Mr. Adriano let out a long whistle. “Quite the racket. Mr. Gaillard’s notes mention a Book Row. Where is that?”
“From around 1890 to the 1960s, there was a collection of bookstores, called Book Row, on Fourth Avenue just below Union Square,” said Mr. Babenko. “These days bookstores that handle rare books are scattered around Manhattan. There might be one or two left on Book Row, and one of the most famous, the Strand, is just around the corner on Broadway and Twelfth, but most were forced out by rising rents.”
“I’ve also assembled a list of bookstores that have been flagged for purchasing stolen items in the past; would you mind taking a look?” He showed Mr. Babenko the page in his notebook. “I’m curious if anything jumps out at you, as a place to start.”
Mr. Babenko studied it, and checked off the names of five bookstores. “It’s all rumor, of course, but the book world is a small one, and word gets around.”
“Thank you,” said Mr. Adriano. “I’ll look into it.”
As he left, Sadie pushed away the plate with the Danish, no longer hungry.
CHAPTER TEN
New York City, 1993
Sadie sat in the middle of the floor of Lonnie’s spare bedroom—the one her mother had stayed in—surrounded by clothes, looking for something fancy to wear. She’d let herself in with her key when no one answered the doorbell, knowing that several boxes of their mother’s belongings sat piled up in one corner, packed up for the Salvation Army after she’d died. But Sadie’s quest had come to a screeching halt after she’d come upon her mother’s wedding dresses, wrapped in plastic, at the very bottom of the last box.
The first one was a cream dress suit with a peplum jacket. That was from her wedding to Sadie and Lonnie’s father. The second, from her wedding with the hateful Don, was a fifties-style white silk dress that hit just above the knee. At the small celebratory dinner after, she and Lonnie had watched as their new stepfather accidentally spilled red wine down the bodice while giving a boisterous toast. Sadie ran her finger down the stain, which had faded to a dull pink.
How funny that Pearl had saved them, after all these years. It went against her own advice to Sadie, that she hand her own wedding dress over to a consignment shop the same day she signed the divorce papers. “I don’t want you looking at it in your closet every time you open it, Sadie,” Pearl had said. “Buy yourself something pretty instead.”
She had, finding a turquoise cocktail dress with a tight bodice that flared into a full skirt, perfect for twirling on the dance floor. Not that she’d ever twirled, but wearing it made her feel that she might become the kind of woman who did. That dress had sent her down the thrift store rabbit hole, a quest that took up entire Saturdays that otherwise would have been filled with wondering what Phillip was up to, and with whom. Whenever she wore her latest find, people asked about her outfit instead of asking about her life. It was a kind of armor, she supposed.
Pearl hadn’t saved much over the years. There were no letters or scrapbooks filled with photos. Just some clothes, including the wedding dresses, but nothing was right for what Sadie had in mind.
“So pretty!”
She hadn’t heard Valentina and Robin enter the town house. Valentina gave her a hug as Robin watched from the doorway.
“Lonnie and LuAnn have the Salvation Army coming later today to pick this all up,” said Robin. “Is that okay, or do you want me to delay it?”
“No, no need to delay.” She smiled as Valentina fingered a black shawl with a long fringe. “Your grandmother used to wear that all the time.”
Valentina shrugged it over her thin shoulders, giggling.
“Not quite what I was hoping for, though.” Sadie sighed.
Robin sat on the bed. “What is it you’re looking for?”
“Something fancy, that makes me look like I’m rich.”
Sadie had convinced Mr. Adriano to let her hit the flagged bookstores on his list and see if she could sniff out The Scarlet Letter. Mr. Adriano had dismissed the idea at first, but she convinced him that her knowledge of rare books was imperative in this instance. Besides, he looked too much like an ex-cop, she’d pointed out, and he hadn’t been able to refute that. When he still hesitated, she’d threatened to do it with or without his support, because she couldn’t stand the thought of sitting around and not taking action in some way. Reluctantly, Mr. Adriano had agreed to give it a shot. As long as they got permission from Dr. Hooper.
She needed to look like a rare book collector if she was going to pull this off, and none of her own clothes would do. Her hope had been that her mother’s boxes might hold a silk blouse or nice jacket that she could wear.
“I know!” Valentina jumped up and disappeared. A minute later she returned, holding a cache of clothes on hangers, across two arms like she was carrying a bride over a threshold. “Try on these.”
She tossed them on the bed.
“Valentina, these are your mother’s clothes,” said Robin.
“She’s away on business. She won’t care. Go on, try this one.” She held up a crimson double-breasted blazer that came with a chunky black belt.
For a child, Valentina had a good eye. The blazer was cut long and settled nicely over Sadie’s hips, and the fabric and stitching were of excellent quality. She held herself straight and stared into the full-length mirror on the back of the closet door. Not bad at all.
“I need something to layer on top. Is there anything that might work?”
Valentina put her finger to her chin as if she were a saleslady at Saks. “What about a scarf? She has a ton of them.”
Together, she and Valentina found a patterned silk scarf that picked up the color of the blazer. When Sadie draped it around her neck, Valentina laughed and clapped her hands.
“You just need some pretty earrings and a necklace and you’ll be good to go,” said Robin.
“I know, follow me!” Valentina shrieked.
They did so into the master bedroom, where Valentina rummaged through her mother’s jewelry box.
“Take care, Valentina.” Robin got up and gently extricated a pearl necklace and matching earrings. “How about these?” She walked over to Sadie and placed the earrings in her hand before lowering the necklace over her shoulders.
Sadie put on the earrings and turned around, offering a silly curtsy to her beaming audience.
“You look super fancy,” said Valentina.
“Very nice,” echoed Robin.
“What on earth is going on in here?”
Lonnie stood in the doorway, wearing scrubs. LuAnn was right behind him, a shiny carry-on bag slung over one shoulder.