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One thing about the affable and mostly absent Mr. Dubonnet—healwaysmade it home for the holidays.

In fact, Mrs. Dubonnet was saying something along those very lines. “Edgar did love his mincemeat pies. Not so many people do nowadays.”

“I prefer pecan,” Andy admitted. “What did Edgar do again?”

“He was in sales.” Mrs. Dubonnet smiled reminiscently. “He used to joke he was the last of the traveling salesmen.”

Andy’s smile froze.

Through no fault of his own, indeed, through a ludicrous series of events, your uncle acquired something that belongs to me…

He said in a voice that did not sound like his own, “Sales. Right. I remember. What was the name of the company he worked for?”

“Bantam Imports. They sell holiday trinkets and ornaments. Pretty little things but cheaply made. Not durable.” She shook her head. “He’d talk your uncle into buying something now and then, but I know Cutty only bought things to make Edgar feel good.”

Andy said automatically, “That sounds like Uncle C.”

He must have had a peculiar expression because after a moment, she clucked kindly and patted his arm.

“You get on your way now, Andy. You’re going to catch cold standing in the snow. When you see Cutty, give him my love.”

Andy pulled himself together. “Will do. If he’s up to having visitors tomorrow, would you like me to take you by the hospital?”

Mrs. Dubonnet’s whole face lit up. “That would bewonderful!”

“Are you kidding me?” Quinn laughed. “Mr. Dubonnet?”

Andy had phoned Quinn on his way to the hospital. Quinn had sounded a little distant when he’d picked up, but he was his usual self now.

“Yep. He died in October, which is why no one knew what had become of that last shipment of snow globes.”

“Whatdidhappen to them?”

“It appears Uncle C. sold them off, one by one.”

“You’re telling me that at this very minute some kid somewhere is playing with a cheap snow globe full of alexandrite?”

“Is that what the gemstones are?”

“That’s the prevailing theory. I’m on the other line with my old boss right now.”

“Oh, right! Sorry. I don’t want to keep you.”

“Yeah, I got the message.” Quinn’s tone was… Wry? Derisive? Obviously, he was kidding, but was the joke on Andy or himself?

“I just thought I’d better fill you in. Honestly, I’d started thinking maybe Fleur was involved.”

“Fleur?”

“I know. But she lived in New York before she came back here and married Clark. And she did own a gift shop for a few years that only recently went under.Andshe’s been hanging around Time in a Bottle trying to convince Uncle C. to take her and Clark on as partners.”

“My money would have been on Clark.”

Of course, they both knew where Quinn’s figurative money had really been placed, and it turned out to have been as off-base as Andy’s suspicions of Fleur.

“You hinted at something before. Why Clark?” Andy asked.

Quinn hesitated, then said, “I never told you this, but way back when I was a menace to society, I ran into Clark while he was pulling a little B and B.”