The Relic: A Savvy Macavoy Story

by Amy Shannon

  “How d’you know it was me?” Friend Macavoy asked.

  “I know the sound of you hounding me,” he grunted. “Unless you have business here today, please just go.”

  “If you must know, I need to talk with my sister,” he said.

  “Fine. She’ll be in the office in half an hour. If you want to talk to her before then, use the back entrance,” he said to the door, not turning around.

  “You can’t even look at me?” Friend ran his hand through his dark hair.

  “Not interested in anything to do with you,” Leonard opened the door, walked into the office and closed and locked the door behind him. He turned to the window and looked at Friend through the painted glass. “We open in an hour,” He headed straight to his desk.

  Friend stared at the door and then walked down the sidewalk toward the alleyway that led to the parking lot behind the building. He stood on the back porch and contemplated knocking.

  Leonard straightened up his desk and walked over to Savvy’s desk. He put a pile of empty notebooks on her desk and then did the same for Strick’s desk. He used a cloth to wipe down both desks and went ahead to dust the shelves that lined the office. He repositioned the cameras to face both Strick’s and Savvy’s desk. He walked over to the coffeemaker in the corner of the room and made a fresh pot. He knew that Strick and Savvy would have had several cups by now and will bring in their own mugs. Savvy liked her anti-NYPD mug and Strick liked his tall green mug that said ARMY on one side and SAVVY’S on the other side. It was his way of saying he always was Army, but he was also Savvy’s. Leonard opened his bottom drawer, pulling out his own personalized mug. In the past year, it changed from a mug with his name on it to a mug with a photo of him and Ryan on it. Even now, he likes to drink out of it, he just wishes he had answers or at least some closure. Not that closure could make his heart stop hurting or even stop loving Ryan. He didn’t know if the hurt would overpower the love and it would stop. And today, he even arrived at the office early, though he was never early or even on-time. It was part of his charm, he figured, that made him late and come up with some interesting excuse for it, but today, he didn’t care to even be late.

  He poured himself a cup of coffee as the phone rang. He quickly sat behind his desk and picked up the desk phone. “Macavoy Investigations. How can I help you?”

  “Yes, Mr. Davis, this is Angelica Margolis. I’m sure Ms. Savvy is not in the office yet, but I wanted to remind her of our tea this afternoon.”

  “Of course,” Leonard said. “She has it on her calendar and she will be there at 1:00.”

  “Thank you,” Angelica smiled. “Good day, Mr. Davis.”

  “Good day, Mrs. Margolis,” Leonard smiled. He liked that Savvy gained a friendship after Mrs. Margolis hired her to find her dead husband last year. The older woman was in her sixties and sometimes may be a bit lonely, even with her large mansion, young husband and several man-servants. Her one true friend seems to be Savvy. Leonard glanced at his watch and then walked over to the red doors. He opened it and smiled. “It’s almost time,” He looked at Savvy and Strick, who were sitting at the kitchen table.

  “You’re early. You’re never early. Usually, you’re always late,” Savvy said. “Sit. We don’t open for a few more minutes. Harry and Tim brought bagels and those donuts you love.”

  Leonard sat at the table with his coffee cup in hand. “Thanks,” He said. “Uh, I thought Friend would be here.”

  “Friend?” Strick raised an eyebrow. “He was here?”

  “Yes, but I thought he walked around to the back,” Leonard said. “He said he was here for you, Savvy, not me.”

  Savvy stood up and opened the back door. “You didn’t knock,” she crossed her arms.

  “I’ve been trying to get up the nerve to knock.”

  “You need courage to speak to your sister?” Savvy asked.

  “Uh, kinda. It’s private. Can we talk out here?”

  “We’d be better off talking in the office alone, rather than out here,” she pointed to the different tenants of the other buildings in the area who all used the large parking lot and who were leaving their homes to go to work or whatever else led them into the big city.

  “Oh, right,” he sighed. “Can we?”

  “Sure,” she smiled. “Come on,” She led her brother through the kitchen and out the red doors to the Agency.

  Savvy sat on the edge of her desk and crossed her arms, facing her brother. “So, what’s this about?”

  “I’m sorry, Sunshine,” he sighed.

  “If this is about Leonard and Ryan, don’t. Don’t get involved. You can’t even act like a true friend to him.”

  “Very funny,” he smirked. “I am worried about Leonard. I think he is way too good for that Sarge and this just proves it. However, I wasn’t talking about him. I have someone close to me and he needs a good PI. I thought you could help him.”

  “Of course. Strick is the only one with an open case,” she explained. “Just have your friend stop by, I’ll be here all morning,” She kissed her brother’s cheek. “Friend, what’s his name?”

  “Adler. Adler Stein. He’s a collector and recently a few of his pieces have been stolen. Sunshine, I’ll let him tell you the rest. I just told him I’d mention him to you. I’ll call him and let him know you said you’d see him.”

  “Call? Since when do you do anything but text?” she smirked.

  “Adler is old-school. He uses a telephone, you know, like a LAN line and he does have a cell phone, but it’s not a smartphone, it’s a flip phone that only does calls. He uses the yellow pages, not Google and when he does research he uses the hardbound Encyclopedia Britannica. He’s an older man and if you’re wondering, I met him when I dated his son. Didn’t work out with his son, but Adler and I became friends. Close friends.”

  “I get it,” she sighed. “Are you two still seeing each other?”

  “We’re friends, first and foremost. I was intrigued by his collections. It’s complicated, but he’s not. He’s one man who knows what he wants and does what he wants. I like that about him,” he smiled. “Sunshine, thanks for this.”

  “Of course,” she smiled. “Uh, one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “If you’re involved with Adler, why are you trying to get back with Leonard?”

  “I’d be satisfied just being his friend,” Friend sighed. “With or without benefits. And, Adler and I are just friends, like I said. We were lovers, yes, but just friends now.”

  “I hope that things get resolved,” she smiled. “Now, give your friend a call.”

  He nodded and headed out the front door. Savvy turned the closed sign to open and smiled. She watched as Friend talked on his cellphone while standing on the sidewalk in front of the Agency. She headed toward the red doors.

  4

  The Agency was a large room that had a small lab in another room. It opened through the red doors to living quarters. The large room consisted of filing cabinets and shelves that lined the walls and each person had a desk. Leonard’s desk was close to the front door where he could greet clients the minute they walked in. Savvy’s desk was at one wall, facing the agency and Strick’s was on the opposite end of the room, facing the inside of the agency. Each person had a wall behind them, cabinets and bookshelves, with a whiteboard on the wall behind them. They each had their own laptop, a desk full of necessary tech and supplies, along with their bags. In the corner near the red doors, was the coffee station and next to that was a table with four chairs. Savvy sat at her desk and looked toward Leonard. “You OK?”

  “Yeah,” he looked at his notebook. “Oh, of course, Mrs. Margolis called to remind you of your tea this afternoon.”

  “She’s always reminding me as if I’d forget,” Savvy smiled.

  “You really enjoy that,” Strick said, sitting at his desk.

  “Yes, I do,” she smiled. “Angelica is one of a kind.”

  “Just like you,” Leonard smiled.

>   “Just like all of us and we fit together perfectly,” Savvy smiled. “I’m expecting someone, a friend of Friend’s to come in. His name is Adler Stein.”

  “All right,” Leonard said, looking at Strick. “You still working on your case?”

  “I have a new one and the other one is on the back burner for right now. Oh, crap, that reminds me. I need to get my stuff and clean that bag,” He stood up.

  “Oh, definitely. That bag does stink,” Leonard smiled.

  Strick stood up and headed to the red doors.

  “Glad he remembered,” Savvy laughed.

  “Yeah, I wasn’t sure where that smell was coming from. You OK? You two were kinda quiet earlier.”

  “Yeah, he wants me to live upstairs with him.”

  “Don’t you already?”

  “Well, I don’t stay up there when he’s not here and all my stuff is down here.”

  “Well, then, yes, you should live upstairs,” Leonard smiled. “So, Friend was telling the truth?”

  “And I think the truth is here now,” she smiled as the front door chimed as it opened.

  An older man, holding on to an ornately carved cane, slowly walked into the office. He carried a black leather bag, with a long strap flung over his shoulder. The black leather was worn and had his initials, AS, monogrammed in gold. His fedora covered his slicked back salt and pepper hair. He focused his green eyes on Leonard. “I’m Adler Stein,” he spoke with a slight German accent, which seemed to be slightly muddled with the New York dialect. “I am looking for Ms. Macavoy.”

  Leonard stood up and smiled. “Yes, Mr. Stein, she’s expecting you,” He extended his hand to Stein and the older man gently shook it. Leonard walked around his desk, leading him the few feet to Savvy’s desk. “Ms. Macavoy, Mr. Stein,” Leonard followed his strict protocols about his duties and responsibilities at the Agency. He could’ve been a lawyer, even graduated Harvard Summa Cum Laude. The only thing he didn’t do is take the bar exam. He’d rather work at the Agency with Savvy and Strick.

  Savvy stood up, her eyes shifting to Strick, walking out of the red doors and straight to his desk. He looked up and nodded and then opened his laptop. Savvy knew what he was going to focus on, finding Ryan. Now, she had to focus on Mr. Stein. “Mr. Stein,” she extended her hand and he lifted it, kissing the back of it. “Oh, thank you. I’m Ms. Macavoy. You can call me Savvy or Ms. Macavoy. Whatever makes you most comfortable. Please, sit,” She pointed to the chair in front of her desk as Leonard returned to his desk. She always watched her new client’s expression when they scanned her up and down as sometimes she was judged on her wear of linen multi-colored peasant shirts, purple corduroys and brown sandals and sometimes it was just her hairstyle of pigtail braids with purple streaks throughout the vibrant red. Mr. Stein didn’t look her up and down. He looked her in the eye.

  “Thank you,” he nodded, holding his cane in his hand. He waited for Savvy to sit and then he sat down. “I thought your name was Sunshine. That’s what Friend referred to you as.”

  “My full given name is Sunshine Rainbow Savvy Macavoy. I go by Savvy, but all my brothers still call me Sunshine. Do you know any of my other brothers?”

  “I do have a few paintings from your late brother, Cloud Dancer.”

  “I have one and it’s my prized possession,” she pointed to the painting on the far wall of the Agency.

  He turned his head slightly and nodded. “It’s very beautiful. I don’t know what Friend told you about me.”

  “Just that you two were close friends and that you were a collector. That’s all. The rest should come from you. He mentioned you needed my services. Let’s start from there. What do you need me to do for you?”

  He cleared his throat and focused on Savvy. “Ms. Macavoy, Friend was right. I am a collector. Sometimes I lend my collection to be on display at National Museum of Health and Medicine in Washington D.C.”

  “I never heard of it,” she flicked her eyes over to Strick.

  Strick instantly stood up and walked over to Savvy’s desk. He pulled up a chair to the side of her desk, where he could face both Mr. Stein and Savvy. “I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never been,” he sighed and looked at Savvy. “Sorry, but this sounds interesting. May I sit in? I guess I should have asked before.”

  “No, that’s fine. Mr. Stein, this is my partner, Mr. Strickland.”

  “Oh, yes, Friend has mentioned you as well. An Army vet, correct?”

  “Yessir. I was a sergeant in the Army, more like a company clerk slash MP, I’m sorry. It’s nice to meet you,” Strick shook his hand.

  “Strick, what do you know about this museum?” Savvy asked.

  “That it was created as a civil war Army Medical Museum and that there are interesting and unique collections, such as President Garfield’s vertebrae where the assassin’s bullet passed through. I really like American Presidential history. I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I know that some of the displays can be listed as morbid. I think it’s interesting and intriguing.”

  “Mr. Stein, why do you need me?” Savvy asked.

  “I, like the museum, have a unique collection. A few of my pieces are missing, but, one of my most treasured pieces has been stolen.”

  Savvy wrote down some notes, including Mr. Stein’s name on the top of the yellow legal pad. “What piece is it?”

  “The skull of Adolph Hitler,” he looked around the room to see if there was any type of reaction, but Savvy just nodded as she wrote it down.

  “I see,” she looked at Strick and then back at her notebook. “Uh, when I find this skull, are there any identifying marks or ways to prove that it’s your missing skull and not some other skull?”

  “The skull is of a Caucasian male. Gunshot wound to the right temple, so there are fragments of the skull missing. I mark all my collectibles with a watermark that glows when exposed to a heat lamp. It’s a small mark with my initials. I have photographs of the skull, where it was kept and the watermark on the collectible.”

  “Was this the only thing that was taken?”

  “I do have other collectibles, like this, but not all are as intact as the others are.”

  “I’d be interested in looking at your entire collection and the area where this was taken. I’d like to take my own photos and maybe perform my own forensics. I will not disturb any of your existing collectibles.”

  “That would be fine,” he handed her a business card and pulled a black folder out of his bag. He handed her the file. “That file has all the information about the piece, including photographs and authenticity certificates and my business card is also my home address. I live in the back of my shop, Stein’s Antiques and Collectibles. I only open by appointment and only share some of my collection with certain persons. I’d be honored if you’d come out and see my entire collection.”

  “I’d love to. May I bring my associate?”

  “You all could come,” he smiled, turning and looking at Leonard. “Tonight, or tomorrow?”

  “Tonight, at six if that is all right?” Savvy said.

  “I’d like that. Is there anything else you need from me?”

  Savvy opened her desk drawer and pulled out her own folder. “This details my fees and how I bill my clients. It also gives you the peace of mind of confidentiality. I don’t tell anyone who my clients are, unless I am given express permission. I will find your property and it is up to you if you wish me to report the crime to the police.”

  “I understand. I have no need for law enforcement to be involved until the culprit is found,” he said, pulling out an envelope from his bag. “I’ve read your fees, but I think this will be better suited for you. I will also pay any extra costs you have as well as bonuses if you and your staff can find my collectible within 30 days.”

  “We’ll do our best,” she smiled, taking the envelope from his hand. She looked through the stack of 100-dollar bills in the envelope. “Uh, sir, this is over twenty thousand dollars. It’s too much right now.”
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br />   “First, it is exactly twenty-eight thousand four hundred dollars. I calculated your services, with the cost of meeting my needs and the empty space in my display. This is just the down payment. The value of my collectible is priceless. I do have a lot of collectibles that are lesser in value or have sold or loaned for a price to collectors or museums. This is my prized collectible not just because of its condition, but because it shows the death of evil,” He slowly stood up, his hand shaking slightly as he leaned on his cane. He opened the folder and set her fee scale that was on the first page, on her desk. He grabbed one of her pens from the pen cup and crossed off all her fees. He started writing in his own fees, deducting the current money he just paid her and then a total at the bottom of the page. He folded the paper and handed it to her. “This meets my needs. And as you say in your contract here,” he closed the folder. “The client may at any time dispute the fees in the contract and they can be renegotiated. Now, why did you add that?”

  “I’ve had stubborn clients who think my fees are too cheap, but I calculate them to what I need to do on a case. I also have some where I had to lower my fees, just to help someone out and when a client pays more, it more than covers those lower fees.”

  “Exactly. Ms. Macavoy, I like you already, you and your partners,” he smiled. “I will see you all tonight at six. Please, all of you come tonight,” He closed the folder, placed it in his bag and slowly headed out of the Agency as he held on to his cane.

  Savvy watched as the man walked down the sidewalk. She looked at Leonard. “I’d like you to come, too. He said all of us.”

  “I will. I’m interested in this.”

  “Me, too,” Strick said. “I’m sorry that I came over and sat right now.”