Chapter 9 - My Father Hid the Envelope Because He Didn’t Know Who Else Was Involved
Victor’s handwritten notes explained why he never confronted Marco publicly.
He discovered the substitution late.
By then Marco controlled much of the collection’s records.
Victor feared evidence could disappear.
He also suspected someone inside the restoration company had helped.
Possibly an auction intermediary.
Possibly more than one person.
So he began reconstructing the history quietly.
He made copies.
Photographed identifying marks.
Tracked transport invoices.
Then he needed somewhere Marco would never search.
The astronomical clock.
At that time, Victor had already agreed to sell it abroad.
A massive antique moving out of the country sounded like a terrible hiding place.
That was precisely why it worked.
Marco managed paperwork.
But the clock itself was sealed for transport before he could fully inspect it.
Victor apparently believed he would recover the packet later through the buyer.
Then the buyer died unexpectedly.
The collection dispersed.
The clock moved.
Victor lost track of it.
His insurance and legal files show repeated attempts to locate it over the next decade.
He never succeeded.
Until shortly before his death.
That was why he drew the lion-and-three-stars seal in Camilla’s notebook.
He had finally learned the clock might return to auction in America.
He was dying.
He did not know whether I would find it in time.
So he gave the smallest person in our family one simple instruction she could remember.
May you like
If you see this seal, give it to Dad. Never Marco.
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