La Photographie Moderne

by Neil Crenner

and some pens. He grabbed it and a pen and sat back down at the table.

  He wrote the numbers out one by one. 36.21.241698,-121.54.23.7348, 36.21.24.5046, -121.54.20.5668. "Hmmm, what do you make of this?"

  Catherine was stirring the onions and garlic; she came over to the table and looked at the notepad. "It looks likes random numbers. Do you think they mean anything?"

  "I am not sure. Who do you think we can ask?" Reason remarked.

  "Maybe Didier would know what they meant. Catherine went back to her sautéing.

  "Didier is at work. We need to know now."

  "When he gets off work he can look at them. I am making these eggs easy," Catherine announced.

  "I love easy eggs," Reason said as he looked at the photo. "Is this a tapestry behind your grandfather?"

  "Hold on these eggs are almost done." Catherine took the pan from the range and sat it on a trivet on the table. "Let's eat before they get cold."

  "The numbers are almost exact, which I don't understand at all. They must mean something, otherwise why would he write them on the back of the photograph. It must be a clue," Reason pondered.

  "I don't see how numbers can be a clue," Catherine said as she ate her eggs and toast.

  "I need some hot sauce for these eggs." Reason got up and went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of Louisiana hot sauce.

  "Now don't ruin them, they are delicious."

  "It was my chopping."

  "If you say so. Oh Louisiana hot sauce, that won't ruin them, it will make them tangy. I shall have some as well." She grabbed the bottle and gave a couple shakes onto her eggs.

  "I like it on my toast as well," Reason added. "Maybe those numbers are coordinates like latitudes and longitudes?"

  "Well I have never seen longitude numbers but maybe. I thought that was for nautical people."

  "Well I am sure your grandfather had sailed on a boat and maybe he was giving you a clue to something. Now who can we get to read this to us?"

  "I don't see how he thought that writing down those numbers on the back of that photo would ever lead us to a clue."

  "He must have thought that because we are here talking about it. I shall call Didier and ask him if he know someone who can read these numbers for us."

  "Oh that's a good idea. I am sure he will, but finish your breakfast first."

  "Yes mother dear."

  "Don't sass me either. Now shall I feed Colbert?"

  "You might as well. You're her new best friend."

  "She didn't want to leave your room in the night? I woke up and opened the door enough if she wanted to leave and she stayed with me all morning."

  "I am surprised, but also glad that she keeps you company." Reason was finished and started to clean up the kitchen.

  "Now let me do that and you call Didier." Reason went to the bedroom and phoned Didier.

  "Hey what's up?"

  "We found some numbers on the back of the photograph that Catherine was given by her grandfather. I think they are latitude and longitude numbers. Do you think you can help us determine if they are and where they point to?"

  "Well sure. Why don't you bring them here to the office and I will look at them. I am sure we can figure where they are pointing."

  "I am so glad you said that. I am very excited about this clue. Maybe it will lead to an answer."

  "Yes, it is exciting and now I have more faith that something might come from this. See you soon."

  "See you soon and thanks Didier." Reason hung up the phone and went back to the kitchen. "Catherine, Didier thinks that he can help us with the numbers. I am going to get dressed and take these down to his office. Do you want to come?"

  "I'll stay here, you go alone."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Yes, now get dressed." Reason went back to shower and dress. He was so excited. He knew that this would lead them to a clue that would solve their dilemma. Didier would pull through for them.

  Chapitre 41

  1 hour later.

  Didier was at his desk when Reason walked into his office. "Hey there."

  "I will be finished with this in a moment. What took you so long? I thought you would have been here quicker?"

  "I needed to shower and dress. I also wanted to go over the numbers one more time to make sure I had copied correctly."

  "Let me see them." Didier raised his hand to take them from Reason. He glanced at them. "This looks like two separate coordinates. It might take some time for me to decipher these, can you wait?"

  "Of course, I have nothing else to do?"

  "What about the gallery?"

  "I am heading there right after I finish here."

  "Okay let me take these to the drafting manager, he can help me out. Be right back." Didier got up and left the office.

  Reason sat in a chair facing the desk. He looked around the office and examined the décor. He had never been to Didier's office before and found it to be very sterile. The colors were not, but the layout seemed a bit so. It was stark with hard edges. He began to wonder if Didier was like his office before he met him.

  He never saw this in Didier, but maybe he didn't know him very well. The other night he was a bit surprised at Didier's reaction to his mother. Was Didier showing his true colors? I hope not. He seemed to be in a trance as he wondered. He felt like he was in a trance. Was a premonition coming on? He snapped out of it and just then Didier came it.

  "We have found the where the numbers lead to. I am not sure if this is going to help you. I have a map here and of course the first number leads to the lighthouse. It is basically right in the center of it. The other leads nowhere. Just some distance between the lighthouse and the main house," Didier pointed on the map he brought in and laid down on his desk in front of Reason.

  Reason at once saw that the point must have been somewhere in the tunnel. "How did you find it so quickly?" Reason asked as he looked up at Didier.

  "We are very sophisticated here, we are Architects, it was a cinch," Didier said smiling. He leaned in and kissed Reason on the mouth. It was a bit wet. "So do you think this will help you?"

  "Yes indeed. I believe that this second mark tells us where something is buried. It must be in the underground tunnel. Now all we have to do is have the lawyer petition to have the auction extended to give us time to look there."

  "That means another trip up there. Will it be a long one?"

  "I am not sure, do you want to come?"

  "You know I can't come, unless it's over the weekend?"

  "We can go on the weekend. I have no problem with that. We really can't go until the lawyer tells us he can postpone the auction."

  "So when will we find out?"'

  "I will call the lawyer again today."

  "I do hope that he has done some work on this."

  "I do too. Now I am off to the gallery. I will see you later tonight."

  "Yes, yes. I am not working late."

  "What about Catherine?"

  "How was mom? Why didn't she come with you?"

  "She thought I should come alone. I think she still feels a little uneasy about last night."

  "I told you we talked it over and she was fine with it. Now don't get on my case."

  "I am not, just sharing with you what I think."

  "I am sorry, I didn't mean to say that. Forgive me?"

  "You are forgiven. Next time I am staying out of it."

  "You don't have to stay out of it, you're my lover."

  "Yes I know that, but sometimes it's better for a mother and son to work out their misunderstandings without me."

  "Okay, I understand where you're coming from. Again I am sorry for snapping."

  "Oh you weren't snapping, just sharing," Reason smiled.

  "Kiss me and get going. I have a lot of work to do." They kissed and Reason departed. He knew that was a sore spot for Didier and he wanted to test him. He was not surprised at his reaction. He left Didier and headed to the gallery.

  30 minutes later.
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  "Hello, Catherine. I have wonderful news, Didier found out where the two coordinates were pointing to."

  "Oh he did, where? I am dying to know."

  "The first one is the lighthouse and the second one is between the lighthouse and the main house."

  "So what does it mean?"

  "I believe it's somewhere in the tunnel. Maybe something is buried in the tunnel."

  "Do you think it could be the Will?"

  "I wish it was the Will. However, I don't believe it would be that easy. I am at the gallery all day. I am planning to call the lawyer and find out what he has found out."

  "Well Colbert and I are just relaxing here all day. Call me when you find anything out."

  "I will call you as soon as I find out anything from the lawyer. I want to drive up there this weekend if at all possible to search the tunnel. Didier wanted to go up there with me."

  "Well I will stay home and watch Colbert. Three's a crowd."

  "I am so glad that you were agreeable with that."

  "I don't want to stop Didier from participating in the search for his future fortune," laughing afterwards.

  "Okay, talk to you later." Reason hung up the phone and called up the lawyer. He had butterflies in his stomach. "Hello, this is Reason Simon and I was calling Mr. Ince."

  "One moment please," the voice said and he was on hold. He stared at the clock on his desk and wondered how long had he owned it. Ten or twelve years.

  "Yes Mr. Simon," the voice said, "This is Greg, we spoke the other day."

  "Yes and I was calling to see if you found out anything about the Property Auction?"

  "Yes I did. There seems to have been a Will that indicated that the property would go to any heir that claimed it within a certain time period. If no heir claimed it, then it would go to the State and they could do with it as they see fit."

  "Where did this Will come from? Who