Several oil paintings were hanging on the walls of the lab. They had been damaged in the fire. They were all badly burned and were almost unrecognizable.
These paintings were not famous works, but they had all been lovingly painted by wonderful artists. Many of them were colleagues at the Academy of Fine Arts. Some of the works were by teachers, and some were by students.
One of Sophia Green's favorite paintings was a gift from Albert Pearson. It was of a little girl looking up at the sky. The style was abstract. The girl's face was not very clear, and yet it gave a feeling of hope.
She still remembered how Albert Pearson had offered it to her like a treasure, "Ms. Green. I painted this for you. What do you think?"
"Pearson, you can paint?" she had been a little surprised.
"I learned a little as a child." He was looking at her expectantly as if waiting for her opinion.
Sophia gave him the compliment she was sure he was looking for, "Very good. Hang it up for me, please."
Albert Pearson smiled. He didn't hang it up immediately; instead, he lingered in the lab with the painting in his arms for a long time before saying, "I shall hang it here, and then you can see it while doing your experiments."
***
She remembered how fond he was of the painting. He would take it off the wall every couple of weeks to wipe off the dust. None of the other paintings received this treatment. In fact, she never saw Albert Pearson dust them at all.
But now, the painting was burned to a half-scorched frame. The beauty of the painting was gone and would never be recovered.
Standing behind Sophia Green, Albert Pearson suddenly said, "Miss. Green's favorite painting used to hang there."
She was startled, but he just walked to the side of the room and stopped talking.
The laboratory was located in the corner of Glinton University, far away from the student activity area, and it was very quiet all around there. Sophia Green walked slowly to the fire extinguisher lying in the corner of the room. She crouched down and examined it carefully.
The fire extinguisher had been badly burnt. She remembered that she had picked up the fire extinguisher when the fire broke out. But it didn't work, and it was broken.
She had had a very bad feeling at the time. Now, as she thought about it again, she realized a killer would have known she would try and use the fire extinguisher, and he would have broken it beforehand. After the fire, it was so damaged it was impossible to tell if it had been broken before or not.
Albert Pearson stood in front of one of the experimental tables for a moment. Then he turned to the door as if about to leave.
Sophia Green stopped him with a question, "Are you still working here?"
Albert Pearson paused but didn't look back. There was a slight bitterness in his voice, "She's gone. How can I still work here?"
Then, he strode away.
Sophia Green suddenly felt sorry for Pearson. He was the assistant the school hired for her, not an official member of staff. Was he fired after she died?
He had lost his job because of her. She wondered what he was doing now.
But she wasn't worried about him. Albert Pearson was hardworking and intelligent. It shouldn't be hard for him to find another job, a better job. In fact, she had always wondered why a person like Pearson was willing to be her assistant.
She had asked him once. And all he had said was that he had a personal interest and that he enjoyed scientific research. She thought that he would probably find a new research job somewhere else.
Sophia Green searched in the laboratory for a little while longer but did not find any useful clues. It was almost twelve o'clock. She was afraid that her mom would be worried when she didn't find her at home. So she left Glinton University and cycled home.
Kate Green was there when she got back. She had bought a lot of delicious food and was preparing lunch in the kitchen. Hearing Sophia come back, she poked her head out of the kitchen, "Sophia, go and wash your hands. We're going to eat."
"Yes, Mom." Sophia Green replied and went to the bathroom to wash her hands.
By the time she had finished, Kate had already started serving up. Sophia went into the kitchen to help her take out the bowls and set the meal on the table.
Kate looked at Sophia with a smile in her eyes, "You're so sweet today. Even helping me set the food out."
Sophia searched her other memory and could not remember ever helping her mother with food or other chores. Her daughter had never loved housework, and so this new behavior naturally surprised Kate.
It was a very simple home-cooked meal, macaroni, and cheese, just enough for two people.
Kate was a good cook. "Yummy." Sophia said as she ate.
Kate smiled at her daughter and said, "Then eat more. You've just recovered. The doctor said you need more nutrition."
Sophia smiled, "Mom, you eat more too!"
Kate was a little taken aback. She was grateful enough that her daughter had woken up. She didn't expect her daughter to become more thoughtful than she was before.
This morning, before Sophia Green went to school, Kate had been worried that she would wear inappropriate clothing. Kate White knew her daughter liked to dress with lots of individuality, and she was so used to indulging her that she wouldn't be able to change her mind. But she was surprised when Sophia just put on a simple outfit.
It made her happy. It seemed that her daughter had changed for the better since the car accident.
After dinner, Sophia Green didn't offer to clean the dishes. She wanted to but worried Kate might suspect something if her daughter had changed so much. It was better to take things slowly.
And furthermore, Sophia had never done the dishes herself, so she didn't know exactly what to do. Her brother, Kevin, had done the housework like cooking and washing up because she couldn't move freely.
She peeked at the door to see Kate washing the dishes, understood what she had to do, and intended to do it next time.
After lunch, Sophia Green cleaned her room and put away some of her old clothes. She didn't like these garish clothes. It had taken her a long time to find a simple set of clothes before school that morning.
Tomorrow was Saturday. She was going to go and buy some new clothes. She didn't want much, just a few plain clothes. She usually wore a school uniform at school and only wore her own clothes during the holidays. Her school uniform had been destroyed in the accident. But the school issued new ones every semester, so she didn't have to worry about that.