Truth reveals eventually.

Tania's belongings

Just then the bell rings. Shit! I mumble, placing the page back at the floor. I close the door of his room, making sure to leave it slightly ajar. Then I open the door. The same woman who slapped me stands there, only looking more fresher than before.

"Hello!" She says, her voice cheery. "Hello, you must be Madison, the person who has been texting me." I say extending my arm. She shakes my hand, "Indeed, I have been messaging you. I got your number from the newspaper the other day, when my dear madàm Tania passed away." She says.

I resist the urge to tell her that she did not pass away, she killed herself, with a knife. In pain. "Alright, please then come inside." I say politely and notice that she carries a very big bag with her. Probably containing the things of Tania.

She comes and sits inside. Just as I notice the amount of wrinkles on her skin, she must be in forties, "Gary, do you have any idea about how amazing of an artist your mother was?" She asks. "Well, uuuhhh she did some sketching which was uhh amazing......" I tell her, I really don't want to end up with another slap.

"How much do you even know about your mother?" She asks, pushing a strand of her hair behind her head, "Uhh....... to tell you the truth, not much. And as a matter of fact, I am really interested in her character. There might be some things that you could share with me." I tell her.

She opens her big bag, and takes out a photo, then she hands it over to me. There is a picture of Tania with a bunch of old woman. She is holding a painting. "Recognise something?" She asks.

I look at the picture more carefully, they are all standing near a river, but underneath a shed. This place feels so familiar. "I'm sorry, but unfortunately, this picture contains a lot of unfamiliar faces."

She shakes her head and takes the picture, then she points at herself, "This is obviously me, this is........ "Please, I don't want to know these people, just tell me what this place is?" I ask, a little irritated.

Then she gets up, "Come on! You need to see something." She says leading me out to her car. Confused, I look at her, "Please just come in! I if you want to know more about your mother, then just follow me." She urges. I decide to take my car and follow her.

She starts and goes towards the IU apartments. Then she turns the corner to a beautiful sight. There are little wooden huts and there is an artificial lake. Made by humans. The there is a small snacks bar as well, and to tell the truth, it is beautiful.

I get out of my car and she gets out of hers. "What do you think?" She asks gesturing to the lake. "It is beautiful, but I intend to know if this is the same place from the photo?" I ask and just then thunder rumbles.

"Well, yes it is the same place." She tells me and goes towards one of the huts, "And you see this hut is where your mother, my teacher, taught us. She would bring us, and by us I mean seven to eight art scholars over here and then she would give her class. She was wonderful."

I nod. Tania chose this place because she knew that neither I nor Carper would come over here. Carper hated the beach and the lakes, and I was a very busy person to come over here and just see. "Can you show me other pictures or you know things.... of Tania?" I ask and she gestures me to sit down on the bench in the hut.

She opens her bag and takes out a paper, "This was hers, you know I never looked at it as I believe that it belonged to her and could be a personal matter." She says handing me the paper. Before looking at the paper I ask,

"Then how do you have it?" She shakes her head and mumbles that she forget it in her house. I look at the page, it looks so familiar, there are jumbles of names in untidy writings, and then one of them catches my eye, Carper Peck!