“Hi, girls. Enjoying the workshop?” Ellie May crossed the road toward Nancy and the girls.
“You bet,” Bess enthused, smiling up at the tall woman. “It’s just great, and this whole place is so incredible.”
“The raku class is really cool,” George added. “And I couldn’t believe how much I learned just now, sitting in on Andrea’s demonstration. I’m really glad we came.”
Ellie May smiled benignly at Bess and George, then, shading her eyes, turned toward Nancy. “So, it turns out you and Theresa Kim are old friends. I didn’t realize that.”
The comment surprised Nancy. “I guess we are old friends, in a way. Our fathers are friends. We haven’t seen each other in years.” Nancy wondered why it mattered to the older potter.
“Do you know Theresa won a National Artisans Association grant for next year? She’s the youngest winner ever. She leapfrogged over all the rest of us old-timers. Caused quite a stir in the ceramics community.”
“She never even mentioned it,” Nancy said, impressed. “But we’ve barely had time to talk.”
“She’s so busy,” George interjected.
“That, too. But Theresa’s rather close-mouthed about her career. You’ll find she’s just full of surprises,” Ellie May concluded, then seemed to remember something. “In fact, have you read the article in Today’s Potter? Theresa got quite an interesting write-up there. You should read it. It’s in the library.”
“I will,” Nancy promised. “In fact, I might look at it now. I was heading in that direction anyway. After that demonstration I wanted to see what Andrea has on display in the store, and I thought I’d check her résumé.”
“That’s in the library, too. You can kill two birds with one stone, as they say.”
Or maybe three, Nancy thought suddenly. What better place than the East River Junction library to find more detailed information about ceramic forgeries. Theresa didn’t want Ellie May to know about the shards, but it couldn’t hurt to feel out the older potter to get her input on the scam. “I was checking raku online the other night,” Nancy started, “when I came across a web site called buyersbeware.com. I found out that lots of fake ceramic pieces have been hitting the collectibles market.”
“Oh, that!” Ellie May gave a small grunt of disgust. “Isn’t it awful? Everyone’s talking about it, but who’s doing anything about it?” she asked hotly, her drawl becoming more pronounced the more emotional she grew. “That’s what I’d like to know.” She cast an apologetic glance at Nancy. “Sorry, but that kind of cheating gets me positively hot under the collar. We’re pretty honest, hardworking folks in general, Nancy.”
“I know that, Ellie May,” Nancy said. “And I hope whoever’s behind this gets caught and gets exactly what’s coming to them.”
“Don’t count on it,” Ellie May warned grimly. “Forgers are not just good cheats; they’re generally very clever at covering their tracks.”
Nancy couldn’t agree more. “So I guess it’s off to the library to look up that article now.”
“I’m heading in that direction myself,” Ellie May said.
As Ellie May led the girls down a dirt path, Bess said, “You must have trouble keeping up with your own work. I haven’t seen you at the pottery studio these two days.”
Ellie May lifted her eyebrows. “I play catch-up with my own work after hours. I’ve been at my wheel long past your bedtime.”
“I’ve noticed lots of people work late in the pottery studios,” Nancy said casually. “Your assistants Michael and David were there late last night.”
“Did they pull an all-nighter? I saw them this morning early when I went jogging,” George contributed.
Ellie May shrugged. “Don’t rightly know. I was in and out myself. Like the rest of us, they snatch any time they can to do their work.” Turning toward Nancy again, Ellie May said, “Funny, I thought you’d be at the bonfire last night, not at the pottery studio. Did the clay bug bite you that hard?”
“No.” Nancy managed a laugh, then quickly improvised. “I lost an earring during the workshop yesterday.”
“Did you find it? In the dark?” Ellie May asked, looking at the gold studs in Nancy’s ears.
“No. As you said, it was dark,” Nancy answered. Did Ellie May know about her meeting with Theresa? Had one of her assistants seen Nancy around the studio?
“It wasn’t against village rules or anything for Nancy to be there, was it?” Bess asked.
Ellie May laughed. “Of course not. It’s just that it can be dangerous creeping around pottery yards at night in the dark. Anyway, girls, this is where I leave you. Enjoy the library, and don’t forget that article about Theresa. I think it will be very enlightening!” With that, Ellie May jauntily walked away.
“What were you really doing at the pottery studio last night?” Bess prodded Nancy.
“Yeah, Nan, all we know is, you went to meet Theresa about some really hush-hush problem. Then you took off to River Heights this morning to go to the museum. I sense a mystery in the air,” George said.
“And don’t try to keep it from us,” Bess warned playfully.
Nancy threw her hands up. “Okay, guys. I get it. You’re feeling left out, but only because I haven’t had a chance to let you in on what’s happened.” Then Nancy told them everything.
“Have you told Theresa what Mr. Darien said about the shards?” Bess asked as they walked into the curator’s cottage.
As they stopped to sign the register of visitors in the hall outside the library, Nancy shook her head. “I had only one chance, but I forgot. I’ll talk to her this evening. Meanwhile, maybe you guys can help.”
“You want me to stake out the pottery studio after dark,” George suggested eagerly.
“No.” Nancy laughed softly as they walked into the library. A couple of women Nancy recognized from Meadow House were at the card catalog.
“Why don’t you and George look through some general craft magazines to see if you can turn up anything useful about counterfeiting, while I check out Andrea’s résumé, and then look at Today’s Potter.”
The girls split up, and Nancy quickly located the latest issue of Today’s Potter, then picked up a loose-leaf binder with Junction residents’ résumés.
Against the wall, next to the desk, Nancy saw a glass-front cabinet. A small sign inside the locked door read, Raku by Junction Staff. Nancy stopped to look at the display. Each shelf held the work of a different artist. The bottom shelf was full of sturdy-looking tea bowls. They were Danny’s. Their casual, almost careless quality was appealing. Danny had even left the indentations where his thumbs had held the wet clay. But his raku pieces didn’t even remotely resemble the thick-walled but refined forged raku piece Nancy had left with Mr. Darien.
Nancy proceeded to the alcove table where Bess and George were already seated, wondering if Danny had the touch to pull off the raku fakes. After seeing this small display of Danny’s work, Nancy had her doubts.
After a few minutes of quiet reading, George whistled softly under her breath. “Hey, Nancy, look at this.” She shoved a magazine across the mahogany table.
Nancy looked first at the spread that featured ornate silver tureens, as well as less showy pewterware. The headline read: “So You Want to Fake It?” When she saw the byline, her jaw dropped. “Jonathan wrote this?”
“Jonathan Walton himself,” George confirmed. “I’ve already skimmed it. It points out all the mistakes counterfeiters make when they try to imitate colonial metalwork.”
“Does everyone around here know all the tricks of the trade?” Bess remarked, peering over Nancy’s shoulder at the article.
“It sort of makes sense,” Nancy mused, turning the page and smiling slightly at the photo of Jonathan. He exuded the same combination of arrogance and cockiness that was at the same time appealing and off-putting.
George took back the magazine. “I guess he has a right to look smug. He seems to be a real expert in the field of identifying forgeries.”
Nancy finished reading Andrea’s résumé. She couldn’t really tell much from it, except that Andrea had gone to Cranbrook, one of the most prestigious design schools in the country.
Next Nancy looked at Today’s Potter. She found the article on Theresa under a monthly feature called “Up and Comings.” The opening paragraph introduced Theresa as one of the leaders of a new generation of potters championing highly crafted, controlled, and refined work. “Tradition,” the article went on, “is wedded seamlessly to a sense of the modern. This is no surprise, considering this ceramicist’s background. Theresa Kim’s expertise is not limited to the making of her wares; she can boast of a thorough education in and understanding of clay formulation and chemistry, as well as an internship during her college years, at the Boston Center for Far Eastern Studies in their restoration and conservation department.”
Nancy reread that passage and shook her head in disbelief. No wonder Theresa did such a fine job putting together those shards. She had far more expertise than she had claimed. Why hadn’t she mentioned her internship to Nancy? Nancy suddenly felt heartsick. Could it be Theresa was somehow involved in the scam? After all, raku pieces weren’t the only ones being forged. Mr. Darien had reminded Nancy that all sorts of phony antique Korean and Chinese ceramics were hitting the market.
“Nancy!” Bess’s cry cut in on Nancy’s thoughts.
Nancy looked up. Bess had moved to the window seat nestled in the alcove. Next to her was a stack of oversize art books. She had a particularly thick one opened in front of her on the seat. “Nancy, didn’t you say that all sorts of Asian ceramics are being forged?”
“Sure. Why?” Nancy asked as she and George got up to see what Bess was pointing at. Nancy looked at the title: Far Eastern Ceramics.