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to be precise. He had several cases that came to trial at that time. Philadelphia and New York are about ninety miles apart. That’s about two-three days by coach, I think. It would mean an absence of at least a week. Burr just wasn’t absent from New York for a week. Hamilton was the delegate from New York. Hamilton and Burr were, ah, not the best of friends, even then.”
    â€œWell,” Nate said stubbornly, “I still say that if our experts have found the replacement Constitution isn’t a forgery, then it isn’t a forgery.”
    â€œI’m familiar with the game of ‘our experts are better than your experts,’ ” Ves said. “As a practicing private detective, I’ve played it in court many times. But isn’t this more a case of ‘our experts’ versus the laws of logic?”
    Nate shook his head. “There are more things under Heaven and Earth, I’m afraid, Amerigo Vespucci, than are allowed for under your laws of logic.”
    Ves shrugged. “We’ll see. I think we’ll start with your idea.”
    â€œThat’s fine,” Nate agreed. “What idea?”
    â€œThe idea that, whatever was done, it was done by a collector. Let’s ask around and find out if anyone has expressed an interest in collecting the Constitution.”
    â€œYou know, when you say it that way,” Nate said, “it sounds like a nutty thing to do.”
    â€œWe’ll try it anyway,” Ves said. “You know, rare book dealers, autograph places, museums, galleries, auction houses, like that. Someone was interested enough in the Constitution to steal it; maybe he expressed that interest to someone who’ll remember.”
    â€œSure,” Nate agreed. “We’ll go around asking dealers whether anyone’s made them an offer for the Constitution recently. You know—the one in Washington under glass.” Ves shrugged. “Worth a try.”

CHAPTER THREE
    At the seventh place they tried, they struck gold: Brown, Lupoff & Gilden, est. 1868: Rare Books, Manuscripts, Autographs, Coins, Stamps, and Personal Items of the Great, Important, Famous, Notorious, or Noteworthy, Bought & Sold; Appraisals Free; No Estate Too Small.
    Mr. Gilden himself helped them. A small man, thin and nervous-looking, with a dark moustache borrowed from a miniature walrus. He was, he assured them from behind the small dealer’s table, the fourth of that name in the firm. “My father, his father, and his uncle. The firm was originally called merely ‘Brown’s’, you know. Of course, it was a coffee shop then. Lupoff and Gilden used to meet there every second Sunday and hold an informal rare book and document auction. Gradually, the auctions became more important than the coffee. It’s in memory of this tradition that we always keep a pot of coffee brewing for our customers.”
    â€œWhat a nice tradition,” Nate said. “I’d like some coffee.”
    â€œIt’s fifty cents a cup,” Mr. Gilden told them.
    Ves pulled a dollar from his pocket. “My treat,” he said. “Could we get some information from you, Mr. Gilden?”
    â€œThat’s what I’m here for,” Gilden said. “One second!” He went off to a corner behind the long counter, and returned with three cups of coffee. “Now, what can I do for you? Cream or sugar?”
    â€œCream.”
    â€œBlack.”
    â€œGood, here.”
    â€œMr. Gilden, what we’d like to know is: has anyone approached you—your firm—with any unusual requests recently?”
    â€œThat’s my business, unusual requests,” Mr. Gilden told them. “A man wants a note from Dolly Madison to the White House butcher, and is willing to pay five hundred dollars: this isn’t an unusual request? Another man, he couldn’t care less about Dolly Madison, but a playbill autographed by Harry Lauder will drag a check of