800 East 800 East Avenue
Atla A Note Before Dying
Book One in the Mara Solomon Series
Adam Cole
Part four
(C) 2020 Adam Cole
Published by Nuncici Press, an imprint of Adam Cole Works LLC
Randle’s mustache again came to attention and his eyes narrowed. “What makes you say that?”
“This is a recording of a harpsichord.”
Randle shrugged. He had known it was some kind of instrument. “Okay, yeah,” he said.
“Hear how it’s getting louder and softer?” Mara said, her arm rising and falling.
“Yes.”
“Well, harpsichords don’t do that.”
“What? What do you mean?” Randle was getting very agitated.
“Harpsichords can only play at one dynamic level, or two at most. They aren’t like pianos. If you push a piano key down fast, it plays loudly. Push it gently and the sound is soft. But a harpsichord…it plays the same no matter how hard or how gently you press the key. That was why the piano was such a revolution. Because it could play loud or soft. In fact, the name pianoforte, which was the full—“
“Ma’am…” Randle said, raising his hand to stop her before he lost the train of her initial statement. “What was your name?”
“Mara Solomon,” she said.
“Ms. Solomon,” the Detective went on, “Are you telling me this isn’t a recording of a harpsichord?”
“It’s ‘Doctor.’
“My mistake,” said the Detective.
“Well, it sounds like a harpsichord. But it’s being played like a piano. Hear that? It’s crescendoing there, in that passage.”
The police Detective urged her on. “How is that possible?”
“Well, I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe a synthesizer could imitate a harpsichord, except the synthesizer manufacturer didn’t know enough about the instrument to suppress the dynamic range?”
The Detective’s eyes went over Mara’s shoulders to regard the officer who was working with Cybil down the hall. He said nothing for a moment, and then spoke. “Dr. Solomon, if you’d have a seat?” The Detective rose up and, with a grand gesture of his hand, pointed at an empty chair before his desk.
For a moment, the spell was broken and Mara realized what she was doing. “I’m sorry I interrupted you. I just came to---”
“No, no, ma’am,” the Detective reassured her. “No, you’re fine. I just want you to answer a couple more questions for me, if you don’t mind. You’re…” he chuckled. “You’re not a suspect.”
When Mara had seated herself before the chili dog and the pickle, still listening to the faux Purcell performance, the Detective spoke again. “All right, ma’am, I just want to keep this hypothetical, you understand? I’m not at liberty to disclose any actual facts about anything I’m investigating. You understand?” he said again.
Mara nodded. “Sure,” she said.
“Okay,” said the Detective, rubbing his chin. “Let’s say someone wanted to record Percy…”
“Purcell. Henry Purcell, English comp---”
“Purcell. Okay. Let’s say he was a big shot performer. Let’s say he wanted to perform it for a major record deal.” The Detective grabbed at his chili dog as if it were trying to get away. He took a bite and, through it, asked, “Why would he do it on a synthesizer? Wouldn’t he use a real instrument?”
Mara was quiet at first, considering. Just as the Detective was wondering if she had gotten lost in the music, she looked at him and answered, “I suppose for convenience? Maybe he wanted to record the piece at home.”
The Detective’s eyes went up. “Mmmmmmmm…” he nodded, though whether he was considering her answer or the chili dog, Mara couldn’t tell. “Thank you. Yeah, thank you, that’s interesting!” He paused to observe the finger he had lain by his mustache. “Dr. Solomon, I don’t suppose you’d be willing to give me your number in case we need your expert help some time?”
Mara blinked, somewhat taken aback. “Sure…” she said, quietly taking out a card from her purse and handing it to the chili-stained fingers of Detective Randle.
“Professor,” the Detective said, his eyebrows rising. “I should have guessed. Officer Grey will finish taking your statement.”
Mara nodded. Still musing over the strange recording, she rose to her feet and walked away, leaving the Detective to gaze thoughtfully at her small, round back.
More about A Note Before Dying
Mara Solomon is a musicologist, not a detective. She has no idea that she’s about to take on a murder case.
In an unexpected visit to the Decatur Police Station she discovers that her estranged friend, the harpist Reanne Adastra, has been brutally beaten to death, her body left to rot in the South River. The only clue to the movie seems to be a piece of music, scrawled by Adastra before her death and left behind. The police have no idea what to make of that.
But Mara thinks she knows.
Adam Cole is the host of TruerMU where he interviews celebrities and up-and-coming musicians and creatives. His guests have included Shawn Mullins, Liberty Devitto and Rick Beato, among many others. A jazz and classical pianist, Adam’s numerous fiction and non-fiction titles engage readers with the truth about music. Visit Adam at www.acole.net
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