Why Not Murder

58. Leads

58. Leads

Winnie appeared very flustered. She had given her draft of the love story to Maya for reading and in the meantime she was searching her studio. The only other person who had read the love story was Harriet while she was transcribing it.

"I find myself wondering why I write," Winnie said, "You and my staff probably feel obliged to read my writings, but I seriously doubt anyone else would be interested at all. There are so many writers out there already and even if they weren't all better than I am, my talent will remain unnoticed."

"Why does that matter?" Maya asked, "Do you feel the same way about your painting?"

"There's more hope for my painting," Winnie replied, "There's not the same effort required on the part of the viewer. For a painting, they look, they see and in a flash they know. Whereas writing requires the reader to put in the time to read, to imagine what they are reading, and memory time to remember it at least while they are reading. It's a busy world and people don't have the time for my work. Plus they resent you and hold it against you that you could actually think that you have what it takes to be a writer or painter. Anyone can put a meaningful mark on a page, there's nothing special about what I do."

"Even if that were true," Maya said, "writing for readers is not the reason for writing, except for a professional and the majority of professionals are so crimped in their writing and fenced in by what they imagine others would think, that their work is devoid of real interest. That's my opinion. Fame and fortune are not for the worthy but for those who are marketed effectively. The value of writing is for the writer. It's an exploration of your own experience of the mind and it is for your own benefit and understanding primarily. Personally, I enjoy your work more than anybody else's."

"It matters to me to matter to others," Winnie said, "If my work sold, I would feel that others valued my work."

Maya replied, "That's one of the most effective ways we have been brainwashed to value money and use it to value all things. Money is the unit and value is the measure. That's why money has become by far, the most important thing is the lives of the vast majority of humanity. Even love is not as important."

"What would we have instead of money," Winnie asked, "Back to the barter system? It never worked as well as money as a means of exchange."

"That is true for individuals who cannot provide for themselves otherwise," Maya said, "The essential thing for a ruler to do in order to maintain power is to ensure that all means of survival and self-sustenance are outlawed for the subjects. The only means allowed for the subjects to obtain their survival needs has to be bought with money."

Winnie was continuing her search for something all during the conversation. Finally Maya asked, "What are you looking for?"

"Some USBs. I looked in the basement and they are not there," Winnie said, "During the move into the new office upstairs, things became confused and disorganized and they were misplaced or misfiled."

"Could they be these?" Maya asked, showing Winnie the USBs Dog had showed her of the files removed from Reliable Security's computer files.

Winnie took them from Maya's hand, clearly baffled and replied, "Could be. Where did you find them?"

"In the fringe of the hall rug on the stairway going to the new office," Maya immediately answered, lying, wondering 'would Winnie notice?'. Something from inside herself made her lie despite her thinking that honesty was the best way to deal with Winnie. Body and facial reading is something all humans are equipped mentally to understand with the exception of the rare people with brain disorders of one kind or another. Our minds understand the most subtle of facial expressions which we are not aware of on a conscious level. We are born with an innate subconscious language which is the basis of all human to human understanding, the very reason a baby knows what a smile means.