in the beginning...part 1

Where to begin? Let's catch everyone up, shall we? I'm finishing up a bottle of wine, so feel free to join me.
I bought a dresser that needed some TLC on EBay a couple months ago. The dresser happened to be in a town a couple hours away where a long lost Uncle of mine lived. I had never met him, but when my mother was on her deathbed, she encouraged me to seek out any family I may have...even if it meant on my father's side. I dabble with the idea of contacting him.
I'm getting ready to pick up the dresser and I meet a really cute guy named Jack who is just a sweetheart. It also turns out that Jack (or Jack's sister, Lily) is the seller of the dresser I am picking up. They have it stored at Jack's house that he recently inherited from his uncle. It's a small world.
Jack and I continue our relationship in the following weeks. And let's not forget that my newly acquired/found dog, Benson, thinks Jack is the best thing since bacon.
Sound like a fairytale? This is where it gets sticky.

I finally meet my uncle and he seems nice enough and tells me how amazing my mother and runaway father were. I plan to meet him at his house the following week and perhaps introduce him to Jack.
When I drive to my Uncle's house I can't believe where it's located. You drive past a sweet little cottage before you see my Uncle's mega mansion. The cottage belongs to Jack. Let me clarify.
My Uncle owns the main house of an estate and Jack owns what used to be the gardener's cottage.
I tell my Uncle of the amazing coincidence and he tells me to "watch out for those people." He warns me that Jack's uncle was caretaker of the entire estate and he is sure that Jack's uncle has stolen pieces of irreplaceable furniture that he originally purchased with the estate .
I tell him there must be a mistake. He asks if I had seen any upscale, higher end pieces of furniture at Jack's house. And then I pause.
Along with my dilapidated piece of a dresser there WAS beautiful looking furniture in the potting shed. Could it be? My Uncle tells me to stay away from those crooks and that he is sure Jack and his family are selling the furniture and making hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I leave my Uncle's house and bolt to Jack's. I ask if I can see the potting shed. Jack has no clue what's going on and opens the shed door. There are no pieces in there. I assume the worst.
Back at home, Ralph tells me to think all this through. When I start researching I realize that Jack has a stellar reputation whereas my Uncle is in financial ruin and in court cases for monies owed to others. It's a mess.

image via parleycoot