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“Please let us know as soon as you hear so,” Paul said

Gae finder’s fee They shook hands all around

HARVEY BRIMMER WATCHED through theof his shop until the Trouts were out of sight, then he hung a CLOSED sign on the door and went to his office behind the showroom The documents and inals or low-end antiques for the tourist trade

Brimmer picked up the phone and dialed a number from his Rolodex

“Harvey Brimmer,” he said to the person at the other end of the line “We talked a few days ago about a rare book I’ve got soo up Yes, I can wait for your call Don’t be too long”

He hung up and sat back in his chair, a s expression on his face He remebook of 1848 The call had co woman at Harvard He told her he would put out the word, but she said she would have to wait because she was going hoain until a feeeks ago when an Asianfor the sah-looking, and he didn’t hide his irritation when he was told the book was not available

Brifrom Bonefish Key and mentioned the story of the New Bedford anomaly She told her mentor that she was convinced that theon her work and she was thinking of going to New Bedford to see an antique book dealer named Brimmer when she had time

As instructed, Dr Huang had passed along the details of every conversation he had with the young epideone out to a social club in Boston’s Chinatoith orders to visit Brimmer’s shop Soon after that, the leader of the local Ghost Dragons chapter walked into Bribook of the Princess

Now the couple from NUMA

Bri a dealer liked better than to have collectors bidding against one another He would go through the motions and make a few calls He would keep the finder’s fees fro else He was a master of bait and switch Business had been off lately, and this promised to be a profitable day

What he didn’t knoas that it would be his last day

THE TROUTS STEPPED FROM the dim shop into the afternoon sunshine and walked up Johnny Cake Hill to the Seamen’s Bethel They tossed a few bills in the donation box and went inside the old whaling men’s church The pulpit had been rebuilt in recent years to resemble a ship’s prow, as it had in Herman Melville’s time

Paul waited for a couple of tourists to leave and then turned to Gamay

“What did you think of Brimmer?” he asked

“I think he’s a slippery old eel,” she said “My advice is not to hold our breath waiting for hiet his hands on, forge a new date, and try to sell it to us”