Annie Young is back with us to talk about her experiences trying to solve a murder mystery of a professor in Geneva as she worked on a catalogue for an auction house and find out more an artist from Jean Calvin's time. Today, I make tea to drink with the brownies she'd made.
Me: Yum, the brownies are great. Thank you. Now, Tell me about your experiences in Geneva.
Annie: I was staying with a friend, who was a Ph.D. student. Her professor, who was also her lover, was found floating in Lake Geneva or Lac Lèman as its called in French.
Me: Wow. That must have upset her.
Annie: Not as much as you would think. She had found some very old and very great drawings in a bin in the old town and the professor said he'd have them evaluated. He told her they were worth nothing. He lied. He was going to sell them and keep the money. Overall the professor was a real shit not just to my friend but to many.
Me: Is anything known about the artist?
Annie: She lived with her uncle and aunt who were strict Calvinists. Elizabeth rebelled and ended up in prison.
Me: I understand that your partner got involved too.
Annie: He is a policeman and a former flic, French for cop, at the famous police headquarters 36 in Paris. He arranged an exchange with the Geneva police.
Me: Do you work with him on the case?
Annie: Unofficially of course. The mother of a young man and close friend is accused of the murder. I've taken this kid under my wing so the situation was personal for me.
Me: You've gotten involved in trying to solve several murders. How does that happen?
Annie: It is nothing I've tried to do. I've had friends or clients that are unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or perhaps it is because I work in so many different places. Maybe if I just stayed in Geneva or Argelès where I have a studio that I call my Nest, it wouldn't happen.
Me: You are passionate about history. How did that come about?
Annie: My dad. Because we moved from country to country, he wanted to explore the present culture and the past history. Also, because we moved so often and were always "the strangers" or "the foreigners" we became closer as a family than if we had stayed in Massachusetts.
Me: Since you've lived in the States the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and France, what do you feel as a national identity?
Annie: It's taken me a long time to realize I'm not just a Third Culture Kid, but an international. I've taken something from every place I lived. At first it bothered me. Now I just realize that it has made me richer, not in a monetary sense but in experiences.
Me: What else should we talk about?
Annie: Tomorrow, I'd like to talk about a project with a group of women from all over the world. As they say, "Stay tuned, film at 11."
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