Relics (12 page)

“Oh yeah, I bet you're right.”

Robin looked between the two of us and the dog. “I don't know where it is.”

“Robin, does Jane have a shovel?”

“Sure, it's in the cellar.” Robin pointed to a door on our left. Thulu handed me the journal, opened the door and went down the stairs.

He returned less than a minute later with a shovel. We all went out the back door, through a small enclosed porch and outside. Sophie followed close behind. The yard was tiny, and it was only about twelve feet to the back fence. There weren't going to be a lot of choices.

Thulu paused for a few moments, and then he headed to a grassy spot near the back fence. He carefully removed a layer of the grass and started digging. I sat on the back step. Sophie ran to the spot and growled at it in what I assumed was her fierce manner. She ran back to me and hid behind my back, peeking out at Thulu.

I couldn't help it, I was charmed. I had seen ghost animals before, but they were rare. Usually, they would be with someone, their owner or loved one from when they were alive. Sometimes I even knew what they wanted, but not always and not often. My translating ability was unreliable with the animal kingdom. Supernatural Dr. Doolittle?  Not me.

I wanted to reach over and pet her, but I knew my hand would go right through her tiny body. Whenever we made eye contact her tail would wag. She made me smile.

The ground was soft, and Thulu made fairly quick work of getting down to almost three feet. I offered to take a turn, but he said he had it under control. We heard a definite “thunk.” Thulu widened the hole carefully, and it wasn't long before he brought up an oblong shape wrapped in what appeared to be cloth treated with something that was cracked and flaking off.

Thulu set the box aside and quickly filled in the hole and replaced the grass piece back over it. We all traipsed back into the house, where Thulu quickly returned the shovel to the cellar. Sitting at the kitchen table, he unwound the heavy cloth from the box. It had been wrapped in many layers of what I assumed was waterproof cloth of some kind. The inner layers were in better shape and had a rubbery texture. The box was plain teak, heavily lacquered, which had also helped preserve it.

Thulu held his hand out. I handed him the book with the key still attached. He carefully slid the key into the keyhole. It was a perfect fit.

Thulu looked at me. We could both feel something in the air. Now that we were inside and the wrappings removed, we felt a sense of power coming from the box. I got goose bumps and put my hand over Thulu's. I wasn't sure I wanted to open that box. The name “Pandora” crossed my mind.

Thulu smiled and brought my hand to his lips for a small kiss. He gently laid my hand back on the table, giving it a reassuring pat.

Thulu returned his attention to the box and turned the key. The key met some resistance before we heard a rusty click. He lifted the lid to reveal layers of rotting silk and the gleam of gold. I could have sworn there was a flash of light and leaned back. Thulu hesitated only a brief moment. He lifted the cup from where it had been hidden away for over a century and a half.

“Can you feel that?” Thulu asked me. There was a sense of wonder in his voice. He set the cup on the table.

In style, it looked much like the plate. If they'd been side by side, I would have called them a matched set. They had the same beaten gold finish and the same embossed dragon. The cup stood about five inches high. Its beauty called out to me, but that was probably the dragon. I could feel power emanating from it in pulses. I'd never felt anything quite like it before. The power was neither positive nor negative. It simply waited for whoever would use it. I found its neutrality unsettling.

“Wow!” said Robin, whose eyes were big. “Just – wow!” His mouth hung slightly open. “You guys really are good at what you do.”

I smiled at Robin, and we both thanked him. Sophie gave a quick bark from the floor.

“Now what?” I asked Thulu. We stared at each other.

“Now we go home and think about what we want to do.”

Thulu removed the ragged silk from the box, found a paper bag and dumped it into that. He took a soft white dishtowel from a drawer, wrapped the cup and returned it to the box. The journal and box went into the paper bag as well.

We checked the house and made sure everything was locked up tight. Thulu carried the bag, while I locked the front door behind us.

I turned to Robin. “Thanks, you helped a lot. Your Gran would be proud.” Okay, so it was an exaggeration, but the smile that lit up his face made it totally worth it. I can be nice sometimes.

I turned to look for Sophie, but didn't see her anywhere. Maybe she had finally moved on. Dogs have different values than humans. I think she had wanted the cup found, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out why that should be.

Once Thulu and I were home and inside, we set the alarm. I followed as he went downstairs to our wall safe in the basement. We had a tiny wine cellar, which we kept locked. The safe was inside, hidden behind a moving wine case. I entered the digital code, while he pulled the box with its treasure and the journal from the paper bag and placed them inside. I shut the door, making sure I heard the click of the lock. The safe was pretty high tech, and this wasn't the first time we'd used it for a client.

We were just closing the door and locking the wine cellar, when I heard a high pitched shriek from upstairs. It sounded as if it had come from the family room.

“Jenna,” I told Thulu as I bolted up the stairs, wondering what had happened.

Jenna looked up at me as I came in.

“O-M-G, O-M-G, you got me a puppy!  I always wanted a puppy. Thank you! Oh, thank you, thank you!” Jenna shrieked again in joy as Sophie licked her smiling face. I stood in stunned amazement.

“You guys are the best ever!” She put one small hand on a hip and waggled a finger at us. “You surprised me!” This called for another shriek and another hug for Sophie.

Parker floated nearby, arms folded, a goofy grin on his face. Thulu had come in right behind me, laughing at the sight of the child and little dog dancing around her.

Sophie started circling the room in a mad dash that made me thankful she was incorporeal. She made a heavy panting noise. I later found out that that supposedly meant the dog was laughing. I wasn't, though.

I stood there impassively watching the ecstatic child and dog. Charming at Jane's house didn't necessarily translate to charming in my house. Thulu leaned his cheek on the top of my head, arms coming around me.

“Apparently she followed us home.”

“You think?”

Sophie had stopped her dash to jump up at Parker. Parker reached out and drew her into his arms, where she snuggled. Her tail curved up and over her back and wagged at light speed.

Jenna had floated up next to Sophie and was petting the soft fur on her back. That calmness didn't last long though. Sophie launched herself once more to dash around the room.

Jenna had moved away and was calling, “Here boy, come here. I'm Jenna. Park, look how fast he goes!”

I sighed. “She's a girl. Her name is Sophie.”

Jenna looked at me, turned to Parker, threw her arms in the air and yelled, “O-M-G!  Park!  She's a girl!  Here, Sophie, here, girl.” More shrieking as Sophie immediately went to Jenna and gave her a quick lick on the nose.

I wasn't sure why this was grounds for celebration. I was torn between having a headache or having lunch. I was not going to fall into the trap that was before me. Something sunk in and distracted me for a moment. Jenna's lisp was gone.

I looked at Parker. “No lisp?”

He shrugged. “Usually only when she's scared or nervous or unhappy.”

I nodded. Interesting.

“Well, at least we won't have to feed Sophie or clean up messes. Or get her shots,” said Thulu, the practical.

I was still watching Jenna and Sophie's antics. The dog appeared to have an abundance of energy.  Pink bunnies and drums crossed my mind. I sighed. I wasn't going to win this one – no how, no way. “And Jenna is happy. How often are dead kids happy?”

“I'm happy,” Parker said as he scratched the dog's ears.

And he was. I don't think I'd ever seen him smile as much as he had since Jenna had appeared. With Sophie, he was grinning ear to ear.

“I wonder how that dog lasted this long. A century and a half is a long time,” Thulu said.

“Except time can be weird for the dead. Maybe that's what happened.” I leaned back into him and felt him shrug.

“Maybe so.”

“I'm hungry,” I said, a major decision made.

The phone sang. It was Jones. My day was complete.

“You got the cup. Excellent work!” Jones smooth voice sounded pleased. I put him on speaker so Thulu could hear, but walked to our study. I didn't want Jenna to hear him, in case she recognized his voice. Thulu kept pace with me, listening intently.

“I am going to put protection on your house, until we decide where to keep these artifacts. I do not think either of our houses are the best choice. Not even mine. It's too obvious.”

“I have a lot of questions for you, Jones.”

“Your place or mine?” Jones quipped. I could hear the smile. I rolled my eyes at Thulu as we shut the door to our study.

“Very funny. You should go on tour.” I looked at Thulu. “We have Jenna here. I don't want her upset.” Thulu nodded in agreement.

There was a small pause. When next he spoke, Jones's voice had lost some of its buoyancy. His attempt to stay light fell a bit flat. “Fine, my place it is. I'll send the car for you.”

“That won't –” He had hung up. I shrugged at Thulu. Okay, we'd wait for the car.

We went to the family room and watched from the sofa as chaos ran around us. The kids were still playing with Sophie. They had materialized a ball and were playing fetch – in mid-air, of course. That was starting to be a thing in this house. I resisted the urge to tell them to not break anything. While I doubted Jenna or Sophie could actually have an impact on the real world, I knew Parker could at times. I wasn't going to insult him by saying so, though.

He saw me cringe when the ball flew through an antique lamp. He took it from Sophie when she brought it back to him, watching me thoughtfully. He floated about a foot off the floor, throwing the ball in the air and catching it. The motion was driving Sophie so crazy, she was almost bouncing to the ceiling. After a moment of pure devilish delight, Parker finally took pity on me.

“Hey Jenna, let's go to the park and see how far Sophie can fetch.” He held a leash in his hands. I looked at it skeptically. He fastened the leash to Sophie's collar. His grin was decidedly impish as he shrugged at me. “Come on, Jen.”

“Okay.” She turned to me and Thulu. “Bye. I love my puppy.”

It was very, very quiet after they left. I told myself I enjoyed the silence. I almost believed me, too.

For Thulu, it was much like watching a silent film. He didn't get the full effect as I did, but he did feel the energy that surrounded the dead – and there had been a lot of energy from the three who had just left.

Not knowing exactly how much time we had, I grabbed sodas from the kitchen and decided to watch TV. Thulu flipped through channels until we found a rerun of the second Harry Potter movie. I'd continued the love affair I’d had with the books and films as a child and had carried it into adulthood. Thulu liked them, too. We were comfortable in that world, and it was all too soon that the door chimed.

I gathered up my purse. It still held my tablet and gun. Not that I thought the latter was much good in this case, but it still gave me a feeling of security.

The ride to Jones's house was relaxing. We chatted with the driver on the way. He was the same one who had driven us around the city the day before. His name was Stuart, and he'd been driving for Jones for over ten years. He said he liked the job.

I wondered if he had helped Jones bury the bodies. I opened my mouth to ask, but thought better of it. That was probably one of those questions that, if he answered, he'd have to kill me. I decided looking out the window was a better use of my time. I listened idly as Thulu and Stuart continued to talk, but mostly I let it go over my head.

I had to admit that Jones's place was not at all what I'd expected. It had been much farther away than I'd thought, too. For some reason, I'd assumed he lived in town, on his “turf.” However, Jones lived far outside the city on an estate that had the ocean on one side. I also wasn't expecting the gracious home behind a tall stone fence and wrought iron gates. This wasn't the gang leader “crib” I'd imagined. The last of my own preconceived ideas about Jones crumbled away. I was going to have to give the devil his due, even if he was only a daemon.

The gates swung open smoothly when we pulled in the drive. They closed behind us. The driveway was about fifty yards long and made a circle around a stone sculptured fountain.

From the fountain to the garage to the house itself, style and elegance were in abundance. I wasn't exactly sure when this had been built, but it definitely wasn't one of the older mansions I'd seen in the neighborhood. 

The fountain was beautiful, with three leaping dolphins made of a smooth stone. There were no spouts coming out of fish mouths on this fountain. These dolphins were wise, proud and playful. Little jets rimmed the outer circle and made arcs into the center. Sculpted columns of stone wavelets among the dolphins contained other jets that arced water in several directions.

A fine spray from the fountain misted my cheek as we got out of the car. It felt welcoming. I smiled, enjoying the moment, and then I remembered where we were and why we were here. I was annoyed with myself.

The house and garage were sleek and contemporary. The drive continued a short way to a garage that had to have at least seven doors. A covered walkway connected it to the house itself.

The house was three stories, with smooth lines that were warm, as well as graceful. My eye was drawn to a large avant-garde, stained glass window on the third story level. The abstract pattern sparkled with blues, greens and lavenders. Several shallow steps led to tall, double doors in gleaming wood and glass.

I could smell the ocean close by. In spite of my continued distrust of Jones, I was impressed with the beauty of his home. Manicured gardens with inviting paths circled around the house and out of sight. If I'd had to choose one word to describe this place, it would have been “peaceful.” The irony wasn't reassuring.

The front door opened, and Jones came out to greet us. He was dressed more casually today, but was still magazine cover material in tan linen slacks and a subdued print shirt.

I felt frumpy in my usual jeans, T shirt and Huarache sandals. I noticed that the polish on my toenails was flaking off and completely missing on a few of my nails. I was thankful it was a pale color. I made a mental note to remove it completely when I got home.

I glanced at Thulu. He tended to wear polo shirts and chinos, so he fit in better than I did.

Jones came forward, smiling, with his hand outstretched to me. I hesitated, but shook his hand briefly. It was warm and firm. The thought crossed my mind that I hadn't been cursed or possessed in the brief contact. Not that I thought I would be, but still, I was uncomfortable around Jones. I simply didn't understand how everyone else seemed to be so at ease. Not even Thulu seemed to have a problem with Jones. That still annoyed me.

“Please come in. I thought we would sit on the back deck today.” Like we'd been there before. Like we were old friends.  He's a daemon, I reminded myself. Of course he's smooth. I refused to allow myself to be seduced to the dark side. Even if he had cookies. Even if Thulu and everyone else liked him. I practiced glaring at him some more. It helped – a little.

I decided to wait until we were settled before beginning my interrogation. See?  I could be polite too. We went down a hallway, past gorgeous rooms, to the back of the house. We entered a room that was all windows on two sides.  We went through glass French doors to a deck, where white wrought iron furniture was arranged in several groupings. The view of the ocean was spectacular.

I breathed deeply. I've always loved the ocean. In college, Thulu and I had several places where we would spend hours sitting, talking. I had one, though, that was all mine. This house gave me that same feeling I'd had in my secret place.

Jones led us to a table near the rail. A pale blue patio umbrella shaded the linen tablecloth.

“I thought you might not mind some light snacks. My chef is excellent, and I think you may enjoy some of his creations.”

The presentation was gorgeous. What can I say? Everything Jones did was done with style and grace. It was quite annoying.  I had a thing about not eating with people I disliked. It's a breaking bread thing, and I'm not sure where or when I picked it up. I debated filling a plate and moving to one of the other tables. But even I would not be so rude. I would, however, be honest.

“I don't like you.” I said this straight to his face. He had pulled out a heavily padded chair for me. He stood behind it and looked at me seriously, listening. He nodded in acknowledgment

“I don't trust you. I'm not like the others. I'm having a hard time getting passed the fact that you kill humans whenever it suits you.” Another nod.

“I want answers to questions. I want to solve the cases we have on our plate now.” I snuck a glance at Thulu. We hadn't discussed this, but now that I was here, it seemed the obvious path. Thulu gave a slow nod. One of the things I loved about my husband was his complete support, even if he didn't know where I was going.

“We have the cup. We're prepared to exchange that for the resolutions to our other cases. Once those are solved, we will take your case. For now, I will consider you a client, but not our top priority.”

I turned and sat in the chair Jones held for me.

“Thank you for lunch. It looks fabulous and I'm starving. Are these tuna sushi?” I allowed Jones to slide in my chair.

He and Thulu exchanged looks, maybe even smiles, as they nodded and seated themselves on either side of me.

“One of the things I like best about you, La Fi, is your honesty. I find myself in a rather unique position. I will be honest with you, as well. I've met many people over my millennia of existence. Some I really liked, admired, or enjoyed for various reasons. However, you and Thulu intrigue me. Perhaps because your gifts allow you to see me for who I really am.”

I wondered if we really did, but didn’t interrupt.

“For the first time in a very long while, I have met people with whom I would like to be friends. I will do my best to not engage in behavior which will make you unhappy for the duration of our partnership. I hope this will satisfy you?” He raised his eyebrows at me, then Thulu.

“Does that translate to you will stop killing people?”

Jones gave me a smile. “It translates to I will try my best to avoid taking lives. I cannot promise I will not, but I will do everything possible to avoid it. I keep trying to tell you, daemons are not human and our values are not yours. I will however, do my best. As to your fee, I will pay double what you usually receive, plus a finder's bonus for every item and a completion bonus once we have closed the portal itself.”

I looked at the wealth around me. “And they say crime doesn't pay.”

Jones laughed, genuinely delighted, it seemed. “Oh, my dear La Fi, you are priceless. Do you really think the small organization Jones has could pay for all this?  That is simply a – hobby.” He looked around, as I had. “This is the result of centuries of accumulated wealth. Passed down to myself from – myself, of course.”

“You said you'd like to be our friend. Why would you want to?” Thulu asked. “I mean, we're practically children to you. And we're usually happy, so not the snack you probably like.” 

“No, not a snack at all, I'm afraid.” Jones shook his head in mock sadness. “Few humans have known my true nature. Usually those who did know, have been – enthralled or enslaved by me. You and La Fi are the first humans in a very long time who know my nature and do not seem to be frightened by it. In fact, La Fi seems to be singularly unimpressed by it.” He gave me a smile. “It might be nice to have friends.” He gave us each a measuring look.

I returned the look, and then it happened. Deep and dark, his eyes held mine. I felt his true power really hit me for the first time. This creature was so ancient he was
beyond
ancient. He was far more powerful than anything I'd ever met. I'd told him off, as if he really were Tyler Jones. I came in with my lists and demands, and he graciously acquiesced to them, when I'm sure he could have easily killed me.

Part of me detested him for being a killer. Part of me was in awe at something that had lived through so many centuries. Part of me was beginning to be intrigued by him, too. So far, he had not lost his temper with me, and I'd given him ample provocation, I'm sure.