Airabelle nodded her head and responded, “Bingo!”
Charles stared at the envelope and was apprehensive about what news might be in the envelope. Carson looked around at Charles, grinned and said, “Well, I guess we shall find out if they have allowed us access to her records.” Charles nodded. Carson retrieved their glasses and his letter opener from his desk drawer. He handed Charles his glasses. Then he opened the letter and removed a stack of folded papers, which had a typed, single spaced list of coins--twelve pages front and back.
Carson chuckled. He looked at Charles and said, “The treasure hunt begins…”
Charles smiled at the thought of a new adventure. Carson put his glasses on.
Bev came over and was looking over Carson’s shoulder at the list. “Wow! This is quite a collection. Where on earth do you think the coins might be?”
Carson shrugged his shoulders and said, “Anyone’s guess is as good as mine. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
Charles looked at Bev. “Even if we figured out where the coins were hidden in the house, it’s been sold.”
Carson said, “That’s true.”
Charles walked to the chair and sat down. Airabelle perched behind him. She broke the silence with this thought, “They went through the house, but didn’t find anything. Which leads me to believe, the coin collection is held securely somewhere, or with someone who may not know they have possession of it.”
Charles turned around to look at her and said, “How could someone not know they have a collection that size?”
“Catherine may have hidden them.”
Bev said, “Anything is possible. Remember, even to a Sojourner, things aren’t always what they appear to be.”
Charles briefly pondered that before asking again, “How could you hide a collection that size? It would be impossible, wouldn’t it?”
Bev came and sat down beside him. “You have a good point. Unless she left behind a key, or a clue.” She picked up her book and began reading where she left off.
“It is something to think about,” Carson added.
Charles agreed. “The journals are a treasure in themselves. I wish we had the rest of them. Maybe the clues are hidden inside them.”
Carson had already turned around to his desk, looking over the list of coins with his magnifying glass.
Charles began wondering about what Bev meant by her comment. It was true; things were not always what they appeared to be. He smiled to himself. Often, they were better. Charles began looking around the room contemplating where he should begin in his studies. He looked at Bev reading. He thought: Nana must be reading a fascinating book because she’s hardly stirred as her eyes scan the pages. Then he looked at Carson still going through the auction pages. He listened to Airabelle and Carson talking. Airabelle looked over at him. She stretched out her wing, signaling for him to join them.
As he stood up he looked for Airasten. He was on Bev’s chair reading with her. Charles made his way to the desk and stood beside Carson. Carson looked up and smiled as he pointed out a few things on Catherine’s list that they would be interested in. Charles bent down to get a closer look. He straightened up and looked at Airabelle then back at the printed pages.
Airabelle was staring at him as she silently asked, “Charles what do you see?”
He quickly glanced at Airabelle and looked back to the page. “I think the answer to this mystery is in the Caperson journals.”
“Yes, but do we have the right ones?”
“I don’t know. I wonder how many of the journals were on her bookshelves. Don’t you think the family would have thought it strange for her to have a whole family library of empty books?”
Airabelle’s beak opened and she squawked. Charles raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. She said, “I was thinking of this little old man I observed as we were in the Hub. He was standing outside a quaint building. It was a journal storage shop.”
Carson slowly looked up at her until their eyes met. “Do you remember where the shop was in the Hub?” Airabelle nodded. “Airabelle, where was it?”
She twisted her neck and coughed as she quietly said, “In the Passage Seekers’ territory.”
Bev looked up from her book and said, “I heard that!”
Both Charles and Carson turned to look at her at the same time. Then they looked at each other. Carson said, “There was a farmer had a dog and…”
Charles finished it. “BINGO was his name Oh!”
Bev firmly said, “Carson Jones. Have you lost your mind? I don’t think it is safe for you to be going into that part of the Hub.”
He turned all the way around in his chair and said, “I won’t be going alone.” Charles said, “I’m going with him. I’ll carry my badge in plain sight.”
Bev replied, “Well, you’re not going without me and that’s that.” Carson grinned and turned around in his chair.
Airabelle chimed in and said, “Me too! I’m going.”
Airasten said, “Count me in too.”
Carson shook his head and muttered something about, “Well, it’s settled then; we have all lost our minds.”
Carson refolded the papers and slid them back into the envelope. “I think we ought to hold on to these papers. I’ll keep them in a safe place.” Carson placed the envelope in his desk and gathered all the things they would need to work on the Caperson journals together. Charles pulled up a chair and they began to work. Airabelle came, perched on the lectern and observed. Charles was fascinated with Catherine’s spirit of adventure. He was learning about the world through her travels. As Charles wrote, he began thinking that he would like to be able to travel to some of her destinations. He stopped and asked Carson if they could journey to some of the places listed in Catherine’s journals.
Carson put the journal down and said, “I don’t see why not.”
He looked at Bev and said, “Nana, you’d like to travel wouldn’t you?” She put her book down and commented that she had a whole list of places she wanted to visit. “Well, that is settled then.” Bev nodded.
They turned back to work. After an hour of writing Charles was ready to stop. He stood up and stretched. They had made progress. Charles found himself daydreaming of world travel. They sat and talked about possible destinations before cleaning up the office. Carson double-checked everything before they headed to the house for the evening.
Bev and Carson went into the library. Charles decided to go to bed. He was tired. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Bev must have come in sometime in the evening and turned off his light. He didn’t even notice. He was dreaming of all the places he would be able to see when they traveled.
CHAPTER 46
Charles woke up and searched for his quilt. It was cool in his room this morning. He shivered and pulled the quilt up to his shoulders, realizing it was too early to start his day. The sun wasn’t above the horizon yet. He figured he had a couple more hours to sleep. He dozed off again and didn’t wake up until he heard voices outside and the sounds of someone hammering on metal. He sat up and stretched. He finished getting ready. It took extra effort to make his way to the kitchen.
Bev had the back door open and was standing on the porch talking. He stepped out to see what was going on. His face lit up when he saw Carson and Walter directing Walter’s sons in putting up a basketball goal. Bev hugged Charles and said, “I can’t wait to play!”
Charles hugged her back. “Me too!”
He walked over to talk to the men. Carson passed the basketball to him. Charles asked, “Would you like some help?”
Walter’s sons said they had it set and were fine. Charles kept busy practicing his dribbling in the driveway. After Walter and his sons were finished they played a short game of basketball together. Then they left. Carson and Charles continued to shoot a few baskets before going to eat breakfast. Charles thanked Bev and Carson.
Charles called Peter and told him the news. They made arrangements for Peter to come over
after he finished working. Then Charles decided to call Cynthia and invite her to join them. His mom agreed to pass the information on when Cynthia woke up. She was sure Cynthia would want to come over later. They talked for a while before Charles passed the phone to Bev. He sat and ate his breakfast while Bev and Carson passed the phone back and forth. When Carson was finished they went back outside and shot a few rounds of hoops before going to the office.
Carson took out the winning notification from their recent auction along with the riddle book. He sat down to work. Charles retrieved the key to the vault and opened it. He grabbed his appointment book from his satchel and looked it over. Cassia had written a couple of notes to him and set a time for him to meet Dimitrios and Natalie. She had also scheduled a meeting with Nathaniel. Charles read his schedule to Carson from inside the vault.
Carson said, “We need to go over the financial information the Council provided for you, and plan a portfolio of investments for Nathaniel to analyze. He’ll want to see that you have given some thought to the investment side of your responsibilities.”
Airabelle and Airasten were perched on the lectern. Carson walked over to the bookshelves and extracted a history book. Carson brought the book to his desk and sat down to work.
Charles decided he should read his manual in order to keep up with his studies. He went over to get his glasses and put them on before reading. An hour passed and he was reading the last section in The Sojourners’ Government and its World Policy. He was curious if Dimitrios would be giving him a quiz over what he was reading. Airasten joined him and was reading along with Charles. Charles learned that Airasten was interested in the different world governments and Hub law. The two of them sat and discussed that section of the manual. Charles was curious as to why Airasten would have an interest in world governments and the law.
Airasten said, “I just find the world an interesting place. Society seems to have rules that people follow. Governments, in order to establish order for a nation create laws. Each law fulfills a need society has at a particular time.”
When he finished the manual Charles set it down on the table. He asked Airasten about his recollection of his past.
Airasten thought about the question for a moment and answered, “Since you found me in the attic I have seen flashes of images from my prior life. I remember being with Airabelle. I believe we came from the place you call the Hub, in the other dimension. I recognized the images on the walls throughout the Hub. It is all so familiar to me. That is where we used to call home. I can visualize Airabelle and me soaring through the open space high above the ground. I remember the unusual lights your people brought when they discovered us. They were casting the lights up into the sky. Now I understand, the Sojourners were setting up the eternal boundaries. Airabelle and I were curious and kept watch. Those lights captivated us and drew us to them.
“One night Airabelle was caught in a net that hung from a tree. I stayed with her for days perched on a branch until a man came for her. I willingly let him capture me so Airabelle and I could stay together. The man put us together in a cage that he made. He took us with him as they cleared the land of wild creatures and native plants. I remember being in communities of tents while they studied our world. I will never forget the feeling of sadness and loss as I watched our world slowly change.
“The man who captured us was a sorcerer. He cast a spell on us, which changed us forever. The spell allowed us to communicate and learn from the man. We went with him everywhere. Men would come to the sorcerer and pay him to teach them how to cast spells over crystals. The spells turned the crystals into very powerful tools. Over time the relationship between Sojourners and sorcerers changed. When the sorcerers went to their new kingdom we joined them. The new kingdom thrived and so did our owner. Then one day the sorcerer brought Airabelle and me to this world (his spell allowed us to travel here without harm). He left us with an older couple. When he didn’t return, they sold us.
“Throughout the years we have changed owners several times, until we were traded to the man at the tailor shop. One day I heard a kind lady come into the shop. As soon as the lady saw us, she purchased us from the tailor. Later that evening another man tried to buy us, but the tailor told him he’d already sold us. The man tried to bribe the tailor. The tailor told him he’d made a deal, and wouldn’t be bribed. After he closed that night, the man came back and tried to steal both Airabelle and me. Something went wrong with his plan, and he was able to steal only me.
“I was heartbroken. I wouldn’t wake up for fear that he would search until he found Airabelle. I knew she would be safe with the kind lady. Eventually the thief presented me to his family. They ultimately tired of me and put me in the attic. I stayed in a dream-like state until I was awakened by Airabelle’s presence.”
Charles asked, “Do you remember what it was like living in the habitat you lived in before you were captured?”
Airasten said, “If I close my eyes and stretch my wings, I can imagine flying high above everything.”
Charles sat there for a moment and tried to grasp the images Airasten sent to his mind. “That is the most unusual, yet beautiful place I have ever pictured in my imagination. It does look like the Hub paintings. Amazing. Thank you for sharing that with me Airasten.” Airasten flew to Airabelle and perched beside her.
Charles walked over to Carson. He told Carson about his conversation with Airasten. Carson sat and listened as Charles told him the story. Carson said, “One day we should go around the Hub and look at each of the paintings of the natural Hub. I understand it was not only a truly majestic place, but a dangerous area as well.”
Charles looked at the work Carson had on his desk. He read Carson’s notes from his research on the coins.
Carson said, “I found the answers to the riddles for the coins. We should be able to go on an adventure fairly soon.”
Charles was excited Carson found the solutions to the riddles. He was ready to team up and go on another quest. Once Carson straightened up the desk, they talked and Charles made a list of things they needed to accomplish in the next couple of days.
Carson turned and looked at the clock. He stood up and said, “Goodness, where has the time gone? We are late to lunch.” Once they put their things away and secured the office, they walked to the house for lunch.
Bev had already eaten lunch. She had sandwiches ready for them. They all sat in the kitchen together and talked about the day. Bev said, “Cynthia will be joining us for dinner and will be staying the night. Pete also called and will be here in a couple of hours.” When Charles heard the news he quickly finished his lunch
They thanked Bev and went back to the office to work on their research before Cynthia and Pete arrived. Airabelle was getting restless. Carson asked her if she and Airasten would be interested in a night get away.
She responded, “We would love to take flight and stretch our wings.”
Airasten perked up and asked, “We are allowed to go out at night?”
Carson said, “Anytime you want you are able to go.”
Airasten was very excited about exploring with Airabelle. It had been so long since he had enjoyed his freedom. He tried to remember the last time he soared above the treetops and couldn’t because it had been so long. He began singing. His voice was like velvet. Charles listened amazed at how beautifully he sang the song. Airabelle joined in and completed their song as an impressive duet. It wasn’t like anything Charles had ever heard before.
CHAPTER 47
Several months after their anniversary Joseph’s mysterious behavior became worrisome to Dolores. He stopped coming home for days at a time. When he did decide to come home it was always late at night. She would hear him come through the door. She would wake up but pretend to be asleep. This went on for months. He didn’t come to bed; instead he would go straight to his office. Dolores would wait long enough to hear the office door close behind him before going back to sleep. One night she summoned her courage to get
out of bed. She went to listen at the office door trying to hear what was happening on the other side. Dolores heard nothing, so she went back to bed.
When he was gone again for several days, she decided when he returned home, she would try a different strategy. Several nights later, after he came home and entered his office, she climbed the shelving in their closet and hoisted herself up into the attic. From there she could hear him talking with strangers. She tried to listen in on the conversation but couldn’t understand what was being said.
From then on Dolores tried to enter his office after he left, but he always kept his office door locked. After he left for work one day, she called a locksmith to open the door.
The locksmith apologized and said, “Ma’am, I’ve never seen a lock like that one. EVER! It can’t be opened. The door is similar to one you’d find in a panic room. No way anyone is going to get into that room without the key.”
A week later Joseph went into his office after dinner. He left the door cracked upon entering. She went to the office door, stood quietly and tried to see what he was doing. He was pacing the room reading from a book she’d never seen before. She was puzzled because he was wearing glasses. She wondered why. He’d never needed glasses in all the years she had known him. As she watched through the crack, he came over and slammed the door shut bruising her nose. He never inquired about the bruise, and she never brought it up.
CHAPTER 48
Charles picked up the basketball beside the goal and began practicing his dribbling. He practiced shots from different places on the driveway. He practiced hitting the backboard to find the best angle to make a bank shot. He practiced set shots and layups. He wanted to be ready when he went to the school tryouts.
The Xidoran Prophecy Page 51
