close observation, it was a small, almost miniature lock. Huh, my uncle’s fortune, was her first reaction. Rose was joking but she was suddenly interested. Now her interest was almost reaching the level of a voluntary person working on a dig at an archeological site. Forgotten was the mind-numbing activity that preceded the discovery.
Rose definitely needed a key but where to find it? She looked around, now more determined to find an answer to her confronting puzzle. Her look was slow and investigative, lingering for a few seconds on any available surface. And then she saw a small crackle mirror bowl on the bedside table. Inside it were unmatched cufflinks, pin stripe tie bar, wood tie bar and many other tie clips suggesting that her uncle was perhaps a collector of tie paraphernalia; and again an old coin. No key!
As the bowl was cute Rose thought that it deserved some cleaning so she emptied the bowl on the bedside table and started to dust it off. It was a pretty and delicate looking thing and Rose imagined that it must’ve been a present from a women. As she turned it upside down to check for a fabrication date or a name on it she noticed the key pinned on the bottom of it. It was tiny and embedded into blue chalk. It could have easily past for some dirt. The key fitted nicely into the small lock of the concealed compartment that opened easily revealing its content.
The content of the out-of-the-way compartment was interesting: a small gun, one passport and one yellow and old looking piece of paper. There were no bullets around and Rose wondered if the gun was loaded. It was a small, compact and lightweight handgun and she was not sure if it was a revolver or a semi-automatic. Was its use a necessity or a choice for her uncle? Was Adrian a cloak-and-dagger man? The passport had her uncle’s photo and name. Huh, at least she didn’t need to worry about conspiracy, she thought with some relief.
The letter was more important to her. It was a lovely letter written by her father16 years ago in Paris. Xavier was describing the wonderful time he and his wife were having in Paris and terminated with an odd comment on feeling as if they were being watched and followed. The last few words were particularly emotional…
‘If something happens to me please take care of my girls, ’ he said.
The letter was dated the day before they died and Adrian kept it all these years. The brothers must have been very close. Rose felt suddenly sad and tearful. And there was now the gun!
Her thoughts were interrupted by the musical chirp of her phone. It was Corinne inviting her over for a meal. Corinne lived about 15 minutes away by car from Rose’s place in a nearby suburb.
‘I’m cooking a monkfish with peppered citrus marinade, ’ she reported trying to entice Rose.
‘With peppercorns? ’ Rose wanted to know.
‘Fresh thyme and oranges too, ’ Corinne added. She knew that it was one of Rose’s favorite meals.
‘So you are having a feel-good cooking session or what? ’ Rose asked.
‘I got bored, ’ Corinne admitted. ‘It’s the weather. I can’t manage without the sun more than the 8 hours at night, ’ she said and Rose totally understood her. One of the best things about this country was the presence of the sunny weather, almost every day. Two rainy days in a row was something unusual.
‘Should I bring some lemons and limes? ’ Rose asked.
‘No need. I have it under control, ’ Corinne assured her friend. ‘You better come prepared for a bridge game as I summoned a few people here today, ’ Corinne added.
And so Rose felt excited again and like Odysseus, excited, she started concocting her own travel plan to ensure a safe trip in the wake of the storm. How dangerous could it be to drive in one of the most civilized cities of the world, Rose asked herself? Firstly, it was not far from her place and she was going to drive on a main road and not walking under the trees. Secondly, the wind and the rain were gone and there were no reports of flush flooding in their area. Of course there is always good to have the gods on your side and she was counting on her grandma’s amulets.
Rose didn’t see life as a permanent vacation and she didn’t believe in perpetual happiness but her last couple of months came very close to that. She could easily call this place her own, sweet and secret Shangri-La or Shambhala. Moving from one party to other, in good company with minimal stress or boredom between; Rose hardly had time to recall these days the small, unpleasant incidents that are part of the normal life. She has even managed to forget the most recent discovery, the gun in her house!
But then prioritizing it’s another skill that she learned from her grandma. ‘We’ll deal with that one later, ’ her grandma would say. So that’s what she was planning to do right now. Focusing on this party seems to be more urgent than thinking about a gun that had not been used for at least 1 year and it might not have even been in working condition.
A party is the place for a woman to find her macho men, right? Well she wasn’t entirely sure about that but the chances were higher at gatherings than in deserted places. Not everyone is a lucky Guinevere.
Rose dressed up like any respectable girl, put some lipstick and perfume and headed out after taking with her some of the traffic lights lollies for the kids. She concluded that it was also perfect timing for giving Corinne a balsamic vinaigrette dressing that contained herbs. Not only that it was able to give some character to a meal but also looked lively in the kitchen and would appeal to Corinne’s esthetic needs. Rose, and her car, reached the party unscathed. She was surprised by the noisy laughter and sparkly atmosphere. Soon she realized that the kids were not at home and that people were trying to laugh off the effects of the storm. The atmosphere was contagious and a glass of Asti champagne later she acquired a feeling of belonging. After a good meal they played bridge. Rose’s allocated partner, Farouk, was there with his wife. She was playing at a different table however for some variation.
‘She says that I need to socialize more, ’ Farouk said.
Rose’s right hand opponent lead 1 spade and by applying the rule of 15 Rose found out that she had 15 points and bid 2NT. They had good luck and won easily the first game but struggled with the next two. However they opposed fierce resistance and the penalties were large for their opponents for not being able to get their predicted number of tricks so they were equally content at the end of the game.
It was dark when Rose started driving back home. The streets were quiet as not many people had ventured out yet and there was debris everywhere. The traffic lights were still out and the few cars on the road were driving cautiously. Rose rolled down the windows and let the evening air play with her hair. The smell was a mixture of vegetation and water. The humidity was high and there was stillness in the air that gave a false impression of calmness. Could this be the early warning signs of another storm approaching them, Rose asked herself? Rose had missed the evening news on TV and she hadn’t been listening to the radio today.
When she got home there were 2 messages waiting for her on her answering machine. The first one was from James: warning her about the weather getting worse and suggesting that she spends more time inside the house.
The second message was from Alex: it was brief and just announced that he would call later. It was 07. 00pm and Rose was hoping that he meant the next day as she was planning to hit the hay early that night. After a relaxing bath and having a glass of apple juice with a half of teaspoon of ground cinnamon she went to bed. The drink has a fabulous taste but Rose used it for another reason: it helped her to control her sugar cravings that, for some reason, seemed to get worse in the evening. As Rose was falling asleep she found herself singing the mojo song and she felt happy.
Jardin De La Malmaison
Rose woke up 2 minutes to 06:00am and turned off her alarm before it could sound. The outside world looked cheerful and attractive through her large windows. The sun was up again spreading his rays around and beautifying the earth. Humans and every other living creature felt energized and ready to enjoy life again. A wild turkey (not the liquor), or brush turkey as it is also known, was moving qu
ietly between the trees, in search for insects. A colorful galah, the pink Australian cockatoo, was perched up on a branch in a nearby tree and was keeping quiet. Meanwhile, three kookaburras were having a laugh in a gum tree. They were probably trying to attract the attention of Adele, Rose’s neighbor who was already busy in her garden. Another beautiful day, Rose thought and she hurried to catch up with it.
Today she was in the mood for a juice with a bit of tang. Not that she favored acidity as she was aware of the negative effect on the teeth’s enamel. She wanted to try a new combination: apple with lime, carrots and cinnamon. Wow, what an exotic experience without leaving your couch!
While sipping her juice she checked the garden. No evidence of dangerous predators around so she decided to have her drink in the garden. The flower beds looked a bit entangled but the heavenly smell compensated entirely for it. You could identify the scent of roses, gardenias, sweet English lavender and mint. The fragrance was powerful, almost intoxicating. The colors of banksia and eucalypts were more vivid now after the rain.
‘Better than a perfume, huh? ’ Adele said, stopping by Rose’s garden. The gardener was with her.
‘Jardin De La Malmaison, ’ he said.
‘He refers