Shadows in the Mirror by Linda Hall

Author:Linda Hall
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2007-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

The following afternoon I found myself driving past Evan’s shop on my way to drop off a bank deposit. It really wasn’t on the way, and in fact I had to go out of my way to drive past his store, but I did it anyway.

Evan Baxter Photography was empty and I remembered the first time I’d stopped in, before I knew all there was to know about Evan. This time I didn’t wander and look. This time I went straight to the counter and pressed the bell. No one came. The office door was opened slightly, but the darkroom door behind it was firmly closed.

I called out, “Mose? Evan?”

Nothing.

Maybe I should leave a note, I thought, rummaging in my purse for a pen and a piece of paper. I found a pen, but no paper. Maybe there was a scrap behind the counter somewhere, or something in the garbage can.

“I’m writing you a note!” I called out. “And then I’m leaving, but I’ll be back, in case you’re in the darkroom and can’t come out.”

Behind the counter and against the wall was a table stacked with paper and envelopes. On the top was a plain piece of white paper. I reached over, took the sheet and put it on the counter to write on. My heart stopped; I couldn’t breathe. I turned back to the stack and there was the picture of my parents, the same one I’d given Evan, the same pose. But in this one, instead of standing on the shores of Lake Champlain, they were part of a studio shot. Behind them were dark studio drapes, and in one corner a tall vase of dried flowers. I picked up the photo and studied it. To me, it looked as if this were the real pose, the real picture, and the one I had was the phony, the composite, as Evan had told me. What was he doing with it? Why hadn’t he told me he’d had this all along? What else was he lying to me about?

I drew in a breath. Is this why Evan had expressed surprise when he’d looked at the picture the first time? Was it because he’d had this one all along? The last time we were together, he’d practically begged me for my parents’ picture so he could work on it some more. Why would he do that if he already had this one? What was going on?

I inserted the picture back in the stack of papers on the table, and without leaving a note, I walked out.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.