“Mom thinks it’s a page from a book. Possibly stolen from a library. So now, of course, I’m worried about what’s in the rest of those tubes. Mom’s coming up to take a look. She’ll be staying with us for a few days, at least until we get this thing sorted.”

Frank’s usual response to one of her mother’s impending visits was a heartfelt groan. Instead, he looked relieved. “Smart plan,” he said. “She knows all about old maps and libraries. And it will make her feel useful.”

Emily cringed. She was glad her mother couldn’t hear Frank’s patronizing comment. Before she could process his change of heart, their landline rang. Most of the calls on that phone were robocalls from energy companies wanting them to switch, or, more recently, a pseudo-IRS agent threatening to jail them if they didn’t pay up. Still, old habits died hard. Emily went into the kitchen, where the answering machine kicked on and her recorded voice played: “Sorry we can’t take your call, you know what to do.” A click. Then silence. Or, no, there was a sound. Breathing.

Then, “Emily? Are you there?” The quavery voice sounded familiar. “I need to talk to you. It’s Wally. I—”

Frank watched from the doorway as Emily picked up the handset. “Quinn?” she said.

“Emily? Thank God you’re there.”

“What is it?” Emily said, though she was not eager to get drawn into another of Quinn Newell’s fire drills.

“Wally didn’t come home last night. I didn’t realize until I got up this morning. I waited and I waited, and he still hasn’t shown up. I tried to call his cell. No answer. His office. He’s not there.”

Frank gave Emily a questioning look. She mouthed, Mandarin Cliffs.

“Maybe the auction ran late and he decided to stay over,” Emily said. “Did you call the auction house?”

“I did. Know what they told me? Last night’s auction ended at six. Why would Wally lie to me about that?”

Emily refrained from offering some of the more obvious answers to that. “Maybe something happened and he couldn’t call you. Like a car accident.”

“That’s what I thought. So I called every hospital I could find between here and Hyannis.”

“Has he ever done this before? Stayed out overnight without telling you?”

“He always calls.”

“Did you try calling his friends?”

“I tried everyone I could think of . . . everyone I know. Nobody’s heard from him. I was about to call the police when I remembered what you and I talked about last night.”

Last night. Emily felt her face flush.

“We were just kidding around. Right?” Quinn went on.

Emily held the receiver away from her ear and stared at it. Quinn couldn’t be serious. When she listened again, there was silence on the other end. Then, “Uh-oh.”

“Uh-oh what?” Emily said.

“What?” Frank said.