The Case of the Angry Auctioneer (Auction House Mystery Series Book 1) (20 page)

“I changed my life to work at the auction house…” Jasper felt all sputtery. The idea of working under Ted Phillips with entitlement to greater power unnerved her. The kitten sensed her unease and fled to the kitchen in search of comfort food.

“Jimmy came up with a job to help you out,” Ted said. “He knew your marriage was falling apart and he didn’t want you to end up on the streets.”

“What?” Jasper got to her feet.

“He didn’t think you really had it in you to make it in the auction business. Or any business, I guess. But maybe if you worked alongside him and me. And you and me got to spend more time together. Maybe everything would work out. If you get my drift.” Ted stood and looked down at Jasper. He decreased her personal space.

Jasper turned her back on him. Suddenly his arms wound around her. Jasper went into instinctive self-defense mode. She raised her right foot and brought it down hard on the top of Ted’s foot.

“Crazy bitch,” he yelled. “What are you playing at, lady?”

Jasper faced him and backed him toward the door. “This is not a game, Mister Phillips. The name on the sign says Biggs Auction. And you and I – not
me
, Ted,
I
- are not drifting anywhere together.”

Proxy gave one of his enormous meows from the kitchen.

“He needs me,” Jasper said. “Maybe Jimmy didn’t need me. But that little guy out there – he needs me. And I don’t need you.” Jasper stomped off to see about the cat. “Close the door so Proxy doesn’t get out,” she yelled back over her shoulder. In the kitchen, she stood panting heavily for a moment until she heard the apartment door slam shut. Then she lifted the kitten down from on top of the refrigerator. He licked her cheek. “I’d rather have a junior mountain climber like you instead of a good ol’ boy bid-caller any day of the week,” Jasper told him. She held her pet up in the air and turned in a slow circle so he could survey the upper realms. “You’re new to the job,” she said. “But you’ll do all right.” The kitten gave a mighty little roar in response.

Her cell phone buzzed at her to say a message had arrived. It was a text from Ted. It read:
M clip here come now office
.

Feeling deeply curious, Jasper let herself in the auction house’s side door and made her way to the front office. Mary Clippert was there, planted like somebody else’s Rottweiler on the leather chesterfield. Her face held its usual dogged look with jowls dragging down her jaw line.

“Miss Clippert has some concerns,” Ted boomed. He took a seat behind the executive mahogany desk that had once been Jimmy’s.

Jasper stood for a moment not wanting to get any closer to the other woman’s anger. But after a glare from Ted, she took a place at the other end of the couch down the way from Mary Clippert.

Ted asked, “What can we do for you?”

Mary Clippert glared at Jasper, then faced Ted. Jasper decided to act mature and avoid sticking out her tongue. She settled for rolling her eyes heavenward.

Mary Clippert sniffed like a bulldog rooting through garbage, “It’s about my father’s contract with this auction house.”

“All perfectly legal, all fine,” Ted said.

As if he’s a lawyer. As if he really knows what he’s doing. Jasper’s resentment toward Ted bubbled back up. Didn’t take much.

“Well it’s not all right. It’s not perfectly fine,” Mary said.

“What’s the matter with it?” Jasper asked bluntly. Some of her careful politeness had worn thin.

“Everything is the matter with it.”

Jasper groaned. To hell with professionalism.

Ted jumped in hurriedly to smooth the waters. “I’m sure we can work this out to everyone’s satisfaction. After all, we are in possession of your father’s items and we want to get top dollar for everything in the estate.”

“There may be some items I don’t want to part with after all.”

Jasper sat back with a smile on her face. If Ted wanted to be Top Dog, let him dig his way out of this one.

“I can tell you. And Miss Biggs here can tell you,” Ted said, trying to share the sudden negative responsibility with Jasper, “we have already got the advertising out on your father’s estate.”

Mary lifted her chin. “On his Living estate,” she said. “I’ve seen the ads and the flyers and your website. They all say the same thing: ‘The Living Estate of Raymond Clippert.’ In case you haven’t noticed, my father is no longer living.”

“Sorry about your loss,” Ted said solemnly.

“He’s not lost. He’s dead,” cranky Mary said.

Ted picked up a pen from the desk and twirled it around in his fingers. “But it is still an estate, and we will be going ahead with the auction.” He leaned forward with that sly smile on his face that Jasper had seen him use with women, herself included. “We can’t bring your father back, but we can do all we can to help you out. And if we change the auction bill at this late date, I guarantee there’ll be a drop-off in attendance at the auction. Fewer people. Fewer bids. Fewer dollars. Guaranteed.”

“Huh! Bad news for the auction house,” Mary said. “You with your ten percent commission.”

“It’s standard,” Ted said, probably about to launch into the usual spiel about how the ten percent that Biggs Auction collected might be more than some auction houses, but it was rapidly becoming an industry standard, and an amount that never got in the way of the highest bidding this side of the Mississippi…

Mary leaned in. “I don’t want people paying 10 percent. That’s my money,” she said. “Besides that, I think she – “She paused to point an accusing red lacquered nail at Jasper. – killed him.”

“What?!” Ted and Jasper said in the same second.

Mary hoisted herself up to her full height. She took a tango step toward the door and twirled back toward them with extra drama. “Furthermore, I’m going to tell the police about my suspicions.”

Jasper lunged toward the bigger woman. Jasper had never before felt capable of murder, but for an instant she pictured the satisfaction of squeezing the smug smirk off Mary Clippert’s face. Ted grabbed Jasper from behind, and gripped her in such a strong hold that this time there was no escaping him.

Mary tromped away. Ted did not release Jasper until the sound of the front door lock turning and the door opening and closing had stilled.

“That woman!” Jasper spluttered and fumed. She kicked one of the tree root legs of the Indonesian coffee table masquerading as a piece from the Northwoods.

“Don’t hurt the table. You don’t want to hurt the table. You want to boot the Clippert bitch.”

“You’re right.” Even though Ted had just displayed insight that she wouldn’t have ever thought him capable of, Jasper kicked the leg again.

Ted lifted her up and set her down on the sofa. Jasper was so surprised she just stayed seated.

“Now listen,” he said. “We’ve gotta get her back on our side.”

“We, Ted? Did you just say ‘we?’”

“Cut it out. This is serious stuff here.”

“Yeah! She’s going to tell the police that I killed her father.”

“They’re gonna shrug that off. That is, unless you had something to do with it.”

“Ted!”

“Can’t you tell when a guy’s kidding? You didn’t kill him, did you?”

Jasper whimpered into her hands.

“Hey, just kidding! I’ve got an idea.”

“Oh, lord,” Jasper said. “It’s come to this? What, Ted? What is your big brilliant idea?”

Ted squirmed in close to her. She scooted away. Good idea or not, he was still Ready Teddy. “It’s pretty much common knowledge that I have a way with the ladies.” He squirmed nearer, Jasper scooted further. “So I’m thinkin’ we’ll split up the chores that need to be done here.”

“Chores?”             

“I’ll handle her – “

Jasper shuddered at the thought of how Ted’s smarmy hands might handle Mary Clippert.

“And you can take care of your pal the cop.”

Jasper had to forcibly close her wide open mouth. She couldn’t speak.

“You know, Glenn Ruffledfur or whatever his name is.”

“I know who you mean, Ted. And it’s Relerford, by the way.”

“So what do you say, Jazz? Ready to go to work for the cause?”

“You want me to seduce a policeman so that things go easier for the auction house?”

“You are such a little prude. Jimmy had your number all right.” Ted shook his head and snorted. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “You don’t have to marry him, for Pete’s sake. And it’s just as much for you as it is for the auction. You’re the one whose ass is going to get hauled off to jail. Might as well put your sweet ass to better use.”

Jasper slapped him hard across the face. “That’s for pretending to be on my side,” she said.

”Am I interrupting something?” another man’s voice asked. Sean Solberg stood in the doorway.

Ted was rubbing his jaw. “What the hell are you doing in here? We’re closed.”

“The door was open – at least it was unlocked,” Sean said in his wonderful velvet voice. His eyes shone satin-blue today, deepened in color by the chambray shirt he wore that fit him so well, Jasper thought, neither too loose nor too form fitting. He had a pretty nice build. She kept her gaze from straying down to his chinos.

“How are you?” Jasper asked.

He beamed.
And what nice teeth you have, not too white. Just right
. Jasper was beginning to feel like a wolf. “Everything fine here?” Sean asked.

Ted’s face deepened to rose madder. He picked up an antique paperweight from the desk and tossed it from palm to palm.

Jasper linked her arm through Sean’s. “How about we step outside?”

“Phillips,” Sean said by way of good-bye.

“Solberg,” said Ted, equally solemn.

Outside Jasper told Sean about the visit from Mary Clippert and her threat to go to the police.

“There’s got to be a way to clear this up,” Sean said.

“Not you too!”

“Did I say something wrong?”

“Sorry, Sean.” It was the first time Jasper had used his name and she liked the way it felt on her tongue. “Ted was just presenting me with his brilliant plan.” She shuddered.

“I take it it wasn’t so brilliant. So?”

“Promise you won’t laugh, okay? He plans to sweet-talk Mary Clippert,” Jasper said.

“Sweet talk.” Sean wasn’t laughing but his smile had grown wider.

“You know – seduce her. Win her over in bed,” Jasper said. If she had had freckles they would have lit up like shooting stars.

“Oh, you mean go all the way. Score a home run.”

“Stop it,” Jasper said, laughing.

“Put that little bat of his to good use.”

“Stop, stop, stop. You’re making my stomach hurt.”

“It’s good for you. You need more laughter in your life,” Sean said. “So that’s Phillips’ not-so-brilliant plan.”

“You haven’t heard all of it,” Jasper said, still laughing. “He wants me to go after Glenn Relerford.”

Sean turned on his heel and headed back to the auction house. Jasper ran after him and grabbed his arm. “Now really stop,” she said. “If I knew you were going to get mad, I wouldn’t have said anything.”

Sean took her hands in his. “Look. Jasper. That guy is an idiot. I know you work here. It’s your legacy from your father –

“Stepfather.”

“Stepfather. He brought you in to his roughshod business because you were in a fix and needed a job. But Phillips is a complete idiot and if you keep working with him, you’re gonna lose IQ points on a daily basis. You’re better than this place.”

Jasper’s heart hurt a little. “Thanks for caring,” she said, meaning exactly the opposite.

“Now who’s mad?”

“Let go of my hands so I can tell you what I really think.” Jasper tugged but Sean held tight.

“Don’t run away. That doesn’t solve anything. I’m just saying that you’re a talented lady. You can get a different job. You don’t have to stay here and lose your soul.”

Jasper tugged harder and this time Sean let her go. “You want to save my soul? I had too many years living with a man who wanted to save my soul! I don’t need some crazy guy I just met trying to tell me how to manage my life.”

“You think I’m crazy?” Sean’s voice had wilted.

Jasper told herself she should count to ten. She counted to two and continued her rant. “You think your soul is doing well? You live alone out on a hilltop in the country making art that people don’t get. You can’t even take care of a little cat that needed a new home. You’re selfish, Sean Solberg!” Jasper began to sob there in the parking lot of Biggs Auction House.

“Hey, hey now,” Sean said. He tried to draw her in close for a hug but Jasper was having none of it. She pushed him away. Sean said, “Don’t walk away now. We can talk this through. I am selfish. I know myself pretty well.”

“You, you… You are an egomaniac.” Jasper could barely get out the words. Her coughing and hiccupping were mixing in with her tears.

“Yes, you’re right. I have a big ego. You’re getting hysterical. Calm down.”

Sean’s very reasonableness only made matters worse. “I am not hysterical!” Jasper yelled at the top of her lungs.

“Quiet down now. Please. Somebody’s going to call the police.”

The police! How dare he remind her of the police! She was sick of the police. Jasper had had all she could take. She left Sean standing there and, dizzy and ailing from all the drama, stumbled back on her own two feet to Jimmy’s apartment. Her feet might not be man-size but they’d been with her forever and right now she liked them better than any male in her life.

Except for Proxy cat. She opened the door to the apartment and the little guy trotted over to greet her. He stretched his paws up her calves, and she gathered him up and looked him right in the eyes. Jasper and Proxy exchanged a trusting blink.