La Photographie Moderne

by Neil Crenner

agree with you there."

  "She's so calm and I never hear her bark."

  "She only barks if she senses danger. I don't know how she learned this, but they used to guard the palaces in Egypt, very useful back then."

  "A lovely animal she is."

  "Yes and I missed her greatly. She doesn't know how much, but I did. I may take her to the park and let her run wild this afternoon. Do you want to come?"

  "Sounds like fun. We can have a picnic. We haven't done that since I've been here. I can make all my favorite foods just in bigger quantities."

  "Oh are you sure you're up to it Catherine?"

  "We can always pick up something at the deli."

  "Now, it's no trouble. I can have it ready in just about an hour. It's good for me to do little things like that, it makes me feel helpful."

  "You are helpful Catherine. Just being here has been good for Didier. He may not show it, but he likes having you closer. You're his mother, it's good to be close to your mother."

  "Well I am glad to hear that Reason. I don't want to be a burden to my son."

  "Now listen to me, you are no burden. You are a blessing and don't forget it."

  "Thank you honey, that makes me feel better."

  "Now shall I go wake sleepyhead. That rascal is usually up by now. He must have been tired last night himself, waiting for us to arrive home."

  "Oh let him sleep. Let's make some buttermilk biscuits and chocolate gravy. I am graving that this morning. It will be just a quick as making pancakes, you can stir the gravy for me."

  "Sounds like fun to me. I can't wait to try this chocolate gravy." Reason said with a smile.

  "I have been eating chocolate gravy since I was a little girl, that's how old it is."

  "Where did this chocolate gravy come from?"

  "My mother used to make it for us and I don't know where she came up with it. She also made buttermilk biscuits from scratch as well. Now let me look in the pantry, hopefully I find what I need."

  "Be my guest, however, I don't believe there is any cocoa to make this chocolate gravy."

  "I bought some the first week I was here." Catherine smile when she said this.

  20 minutes later.

  "Wake up sleepyhead," Reason whispered into Didier's ear. "It's time to wake up."

  "I was dreaming of the queen I believe, I can't remember now. Why did you wake me up?"

  "Because breakfast is ready and your mother made chocolate gravy and buttermilk biscuits from scratch."

  "No kidding? That's my favorite." Didier climbed out of bed grabbing the robe that was lying at the end of the bed. "Come on let's eat." He said and rushed on to the kitchen.

  How come I'm the only one who doesn't know about chocolate gravy and buttermilk biscuits Reason pondered and followed Didier to the kitchen.

  "Good morning mother," Reason kissed her on the cheek. "You made my favorite."

  "Yes dear, I thought you would like to have some good vittles this morning." Catherine was ladling the gravy onto the split biscuits at the stove. "Have a sit and pour yourself some coffee. Where is Reason?" Catherine asked in earnest.

  "I am right here. I was just pondering in the hall for a moment."

  "Have a seat."

  "Did you pour yourself some coffee?"

  "Yes and mother mixed two together. I can taste it."

  "How in the world did you know she did that?"

  "I know my mother very well."

  Just then Catherine placed the two plates down in front of each of them and said, "Dig in!"

  "Yum!" said Didier.

  "Yum!" said Reason.

  Catherine sat down as well with her own plate fully loaded with gravy and biscuits.

  "We are going to the park to let Colbert run free and have a picnic later on today."

  "Oh that sounds like fun," Didier replied after chewing and swallowing.

  "It was my idea to go to the park and then Catherine wanted to have a lovely picnic, so I gave in."

  "Yes that mother of mine can get her way through your belly," smiling and holding the fork up in the air loaded with biscuits and chocolate gravy.

  "So when am I going to hear all about what happened up there to you two?" Didier asked as he sipped on his coffee.

  "Well I can tell you all about it right now, if you like?" Reason perked up.

  "I have nowhere to go, mother do you have anywhere to go?" Didier asked.

  "Well I was there, so I know what happened. Let Reason tell you."

  "Then proceed, I am all ears." Didier said as he took another bite of the biscuits covered in chocolate gravy.

  "Well were shall I began. We went up to the lighthouse and there we found a place to park." Reason sat there with Didier and Catherine and told of their escapades for the next hour. Didier patiently listened the entire time.

  "Well this is all pretty amazing. This is turning out to be a real mystery and I had been telling Reason to just let it go," Didier said this to Catherine.

  "Son now what are you going to do? Talk to a lawyer?"

  "I think that would be then next step. We can try to find out as much as possible about who is trying to take the land."

  "I want to find that picture," Catherine interjected, "Maybe it's the clue that we are looking for."

  "So how does it feel to be the heir to a grand winery and estate Catherine?"

  "Yeah mother, how does that make you feel?"

  "Well I haven't really thought about it, but what if we find it's been Willed to the state or to another relative. Then I wouldn't be the heir to it. We are only guessing that it is I who have inherited it." Catherine said demurely.

  "Well I hope it's you Catherine, I hope it's you." Reason said sincerely.

  "Now I will clean up this," Didier said as he rose from the table and started stacking the plates.

  "Oh sweetie you are dear," Catherine said smiling looking at Reason.

  Chapitre 33

  Later that morning.

  "Are you ready?" Reason was asking as he stood at the door, Colbert next to him.

  "I am coming. Mother is just finishing up the basket and I will carry it out to the car," Didier said.

  "I am going to start it and get Colbert settled," Reason said as he walked out to the Jaguar, Colbert in tow.

  "Will we all fit or shall I drive my car?" Didier asked as he came out with a huge basket weighing more than one would expect.

  "Colbert will sit in the rear with Catherine and we will all fit. Now I thought about going to the Park over on the south end of town. It's very large and has plenty of trees for shade. We can take a hike up to the waterfall."

  "I have never been to that park, what's the name of it?" Didier asked as he sat the basket in the trunk.

  "I am not sure but I will make a mental note of it when we enter the gates. Write it down in my diary."

  "Reason you don't have a diary, do you?" Didier asked quizzically.

  "I do have one, but rarely write in it. It's mostly dates of activities, nothing secretive or such."

  "Well that's fine. I wish I had a diary of all the things I had done."

  "You can start one today. Reason was sitting in the driver's seat, letting the a/c cool down the inside of the car. Colbert was in the passenger's seat. Didier went back into the house. They came out and got into the Jaguar.

  "I was looking for that key, Reason, and I found it in my jewelry box. I am not sure where it goes to but it might lead us to the Will."

  "Oh that is so great. What does it look like, this key?" Reason pulled out of the drive and headed south.

  "It's very ornate and quite large, about four inches long. It is a bit worn, so I would think that it had been used often. Maybe to a safe, or a room."

  "Well if it was a safe then I am sure that is gone. We looked around the house and never saw what even looked like a safe."

  "Maybe it's out in the winery, we didn't look around there enough to notice. There must be an office."

  "I am s
ure that whoever cleaned out the main house has been through the office as well."

  "Maybe it's hidden in a secret place. Like that tunnel, I am sure not many people know about it."

  "You know where I thought it might be hidden, was under the fountain, in that alcove where the bench was," Didier chimed in.

  Reason looked at him with surprise.

  "Well, it just seemed odd to have an alcove there under the fountain. It must have been a secret meeting place. You said that there was a grate and that if you are sitting there on the bench, then you could hear someone above ground at the fountain. That could have been how they signaled each other," Didier finished saying.

  "I think that is a very good possibility. Where else would you hide a Will than the place you would secretly wait for your lover? It makes perfect sense to me." Reason drove on and they all were silent until they reached the park entrance. The fee was $8.00 per car, but today was free for some reason and they were waved on thru the gate.

  "I know this area way in the back that we can drive to and park fairly close, it has a big open expanse with grass and it's close to the trail I want to hike up to," Reason said as he drove them along.

  15 minutes later.

  "I think this is a nice place to sit by the table and we can spread out the blanket over there under that big tree." Reason said.

  "Oh yes it's so lovely, it reminds me of back home, going to the park when I was a little girl," Catherine exclaimed.

  "I never knew that you went to the park when you were little mother, it never crossed my mind." Didier replied as he sat the picnic basket down on the table.

  "I have brought a table cloth for us to use, so sit that on the bench here while I set it up. You help Reason with the blanket; you'll want to take a nap after we have lunch."

  "Yes mother," Didier said as he moved the basket to the bench with a