Three Fates

line beeped.
    He listened to his assistant relay the message that Ms. Gaye had called, again. Maybe he’d let her stew long enough.
    He passed through another archway and into the small office he kept in the apartment. Before he placed the call, he checked the phone for tampering, ran a brief systems check, then engaged his own recording device.
    Some might have called him paranoid. He preferred thinking of it as standard operating procedure.
    “Anita. Jack.”
    “Oh, thank God! I’ve been trying to reach you for hours.”
    He lifted a brow at the frantic tone in her usually unruffled voice and made himself comfortable in his desk chair. “I’ve been out of reach. What’s wrong, Anita? You sound upset.”
    “I am. I’m probably being foolish, but I am. Very upset. I need to speak to you, Jack. I need help. I’ll leave for home right now if you can meet me there.”
    “Wish I could.” Not going to be too easy, honey, he thought. “I’m not in New York.”
    “Where are you?” He could hear the hardening in her voice.
    “Philadelphia,” he decided. “Quick job check. I’ll be back tomorrow. Tell me what’s wrong.”
    “I don’t know who else to call. I just don’t know anything about this sort of thing. It’s about the Fates. Remember, I mentioned them to you over dinner.”
    “Sure. What about them?”
    “I told you I had an interested client. I’ve mentioned it to others, made some inquiries, though I’ll admit I didn’t think anything would come of it. But it has.”
    “You found one?” He opened his carry-on, took out the protective bag. “That sounds like good news.”
    “I might have found one. That is, I was contacted about one, but I don’t know what to do. Oh, I’m rambling. I’m so sorry.”
    “Take your time.” He unwrapped Atropus, turned her to face him.
    “All right.” She took an audible breath. “A woman called me, claimed she had one of the statues and was interested in selling it. Naturally, I was skeptical, but I had to follow through. Even when she insisted on meeting me outside the office. She insisted I come to the observation deck at Empire State.”
    “Get out.”
    “I know. I was amused, actually. It seemed so film noir. But she behaved rather oddly, Jack. I think she must have a drug problem. She demanded an exorbitant amount of money, and she threatened me. Physically threatened me if I didn’t pay.”
    A faint frown moved over his face as he turned Atropus around and around on his desk. “It sounds like you should talk to the police, Anita.”
    “I can’t afford the publicity. And in any case, what point is there? They were only threats. She had a picture, I think it was a scanned print, of what might very well be one of the Fates.”
    Interesting, he considered. More and more interesting. “If it was, you know computer images can be generated easily. Sounds like a standard con.”
    “Well, yes, but it looked genuine. The detailing on the statue. I want to pursue this, but I’m . . . I confess, I’m more than a little shaken. If I go to the police, I’ll lose this contact for my client.”
    “How did you leave things?”
    “She wants to meet me again, and I’ve stalled her. Frankly, she frightens me. Before I arrange any sort of meeting with her, I need to know who I’m dealing with. Right now I only have a name, the name she gave me. Cleo Toliver. If you could find her—”
    “I’m not a detective, Anita. I can give you the name of a good firm.”
    “Jack, I can’t trust this to a stranger. I need a friend. I know it’s going to sound crazy, but I’m sure I’m being followed. Once I know where she is, who she is, I’ll know if I should try to negotiate this deal or take some sort of legal action against her. I need a friend, Jack. I’m very unnerved by all this.”
    “Let me see what I can do. Cleo Toliver, you say? Give me a description.”
    “I knew I could count on you. You’ll keep this off the record, won’t you? A favor for a friend.”
    He glanced at the recorder. “Naturally.”
     
     
    IN UNDER AN hour, Cleo let out a whoop of joy. “That’s gotta be the Chinese food.” The thrill of pot stickers might have had her leaping to the door herself if Malachi hadn’t intercepted her.
    “Let’s just have Tia take a look and be sure.”
    With some regret, Tia set aside Wyley’s journal and walked out of the spare room to the front door. One look through the peephole had her gasping in surprise.
    “It’s Jack