Chapter 4 - The Auction Ticket
"They sold my wife's letters?" Andrew asked.
"The receipt says consignment, not sale," Maya corrected.
"That distinction may give us time."
Maya called the auction house and explained that ownership was disputed.
The manager, Luis Moreno, placed a temporary hold on the items while the paperwork was reviewed.
Andrew drove there with Tessa, keeping their appointment and leaving his anger in the car.
Luis showed them the maple desk in a locked storage bay.
The carved star was scratched but recognizable.
Tessa covered her mouth.
"Nora bought this at a yard sale when she was nineteen," she said.
"She spent two weekends sanding it."
The lowest drawer was gone.
Luis checked the inventory sheet.
"Our intake photos show no loose drawer. Mrs. Cross brought a document box separately."
"Mrs. Cross?" Andrew asked.
"Judith Cross. She signed as authorized owner."
"She isn't," Andrew answered.
"Not of this."
Luis's expression changed.
He slid the sheet toward Maya.
On the authorization line, beneath Judith's signature, was a typed approval supposedly sent from Andrew's email.
"I never approved this," Andrew said.
"Then preserve your account records," Maya replied.
"Don't guess how it happened."
In the sealed box, they found family photographs, a recipe notebook, and the quilt, folded so tightly its seams had creased.
No birthday letters.
"Was there another box?" Tessa asked.
Luis consulted the intake notes.
"There was a small blue envelope. Judith removed it after the inspection and said it was personal."
Andrew pictured Emma waiting every year for words from a mother she could barely remember.
He called Zoe, who had been in the room during the packing.
"Did you see a blue envelope?"
May you like
"Yes," she said, suddenly quiet.
"Clara looked inside it. And after she read the first page, she started crying."
