La Photographie Moderne

have to be at work by 9 A.M. I go in sometimes a bit early."

  "Well I sometimes have to make calls to the reps on the east coast, so I do wake up early to call them, and then I crawl back in bed for a snooze. Otherwise, yes I can sleep in till eight or 8:30 A.M."

  This conversation was interesting to Reason as he was learning more about Didier. Well I am off to my place now, I need to shower and change. I will call you later this morning."

  "Okay, I am anxious to go to the gallery. I have got to see if anything actually was stolen." Didier kissed Reason goodbye, "I will see you tonight?"

  "Yes indeed. I must shower first and then Colbert we will be off to the gallery."

  "Call me." Didier left.

  Chapitre 18

  Later on.

  Reason drove to work with a queasy feeling in his stomach. I wonder if I will be spooked by last night's intruder he wondered. He wanted to get there and look around, find out if anything was missing as soon as possible, then he could believe that it was a random act of violence, and not him personally that was targeted. He had brought Colbert with him as he had been without her this weekend. He liked her being with him. He arrived at work and everything was normal. He parked in the back to enter the rear door. He let Colbert in first and then flipped on the lights. It was not really dark because light came in from the windows at the front of the gallery. He felt a chill and then proceeded in. As soon as he would open up the place that feeling would go away he knew. He shuffled around the gallery a bit to get a feeling for it, to feel that it was safe to be there. The phone rang. It startled Reason. He picked it up.

  "Hello."

  "Hello Reason, how are you?"

  "I am not sure, I just arrived. I was feeling the place out."

  "Was anything stolen?"

  "Just seeing if there was anything missing in the daylight, but nothing."

  "Well I am glad to hear that. I will talk to you later, love you babe," Didier said.

  "Me too. Bye." Reason was so glad to hear from Didier, it uplifted his soul. Now I don't feel bad at all. Let's start looking for anything missing.

  He first went to his back office and looked through the desk. Then he decided to make some coffee. He needed it. The coffee was brewing and he was sitting at the desk near the front of the gallery. He didn't have a standard counter with a cash register on it. It was a gallery for goodness sake. The table was tall and had a desk like quality; he had a nice stool behind it. Here he could look out into the street and see the daylight. He wanted that feeling in his stomach to go away.

  It was only 10:30 a.m. and a Wednesday at that. He would need to send out some negatives that he had got back on Thursday to one of the reps but first he needed that coffee. It was decaf; his stomach couldn't take any more caffeine. While he sat on his stool and looked out at the street, watching the people pass by, he finally relaxed. The feeling in his stomach passed. He was all right. He leaned on the table and then it hit him. A vision. It was a man, in a long gray coat. Black gloves on, a scarf around his neck, it covered his mouth. He had on a hat. That was strange. Who wore hats? The man was searching for something. He turned and Reason saw his eyes, steely blue. He had something in his hand, but Reason couldn't make it out. The vision was over. Reason came out of it staring over by the filing cabinet with the negatives. Someone was her to steal from him. Very shocking. He went to the filing cabinet and opened it. Everything in the first drawer seemed there. Then the second drawer. A file was missing. The negatives of the lighthouse. They were gone, all of them. Reason's heart was racing. Who would want those he thought to himself. Who? He went for the phone to call Didier. He had to tell him about this. Or should he? He didn't tell him about the vision of the women falling at the café. Should he get him involved? Maybe he is involved somehow? He went and sat in his office. Well he needed to talk to someone. He would have to call Didier. He needed him now. He was afraid. He picked up the phone and began to dial his number. Didier was on the phone. He left a message with the receptionist. Now he needs to call me. I have to wait for him. Colbert let's go for a walk. He began to look for the leash and realized that the front door glass was still broken. He had forgotten all about it. He grabbed the phone book to look up a glass shop. A man could be over there in about an hour. Well he decided he needed to walk anyway. He would lock the front door and just leave Colbert to guard it. Well he couldn't do that. What if someone came and opened the door and let Colbert out or killed her? He was in a panic. He picked up the phone again and dialed Didier's work. "Hello Didier, the negatives were stolen. The negatives of the lighthouse," Reason said.

  "Hold on, hold on," Didier was trying to calm him down. "How do you know if they were stolen?"

  "I had a vision while I was sitting at the front desk, of a man all in black and gray, with a hat on and gloves. He found them and took them. Then when the vision was over, I went to the filing cabinet where I keep all my negatives, and in the second drawer the file was upset, and I looked inside and they were gone. I looked through all the files to see if they had falling in there and they hadn't. So they are gone."

  "Well calm down. Why don't I come over and we can talk about this more?"

  "Oh yes, come over, come right now."

  "I can take an early lunch, I'll be right over." Reason was so relieved to hear Didier offer to come over there. It must care about him if he would take an early lunch and come right over. He felt so much better now. And the glass repairmen would soon be there to repair the broken glass. He could then leave and go for a walk. Get out of that place. He needed to be with Didier. Didier made him feel safe and secure. He loved Didier, he knew it. He just couldn't tell if Didier felt the same way yet.

  20 minutes later.

  Didier walked in. He came up to Reason and hugged him and held onto him. He was so strong and it felt so good, Reason didn't want to let go. "I am so glad that you came."

  "I could hear fear in your voice. You sounded as if you needed a buddy. Now tell me again what happened, you had a vision?"

  "Yes I did. See I was afraid to tell you about my visions, afraid that you would not believe me or think I was insane." He was surprised he said it.

  "My dear Reason, I love you very much and I would never think you're insane."

  "Oh so you do believe me then."

  "Well I guess I have too. Now tell me again." His sincerity was very comforting to Reason. He told him the entire story again, including how when he first came into the gallery this morning, it felt tainted and disturbed. He explained that he couldn't understand why someone would steal the negatives of the lighthouse, except that maybe the story of Lisa-Maebelle Crow was related to it. Maybe she was the ghost standing at the door, telling him to come in, not go away. Maybe she wanted to give him some information through his visions.

  "Well if that's the case then why you and for who?"

  "I don't know, that is the mystery of it all."

  "Well I did get this déjà vu feeling when we went to the lighthouse, like I had seen it somewhere before. Then when I was at my mom's, I heard her talking to one of her friends, and it sounded like she was sorry for what had happened, something in the past, but I couldn't make it out. Maybe I had better call her up and find out."

  "Well Didier, are you of French decent, I have been dying to ask you that after you read that story to me in the café. I had a strange feeling that maybe you were somehow involved in all this."

  "But my family is not French, and I don't have any other family except my mother, now that my Aunt Annabelle is gone.

  "Well isn't that odd that your aunt's name is Annabelle and the lady who started that café, her name is Lisa-Maebelle. That's pretty coincidental isn't it?"

  "Well I guess it is, but it didn't cross my mind because we are of Danish decent, not French."

  "Your mom and aunt lived in New Orleans, that is very French?"

  "Yes but I didn't think they were from there."

  We are going to have to look into this further.
When can you call you mother and speak to her about it?"

  "I guess this evening. Do you really think that I am involved with this somehow?"

  "Well, ever since I took pictures of that lighthouse, I met you in a vision, before I ever even met you. I don't know how it's all related, but we are sure to find out."

  Just then the door opened, it was the glass repairman come to repair the glass front door. Reason went to meet him, "Hello. I am so glad that you are here, how long will it take?"

  "If I have the size and width on my truck, it will be about an hour."

  "Well that's fine. I'll be in the back if you need me."

  "You don't want a quote?"

  "No, just a new front glass door. I have some coffee if you care for a cup?"

  "That would be neighborly," he said with a smile and went back out to his truck parked in front.

  Didier was petting Colbert who had woke up and was standing next to where Didier was sitting on the stool. "It will be about an hour to replace it. Are you hungry, we can call Griswold's for delivery? How about a pastrami sandwich?"

  "That sounds good."

  "I'll call in the order." Reason went to the back and Didier followed, Colbert followed.

  "They will be here in about 10 to 15 minutes."

  "That's fine. Now tell me about this vision you had of me."

  "Well it happened just a few days before I met you. I was on my bed and you were sitting next to me. Although it's a bit