lallis_folly | Prologue To A(n in-progress) Highlander / Earth: Final Conflict Crossover

It was the car that she noticed first. Low-slung, black, convertible. Parked directly in front of the shop, so there was no doubt where the driver could be found. Tessa frowned. She didn't recognize the car, so it wasn't one of their regular customers. She debated going around the back with her portfolio, but curiosity got the better of her.

As she approached the front of the shop, the door opened. A very fashionably dressed dark-haired woman walked out, facing away from Tessa as she called a farewell over her shoulder, presumably to Duncan in the shop. Her short skirt and very tall heels made her legs impossibly long. Tessa finally caught sight of her face as she turned toward the car. She was young, quite pretty...and Tessa recognized her immediately. Vera Rizzori. Her father Vincenzo was well-known in the antiques world as someone who was...less than careful about the provenance of the items he offered for sale. And knowing his own reputation, Vincenzo had started sending his pretty young daughter to make deals on his behalf.

Just as she was getting into her car, Vera saw Tessa and tossed her a sunny smile. "Tessa! Ciao!"

As much as she might not like Vincenzo Rizzori, as far as she knew Vera was not involved in her father's shady dealings -- other than as a sort of decoy -- and it cost nothing to be polite. So, "Ciao, Vera," Tessa called, crossing the street toward the shop, and smiling back.

With a cheery wave, Vera drove off. Tessa allowed the smile to drop from her face. She entered the shop to find Duncan standing behind the discreet desk where they conducted business with their clients. Sitting on the desk before him was a pair of small statuettes made of some glossy black material with glowing gemstones -- real emeralds and rubies, if Tessa was any judge -- for eyes. They looked pre-Columbian. Tessa's frown returned.

MacLeod and Noël Antiques was not a junk shop. Tessa and Duncan dealt in the rare and expensive, as anyone walking casually into their shop could tell from the care with which the array of display cabinets was arranged -- more like a museum than a store. Their clientele was exclusive, and their wares commanded exclusive prices. And they were very, very careful that said wares were acquired through legal means.

"Please tell me, Duncan MacLeod, that you did not just buy those from Vincenzo Rizzori's daughter."

"Tessa!" Duncan came out from behind the desk and, being careful of her portfolio, swept her into his arms, giving her a very thorough kiss. "How was your meeting?"

"Fine," she responded. "And you're not getting off the hook that easily. Did you buy those figures from Vera?"

He had the grace to look a little guilty. "She assured me that they weren't stolen."

"And you believed her?" Tessa shook her head. "I did not think you were as gullible as all that, Mac. You know her father better than that."

"Yeah," Duncan said, "but this wasn't Vincenzo. This was Vera."

"Oh, Mac," Tessa said with a click of her tongue. "That's exactly why it was Vera." She moved to the desk and leaned her portfolio against it, taking one of the statues -- the emerald-eyed one -- in her hands. It was surprisingly heavy and felt almost warm. "They're odd little things."

"It's great workmanship," Duncan said quickly. "I thought they'd look great with the tribal masks."

"They're not African," Tessa said. "If Vera told you they were...."

"Actually, she said that they were from Peru by way of a distant conquistador ancestor of hers, handed down in the family for generations. The Rizzori family has only recently come to Italy."

Tessa slanted a look at him. In MacLeod terms, that could mean anything. "How recently?"

"Oh, about three hundred years ago."

"And they're selling their family heirlooms why?"

Duncan shrugged. "Vera said her father was cleaning out the attic."

Tessa sighed and put the figurine down. "You're going to have to make some calls. You need to make sure that no one is missing these before we can put them in the shop."

"Maybe I'll just keep them." Duncan gave her his best smile, the one he used when he was being deliberately charming, trying to convince her of something. Usually it was that he hadn't purchased yet another sword. He was entirely too fascinated by them.

Tessa narrowed her eyes. "Make the calls, anyway, Mac. We can't afford -- no, you can't afford the kind of scrutiny that we would come under if Vera got some of the details wrong. And you know it."

Duncan raised his hands in surrender. "All right, all right. I'll see what I can find out. In the meantime, I'll just put them in the back."

"That will be fine," Tessa said, relieved that Duncan was going listen to her. He usually did, but sometimes he would get on his high horse and act as though he knew better than she did simply because he was three hundred and sixty-some odd years older than she was.

And it often happened around pretty young girls.

Tessa knew that she didn't have anything to worry about in that regard, but you'd think that being immortal would have taught him to see through Vincenzo Rizzori's obvious ploy. Apparently even centuries of experience couldn't teach some men....

Still, the figurines were interesting. They didn't look entirely like the typical pre-Columbian art that she had seen before. On the other hand, she was hardly an expert. She wondered if Duncan would know anyone would might have more...experience in the matter, someone that could identify them so that if they did end up for sale in the shop, they could be properly labeled. Or if Duncan might even have been to Peru at some time or another. She'd have to ask at some point.

"I'm going to go get changed and do some work before dinner," she announced. "And you," she added, kissing Duncan quickly, "are going to start making phone calls."

She caught up her portfolio and headed into the back part of the building. As she went, she could hear Duncan dialing the phone, and she smiled.