present there was counted it was obvious that Mrs. Capeletti was missing. Adele went to report that to the fire brigade team and then made it for her door. The door was locked and nobody answered and the noise seemed louder there. There was no clear evidence of smoke or fire but that had to be checked. The door was about to be forcefully opened when, thankfully, Adele recalled that she had been given a spare key. Another couple of minutes past until she finally produced the key. That involved a rushing back to her house. More people gathered meantime as the noise was deafening in the quiet night.
As soon the door was opened everyone closer was able to see poor Mrs. Capeletti lying down on the floor. The man who was checking Mrs. Capeletti shouted a request to call the ambulance and then started to perform CPR on her. Another two people who checking the house for fire but returned empty handed and the alarm was finally silenced to the relief of everyone present there and likely in the nearby buildings. In the middle of the night such a strong noise is hard to take for even a couple of minutes.
Adele, refusing to be intimidated by the firemen who were trying to resuscitate Mrs. Capeletti, was moving around glaring speechless at the body. The theory was spreading that the alarm was intentionally started by Mrs. Capeletti, perhaps as a cry for help and that kind of made sense to them as they recalled a similar event not long ago.
The Ambulance arrived soon after and took over the care of Mrs. Capeletti however everyone was as if glued to the floor and continued to stay and glare at the scene. After 30 minutes of unsuccessful attempts at resuscitation, their neighbor was pronounced dead. The atmosphere became unbearably sad and some people started crying. Finally the decision was made to take the body for an autopsy and both the ambulance and fire brigade people left. Everyone was in a daze and not because of the small hours of the day.
When Rose was helping Adele to close the door she noticed a glossy invitation to the International Conference of Archeology that was being held in Perth left on the small table near the door. What a funny coincidence she thought and paid no more attention to it. They all went back to their houses a little unsettled. Rose went straight to bed without any further look into the mirror.
…. .
Two days later Rose was sitting comfortably in a plane travelling to Perth. Alex was at her side and reading a magazine and she was listening to music on the radio when the news time arrived. She wasn’t paying much attention to what was said but a name caught her curiosity. The announcement said that a Mrs. Capeletti’s death, at her house two days ago, was being investigated as suspicious by the Police. People with any relevant information were invited to come forward.
That was interesting, Rose thought but she did not believe that Alex would be keen on speculating on such issues, so she kept it to herself.
‘So, what’s the plan Alex? ’ Rose said when she noticed that he stopped reading and was looking at her. Initially he seemed taken by surprise and she wondered how many plans he had in his mind. ‘Have you been to Perth before? ’ Rose asked.
‘Ah, no, ’ he replied.
‘So all these 3 days spent at the conference or is there something else in your plan? ’ Rose insisted.
‘Any recommendations? ’ he asked with a mischievous grin.
‘Any interest in the native plants and animals? ’ Rose evasively asked. He smiled and nodded. ‘Walking or bike? ’
‘Excuse me? ’ he said a bit perplexed.
‘Ha, it’s a city with a population of about 2 million people but still can offer you the option of walking in an outback conservation area or a 15 km mountain bike trail if you just get a few kilometers out of city, ’ Rose explained. As he appeared to struggle with his decision she tried to clarify. ‘Of course, I’m not interested in any of these but you could bring me some lovely wild flowers, ’ Rose said with a wink.
‘What kind? ’ he asked with a smile.
‘Well, I’ve seen the pictures of blue devils, purple violet and milk maid wild flowers and I like all of them. The milk maid flowers remind me of FLOAREA DE COLT, ’ Rose said. His eyes showed interest and his mouth opened in a big grin.
‘Have you seen one in the wilderness? ’ he asked her.
‘Yes, they were beautiful but the surroundings were also breath taking. It was in Muntii Vrancea, ’ Rose admitted with some nostalgia and for a fleeting moment she understood his interest in archeology and outdoor activities. He continued to look at her smiling.
‘No other suggestions? ’ he asked raising his eyebrows in a mocking surprise.
‘Well, plenty of options but not much time: what about visiting the indigenous art gallery? You might want to buy a memento. Then there is the local mosque and I have never been in one. Are you a bogan-style pub crawl fun kind of guy? Or more a fan of fine wine? Tasting the local wine is something appealing to me. And also for me a visit to the trinket markets, ’ Rose said laughing.
‘Then we have a plan, ’ he said pouring more wine in Rose’s glass. Tasting wine in the plane was a first time for her and was happening only at Alex’s insistence. His convincing argument was that they should take advantage of the three hours of confinement in the plane’s cabin to have a proper meal and a drink. No brouhaha about that one.
‘We are going to be so busy over the next three days and I don’t like to waste time, ’ Alex added. His explanation sounded reasonable as it was a late night flight and they were expected to arrive around 10:00 pm in Perth. By the time they arrived at the hotel it would probably be almost midnight and they would feel too tired to be interested in a meal. Of course Rose did not know at the time that they had booked rooms above the casino.
‘So what are we drinking? ’Rose asked looking at the bottle.
‘I thought we should try the local wines so I chose a Pinot Noir from The Swan Valley. If I remember correctly it is one of your favorites? ’ Alex said looking at her and waiting for her reaction.
Yes, he had this ability to surprise you when less expected, Rose remembered. She found herself blushing from the pleasant surprise of knowing that he remembered and to cover up for it she decided to play it as embarrassment: 'You make me sound as an inveterate boozer and I barely know two drinks, ’ Rose said sustaining now his full gaze.
‘Pinot Noir and Asti? ’ he said.
To her surprise she blushed for the second time in less than two minutes and she started to worry that maybe it was the effect of wine on her. He seemed to enjoy watching her but there was no hint of sarcasm in his eyes only plain interest. And something else but Rose could not quite grasp the meaning of it. And then she reminded herself that she had two glasses of wine and probably was not a good idea to try and read too much into anyone’s talk or behavior. Now she could not recall whose advice was that one!
‘Bygone era rife with color and intrigue, ’ she murmured then as she realized that she said that aloud she explained herself: ‘I think I read it somewhere’.
‘Do you agree with that? ’ Alex asked her suddenly serious.
‘Some of the past can be fascinating but the present has enough color and spice for me, ’ Rose said. He relaxed but his gaze was inescapable and speculative.
‘A penny for your thoughts’ Rose said.
‘Sorry, I’m becoming reminiscent, ’ he said. Rose was afraid to ask for clarification and she changed the subject.
‘How is your life? ’ Rose asked.
‘Busy, ’ he said with a shrug and glancing up.
‘Is that good? ’ Rose tried to speculate.
‘Makes you feel alive, ’ he answered evasively.
‘So does alcohol and drugs, ’ Rose pursued. He laughed and that made him look 10 years younger. ‘Why the obsession with archeology? ’ Rose insisted.
‘I thought that you got a degree in English. Have you taken some courses in shrink language? ’ Alex replied still good humored.
‘Ha, don’t try to avoid an answer, ’ Rose said. ‘Can’t be so difficult to answer that, ’ she added.
&n
bsp; ‘It’s just something I like. It’s relaxing and outdoors. And I get to meet lots of people, ’ he said avoiding eye contact. Now Rose knew that Alex was a typical male, action oriented and not so much of a talker but she could feel that this time Alex was definitely trying to hide something, and she wondered what it was. Maybe the failed marriages, Rose thought.
The next minute Alex changed the subject and they started making a plan for the next day. They eventually settled for meeting for the lunch in the CBD and then, if weather permitted, perhaps a boat trip on Swan River in the afternoon. Alex was planning to spend the rest of the day attending the conference so Rose had choices. Too many choices, if she was true to herself. Rose was planning a trip to Harold Boas gardens in the morning to check for herself its reputation as an enchanted place and then perhaps she could have a delightful time at the local markets trying to spot some great souvenirs. Alex took note of her plans and they both agreed to leave the Mosque for another day when they could go there together.
Now Rose had to admit that she had always believed, despite her grandma’s ideas, that her relationship with Alex was ‘just friends’ although she wasn’t quite sure what Alex's theory on that one was. When they planned for this trip Rose thought that she was clear in her request for separate rooms but now she was wondering what Alex’s expectations were.