It was not an important sale, and was listed under the heading “Fine Jewels,” which was a far cry from the “Magnificent Jewels” he had just seen, in a whole other category. And he realized he would have to discuss them with his superiors after the noon auction. He didn’t have time now to do them justice, and he wanted to show them the photographs he’d taken. The sale he ran at noon went smoothly, but took longer than expected, and it was four-thirty before he walked into the office of the head of the jewelry department. Ed Barlowe was looking over a list of the hammer prices from that afternoon and seemed pleased. He glanced up at Phillip. “Nice sale,” he commented, as he set the list down on his desk. “What’s up?” he asked, pointing to a chair and inviting Phillip to sit down. “I looked at an abandoned estate today with a clerk of the surrogate’s court. It’s a collection of extraordinary pieces, all by major jewelers,”
