what it does, but I liked how it looked, so I bought it.”
I laughed.“You don’t know what it does?”
“Not really.The listing mentioned something about radio technology.Electricity, magnetism, and radio technology were areas of intense scientific exploration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it,” I said.“It kind of looks like a meat thermometer.”
He laughed.“It does, now that you mention it.Maybe I was completely bamboozled by the seller.Shall we use it to cook our next Christmas dinner?”
I widened my eyes.“I don’t think I want that thing anywhere near my turkey.”
His lips twitched.“Good point.Who knows where it’s been?”He set the instrument down and glanced around.“So far, nothing seems to be missing.I find it odd that someone would go to all the trouble of breaking in but then not take anything.”
“The perp triggered the burglar alarm, so my guess is they decided to get the heck out of here before the cops arrived.”
“Perhaps,” he said softly, turning to me.“That makes more sense than breaking in but leaving everything untouched.”
“My money is on some kids out for a little fun.They probably got drunk and decided it might be fun to ransack the vacant beach house.”
Max nodded.“Okay.I can accept that, I guess.”He smiled.“Shall I show you the rest of the house?”
“Sure.”
We slowly made our way through the downstairs area.Even though the house wasn’t my style, it was hard not to be impressed with the place.The dining space featured a long, reclaimed-wood table surrounded by white leather chairs.A sculptural chandelier, reminiscent of floating bubbles, hung above the table.The kitchen had white glossy cabinets, black granite counters, and state-of-the-art stainless-steel appliances.
Upstairs, we made our way down a short hallway toward the master bedroom.On the way, we discovered the trapdoor in the ceiling that led to the attic was open, and the fold-down ladder was extended to the floor.
“What in the world?”Maxwell stopped in his tracks.“Why is the ladder down?”
