Page 12 - Demo

12 | November 2024
The Stone Detective
The Case of the Purple Marble Mayhem
Slippery Rock Gazette
PSA: Beware!
Continued from page 11
• Don’t leave any blank spaces on your checks – Write out the full amount in both numbers and words and draw a line through any remaining space. This prevents anyone from adding extra numbers or names to alter the check’s intended amount or payee.
• Look at your bank accounts often – (I look at mine everyday). A lot of times crooks will start out with a small amount to see if you notice. If you don’t then they get bigger and bolder with your inattention.
• Use secure check stock – Secure checks include multiple security features such as watermarks, micro-printing, security threads, and chemical-sensitive paper. These features make it harder for the bad guys to alter or counterfeit checks without detection.
• If you are expecting a check for some rea- son, check your mailbox frequently – Don’t let your mail sit there for days at a time. Plus, if you are going away, stop your mail at the post office or have a friend get your mail out of your mailbox.
If you are a business, ask your bank/credit union if they have positive pay or a similar system. It works by requiring businesses to provide their banks with a list of checks they have issued, including details such as check number, payee, and amount. When a check is presented for payment, the bank cross-refer- ences it against the list. If something doesn’t match up, the check is flagged for further verification or inspection.
The holidays are here. We are mailing things we wouldn’t normally mail and writ- ing checks we wouldn’t normally write, and the bad guys know it. This is prime time for them to take advantage of you. Just be care- ful and enjoy the holidays.
Please send your thoughts and comments on this article to Sharon Koehler at Sharonk. [email protected] .
IT
alarm clock. My head felt like it was still circling the baggage claim from the red- eye I took back from California the night before. I had just wrapped up an inspec- tion of a high-rise marble fiasco in L.A., and I was running on fumes. Half asleep, I stumbled into my usual detective getup and headed out the door. There was only one thing on my mind—getting to my fa- vorite greasy spoon diner for a cup of jo and a chance to swap a few words with Flo. She had a way of brightening up the darkest of mornings.
But as luck would have it, I barely got out the door when my phone rang. I fumbled for it, still half awake. “Stone Detective here,” I muttered, trying to sound alert, but not quite pulling it off.
The voice on the other end was all busi- ness, cold and steady, like something out of a Liam Neeson flick. For a second, I thought he was about to rattle off that speech about his special skills and how he would find me, and, well, you know the rest. Instead, he said he had a marble emer- gency. “We have purple stains appearing on a Bianco Rhino marble installation in the lobby of a hotel. We need you here—now.”
I rubbed my eyes and glanced at my watch. “I’ll head your way soon as I finish my breakfast,” I replied. You don’t rush a man when he’s halfway to a date with a fresh cup of coffee and a waitress with a smile.
By the time I rolled up to the hotel, the sun had barely pierced the clouds, cast- ing long shadows over the marble lobby.
Dr. Frederick M. Hueston, PhD
I was greeted by the hotel man- ager—a stiff guy in a three- piece suit who looked like he hadn’t cracked a smile since the stock market crash. He led me through the grand lobby, where pris- tine Bianco Rhino marble floors gleamed under the chandelier lights... except for a few spots where nasty purple stains had marred
the stone’s beauty.
“What do you think,
Detective? Ever seen anything like this?” The manager’s voice
was tense, desperate.
I knelt down, running my hand over the
stains. They weren’t superficial—these babies had seeped into the stone. I reached into my pocket for my loupe, examining the surface. It didn’t take long to recognize the familiar reddish undertones beneath the purple.
“I’ve seen it before,” I said, standing up and brushing off my knees. “Iron oxidation. Your marble’s got some iron in it, and once moisture gets in there, it’s like a time bomb. Rust starts to form, and in this case, it’s giv- ing off a nice purple hue.”
The manager looked puzzled. “But this is Bianco Rhino! It’s supposed to be high-quality marble!”
“Even the best marbles can have iron deposits,” I explained. “And when water finds its way in—be it from improper seal- ing, cleaning, or just the natural porosity of the stone—it reacts with the iron and, well,
was a cold and dreary morning as I
woke up to the grating sound of my
this is what you get. You ever notice how some old buildings have rusty streaks on their stone walls? Same deal here, just a different color.”
“So what do we do?” he asked, wringing his hands.
“Well, first things first—you’re gonna need to dry out the stone. The moisture is causing the oxidation, and if you don’t stop that, more stains are coming. Then you’ll need to treat the stone with a poultice to pull out the iron stains. After that, I’d sug- gest sealing the marble properly this time to prevent any future moisture from sneak- ing in.”
I could see the gears turning in the man- ager’s head, but the weight of the problem was clear on his face.
“I’ll get on it right away,” he said.
I tipped my hat and turned toward the door. “Make sure you use a proper stone sealer. You don’t want to see me back here again unless it’s for a cup of jo.”
The manager nodded, relief starting to replace the panic in his eyes.
As I stepped out into the chilly morn- ing air, I took a deep breath. Just another day solving mysteries in the world of mar- ble and stone. Another cup of coffee would be nice, but that would have to wait.
I checked my watch and smiled to myself. “Another case solved,” I muttered as I headed back toward my car, already pondering what the next call might bring.
The Stone Detective is a fictional character created by Dr. Frederick M. Hueston, PhD, written to entertain and educate. Dr. Fred has written over 33 books on stone and tile installations, fabrication and restoration and also serves as an expert for many legal cases across the world. Send your comments to [email protected].
“How do you tell a Communist? Well, it’s someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It’s someone who understands Marx and Lenin.”
– Ronald Reagan, 1987
“It is not in the nature of politics that the best men should be elected; the best men do not want to govern their fellowmen.”
– George MacDonald