Chapter 13

  Clara and her driver arrive at the auction house, they enter the front lobby area and tell the receptionist that they are from St. Bethanie Church and that Father Joncy had sent them to figure out where the missing boxes had been sent to. “Oh ok we have been expecting you, let me go get the manager and he will come out and get you.” said the receptionist.

  “Thank you very much.” Clara said, and the driver Matt Connelly spoke

  “How is it that Porter was all of a sudden too sick to be here, and why is that priest Joncy so concerned?”

  “Does it matter?” she snapped “Just because you want to sit your ass in the truck all day? Or maybe Jack is not as tough as he looks! Or maybe it is the priest's job to be concerned for others! Either way, you are being paid to help so that is what you will do when I need it.” Rolling his eyes and taking a seat he thought to himself “I can't stand these people, I need to go back to the old-school security companies, where we could get things done without the niceties getting in the way.”

  The Manager opened a side door to their right and asked them to come in. Following him down a long hallway and out into the warehouse to another set of stairs that lead up to his loft office. Opening the door for them he said, “Please have a seat, I have been looking through all the past sales of this month and I have narrowed down the list to two sales that they could have been sold at.” Clara asked, “How would these items have been sold by accident, were they not cataloged properly.”

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  “The pallets had gotten set next to two lots, our staff, unaware of the delivery had loaded them out with the rest of the sold pallets. From there they went to one of two purchasers. I have called both multiple times but have not received any return calls or texts. I fear that they realized they got a bonus and don't want to give it back.”

  “Where is the location of the people who bought them?” Clara asked as she pulled out her phone. “One is close, a small thrift store they are located in New Brunswick New Jersey, and the other is in Billings Montana I believe that one is a larger online seller.”

  “Crap!” exclaimed Clara, “Well give me the address for the one in Jersey, we can get there tonight and make contact with the owner in the morning.”

  “Again I apologize for this gross incompetence on our part, if there is anything I can do to help from here please call,” He said with the prize-winning confidence of a top actor.

  “I will be calling in the morning when we talk to the owner of the pallets so they can verify with you that we are not trying to rip them off,” Clara said with a hint of irritation.

  Clara looks to the driver and motions for them to leave, once in the Hummer the driver asks about going back to get Jack. Clara replied, “No he can stay there I will send for him if he is needed, if he is sick he will only slow things down.”

  “As you command!” said the driver as he pulled the blacked-out SUV out onto the highway.