Read Online The Five-Day Dig by Jennifer Malin - Free Book Online Page A

talk about it.”
    “Ugh.” Winnie drew in a deep breath. “I’ll call his cell. Or I’ll text him. He may respond better to that.”
    “Better say a prayer, too.”
    The knot in her gut tightened. “You know I don’t do prayers.”
    “Not even for your brother?”
    “Why do we have to talk about this?” This was why she didn’t like to call her sister. “It only stirs up bad memories. We’ve been over it a thousand times since we were kids.”
    “ Which only proves you’re being childish. ”
    A candle and a matchbox on the nightstand caught her eye. “I’ll tell you what: I’ll light a candle. There’s one right here.”
    “Well, that’s something, I guess.”
    Of course, it wasn’t enough. With Christina, nothing ever was.
    Winnie picked up the matches, but she needed both hands to light one and decided to do it after the phone call. As she tossed the matchbook back on the table, the Madonna painting caught her gaze again. The mother sat on a throne with her child balanced on her knee. In the background, something was written. Winnie made out the words Sedes Sapientiae – Latin for “Seat of Wisdom.”
    Curious.
    Gears began to turn in her brain. The intellectual side of her personality kicked in, squelching the emotional side. She went still as she focused on the text. “Christina, what would the words ‘Seat of Wisdom’ mean inscribed on a Madonna and Child painting?”
    A couple ticks of silence passed. “Why?”
    “There’s a painting in my room with those words in Latin.”
    “I guess it’s one of the Virgin’s titles.” Her voice was dull. “She has a lot of them.”
    “ Mary is the Seat of Wisdom?” Winnie stared at the poker-faced woman in the painting. “Why is she associated with wisdom?”
    Christina let out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t know. She is the Mother of God. She’s associated with good things in general.”
    “There must be more to it than that – some kind of tradition that explains the title – though it’s possible the origins have been lost to us. It’s interesting that although ancient women weren’t often educated, representations of wisdom are traditionally female. Sophia and Athena are two other examples.”
    “As usual, you’re analyzing something that needs no explanation. Let’s talk about something else. What’s the opportunity that came up for you?”
    Winnie continued frowning at the painting. A shade of an idea teased her, but she couldn’t quite grasp it. “I’ll tell you about it tomorrow. It’s late here. Give Eddie and the kids my love.”
    “OK. Good night.”
    “ Buona notte .”
    She put the phone down then climbed onto the bed in a kneeling position to get a closer look at the painting. Simple rigid lines composed the two figures, but the throne boasted delicate details. The artist had placed the emphasis on the seat . It reminded her of something ... but what?
    After pondering it for another moment, she had to concede defeat. Maybe it would come to her at some random time when she wasn’t trying so hard.
    She got off the bed, lit the candle for Sam as promised, then sent him a short text message. After waiting a few seconds to see if he responded, she set the phone on the nightstand and lay down with a book: Metamorphoses by Apuleius.
    An hour or so later, her phone buzzed with a text. She snatched it up and checked the screen, but the message was from Chaz. He’d never texted her before. Concerned that he might have a problem, she clicked on the message.
    “ r u up?” it read.
    That didn’t sound urgent. She recalled that she was annoyed at him for blabbing her news to Farber after she had told him not to. Pursing her lips, she thumb-typed a response: “ aren’t u on a date?”
    His answer came back quickly: “ditched me 4 dunk.”

    She rolled her eyes but had to admit to herself that the bluntness of his response kind of amused her. She typed, “ what do u want?”
    “ got info about the dig,” he wrote.