“The fire was a tragedy. As an antiquarian, I can only guess at the rare volumes he had in his library. But all is not lost. I may be able to get my hands on a Princess logbook. She sailed for many years before she became part of the Stone Fleet, sunk off Charleston Harbor during the Civil War. The logbooks were dispersed to museums and private collectors. I’d need a finder’s fee up front.”

“Of course,” Gamay said. “Would you be able to find the logbook for 1848?”

Brimmer’s eyes narrowed behind his bifocals.

“Why that particular log?”

“It was Captain Dobbs’s last whaling voyage,” she replied. “We’d be prepared to pay whatever it takes.”

Brimmer pinched his chin between his forefinger and thumb.

“I believe I may be able to help you,” he said.

“Then the log wasn’t destroyed?” Paul asked.

“Possibly not. There’s a little-known story about Caleb Nye. He married a Fairhaven girl, but the family was not pleased at her betrothal to someone considered a freak, rich as he was, and they kept the matter quiet. The Nyes even had a daughter who was given some of the books from the library as a dowry. I have contacts I can check with, but I’d need a few hours. Can I call you?”

Paul handed Brimmer a business card with his cell-phone number on it.

Brimmer saw the logo.

“NUMA? Splendid. A query from your renowned agency might open doors.”

“Please let us know as soon as you hear something,” Paul said.

Gamay signed an agreement and wrote out a check for the large finder’s fee. They shook hands all around.

HARVEY BRIMMER WATCHED through the window of his shop until the Trouts were out of sight, then he hung a CLOSED sign on the door and went to his office behind the showroom. The documents and maps in his shop were actually overpriced prints of originals or low-end antiques for the tourist trade.

Brimmer picked up the phone and dialed a number from his Rolodex.

“Harvey Brimmer,” he said to the person at the other end of the line. “We talked a few days ago about a rare book. I’ve got some buyers interested in the same property. The price may go up. Yes, I can wait for your call. Don’t be too long.”