Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Colorblind In Philadelphia
    Colorblind In Philadelphia
    Colorblind In Philadelphia
    Ebook178 pages2 hours

    Colorblind In Philadelphia

    By Evelyn Saunders

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    The historic and picturesque environs of Philadelphia are the backdrop to COLORBLIND IN PHILADELPHIA. The plot revolves around the theft of a rare alexandrite ring from Lenore VanBuren's booth in an antiques show held in a posh center city hotel.

    An alexandrite exhibits a change of color under different light sources. That characteristic, as well as the actions of a pseudo gemologist, a beautiful woman and a colorblind man, complicates the journey Lenore takes to try to recover the gemstone.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherEvelyn Saunders
    Release dateOct 8, 2012
    ISBN9780615716558
    Colorblind In Philadelphia
    Author

    Evelyn Saunders

    Evelyn Saunders is an artist and a writer who has published in a variety of mediums, including magazines and newspapers. Mary Kane is an artist, published poet, a graduate of Gemological Institute of America, and for decades an antiques dealer specializing in jewelry

    Related to Colorblind In Philadelphia

    Related ebooks

    Mystery For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Traveler

      Oct 1, 2020

      The Traveler
      7 min read

    • Article

      Dark DEEDS

      Feb 3, 2021

      Dark DEEDS
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Bad Housekeeper

      Jul 17, 2020

      The Bad Housekeeper
      5 min read

    • Article

      Decluttering

      Dec 9, 2020

      Decluttering
      6 min read

    • Article

      Getting To Know Eddie

      Mar 4, 2022

      Getting To Know Eddie
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Traveler

      Nov 1, 2020

      The Traveler
      9 min read

    • Article

      The plot THICKENS

      Aug 3, 2022

      The plot THICKENS
      8 min read

    • Article

      All My Tomorrows

      May 10, 2022

      It was Misha’s first day minding the shop, and already she’d broken the fifth rule. Always lock the door immediately. When you had the most valuable merchandise in the universe, you had to take the utmost precautions. She hadn’t meant to disobey. It

      13 min read

    • Article

      Mr Fabulous

      Apr 5, 2022

      Mr Fabulous
      6 min read

    • Article

      Lady with A LUTE

      Jul 27, 2022

      Lady with A LUTE
      9 min read

    • Article

      The real THING

      Jul 28, 2021

      The real THING
      6 min read

    • Article

      Make A Stand

      Jan 17, 2024

      Make A Stand
      6 min read

    • Article

      Fabulous Frederic

      Oct 1, 2023

      MY SHOW WAS terrific—right up until the last trick. I had a wooden stage, a top hat, and my uncle Herbert’s wand. I pulled quarters out of kids’ ears and a stuffed rabbit out of my hat. I read my brother Theodore’s mind. I made a stream of colored co

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Parting Shot

      May 8, 2020

      The Parting Shot
      5 min read

    • Article

      Forging a FUTURE

      Sep 28, 2021

      Forging a FUTURE
      12 min read

    • Article

      We Don't Talk About That Here

      Nov 4, 2021

      We Don't Talk About That Here
      4 min read

    • Article

      Getting Up

      Oct 15, 2022

      Getting Up
      20 min read

    • Article

      Telltale SIGNS

      Oct 18, 2023

      Telltale SIGNS
      8 min read

    • Article

      A Nest Of VIPERS

      Jan 25, 2023

      A Nest Of VIPERS
      9 min read

    • Article

      The heartbeat OF PARIS

      Apr 24, 2024

      The heartbeat OF PARIS
      9 min read

    • Article

      No spring CHICKEN

      May 31, 2023

      No spring CHICKEN
      3 min read

    • Article

      Oak Apple DAY

      May 18, 2022

      Oak Apple DAY
      6 min read

    • Article

      Mirror Mirror

      Nov 24, 2020

      Mirror Mirror
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Girl on THE MOON

      Mar 10, 2021

      The Girl on THE MOON
      8 min read

    • Article

      Chop-chop

      Feb 6, 2020

      Chop-chop
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Little BALLERINA

      Aug 5, 2020

      The Little BALLERINA
      6 min read

    • Article

      Stump Of The World

      Dec 5, 2023

      At the stop sign before the library, Emma saw Gallo painting his yellow line as he had painted it for thirty years. The line highlighted a ten-foot-long crack in the road, a rogue speed bump that, unpainted, might do some damage to your car or your n

      18 min read

    • Article

      Dark DEEDS

      Jan 20, 2021

      Dark DEEDS
      9 min read

    • Article

      Hitting a SOUR NOTE

      Sep 22, 2021

      Hitting a SOUR NOTE
      3 min read

    • Article

      Every CLOUD

      Aug 31, 2022

      Every CLOUD
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Colorblind In Philadelphia

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Colorblind In Philadelphia - Evelyn Saunders

      CHAPTER ONE

      Terry Prescott had found the perfect scam. It sat in front of him on a rickety card table in the form of a rare six carat alexandrite ring. With money from the sale of the ring he could finally set himself up in business as a professional gemologist. The fact that the ring belonged to a friend didn’t bother him. Never let friendship get in the way of making a buck, was his motto.

      He reexamined the alexandrite through his microscope and whistled softly as it came back into focus. It was perfect, with no stratification that he could see, even at high magnification. If it came from Russia, as he was sure it did, it was worth a fortune, an absolute fortune. The stone showed the finest colors available in a natural alexandrite. It changed from raspberry red under artificial light to an intense green in daylight.

      Terry slumped back in his rickety chair with a satisfied smile and absently chewed on a broken thumbnail. The ring he had just identified was one of the most beautiful gems he had ever seen. Now if he could just work a little magic and convince Ed Mosley, the owner, that the ring was a practically worthless synthetic, Terry would then offer to buy it from him. Ed was such a wimp that he wouldn’t have the guts to question it.

      In the same city where tourists were wearing the patina off the Liberty Bell, Terry sat in his bedroom, drumming his stubby fingers on the card table that served as a desk to hold his microscope and gemstone property chart. Pictures of beautiful jewelry torn from magazines were tacked to the faded green walls in an attempt to make the room look like an office. It was hard to ignore the unmade bed in the corner or the acrid smell of cigarette ashes. Or the sound of a baby crying in the apartment next door.

      Terry stood up and went into the living room, where Ed was nervously straightening out a pile of tattered magazines. Someone in an attempt at humor had nailed a sign reading Waiting Room above Ed’s head, and someone else had scrawled Abandon hope all you who enter here on the wall beneath the sign.

      Come here, Ed, I’m afraid I have some bad news for you.

      Ed, who already had a feeling that he’d made a mistake asking Terry to identify the ring, laid a magazine neatly on top of the pile.

      What’s wrong? he jumped up. His glasses had slipped and he pushed them up on his short upturned nose.

      Terry, back at the microscope, looked up at him.

      Tell me again where you got the idea this is a valuable ring?

      Ed sighed. "I told you, my Great Aunt Margaret’s brother gave it to her years ago. He had something to do with the jewelry business. He said that it was extremely valuable and advised her to hang on to it.

      He evidentially got it for a song during the Depression.

      My father is furious that she left it to me, not to him."

      He grabbed Terry’s arm. Why, what’s the matter?

      Terry leaned back in his chair. Well, my friend, I’m afraid you’ve been mislead. What you have is an imitation alexandrite, a synthetic spinel. It’s the only synthetic that looks like the real McCoy with the same color change as a natural alexandrite, red and green. He shook his head.

      Unfortunately it’s worth zilch compared to a natural alexandrite."

      Ed’s face grew paler. What? That can’t be, you must have tested it wrong ! The ring is worth a fortune, I’m sure it is. He slammed his soda down on a splintered bookcase. Maybe you need more gemology courses,

      Terry clenched his teeth. He was tired of people questioning his authority. He walked over to Ed and punched him in the arm.

      Sorry to be the one to tell you. Buddy. Seems you’re not going to be rich after all. Your great aunt’s brother sure pulled the wool over her eyes. And yours, too, he added.

      Ed groaned as nausea hit him. He’d been so convinced that the ring was his ticket to freedom from living and working with his father. He’d been looking at apartment listings in the paper.

      Now, just like that, his future had disappeared before it arrived. Of all the rotten luck. Wait till his father heard! He’d laugh like hell.

      Terry, weighing his words said, Ed, I have a idea. I feel really bad about this. I know how much you were counting on the money. He stroked his ragged mustache. I have a suggestion that might help you out. That’s why I did this identification free, he reminded Ed. I even took off from work, you know. The fact that he hardly ever worked seemed beside the point.

      I know you did, and I appreciate it. Ed cracked his knuckles and sat down heavily on the edge of the bed.

      Ok, let’s hear your idea.

      Terry leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette.

      He squinted through the smoke at Ed. A ray of sun found its way between the streaks on the window, bounced off his dark hair and rested on the shoulder of his sweater, the one he’d bought because it was his favorite color – money. I’d be willing to buy the ring from you, he said. Take it off your hands.

      Ed looked at him sharply. Buy it? Why would you buy it if it’s no good? And, by the way, what is it worth?

      I didn’t say it’s no good. I just said that it isn’t a genuine alexandrite. It’s only worth about fifteen hundred dollars.

      Ed kicked a small stool near the bed. Damn it, just my luck! He looked at Terry suspiciously. "But I don’t understand why you would want to buy it.

      What would you do with it?"

      Terry grinned. Well, you see, there’s a woman I’m crazy about – she has a body by Fisher and brains by Mattel. She’s wild about rubies, she has her heart set on one she saw in the showcase at Jared.

      Exhaling slowly, he stubbed out his cigarette in an empty tuna can. But I’d like to buy her something that would impress her. I think a nice large red ring like this would do the trick.

      Mm, I don’t know. He had never trusted Terry in high school and he wasn’t sure he could trust him now. And don’t forget, it’s not always a red ring. Sometimes its green.

      It’s red at night when I see her.

      What is she, a vampire? Ed grinned, forgetting his own problems for a minute.

      Come on, aren’t we friends? I’ll give you a fair price. Terry smiled. You can trust me.

      I don’t know, I’m desperate for money and I want to get the most I can get. I just need to…. He turned abruptly.

      No, no, I can’t. Terry This is really important to me. I think I’m going to give it to an antiques dealer friend of mine, Lenore VanBuren. I’ll ask her to sell it for me at a show she’s doing at the Sheraton in Society Hill. It’s the ritziest show of the year. Lots of monied people come to it. I think she can get the best price for me, even though it’s not as valuable as I thought. He shrugged. I’m sorry, but more people will see it at the show and Lenore would have a better chance of selling it.

      Terry was silent. He was so sure this would go his way that it felt like Ed had betrayed him.

      Ed wandered over to a window, leaned his short, slender body against the frame and looked down through the broken blind at the traffic on Lombard Street. A girl wearing black and white was walking a Dalmatian, while two young boys on red bikes raced by. Directly across the street an old woman leaned out of the window and shook a dusty rug. He seemed to forget that Terry was there as he nervously pushed his fingers through his thick sandy hair.

      You know my father had a fit when he discovered that I was getting the ring, he said softly. "He always thought it would be left to him. I think he was planning a trip to the casinos in Atlantic City with the money he got from the ring. That’s probably why Aunt Margaret left it to me. She knew he had a problem.

      They never had money to pay bills."

      His dark eyes narrowed. It’s really ironic that her insurance money helped him to open his own store.

      He stared at the floor and said in a whisper, He was always so secretive about her death, never wanted to talk about what happened or why. And I was only fourteen…so what could I do?

      Terry stared at him. You really don’t like him, do you?

      Would you?

      No, I guess not. Terry had met Henry twice and didn’t like him. This new information only reinforced his dislike. But he wasn’t going to let his feelings get in the way of his scheme. So Ed had a rough childhood. Didn’t we all?

      The two men were silent for a moment.

      I’m sorry, Terry, but I’m desperate. I have to get my hands on some money. I’m twenty eight and sick of living at home.

      Terry glared at him, his mouth pinched up in disapproval. You won’t get beans for it at a show.

      He walked over and laid a hand across Ed’s shoulder.

      Tell you what, buddy, I’ll give you two thousand dollars.

      No, I told you I’ve made up my mind. I’m definitely going to give it to Lenore. I think she can get more than two thousand, even though it’s not nearly as valuable as I thought.

      Between clenched teeth Terry said, Then take the damn ring and get out of here. Stupid jerk to turn down Terry Prescott.

      The tic at the edge of Ed’s right eye was dancing as he grabbed his windbreaker, shoved the ring in his pocket and headed out of the apartment, frowning at the miniscule bathroom where a wet brown towel curled up in the corner like a bedraggled puppy. Ed’s stomach turned.

      You never knew what was going on in Terry’s mind and it was better to not hang around to find out.

      Terry realized that he would have to come up with another way to get his hands on the alexandrite.

      CHAPTER TWO

      The telephone rang as Lenore VanBuren turned up the thermostat in her antiques shop. Even on this late April morning it was chilly.

      Good Morning, Phoenix Antiques.

      Lenore? The man’s voice was shaky. It’s Ed, Ed Mosely. Can I talk to you for a minute?

      She had so much to do and Ed always had a problem. She forced herself to listen even though she knew it would be more than a minute.

      Oh, hi, Ed. You’ve been depressed, I know. Are you feeling any better now?

      The grandfather clock struck ten as she looked around her shop at the bags and boxes waiting to be unpacked from her last show. She ached to get started.

      Ed sighed I’m not sure. I felt better for a while but I’m in the pits again. Wait till I tell you what happened to me.

      It was Lenore’s turn to sigh. I’m so busy right now. I just got back from…

      Lenore, this will only take a second.

      In addition to unpacking from the last show Lenore needed to get ready for her next show…coming up this weekend. She took a deep breath.

      All right, but I only have a second.

      "Over the weekend I picked up a ring that was left to me by my Aunt Margaret. It’s an alexandrite set in platinum. At least that’s what I was told.

      Can you imagine? Wait till you see it. It’s a knockout even though it isn’t worth as much as I thought at first."

      I haven’t seen an alexandrite for years and never outside a museum. But why do you think it’s not worth much? She sat down at her desk and reached for paper and pencil. She doodled smiling faces all over the paper. It was going to be a long day.

      "Yesterday I took it to my friend, Terry Prescott.

      I don’t remember if I ever mentioned him to you, but I went to high school with him.

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1