La Photographie Moderne

by Neil Crenner

can barely reach it, but I think I can knock it off its hooks."

  "Be careful, don't fall off that chair."

  "I think I got it," Reason said as he pushed up on the tapestry and it came off its' hooks and fell. This wall looks normal to me. Nothing special about it. He ran his hand over it and felt grit on the wall. "I feel something on the wall."

  "What do you think it could be?"

  "Maybe a message written to be invisible," Reason pondered. "Hey Catherine do you still have that bottle of red wine?"

  "Yes I think there are a couple left. Shall I get them?"

  "Please do, I have an idea." Reason got down from the chair and moved the tapestry away from the wall. Catherine went down to the car to get the wine. She was back in a flash.

  "They are twist off," Reason said with a smile. He took one bottle and poured some of the wine onto the wall. He watched it run down the wall. Soon he began to see something dark on the wall. "Letters. Beautiful letters," Reason exclaimed, "My god it is a secret message." He continued to pour the wine on the wall. "Catherine I need another bottle!" He grabbed the bottle and shock it, when he opened it sprayed all over the wall. The message began to appear slowly. It was in an old script.

  "Reason what does it say?" Catherine asked excitedly.

  "It says, I Eric Gauthier-Straussburg, hereby bequeath all my estate to my granddaughter, Catherine Gauthier-Straussburg,"

  "My god! We found the Will. Now what do we do?"

  "We call the lawyer! What else?"

  "Shall I stay here?"

  "What time is it?"

  "I am not sure, Pam?"

  "It's not too late then. I will drive into town and make the call, you stay here."

  "I don't want to come back and it's gone."

  "Yes I know, just our luck."

  Reason got down from the chair again and hugged Catherine. "You are now the heir to all of this!"

  "I can't believe it!" Catherine had tears in her eyes. "I never thought we would find it."

  "How did you know to pour wine on it?"

  "It's really the only thing I could think of that we had that was liquid. I thought it might work just like grape juice."

  "It did work. Okay hurry call the lawyer." Catherine wiped the tears from her eyes.

  "Okay I am off then. I will be back as soon as possible."

  "I will straighten up some of this furniture, it will help me pass the time. I am so excited! I just still can't believe it."

  "Didier will be so proud of you!"

  "I hope he is."

  "He will be. I will be back before dark." Reason left Catherine, who had already started moving things around. Reason went down the spiral staircase and headed out to the car. He jumped in and drove away.

  Chapitre 49

  30 minutes later.

  Reason drove into town and went to the café, He asked if they had a pay phone and they said no, but they could use their phone in the office. Reason had brought the number of the lawyer and stuck it in his wallet. He followed the man to the office and sat down at the desk.

  "Mr. Ince please, this is Reason Simon."

  "Please hold a moment." The man said and put him on hold. Reason sat there with butterflies in his stomach.

  "Mr. Simon, how are you?"

  "We found the Will!"

  "You found the Will from Mr. Eric Gautier-Straussburg?"

  "Yes. The thing is it's written on the wall of the mansion."

  "I see, so it's not on paper?"

  "That is going to be a problem. How are we going to get this into court?"

  "You're the lawyer, don't you know how?"

  "We will have to have an expert come and look at it and take photos of it and have it transcribed and notarized and then present it to the court."

  "Wow that sounds perfect. Will they be able to stop the auction?"

  "Yes I can stop it if we say that we have the Will."

  "That's what I wanted to hear."

  "That is quite amazing. How did you find it?"

  "I don't know but it was work."

  "Well I need to make some phone calls and get some people over there as soon as possible. Is there a number I can reach you at?"

  Yes I am staying at this hotel, the number is xxx-xxx-xxxx."

  "Good then I will give them the address and see if we can get them over there today. The sooner the better."

  "Yes indeed."

  "Okay bye and thank you." Reason hung up. He lifted the receiver and dialed Didier at work.

  How may I direct your call?"

  "Didier please."

  "Please hold."

  "This is Didier."

  "We found it, we found the Will. I just called the lawyer and told him about it." Reason was so excited.

  "No way. Where did you find it?"

  "On the wall of the third floor behind the tapestry. It was a secret message written with baking soda and water. I poured some wine on it and it appeared. This beautiful penmanship. It's from your grandfather, and he left all his estate to your mother. Is that amazing or what?"

  "It is amazing. Where's Mom?"

  "I left her there at the house. I was afraid it might disappear."

  "Is she safe?"

  "Yes I believe she is. I am headed back there right now. They are sending the people over to look at it and verify that it is indeed a Will and to transcribe it to be submitted in court to stop the auction."

  "Well congratulations, you solved the mystery!"

  "I am so excited and Catherine is too. She cried!"

  "Well I don't want to keep you on here any longer. Call me later, I love you."

  "I love you to and I will."

  "Bye." Reason heard the phone click. He jumped up and left the motel. He wanted to get back as soon as possible. He drove fast but tried to stay calm. He was so excited.

  When he arrived it was still daylight. He had stopped and bought some more wine and a flashlight. He ran upstairs to tell Catherine the good news.

  "Hey there, I called the lawyer." Catherine was sitting on a big stuffed chaise lounge she had sat right in front of the Will on the wall.

  "I was just about to doze off. I am a bit tired from all the excitement."

  "Wow you sure did straighten up this place. No wonder you're tired."

  "So what did the lawyer say?"

  "He is sending people over here to look at the Will and verify it and transcribe it."

  "I do hope they get here soon, before it gets dark."

  "I do too. I bought some more wine just in case they need it."

  "Yes there are a few areas that didn't come thru."

  "Let's wait until they arrive to do it. I called Didier as well and he was so happy for you."

  "I am so glad that he's happy for me."

  "I knew he would be, silly." Reason hugged Catherine and then they both sat on the chaise lounge and waited.

  It was beginning to get dark. "I will go down to the front door and wait for them. Do you want to come with me?"

  "Sure no reason to stay up here," Catherine agreed. They went downstairs and opened the front door.

  "So how does it feel to have inherited this place? Are you excited? Is it super fun?"

  "I am overwhelmed by the idea. I haven't processed it yet. What do you think I should do with it?"

  "Well maybe you can lease it out as a vineyard and come up here a few months out of the year and vacation?"

  "That sounds lovely. I don't think that I would want to run a vineyard. You don't think that I should sell it?"

  "Well I am not sure what you can do with it or should you sell it or not. Let's wait until you actually inherit it." Reason smiled. Right then he saw light coming down the long drive.

  "Here they come." The car pulled and stopped in front of the house. Two men wearing business suits got out and went to the trunk. One pulled out a large camera. The other was looking at a yellow notepad. They closed the trunk and walked over to Reason and Catherine.

&
nbsp; "Hello there."

  "Hello," Reason and Catherine said simultaneously.

  "I am Hugo Limeral and this is Blake Savage." They all shook hands. "Mr. Ince called us and asked us to come over and take a look at a Will."

  "Yes follow us," Reason said and he began to walk up to the third floor using the back stairwell. They were up in a flash and Reason pointed to the Will on the wall.

  "Wow Hugo, have you ever seen anything like that before?"

  "No, can't say that I have. So you did you guys just find this? It seems wet."

  "Yes we just found it and we had poured wine on the wall and it appeared."

  "This writing looks like it is very old. The penmanship is beautiful considering it is almost like it was etched onto the wall," Hugo Limeral said.

  "I believe it is baking soda that was used. When the wine was poured onto the wall it made it appear."

  "How could he have written it?"

  "The paste was seeable when he did it," Catherine remarked.

  "It must have taking him a long time. Blake, are you transcribing it?"

  "Yes I have started."

  "How long will it take you to do it," Reason asked.

  "Another 15 minutes and we will be done," Hugo Limeral replied. They continued to work and Reason and Catherine went downstairs. "I hate when someone is watching me do my work," Reason whispered as they were leaving the room. They went downstairs to the first floor and it was almost dusk.

  "It will be dark in 15 minutes."

  "I think they will be finished quicker than that," Reason added. They sat down on the stairs and leaned up against each other. Reason was so tired he couldn't think straight. His mind was thinking of Didier. He was missing him. They would be at the hotel soon enough and he would call him again and chat. He closed his eyes and drifted a little before being startled by Catherine raising up.

  "I hear them calling us Reason, wake up." Reason woke and stood up. They went back up the stairs.

  "There is this small area down here we can't make out. Do you have some more wine?" Blake asked.

  "Oh yes we do, I picked up a bottle in town," Reason said and began to unscrew it. He went over to the wall and began to pour it on the area that was unrevealed. Soon the writing appeared.

  "This looks like it says that a copy of the Will is in a safe deposit box at the Bank of San Francisco. It is also dated 8/10/1961."

  "Could the Will really still be in that safe deposit box?" Catherine asked.

  "Well it all depends, maybe he set up a reoccurring payment on the box," Blake replied.

  "The box number is TBS6467YA."

  "That seems like an odd number," Reason interjected.

  "Back then there was no set number, all banks made up their own numbers. We shall have to contact the bank to see if they still have the Will," Blake answered.

  "Wow Catherine we really did fine the Will then. If it's still there. That is truly amazing. I am so happy for you." At this he hugged Catherine.

  "All our detective work really did pay off. I hope Didier is proud of us."

  The two men took photographs with their big camera and then packed it up and left. They gave Reason their business card and told them to call them the next morning, they would have a copy of the Will for them.

  "Shall we go back to the hotel?"

  "Yes I am so tired. Can't wait to take a hot shower and relax."

  "Yes that will be nice and I can't wait to call Didier. I miss him."

  "I am sure he will be happy to hear our news." They left the house and drove back to the bed and breakfast. When they arrived they agreed to meet in the lobby in an hour to go eat. Reason quickly went to his room and laid on the bed and dialed up Didier.

  "Hello there," Reason heard Didier say.

  "Hello. Well guess what?"

  "What?" Didier said cheerily.

  "The Will is in a safe deposit box in the Bank of San Francisco. It is box TBS6467YA."

  "How did you find this out?"

  "At the very end of the Will, I poured more wine onto the wall and there it was."

  "Do you think the Will could still be there?"

  "I hope so for Catherine's sake."

  "Yes that would make probate so much easier to do then. So are you tired?"

  "Yes I am, I am going to shower and then relax a bit. I was missing you and wanted to hear your sweet voice."

  "I was missing you. Do you still love me?"

  "Yes I still love you Didier. You are my man."

  "Good I am glad to hear that. Well I am glad to hear about the Will. When will you find out if they still have it?"

  "I think we should drive up there tomorrow and go search for it."

  "You think so?" I miss you so much."

  "Yes but we need to find out as soon as possible."

  "Why don't you drive back here tomorrow and then we can fly up there this week and spend a couple days?"

  "Well that sounds fun. I haven't been to San Francisco in forever."

  "We can go to Top of the Mark for breakfast and hang out in Castro."

  "Yes that sounds so fun. Okay we will drive home tomorrow. I can't wait to see you and kiss you."

  "Yep me too. Okay good night, call me later and tuck me in," Didier said.

  "Will do babycakers."

  "Wow never heard that one before, but I like it."

  "I like it too." They hung up and Reason went to the shower he was excited about going to San Fran with Didier. He wondered why Didier seemed to be in a better mood. His attitude was more positive about the whole thing. Maybe he saw that their hard work had paid off. He wanted a really hot shower to relax in and forget about everything.

  One Hour later.

  Reason was walking into the lobby area and saw Catherine. "Hey there," he said.

  "Did you talk to Didier? What did he say?"

  "Yes I did and he said we should fly up to San Fran this week and see if we can find the Will."

  "Oh that sounds fun. I have never been to San Francisco. Will we see the Golden Gate Bridge?"

  "Yes we can do that, drive over to Sausalito and then take some photos."

  "That will be super fun."

  Reason looked at Catherine quizzically. "Well Didier sounded so positive. He really sounded different."

  "Oh really? Hope he stays that way."

  "Yes I am sure he will. I think it was that he was afraid we wouldn't find the Will and we would be let down and disappointed. Which would have been really awful but we stuck in there and look how it turned out."

  "Yes I think he has a tendency to be over protective of his heart. I wish he would just have some more faith."

  "Amen to that sister," Reason gave her a high five and she took it. They left and went to the steakhouse down the street. They had porterhouse steaks with a green salad and buttered bread. And some petite syrah. The place was a bit quiet and they were tired so they didn't talk much but enjoyed their food and wine.

  Ah hour later.

  Reason was in bed and felt great from the wine and the food. He dialed up Didier.

  "Hello there."

  "You in bed?"

  "Yes I am. You called to tuck me in?"

  "You can tuck me in as well."

  "Okay Reasbehr. Have a good night."

  "Reasbehr? Where did that come from?"

  "Well you called me babycakers, so I wanted to come up with a nick name for you. You know I love nicknames."

  "Do you. I am not sure I have heard you use many before."

  "I have them for all the people I work for. I call mom, Cat."

  "You do. I have never heard you use that with her."

  "Only when I was younger. I just call her mom mostly."

  "Well I like Reasbehr. So goodnight babycackers love you, sweet dreams."

  "Sweet dreams my Reasbehr." They hung up. Reason laid there and wondered what got into Didier. He was being more open, more comfortable. Showing his feels. He is a sweet man Reason thought. He was so happy he
had met Didier. He drifted off.

  The following morning.

  He was standing there and he was alone. Where was Didier he thought. He looked off and could see Didier, he smiled and then saw that Didier was laughing and chatting with another man. Who was this man? How did Didier know him? He called to Didier who smiled and waved but didn't come to him. Reason became concerned. He heard a knock and then he woke up.

  "Knock, knock, time to wake up sleepy head." It was Catherine. Reason got out of bed and opened the door.

  "Good morning, what time is it?"

  "It's half past ten. Time for coffee and some breakfast and back home sleepy head," Catherine quipped as she walked into the room carrying a cup of coffee. Reason took the coffee and sipped it.

  "Wow I slept late."

  "I did too, until 8:30. Then I read the paper and drank coffee. I showered and packed and am ready for some brunch."

  "Okay, let me just drink this cup and I will shower and get ready," Reason said as he sat on the edge of the bed. Catherine had walked over to the window and was looking out of it.

  "When do you think we will hear from the lawyer?"

  "I can call him in a little while," Reason answered. He drank his coffee which was piping hot and delicious.

  "It's a beautiful day Reason, perfect for the drive home. I am so relieved by yesterday's findings. I still am in shock."

  "Yes me too. It seems so surreal. It just happened so fast."

  "Well I will let you finish and shower. I will meet you in the lobby, now hurry up." Catherine left. Reason wondered why Didier hadn't called him. He got in the shower after finishing the coffee.

  20 minutes later.

  "Well that was quick."

  "It is Didier who takes more time than me in the bathroom."

  "Yes he does like to primp, but don't ever tell him. He would deny it. I hear him every morning. He brushes those teeth day and night and flosses. Then he takes the longest hot showers."

  "Yes and you can't even be in there five minutes and he thinks I am taking forever. But I don't mind, it makes him feel good and I like that about him."

  "He's a Leo just like me. He likes to be sure he looks good when he is flirting with the men."

  "What did you just say?"

  "You know Didier likes to flirt with the men, all his life."

  "The crazy thing was I had a dream this morning about him flirting with some guy."

  "Well I am sure he doesn't do it now Reason. He loves you and although he is a Leo and likes attention, he respects your relationship."

  "Yes I hope he does. I trust him so I am not worried. That dream was odd though. I am not sure why I dreamt it."

  "You were mentioning how Didier's attitude seemed more positive. Maybe that has something to do with it."

  "So Didier likes to flirt?"

  "First it was with the girls, then when he was about 17 it started with the boys. I don't think he realized it, but he would flirt with them, then it was more towards men. Older men. He had a thing for them. I think it was the lack of having a father."

  "Wow, you are keen on all this?"

  "Well Didier tells me everything. And mothers notice things. When he came out it changed him completely. He was angry before and was always getting into fights. Then when he came out he completely changed and became this very sweet man. Has been ever since."

  "That is amazing. I am going to tease him about it."

  "Be careful, Didier likes to be a brat and tease, but don't tease too much back. He is very sensitive."

  "Yes I know. But that's what I love about him."

  "I am so happy that he met you Reason. You guys are so good for each other."

  "I am so happy I met him as well. He is the love of my life. I hope forever and ever."

  "I know you will be together forever and ever. He loves you the same."

  "Well that makes me so happy to hear you say that Catherine."

  "It makes me happy too."

  They had driven a ways as they talked. Reason felt so good about hearing Catherine remark on their relationship. Reason felt so happy.