Slow Going
I only managed another 1,800 words today. I hit a spot in my plot where I’m still fuzzy on the details. I’m hoping a good night’s sleep and a fresh brain will help tomorrow. I’m also nearing the end of the plotting I’ve already done, which means I will need to work on that sooner rather than later. I fear this week may be slow going the entire time. I’m a little behind, still trying to make up for starting on day 2, but I’m still plugging away. And with that today’s words:
Katarina was not the old crone Joe expected. Much to his surprise she had all the appearance of youth, her hair was blonde, cascading down her head in loose ringlets; her face had no hint of wrinkles, but was smooth and clear; her eyes sparked with mirth and bore all the signs of a carefree outlook on life; her overall figure, what portions he could see, draped as it was in layer upon layer of silks, satin, and lace, was trim, like that of someone used to walking many hours in a week. Joe could not decide whether he were in love or terrified that someone so young and beautiful could be powerful enough to help him.
“Not the old crone you were expecting?” Katarina asked with a playful smile.
Joe shook his head. “No. I mean, well …” he trailed off.
Katarina laughed with genuine delight. “I take it as a compliment. Please do sit and make yourself comfortable. You are among friends. Many people, upon first meeting me here at my place of residence, expect the old crone the decorations suggest. I find it useful, as people have a greater respect for the old crone of fairy tales than for a young woman, wouldn’t you agree?”
Joe nodded, then hastened to add, “Not that I aren’t deserving of respect.”
Katarina cast him a sly smile then looked up at Mortimer. “My my, what a flatterer you have brought me this time Guardian. I may have to keep him.” Seeing Joe’s immediate discomfort she laughed. “Relax, relax. Flattery, while kind, is not necessary.”
“Look, I, uh, don’t mean to be rude but,” Joe began.
“Oh dear,” Katarina said raising a hand to her mouth. “Where have my manners gone. You’d think I don’t entertain guests anymore. Mortimer, would you be so kind as to pour us all some tea? You will have tea, won’t you Joseph. I can call you Joseph?”
“Sure, only …”
“Don’t think anything of it. We’ll have a nice cup of tea while we wait.”
Joe blinked. “Wait? Wait for what?”
“Patience dear Joseph. Patience,” she said with a wink. “All in due time. Tea first. Answers later.”
Joe blew out a breath in nervous frustration. Katarina made him nervous, not least because she was hauntingly beautiful. He was in a city that shouldn’t exist, talking with people who for all the world seemed to have the power and ability to ruin or bless his life. He knew better than to flirt with Katarina, but that didn’t tell him how he should behave toward her.
Mortimer, having poured everyone a steaming cup of chamomile tea, settled himself rather delicately on an overstuffed cushion. Katarina raised her cup up to her nose and inhaled deeply. “Ah my dear Guardian you still make the best cup of tea. Are you sure you will not reconsider my offer?”
Mortimer smiled and bowed his head at Katarina. “No my lady. As rewarding as it would be, I am better suited, for the moment, to be the Guardian.”
Katarina sighs, “You are right of course, but do find time more often to come by for a social call,” she said with a wink. Turning her attention to Joe she said, “It is not often I get to welcome a designer of such skill into my home. Tell me, what do you think of it?”
Joe quickly replied, “It’s nice.” Sensing that answer would not suffice he added, “It’s quite warm.”
“Come come, you can do better than that. Surely they taught you better than that.” Joe shifted uncomfortably on his cushion. Katarina leaned forward and stage whispered, “Myself, I have my doubts about a few elements. I’m hoping you could advise me.”
“Interior design isn’t really my forte,” Joe began.
“Nonsense. Design is design. Unless you are saying you are not up to the task … ?” she said playfully.
Bristling slightly Joe said, “There is and uncomfortable lack of symmetry in your foyer. One display case is slightly longer than the other. Furthermore, this exaggerates the already unbalanced feel of the artwork on display, as one side is more heavily loaded than the other. Even though they both have the same number of items you lack a balance of weights, as some are more imposing than others.” Joe eyed Katarina carefully as he said this. “Though I suspect you may have done this on purpose as a subliminal attack on your guests. I’m sure you find it helpful to keep people off balance.” Katarina calmly sipped her tea.
“Your use of organic materials, the woods and textiles, is well done, but the occasional touch of gold is garish. A colder iron or bronze would have been more in keeping with the feel of the room overall.” Joe paused, furrowing his brows. He turned around and moving one of the curtains stuck his head out and surveyed the room, then ducked back in staring intently at Katarina. “Unless I am terribly mistaken, this room appears larger than it should be, which is a great effect, though I confess I don’t know how you did it.”
Katarina smiled with obvious delight. “Thank you for your honest appraisal Joseph. But you are wrong about your assessment of my foyer. I had no intention of throwing people off-balance. I shall have to consider how I might better arrange my collection.”
Finished with her tea she set the cup aside. “Now is the time for more serious conversations. I know much already about your plight, but I would like to hear it from your lips, with as much detail as you can.”
Joe recounted his morning to Katarina, starting with his walk through downtown Springfield. He explained about the Greyhound buses, and his ticket purchase, then about car rental failure. Upon mentioning the large hulking man at the Governor’s Cup and how he suddenly disappeared Mortimer took notice. He finished up his narrative with the vow Mortimer made him take before entering.
Katarina looked directly into Joe’s eyes, “I feel as if you’ve left something out of your story. It’s not complete.”
Joe shook his head puzzling over what he might have missed. “I’m pretty sure I told you everything.”
“Ah but you’ve left out the other people.”
Joe frowned. “What other people?”
“The other people in the coffee shop, or at the bus depot, or at the car rental place, or on the street, or even here as you walked to my house.”
Joe paused and considered. “There were just a few people in the coffee shop, but I honestly didn’t pay attention. The bus depot was empty as far as I could tell. There was an elderly couple at the rental place that I had to wait on.” Joe thought some more. “That’s about it.”
“What did they look like, the elderly couple?”
“I didn’t get a good look at them,” Joe shrugged. “Just your average elderly couple. He was bald and she had that curly grey grandma hair, you know?”
Katrina narrowed her eyes at this but continued. “And you can think of no one who would want to keep you here? You aren’t working on anything important at the moment?”
“Nothing actually. I’ve got a few proposals out, and I have a meeting with a prospect tomorrow, but nothing serious.”
Mortimer interrupted, “Nothing?” he asked Katarina. She shook her head. “I was afraid of that.”
“Afraid of what?” Joe asked.
“Your life is an open book to me, Joseph Cumberland, right up until yesterday evening.”
“Yesterday? Why yesterday?”
Katarina picked up her empty tea cup and gazed into it. “Because whatever brought you here, and is keeping you here, started yesterday.” She set the cup down again.
“Wait, you said my life is an open book. What did you mean by that?”
Katarina fixed him with a gaze. “I can see your life as plainly as I can read a book.” Joe looked unconvinced. “For instance I know you buried your pet dog, Muffin, in your backyard as a kid.” Joe moved, about to protest. “I also know she was closer to you than your own family, and her death affected you. You’ve never had another pet.” She paused for effect, “Nor will you again.”
Joe was not entirely convinced, though he was shaken and disturbed by the reminder of Muffin. “Neat trick. Can you tell me what tomorrow’s lottery numbers are too?”
Katarina just smiled wickedly, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Joe, perturbed and unsettled, turned to Mortimer, “This was your idea of help? A fake psychic?”
“I am no psychic, Joseph. In truth I’m not sure what I am, but I know what I can do. Had you drove into town I would have seen that. Had you been abducted by ordinary means, I would have seen that. Had you been,” she paused giving a questioning glance at Mortimer, then continued cautiously, “displaced by more exotic means I would have seen that too.”
“What are you trying to say?” Joe asked, confused and angry for it.
“She’s trying to say that whoever, or whatever, did this to you has extraordinary abilities,” Mortimer answered.
“Correct. And that narrows down the field quite a bit.”
“Why do I get the feeling this is not good?”
“To be frank, it isn’t,” Mortimer said bluntly. “If we were dealing with a garden variety situation here, by our standards, Katarina could identify and locate the person for us. However, given that she cannot we not only have more work to do, but it also means we must tread lightly.”
“Because the guy responsible has some serious mojo?” Joe asked.
“Something like that,” Mortimer replied.
“So what do we do now? I mean, how does this help? We still don’t know who, or what, we are dealing with. No offense, Katarina,” Joe quickly added.
“I’m afraid we are left with few options,” Katarina said. “The nature of your predicament is most peculiar. I do not believe it was any coincidence you were chosen, nor that you ended up here, in Salem. There is something about this place that is important in keeping you here, and there is something important about you whereby you must be kept away from something else.”
“What about Amanda? She was laying it on rather thick that I should stay. Could she be behind this?”
“Amanda?” Katarina asked. “The girl at the bus depot? I shouldn’t think so.”
“Are you sure? She was rather adamant that I stay.”
Mortimer grinned wolfishly, “She likes you kid. She doesn’t want to see you go until she’s tired of you.”
Turning to Mortimer Katarina asked, “Can you arrange it?”
“I can. It may take some time,” Mortimer stated matter-of-factly.
“Arrange what?” Joe asked.
“We need to consult The Archives,” Katrina said. “They should give us a clue as to why you appeared here.”
Mortimer stood up. “Katarina, it was a pleasure as always.”
“You’re leaving?” Joe asked, fear creeping into his voice.
Mortimer put a reassuring hand on Joe’s shoulder. “I must if you are to gain entrance today. You are in good hands with Katarina.”