Jamie Brodie 02 - Hoarded to Death by Meg Perry

said it was."
    Oh my God . "What makes you think that?"
    "Old vellum has tiny holes, pinpoint marks that the writers made for lining up the words. And the texture of old vellum is uneven because it was made by hand from scraping the animal's skin. No one does that any more, so reproductions are always on smooth paper. This piece of paper had both of those things."
    "How did you get a look at it?"
    "A customer came in while the detective was there, and I went over to take care of her. When I came back, Quentin was talking to the cop, and I picked up the magnifying glass and took a look at the paper. It was still in the plastic bag, but I could see well enough. I really think it was several hundred years old."
    "But your boss said it wasn't."
    "Right." Matt shrugged. "And he's the boss, so I didn't disagree with him."
    "Yeah, that's not usually a good career move."
    Matt laughed, then grew serious. "Listen, I realize I just met you, but...can I ask you some advice?"
    "Sure, I guess."
    Matt looked uncomfortable. "Elliott wants me to quit my job. He says we'll be able to spend more time together that way. He's got family money, that's how he can afford this place, and he says he'll take care of me. But...it would really make me nervous to be without a job. What do you think?"
    Oh jeez . I was probably not the best guy to ask for relationship advice. But..."How long have you all been together?"
    "Two months."
    "Do you like your job?"
    He lit back up. "Oh yeah, I love it! Besides, what other job am I going to find in this economy with an art history degree?"
    "True. I think if I was you, I'd hang on to my job a little longer. I mean, Elliott does work full-time, it's not like he's going to have that much extra time to spend with you if you don't work. And what are you going to do all day when he's at work?"
    Matt frowned. "I know. I don't know what he expects me to do with my time. It's not like I can cook, and he has a housekeeper." He shrugged. "I was thinking I'd probably keep the job anyway, but I'm glad that someone's confirmed it."
    We talked a little longer, then Matt went to get another drink and I wandered back to where Pete was. He had finally extricated himself from the tenure discussion and was talking to someone I recognized vaguely. The guy turned out to have gotten his doctorate at UCLA and used the research library a lot, so we decided that’s how I knew him. Then he wandered off and Pete and I were on our own.
    The party was gradually breaking up. Pete and I didn’t want to be the first couple to leave, but after about three other couples had left, we figured we were safe. We said our thank yous and goodbyes, found the VW, and started home. We talked about other people for a while, then Pete said, “I saw you talking to Elliott’s boyfriend. Is he over 21?”
    I laughed. “I wondered the same thing at first. But he has a bachelor’s degree in art history, so he must be. Guess where he works?” I filled Pete in on the conversation I’d had with Matt.
    “Holy shit .”
    “Yeah, that was my reaction too.”
    “So, why did the boss say that it was a fake?”
    “Matt didn’t know, and he didn’t ask. He didn’t want to rock the boat.”
    “Yeah, I can see that.” Pete thought for a minute. “Suppose Matt’s boss – what was his name?”
    “Quentin Brashier.”
    “Suppose Brashier saw the paper, knew it was old, but didn’t tell Belardo and Eckhoff because – why? Because he was Wally’s partner?”
    “Nah, that’s too much of a coincidence. Maybe he just figured he might be able to get a piece of the action, if the other section of the torn sheet turns up. And now he knows to be on the lookout for it.”
    “Yeah, maybe. Or maybe he really did think it was faked.” Pete thought some more. “Did Matt mention the Book of Kells?”
    “No. We only talked about the age of the paper, not the identification of what it might be.”
    Pete nodded. “If this guy is the Art Theft unit’s go-to