The first vendor arrived at the hall before sunrise in a van filled with handmade lamps.
His name was Martin Cho, and he had driven four hours because he could not afford to miss another weekend of sales.
He parked beside the loading area and found Priya waiting with a clipboard.
She confirmed his booth number and showed him the shortest route to the entrance.
Martin asked whether the rumors about duplicate reservations were true.
Priya said they were and explained that the affected sellers had been contacted.
Martin asked why Nolan was not there.
Priya said Nolan was no longer directing the layout.
Martin looked at the rows of tables and asked whether the hall would open on time.
Priya said it would, provided the final safety walk found no problems.
He began unloading his lamps.
A second vendor arrived with boxes of handmade soap.
Then a third came with a trailer carrying painted furniture.
By six thirty, the loading area was busy enough that the superintendent began directing traffic with a bright orange vest.
Claire stood beside the entrance to help vendors find their spaces.
She recognized one woman from the first festival.
The woman, Ruth Bell, carried a box of ceramic bowls and a small folding sign.
Ruth looked at Claire for a long moment before speaking.
She said she had not expected to see Nolan’s daughter helping with the new market.
Claire answered that she had not expected to be there either.
Ruth asked whether Claire had known about the duplicate reservations during the first festival.
Claire said she had suspected something was wrong but had not understood the full pattern until later.
Ruth said suspicion had not helped the sellers who were sent home.
Claire accepted the criticism.
She did not tell Ruth that she had been young or frightened, although both things were true.
Instead, she asked whether Ruth needed help carrying her bowls.
Ruth considered the offer, then handed her the lighter box.
They walked to the assigned booth without discussing forgiveness.
At the table, Ruth unwrapped a blue ceramic bowl painted with a tiny trolley.
Claire recognized the design from Dennis’s signs.
Ruth said Dennis had once helped her move a heavy display when nobody else would stop.
She had painted the trolley afterward because it reminded her of the moment.
Claire asked whether she could tell Marla about it.
Ruth said Marla could visit the booth herself.
Claire promised to pass along the invitation.
Outside, the morning sky turned pale behind the loading trucks.
For the first time in years, the people who had been disappointed by the old festival were entering a building where their spaces actually existed.
Chapter Fifteen T: A Missing Name
