Silent Fear, a Medical Mystery (33 page)

“I suppose so.”

“I got no use for people who don’t care for dogs. Something not right about people like that.”

The woman turned and followed the clumsy dog outside, grabbed a bag from the front seat, and came back in. She took out a book, opened the back cover, and handed him a folded piece of paper.
Certificate of Authenticity
, the man read, from a company in New Orleans, verifying the signature on the front page to be Albert Einstein’s. He inverted his hand and wiggled his fingers, gesturing to her if he could hold the aged book.

“Where’d you say you got it?” He observed her carefully.

“It’s been in the family for years. I took my precious belongings with me when I left New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina. Since I lost my house there, I decided to stay in
Tennessee. Now I’m selling my expensive things. I have to make ends meet, especially with a baby coming.”

“Good thing you got this certificate with it, then. Twelve-thousand dollars, we’ve got a deal.”

He walked away to the back of the house while she held on to the physicist’s 1920 publication. He came through the doorway with a stack of money and a brown paper bag. She nodded once when she finished counting the bills, so he handed her the empty bag.

“I still got your email address and phone number,” he said. “I keep track of what goes and comes.”

“You won’t need them,” she said and left abruptly.

He watched her back out and stood there until the car disappeared out of sight down the gray road.