The Cedar Face: DI Jewell book 3 (DI Elizabeth Jewell) (2 page)

CHAPTER TWO

Beresford fell quiet as soon as
he spotted her. To begin with, Wilson seemed oblivious to
her presence and carried on ranting about how she hadn
't tackled the lack of discipline in the art department
. Wilson suddenly realised she was standing behind him and quickly
shut up. Morven stood perfectly still and from his body
language, Jackie sensed he disliked confrontation.

'Why aren't you
in the classroom?' she asked Wilson.

Wilson's eyes narrowed
. 'I needed to speak to Giles about another urgent problem
.'

Jackie didn't want to prolong the argument in front
of their guest. Morven's eyes were on her and
she experienced an unfamiliar feeling. It wasn't an instant
sexual attraction, her usual response to any good-looking man
. This was different and slightly unnerving, as if he could
read her mind. Jackie knew that at times she suffered
from paranoia, which often caused odd symptoms. Dragging her gaze
back to Wilson and Beresford, she smiled and said, ‘This
is Jacob Morven who is here to enlighten us all
on the Nisga’a culture.’

Keith Wilson moved forward and
held out his hand. ‘Great to meet you, I’m
one of the art teachers.’

Beresford also shook hands then
hurried off. It was clear he wasn't keen on
speaking to her today. Bloody hypocrite, she thought, only last
week he'd suggested they go away for the weekend
. Wilson, intent on monopolising Morven, guided him along the corridor
towards the lecture hall. Jackie trailed behind and watched how
the Canadian positioned the stick. With each step, he held
the unusual walking aid at an angle. The carved faces
moved up and down as if they were alive.

Morven
's talk was due to last approximately two hours, including
a short film on modern day Nisga'a people, followed
by questions from the students. Afterwards staff and students would
break for lunch.

The audience stood up as they entered
the lecture hall. Jackie was suddenly proud; miraculously they'd
heard no raucous noise echoing along the corridors. A raised
area acted as a stage and Morven sat between Wilson
and the other art teachers. Jackie gazed out at her
pupils who were mostly responsible kids, all keen to get
somewhere in life. Many of them were enthusiastic about a
career in the art world and had a common goal
, university followed by good jobs. The popular choices were fashion
, graphics and media studies. Jackie noticed one lad who she
knew wanted a career in photojournalism. The spectrum was wide
and as always, she hoped they would succeed, but it
was a crowded market and she knew some of them
would end up disappointed and disillusioned.

After the preliminaries, she
asked them to kick off with general questions about life
in North Western British Columbia. One by one, they covered
various topics. She watched Morven visibly relax and even Keith
Wilson's attitude improved. He'd obviously decided to put
aside his grievances for a couple of hours. The Canadian
had brought with him examples of carving tools, some quite
old and others more recent. He was cautious not to
let anyone else handle them, warning his audience they were
extremely sharp. While he held each one up, he explained
its purpose. Jade Harper, a girl who'd risen to
the top of the class, and a few others, left
their seats to get a closer look. 'I went into
the museum in Laxgalts'ap
,'
she said, standing as close
as she could to Morven. 'I never found out what
the name meant.'

Morven laid down one of the more ornate carving tools. 'It means village on village. One village built upon another on a site occupied for millennia. I don't live there all the time; I go back in the summer. I'm actually heading straight there when I leave the UK. Let me tell you all something important. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, many Nis
g
a’a treasures were lost from the Nass Valley. During the struggle for our treaty, Nis
g
a’a elders and leaders fought to ensure this scattered legacy would find its way back home. I help this process along as much as possible by following the trail of captured treasure.'

A tall lad sitting at the front stood up. 'Do you have much success, and how do you find out where these treasures are?'

'That's a good question because it isn't easy. So much passed into the hands of Europeans who held on to huge collections, which are now extremely valuable. For instance, last autumn at Sotheby's in New York, a priceless collection of northwest coast native artefacts went up for auction. From the seventeenth century, explorers and missionaries traded with the indigenous peoples of Northern Canada. One family were responsible for repatriating more than two dozen items, among them a wooden mask. These pieces were from a First Nation settlement near Prince Rupert; a Scottish clergyman named Robert Dundas acquired or stole them in 1863. Ironically, his great grandson put them up for auction and raised five million dollars for two dozen items. The mask set a new record for an individual piece of First Nation art when it sold for one point eight million dollars. So you see how important it is to find our heritage, bring it home and display it in museums for all to see.'

Keith Wilson moved towards him and pointed
to a folder he was carrying. Morven flicked through and
nodded.

'Before we carry on I just want to say
how impressed I am with your project. Designing and carving
masks was a difficult choice and those of you who
decided to decorate them faced another challenge. Because of this
, there will be three prizes, one for each category. Papier
-mâché, simple woodcarving and plaster cast. I'll announce the
winners after lunch.'

Morven asked Wilson the time before continuing
. His tone changed as he outlined the serious historical, cultural
and educational aspects of his talk. He began with the
great tragedy in the mid eighteenth century. 'First I want
to tell you a story.

'Volcano Woman is perhaps one of the oldest and most revered legends about the fate of we mortals should we not treat sacred objects or creatures with respect. To defend her beloved wild creatures, she controls the powerful volcanoes. The story tells of the tragedy that followed the killing of a frog and how Volcano Woman destroyed an entire village. Volcano Woman had supernatural powers, as did her son. He often changed from his human form into a frog. Many, many years ago, a Prince and his two friends went fishing. When they'd cooked their meal, they laid it down on a bed of leaves. The frog was mischievous and jumped on their food and the young Prince threw the frog into the shrubs but it jumped back out. The third time he threw the frog into the fire and deliberately killed an innocent creature. A few nights later, the villagers heard a woman crying and wailing. "Come forward and I will spare your village." This warning went unheeded until one of the female Elders travelled to the village outskirts to see her. Volcano Woman instructed her to send forth the three young men and she would spare the village from volcanic destruction, but again the people ignored her warning. On the night of the eruption, Volcano Woman was heard saying, "I asked for those responsible to take heed and now you will know my vengeance." The village shook. A volcano erupted, destroying the village and all who lived there.'

He told them about The Tseax Cone volcano, the source of the volcanic eruption. How the poisonous gases killed many people and how legends told of the aftermath, a prolonged period of disruption. Villagers dug pits hoping to shelter from the lava flow and gas, but approximately two thousand people had died. The Nisga'a story, he explained was Canada's worst known geophysical disaster and as for my connection to the lava beds,' he concluded, ‘my ancestors are buried there.'

From the
silence, Jackie could see his story had moved them. Jade
, the girl responsible for suggesting Morven's visit used the
bottom of her shirt to wipe away tears. Morven was
about to continue but hesitated. Jade, realising he was staring
at her stood up. 'That's such a sad story
.' She glanced around at her fellow students. 'Our generation is
so lucky. I think we forget that sometimes.'

Jackie knew
Jade liked attention. The girl had confidence as well as
looks and talent. Unfortunately, her popularity wasn't as great
as she imagined. The crying scenario had worked. She had
achieved her goal and got Morven's undivided attention. Jackie
hoped he didn't have a thing about eighteen year
old girls. Plenty of rumours had circulated about Jade; the
most worrying one was that older men fascinated her.

Morven
took off his wolf head covering and removed his blanket
. Underneath, he had short black hair and wore a dark
t-shirt and jeans. 'What's the definition of culture
?' He asked walking to the edge of the stage.

Several
voices answered. 'Way of life.'

Another student suggested traditions, customs
and ethnicity.

'Good answers,' he replied and held up the blanket.

'This is the Chieftain's blanket, worn mainly
by Head Chiefs. I'm a Wolf Chief. It might
not look like a very cool garment to wear, but
where I'm from it can get mighty cold. Does
anyone happen to know how far north my village is
?'

'Nearly a thousand miles from Vancouver,' Jade said. 'I know
because I visited there.'

'Thank you...' he said. 'I'm
sorry I forgot to ask your name.'

'I'm Jade
,' she said smiling.

Jackie observed the subtle sexual vibes oozing
from her precocious student's pores.

'Summers are short but
warm. The winter is cold. Who would like to try
on the Royal Chilkat Robe? When it's on your
back you have authority.'

Rory got to his feet again
. 'Does that mean you can do as you please?'

Morven
laughed. 'It depends. What were you thinking of?'

Rory focused
on a group to the left of him, a slight
smirk on his face. 'Like, you know, getting rid of
your enemies.'

Morven's expression changed. His friendly openness had
disappeared. 'I don't think so,' he said coldly. He
turned away from Rory and stared at Jade.

It was
time to wrap it up Jackie thought. Exams were looming
and that brought all kinds of problems. Petty squabbles often
got out of hand. Allegiances changed on a daily or
weekly basis resulting in plenty of animosity. By now, she
should be used to the machinations but Jade's blatant
behaviour needed to stop before it got her into trouble
. She looked over at Morven and felt the same earlier
sensations. The sooner he was off the premises the better
.

CHAPTER THREE

Throughout lunch, Jackie stayed clear of Wilson and Beresford. Instead, she wandered around chatting to her students asking them their thoughts on the morning's lecture. The consensus was that they had really enjoyed it and learned more than they'd expected. An hour and a half later, Jackie began the process of getting them back to work. Some of the students had already drifted away but others decided this was more fun than the remaining afternoon's lessons. The agreement prior to the buffet was that staff members could drink wine but not students, even though many were over eighteen. Those that hung about were waiting for a relaxation of the rules.

Morven and Keith Wilson were having a lengthy conversation. Jackie had checked her watch and realised they must've been talking for more than twenty minutes. Eager to find out what the topic was she walked over and deliberately interrupted. 'Can anyone join in or is this private?'

Morven flashed a genuine smile. 'Not at all, Keith was telling me he has a keen interest in collecting First Nations Art and wants me to take a look at his latest acquisition.'

Wilson looked annoyed at her sudden appearance. ‘What do you want?’

'I actually came over to find out when Jacob wanted to leave.' She turned to Morven. 'I'd intended to drive you back to your hotel but my car's in the garage. I'll arrange for a taxi if you let me know what time.'

'Jacob would like me to show him the art department's gallery. I'll drive him myself.'

Jackie tried to conceal her annoyance. Her plan was to ask Morven out for a drink, now thanks to Wilson's interference she'd lost the opportunity.

'I won't be long. Before I leave, I'd like to say goodbye. Where will I find you?'

'In my office, Keith knows where it is.' Jackie wasn't about to give up that easily. 'Tell me Keith, what's this latest piece of artwork you've bought?'

'I'd rather not say. Jacob's offered to help me with the provenance and I'm very grateful to him.'

He's becoming even more pompous, Jackie thought. She decided to stay for a few minutes and follow them to the gallery. As for his new art treasure, she'd find out what it was soon enough.

Wilson checked his watch. 'Excuse us.'

As Morven moved off Wilson made certain everyone heard what he said. 'Not every bloke finds you irresistible Jackie.'

As she backed away, Jackie felt her face burning with anger and embarrassment. Wilson had obviously assumed she fancied Morven and was determined to keep him busy. Knowing Wilson's frustration with women and sex, he was determined to spoil her chances with Morven. Well to hell with both of them, she thought. As it was after one thirty and she had no further lessons she would bugger off home. She wasn't that interested in his stupid piece of art anyway. The prospect of picking up a bottle of gin at the supermarket cheered her up. No need for tonic, there was plenty in the fridge. Jackie stood at the door and watched in case anyone was watching her. When she was sure no one was, she left the dining room and hurried along the corridor.