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course,
the kids now don’t value these things. They want to get the place cleaned out
as quickly as possible. Turn it into condos.” He shook his head. “Montreal’s
always been an expensive city, but these speculators…they are making it ten
times worse.”
              Clifford
nodded. “It is the price you pay for being so fashionable.”
              Rene
laughed. “I will dress in overalls and a straw hat,” he said, “if it will keep
the prices down.” He had his keys in his hand. “Shall we take my car, or
yours?”
              “You
know where we’re going, so why don’t you drive?” Clifford said. He asked
Annette, “Have you ever driven in Montreal before?”
              She
shook her head. “No, it’s my first time here.”
              “You
take your life in your hands,” he said. “If you’re not a native, forget it.”
              “Ah,
I know all the short cuts,” Rene said. “I will keep us away from the traffic,
and you will be perfectly safe.”
              They
rode from Rene’s office into Old Montreal, a portion of the city filled with
impressive stone houses built during the city’s earliest days.
              “These
hills are crazy!” Annette said. She reached out to hold onto the door handle as
Rene angled the car up a steep slope.
              “You
should come here in the wintertime,” Rene replied. “Especially going down the
hills – it can be quite exciting.”
              “Maybe
we will do that,” Clifford said, looking at Annette with a smile. “It’s a
beautiful city to spend the holiday.”
              Annette
smiled prettily. Inside her mind was racing. It was very strange to hear
Clifford speaking about the two of them as ‘we’; obviously Rene thought of them
as a client and his assistant, but that wasn’t how Annette took it at all- in
her ears, Clifford was speaking as if they were an official couple.
              She
closed her eyes and shook her head a little bit. It was important that she was
clear headed and focused on the job at hand – assessing the paintings Clifford
was potentially interested in buying. He was counting on her to stop him from
making any bad purchases. She could worry about her love life later.
              The
building they stopped in front of looked like a castle. It had an octagonal
tower built in one corner and tall windows that were covered with ornate iron
bars.
              “They’re
going to turn this into condos?” Clifford said. “What a waste.”
              “I
know,” Rene said. He shrugged his shoulders. “But you cannot find the families
who want a big home like this anymore. Too much upkeep. Too much expense.” He
parked carefully in front of the home. “I am sure if you make an offer, you can
save it from being desecrated.”
              “Madison
would kill me,” Clifford replied. “It’s bad enough I collect the beautiful
paintings. If I start buying every beautiful building I see…” He shook his
head. “I don’t even want to think about what I’d hear.”
              “Women,”
Rene said with a laugh. “They don’t understand what it is to have a good
time.”   He led the way up the narrow
walk, through a pair of heavy double doors. “Most of what we’re going to want
to look at is right here on the first floor.”
              It
was obvious that they weren’t the first buyers to come into this property.
Annette could see spaces where furniture clearly had been; carpets were rolled
up and tagged, awaiting pickup.
              They
went through one large room and then another, stepping up through an archway
into a long, dark hallway. “There are three pieces here that perhaps will be of
interest,” Rene suggested.
              “The
lighting’s terrible,” Clifford said. “I don’t know that we’ll be able to