First Impression II: At Second Glance

Chapter Twenty-Six - Jane Marple Continues Her Work

Chapter Twenty-Six — Jane Marple Continues Her Work

It was cold. Daniele and I shivered a little as we walked down the frozen garden to Professors Sursette's house. We were here to interview him for an article on calligraphy as an art form. Well, that was our official reason. The unofficial reason was that we were hoping find out more about his son-in-law, Richard Jenkins. To do that, we had to first establish contact.

I rang the doorbell and we waited in the porch.

"It's a long shot," I told Danielle doubtfully.

She wagged a finger at me. "You never know till you try."

And then the door flew open.

Danielle and I blinked.

Angelina stood there with her arms crossed, a serious expression on her face.

"So what are you doing here?"

We continued staring, mouth open.

"Are you here to interview Professor Sursette?" she asked.

We managed to shut our jaws and nod.

"Well, do you know that, if not for me," Angelina continued, hands on hips. "Grandpa would not have consented to the interview?"

Grandpa? Angelina was Professor Sursette's granddaughter?

"Thanks?" Danielle mumbled, bewildered by the turn of events.

I struggled to connect the dots. Angelina was Richard Jenkins's daughter?

"Hehe, I'm kidding," Angelina said, giggling. "But you should have seen your faces. Hilarious. Come in come in, it's cold out there." She pulled us into the hallway.

"I'm so excited to see you guys. It feels like forever since school ended..." Angelina chattered excitedly as we took off our coats and scarfs.

"How did I miss this?" Danielle muttered beside me, looking slightly irritated with herself. While Danielle loved surprising others, she did not like being surprised herself. As a journalist, she prided herself on knowing everything beforehand.

"Come in. This is the library. Grandpa's by the fireplace," Angelina said, ushering us into a large circular room, its walls lined with books from the floor to the ceiling. Plush armchairs and oak furniture littered the room. It looked like a library straight out of a storybook.

Woah.

"What do you guys want? Tea? Coffee? Hot chocolate?"

"Tea is fine," I replied. Danielle nodded, still distracted.

"Okie dokies!" Angeline left.

Danielle and I walked further into the spacious room.

Professor Sursette was sitting in an armchair next to a roaring fireplace, reading a thick leather-bound book. A pair of round glasses perched on the end of his slightly hooked nose, almost about to fall off. He heard us and stood up, smiling warmly with kind eyes.

"Ah, welcome, have a seat."

*

"It was nice having you two over," Angelina said, sending us to the door. "Come again. Grandpa knows a lot about art history too so if you're interested in that kind of stuff, he's always happy to talk."

"That's good, I'm taking Art History next semester," I told her. This was a lucky coincidence.

"Eeee, me too!" Angelina squealed, clutching my hand. "I don't think I've had classes with you before, have I? Oh my god, next semester is going to be so exciting. I can't wait for school to start already."