appointments, welcoming clients and serving coffee and tea as well as pacifying crying babies and entertaining restless children. The pale cream walls in the parlor boasted a lineup of brilliantly photographed babies, children, brides and families. Wolfe knew that Caroline had become a renowned portrait photographer, but until seeing her work today he hadn't fully comprehended how truly talented she was. In each picture she had captured the very essence of her subject.
"She's very good," Wolfe said without realizing he had spoken aloud.
"The best," Roz agreed. "She has clients who come here from all over the country. Every young girl dreams of having her bridal portrait taken by Caroline, and we have expectant mothers making appointments with us for their unborn child's first-year pictures the minute they discover they're pregnant."
Wolfe glanced over his shoulder, checking on Caroline's whereabouts as she padded barefoot across the wooden floor and introduced herself to her first two clients of the day—a mother with a toddler in tow and an elderly gentleman barely restraining the friendliness of his springer spaniel. Caroline bent on one knee in front of the little boy who, judging by his size, was probably no more than three.
"Hello, Justin, I'm Caroline. My, you're a big boy. Your mother told me that you like bugs. . .spiders and flies and scorpions. Did you know that I have a whole box filled with bugs in my studio?"
The curly-headed child grinned and said, "You've got bugs?"
"Dozens of them."
"You got a scorpion?"
"At least three of them." Caroline held out her hand to the toddler. ''Would you like to go with my friend Roz.. .you and your mommy. . .and see my scorpions?"
The child jumped up and down, then tugged on his mother's hand. "Let's go now, Mommy. Go see the bugs."
While Roz led mother and child into the studio area used primarily for shots of babies and children, Caroline made her way to her next customer. She sat down on the sofa beside the old man, then leaned over and let his dog sniff the back of her hand. Immediately the spaniel wagged his tail and lifted his front paws onto Caroline's knees.
"Hello, old boy," Caroline said as she rubbed the dog's ears. "What's his name?" she asked the owner.
"Freddy."
"Well, Freddy, you're a sweetie, aren't you?" She glanced at the pet's master. "Mr. Dalton, do you mind if I give Freddy a doggie treat?"
"I don't mind at all. Freddy's like me, he's getting up there in years and one of the few pleasures left to him is eating." Mr. Dalton laughed good-naturedly and patted his potbelly.
"Sandy—" Caroline motioned for the plump redheaded gofer " —will take you and Freddy outside in the garden, and when I finish with little Justin Payne, I'll join y'all. If you'd like coffee or tea or if Freddy needs a bowl of water, then you just tell Sandy." Caroline dipped into the deep pocket of her baggy blue slacks and pulled out a bone-shaped dog treat. She waved it under the dog's nose. He caught a sniff and snapped it up immediately.
As soon as Mr. Dalton and Freddy disappeared down the corridor that led to the garden at the back of the studio, Caroline motioned to Wolfe. "There's only one door in and out of the children's studio, so if you guard that door, no one can get to me."
"Is that your subtle way of telling me to stay out of your way while you're working?" Wolfe asked.
"You catch on fast," she replied.
He walked behind her down the hallway, past the curtained alcoves young clients used to change clothes and into the large, colorfully decorated room she used as the children's studio. After scanning the area and noting only one window, which overlooked the enclosed garden courtyard where Sandy entertained Mr. Dalton and Freddy, Wolfe closed the single entry door and leaned back against it.
He watched as she maneuvered the lighting, first setting up what he later learned from Roz was a 350-watt diffuser fill light to the front right of the squirming Justin
"She's very good," Wolfe said without realizing he had spoken aloud.
"The best," Roz agreed. "She has clients who come here from all over the country. Every young girl dreams of having her bridal portrait taken by Caroline, and we have expectant mothers making appointments with us for their unborn child's first-year pictures the minute they discover they're pregnant."
Wolfe glanced over his shoulder, checking on Caroline's whereabouts as she padded barefoot across the wooden floor and introduced herself to her first two clients of the day—a mother with a toddler in tow and an elderly gentleman barely restraining the friendliness of his springer spaniel. Caroline bent on one knee in front of the little boy who, judging by his size, was probably no more than three.
"Hello, Justin, I'm Caroline. My, you're a big boy. Your mother told me that you like bugs. . .spiders and flies and scorpions. Did you know that I have a whole box filled with bugs in my studio?"
The curly-headed child grinned and said, "You've got bugs?"
"Dozens of them."
"You got a scorpion?"
"At least three of them." Caroline held out her hand to the toddler. ''Would you like to go with my friend Roz.. .you and your mommy. . .and see my scorpions?"
The child jumped up and down, then tugged on his mother's hand. "Let's go now, Mommy. Go see the bugs."
While Roz led mother and child into the studio area used primarily for shots of babies and children, Caroline made her way to her next customer. She sat down on the sofa beside the old man, then leaned over and let his dog sniff the back of her hand. Immediately the spaniel wagged his tail and lifted his front paws onto Caroline's knees.
"Hello, old boy," Caroline said as she rubbed the dog's ears. "What's his name?" she asked the owner.
"Freddy."
"Well, Freddy, you're a sweetie, aren't you?" She glanced at the pet's master. "Mr. Dalton, do you mind if I give Freddy a doggie treat?"
"I don't mind at all. Freddy's like me, he's getting up there in years and one of the few pleasures left to him is eating." Mr. Dalton laughed good-naturedly and patted his potbelly.
"Sandy—" Caroline motioned for the plump redheaded gofer " —will take you and Freddy outside in the garden, and when I finish with little Justin Payne, I'll join y'all. If you'd like coffee or tea or if Freddy needs a bowl of water, then you just tell Sandy." Caroline dipped into the deep pocket of her baggy blue slacks and pulled out a bone-shaped dog treat. She waved it under the dog's nose. He caught a sniff and snapped it up immediately.
As soon as Mr. Dalton and Freddy disappeared down the corridor that led to the garden at the back of the studio, Caroline motioned to Wolfe. "There's only one door in and out of the children's studio, so if you guard that door, no one can get to me."
"Is that your subtle way of telling me to stay out of your way while you're working?" Wolfe asked.
"You catch on fast," she replied.
He walked behind her down the hallway, past the curtained alcoves young clients used to change clothes and into the large, colorfully decorated room she used as the children's studio. After scanning the area and noting only one window, which overlooked the enclosed garden courtyard where Sandy entertained Mr. Dalton and Freddy, Wolfe closed the single entry door and leaned back against it.
He watched as she maneuvered the lighting, first setting up what he later learned from Roz was a 350-watt diffuser fill light to the front right of the squirming Justin
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