“What?”
“Your client records. Your notes. The last time I was here, I noticed you’d stopped most of your old work. So I wondered if maybe Franco had tossed out the notes, or perhaps hidden them somewhere.”
“No—of course I still have them.”
“All of them?”
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I?”
The Matías had kept detailed notes and letters for every instrument that they had worked on, for every client. The notes recorded the stories of each adjustment, each refit, each repair. As such, they were the most valuable part of the store.
To be honest, Lucy felt more than a little offended that Shizuka Satomi had even considered that she did not possess the family’s client notes. She might not be a son, but she was still a Matía.
“Good. Then I was wondering if you might take a look at this.”
Shizuka placed a case on her counter.
Lucy opened the case and stared. Andrew sat down. Even he knew what it was.
The most radiant and fiery maple. The peculiarly graceful carving. The thin crack on the pegbox—a crack that Catalín Matía had repaired himself.
This was Shizuka Satomi’s Guarneri del Gesù.
Three legendary names reigned over the world of violins. Amati was the first and eldest. Stradivari was the most valued and renowned to the public. And then there was Guarneri. And the greatest of the Guarneri was del Gesù. A fine del Gesù was worth tens of millions of dollars. Paganini’s priceless il Cannone was a del Gesù, as well.
Yet Shizuka Satomi chatted as if she were talking about a leaky faucet.
“There’s something wolfy going on with the G string, at high C. Can you take a look?”
“Wolfy?” Andrew whispered.
“Wolf tones,” explained Lucy. “Unwanted sounds that a violin makes at certain frequencies. They are not uncommon in del Gesùs, but we try to keep that quiet, no pun intended.”
She stopped, surprised by how effortlessly that had come from her mouth.
“So, you’ll take care of this, right? I’ve been living with the problem for a while, but it’s time to have her in perfect working order.”
“Wait, what? No, I didn’t mean—”
“You helped my student. Are you saying you won’t help me?”
“Miss Satomi, as fine an instrument as your student’s is, this is another matter entirely.”
“Didn’t you work on Aoi’s Strad when you were eleven or twelve?”
“I was ten.”
“Exactly,” Shizuka said. She pushed the case to her.
“And now you have my Guarneri. There are no hands that I would trust more. No great rush, of course. I realize that a job like this demands a little time.”
“But, Miss Satomi!”
There was no way she could do this! Aoi’s Strad had merely required a new bridge. And her grandfather had been there. Lucy nervously looked to Catalin Matía’s portrait, even now proudly surveying the workshop.
“He wasn’t perfect, you know.”
Shizuka walked up to the portrait and gave it a nudge.
“Don’t touch that!” Lucy shrieked. But it was too late. As the portrait swung gently back and forth, Lucy was so stunned that she could not speak.
“You were expecting bolts of lightning from the sky? It’s just a picture.” Shizuka Satomi inspected her finger and frowned. “And a dusty one, at that.”
She put on her sunglasses and made her way to the door.
“Catalin Matía was as human as any of us.”
The Queen of Hell glanced at the portrait one last time. “But I’m sure you’ll find that out on your own soon enough. In any case, everything you need to know about my violin should be in your client notes. You’ll see once you find them.”
By the time Lucy found her voice, Shizuka Satomi had already left the store.
* * *
How does one react after experiencing a first applause—applause that is thunderous, glorious?
Shizuka had seen such applause affect six brilliant students. They filled with pride, achievement, even bliss. But soon they worried and obsessed over the next performance. And in their fear, they reached out to Shizuka Satomi.
So now, she would witness Katrina’s growing pride and ambition—as well as her fear and insecurity.
From there, handing her the cursed bow would be just a matter of time.
“I’m sorry I’m late, Miss Satomi. Um … I overslept.”
“I think we can overlook that today. Congratulations, Katrina.”