“She doesn’t want your money. Don’t you think I offered to do the same thing?” My mother replied.
I ran a hand through my hair, exhausted from continually hearing about my sister and brother-in-law's financial situation.
“Okay. Then what does she want?”
“She wants you to give Sam his job back.”
"No. No way. Do you know how much his lazy incompetence cost us? Millions of dollars, not just some tuition money. Millions and several important clients. I can't just hand him that position again and hope he doesn't make the same mistake. Especially when he is not even prioritizing his household, blowing through his child's tuition money."
"Think about it, okay? There may be some other position where you can find him helpful.
“I’ll think about it,” I agreed.
The call lasted only a bit longer. I sank back into my leather office chair, my unwritten email to Nori still blinking on the screen. Opening a new tab, I made a direct transfer to Ashton's school, including a sizable donation. With an email to the principal explaining the transfer of funds, I knew my nephew would continue to get the best education he possibly could. Finally, I clicked back to my correspondence with Nori and typed -
Alex: Agotia. She's from Norway; she used to go to school and work in New York City and owns a family business.
Less than a minute passed before my computer dinged again.
Nori: Top shelf in the cabinet below the bookshelf that has all his favorite books. There should be a couple of folders of research and documentation on each piece there. Is she pretty?
Alex: Yes.
Without waiting to see if my younger sister responded, I left my office searching for my grandfather's snuff boxes. Once inside the library, I moved to the bookshelf she mentioned and the cabinet under it. Unlocking it with the set of keys that sat in one of the drawers in his desk, I searched the dark recesses of the shelf until I spotted a stack of manilla folders.
I sat at my grandfather's desk, flipped open the top folder, and sifted through the paperwork. I repeated this process folder after folder, scanning the information for anything interesting to Agotia.
My eyes shot up to the glass case where the snuff boxes sat near the window in the office. They were some of my grandfather’s favorite pieces. I remember sitting in his car as a kid on a long drive one weekend to go pick up the newest box he had bought from an auction.
He spent hours telling me the history of who used it and what materials were used in fabrication, such as porcelain, plaster, silver, wood, or gold. I wish now that I had paid more attention to those stories.
Even from here, I could see how beautifully ornate each box was. Some had the traditional rectangular shape, while others were rounded. They all had gilded edges and delicate patterns. As I flipped through the appraisal reports, my eyes widened as I realized how much these boxes could be worth. Suddenly, a glass case did not seem safe enough to keep these valuable items. A safety deposit box seemed more appropriate.
The last piece of paper in the folder that had me put everything else down; was a letter, addressed to my father, from the National Museum of Norway, dated last year. It had been opened and read by someone who knew to put it here, but the letter's contents confused me.
Mr. Fredericksons,
It was recently brought to our attention that the Fredericksons have a snuff box collection formerly owned by King Haakon VII. This is a nationally significant artifact and has been declared as such.
Simply put, it is a set that belongs to the museum, not in a personal collection. The snuff boxes were bought from the black market after being stolen from the museum several decades ago. As such, the National Museum of Norway is formally requesting that the pieces be returned to the museum. You have one year to oblige our request before we take legal action against the Fredericksons
As I am sure you are aware, that snuff-box set is worth millions of dollars and is to be treated as such. We hope to find the pieces in pristine condition. I have attached pictures of the boxes to ensure a prompt return.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
The National Museum of Norway
As the letter had stated, stapled to the page were printed pictures of the snuff boxes they had requested. There were eight total snuff boxes in the collection they wanted. It was difficult to imagine my grandfather buying stolen artifacts. I had to believe that he had been unaware of their status when he purchased them. Someone else knew about the content of this letter and had not done anything about it.
With the allotted year the museum had given coming to an end very quickly, now was as good of a time as any to take care of this. It was also an excellent excuse to invite Agotia back and tell her to see the snuff boxes before they were packed and shipped to the museum.
Picture in hand, I walked to the case to check that all the snuff boxes were there. I counted and counted again, bouncing between the pictures and the case. But no matter how many times I looked, there were two missing pieces, their indent in the red velvet cushion clear. This scenario was what I didn't need to have to happen right now.
I could imagine it all now, Bridget announcing her supposed pregnancy, Sam ruining the company, and the entire family charged with stealing a royal artifact.
“Asta?” I called out, hoping she had answers for me.
“Yes?” she answered from the doorway, drying her hands with a rag.
