Once retired, he dedicated most of his spare time traveling to nearby towns in search of yard sales and flea markets that sold 'old junk' as Vincent would often joke. However, a lot of times the objects would be fully restored and later resold at the shop of antiques his grandfather owned and also used as storage for all the nick knacks he amassed during his scavenging hunts.
Other times, his neighbors would find out how adept he was at repairing just about anything, and therefore wasn't odd to come home and find on the porch, a fresh bowl of rice pudding or a homemade egg custard, gifted as a form of payment for fixing most of the neighborhood's aging water heaters and lawn mowers, among other things.
Due to the different upbringing Vincent received in comparison to most of the other kids from his neighborhood, his affinity developed a rare appreciation and oftentimes, a sort of fascination for anything belonging to another era. So much in fact he would often spend whole summers inside the shop, watching as his grandfather trifled with all sorts of artifacts and machines often confused as obsolete. The shop had its own unique charm; several of the bigger objects were found scattered, often misplaced by visiting patrons or forgotten by the temporary staff, while smaller ones such as books and magazines were found on wooden bookshelves that were arranged next to several paintings that hung along the walls. Overall, everything had its own smell too; a combined aroma of dust, rust and mothballs, something Vincent could never outgrow or be close to for too long, due to a threat of allergies.
Amongst some of the most recognizable items Vincent thought about and that were kept at the shop for keepsake, was a vintage phonograph from the 1870s. It was almost in mint condition and capable still at playing vinyl records, which of course the shop also carried a substantial collection. The majority being French and German, but oddly enough, Vincent's favorite belonged to a variety of Italian opera singers from the 20th century. Undoubtedly a very odd choice of music for a young adolescent, but as he figured it was the equivalent of listening to classical music.
In an opposite corner and inside a separate room and locked inside a tall wood and glass cabinet, several objects of value were kept as remembrance of the events that took place and the atrocities his grandfather had witnessed as a result. The most recognizable items in plain view included a Nazi sleeve band, several war medals, Nazi youth pamphlets and a series of rare coins belonging to the Third Reich. Despite lacking proof of legitimacy, Vincent knew deep inside they all had to be authentic because the material they were made from was worn out. The ribbons on some of the medals were torn, some stained and generally in a state of slow decay. Being that these items were also considered rare, Vincent was strictly forbidden from touching anything unless his purpose was to dust the glass and nothing else.
Much like his grandfather's accounts and anecdotes, the items under lock would represent a past undone, an era riddled by war and historical events that would change the world forever, which in turn also deserved a certain amount of respect and consideration for its proper preservation. Because of this, on some rare occasions his grandfather would refuse selling a certain item to anyone he judged indiscriminately and just as they were ready to pay, he would claim the item was no longer on sale, sometimes rudely taking the item from the costumer, claiming he had simply made a mistake.
Despite the odd outbursts on unsuspecting customers, Vincent always sensed that the antiques his grandfather claimed to have for sale, were in fact part of a bigger collection. Yet again, what Vincent didn't suspect was that everything on display at the shop was in fact a piece from a bigger puzzle hidden in plain sight.
It was through trials, several errors and tireless amounts of patience that Vincent would eventually develop a skill at identifying and cataloging certain unique parts often requiring a keen eye for precise details; such as micro engravings and other telltale signs that distinguished forgeries from real ones. One such example came during a routine sweep on a stormy afternoon, where he came across a 1900´s Black Herring Hall Marvin floor safe he couldn't remember noticing before. It was adorned hastily by the placement of a beige mantle and a Victorian style lamp that neither matched in color but managed to effectively hide the inconspicuous vault. Since he had never seen any of the items that were kept inside, his only assumption was that whatever had been kept locked must obviously be of a higher value.
Nevertheless, trying to open it seemed futile. The combination lock was impossible to guess and the whole thing seemed indestructible. To Vincent's credit however, his limited experience with locks and the awful condition of the safe reassured him that its contents could not be any more valuable than the actual safe itself and therefore tried ignoring it despite his impending curiosity. He was also aware not to disobey his grandfather and the rules he had set. His bad temper had the kind of effect that could instill fear, reassuring his grandson that in his house his word was law, especially with anything involving his private life and all of his collectibles.
The last section of the shop had a small office located close to the back entrance of the house. It was considered off limits to everyone because of the sensitivity of the items kept inside. Half of the room was covered from floor to ceiling with a reasonable number of newspaper clippings regarding the advances, tip offs and clues that several investigations had unraveled throughout the years in search of Nazi war criminals. One such being a dedicated team of investigators, historians and even secret Mossad agents who gained momentum in their search for high-ranking Nazi officers that were believed to be hiding throughout South America.
As the Nazi hunter's popularity grew, Vincent's grandfather's interest on the subject increased double fold, displaying his own contribution along the walls of that tiny room. Vincent took notice of his grandfather's organizational skills and quickly realized he knew more than he would let on. The extensive research included a thorough link analysis displaying all sorts of different colored strings attached to different photographs, several points of interest on different maps spanning voyages from Eastern Europe, Africa, all along towards South America. In order to achieve this, he had developed an elaborate profiling technique that included military and immigration records linked to known ratlines that would avoid detection by the allies as the Second World War came to an end.
He distinctly recalled how agitated his grandfather had become the day news broke out regarding the apprehension and speedy extradition of known Gestapo and SS officer Klaus Barbie, also known by survivor's accounts as The Butcher of Lyon. While in hiding, he wasn't just granted refuge by the current dictatorship of that country, but also enjoyed a high-ranking position within the Bolivian armed forces under a phony alias. The news had been so alarming throughout the immigrant community that several expats like his grandfather had gathered at the shop to discuss the details of the military operation that took place. So young at the time and somewhat naïve, Vincent had only seen history books and a few vintage LIFE magazines that oriented him with details of the war and the awful consequences the Nazi regime had on the rest of the world. His grandfather, Mr. Lorenzo Baroni, was among the few that survived the depths of that kind of hell.
As part of his return, he had also been planning a surprise gift for his grandfather´s upcoming 86th birthday. After several months of searching and contacting a series of strangers, a woman reached out to him claiming to have several antiques for sale. The circumstances seemed perfect, although they were located quite a distance away, the woman claimed she had no interest in keeping any of it because she was selling her house and would soon be moving overseas.
Vincent could only imagine the overwhelming process of emptying a house, which was probably what inspired her to sell or get rid of the majority of the furniture and several other personal effects. This in turn made the negotiation quite simple after the woman proposed that he make her an offer following an examination of a series of images attached to an email she had sent.
Since the collection of photos lacked quality, it was obvious to him that the owner of the camera had no clue on how to use it, let alone apply proper lighting techniques. Nevertheless, the best photo of all others showed a very large steamer trunk full of stuff that wasn't discernible because of the poor resolution. However, a strange shape turned out to be the silhouette of what looked like a "panzer" style helmet, followed by rolled up cloth that appeared to be a flag, as well as other items that definitely excited Vincent as he tried to zoom in for details of what those things could possibly be. Having no idea what a reasonable offer would be appropriate and given the trunk alone would be worth quite a bit, Vincent researched the style of steamer trunk and used that information as a starting point.
Although it had taken him quite a few summers to save up a small fortune in order to purchase the motorcycle of his dreams, the last-minute find was too good to pass up. The thought of seeing his grandfather's face the moment he opened the trunk was essentially what led Vincent to immediately reply to the email with an offer the seller could not refuse. However, because the trunk turned out to be bigger than initially thought, a moving truck had to be arranged to pick it up in a week's time. He assured Ms. Reichenbach that he would visit her to personally deliver the payment and this way, he would also take a closer look inside in order to confirm his own suspicions and certainty that he had struck gold.
Once again, restless and unable to sleep from the excitement built up at the thought of almost landing, he distracted himself by quickly leaving a voicemail on his grandfather's phone, letting him know of the road trip he planned and his excitement of almost being home. He found himself thinking back about the trip, for he had not been camping in such a long time and the thought of having to rely on basics such as fire for cooking and having to fetch water from a nearby river, were some of the things that he appreciated about spending his time outdoors.