Single Dad Helps Old Lady Mow Her Lawn, Soon Gets a Call from Her Lawyer

cafe in town. Despite his unease he was curious about why Tim wanted to see him. His confusion grew when he arrived and saw Mrs. McAllisters son Henry seated at a table with the man who had to be Tim.
Henry glared at him when Felix joined them. Im going to cut to the chase Felix. A precious heirloom has gone missing from my mothers house a small box with some dials on the lid. You were the last person in her house and I wanted to give you a chance to do the right thing.
You think I stole from your mother? Felix yelled. Mrs. McAllister gave the box to me as thanks for cutting her grassa chore you shouldve done for her!
Mom would never have given you that box! Henry stabbed his finger in Felixs direction. It belonged to my greatgreatgrandfather a wellknown politician who commissioned it from a famous artisan! Its one of only two in the world! Youre going to return the box to me and Ill give you 1000 for it. Deal?
No. Felix stood. Youre welcome to join the bidding when I put it up for auction. Goodbye Henry.
The next day Felix went to a local auction house to have the box appraised. An earnest man with a snooty accent called Mr. Whitaker invited him into a back room for the appraisal. They were joined by a woman called Ellen.
I can immediately verify that the craftsmens mark on the underside is authentic Mr. Whitaker said. That means this is quite a notable piece sir. One of only two in the world.
Ellen leaned over to study the box. That is quite lovelymay I see your provenance documentation?
Excuse me? Felix asked.
A muscle twitched in the womans cheek. You need to provide a certificate of authentication or any verifiable document that proves the artifacts authenticity and your ownership.
UhI left all that stuff at home Felix lied. He didnt like the turn this appraisal had taken. He took the box from the table and moved toward the door. Ill fetch it and be right back.
We cant let you do that. Ellen sidestepped to block his path to the door.
We are obliged to notify the authorities of anyirregularities concerning items tied to historical figures.
Felix panicked. He dodged around the woman and Mr. Whitaker and rushed into the hallway. He reached the reception area just as an alarm started blaring.
Felix felt like he was back on his high school football field as he dodged and slipped past guards who hurried to stop him. One caught hold of his arm but he jerked free and raced out of the building and onto the street. He ran from there until his legs felt like jelly.
Felix paced his sitting room as he pondered his next move. He needed to sell the box to invest in Suzies future but he couldnt do that without some kind of paperwork.
He wished he could ask Mrs. McAllister about it. Shed know exactly what documents he needed to prove provenance and probably be able to provide them too. Felix paused as he realized there might be a way to sell the box. It wasnt something he wanted to do but he had no other choice.
Felix selected some useful items from his toolboxes and then fetched his boltcutter from the garage. After Suzie went to bed that night Felix crept out and broke into Mrs. McAllisters house to search for the documents he needed.
A chill went down Felixs spine as he stepped into Mrs. McAllisters bedroom. It still smelled like her in here. Looking through her personal space felt creepy and invasive