Dimitrios, who had been very quiet earlier, joined them. “Well it seems as if he has accepted you as a student. Good job. Now why don’t we head over to the restaurant for a well-deserved lunch?”
Natalie nodded in agreement. “I’m famished.”
Charles, still lost in thought, stood staring. He wondered how he had done that. Natalie waved a hand in front of his face to get his attention. He shook his head and said, “Sounds good to me. Right behind you.”
CHAPTER 57
Bev was sitting at the library table taking notes. Her right hand was starting to ache. She rubbed the soreness away and continued to write. Carson had been reading at the same table and taking notes as well. He stopped writing, stood up and moved behind Bev. He was looking at her notes over her shoulder. Her notes as usual were meticulous. She had a knack for being efficient and thorough. His eyes wondered to the book she was reading. He had to admit the book had lovely, captivating illustrations and the detail was exquisite.
Carson was reading along with Bev when Airabelle announced that Charles was on his way to the restaurant. Carson walked back to his seat, closed the book he was researching from and put his notes away.
Bev continued to work. Holding up her pointer finger she said, “Just one more minute.” Carson sat with Airabelle and Airasten patiently at the table. When Bev finished, she stopped and sighed. “This is a really interesting story Carson. I wonder if we could find one for our collection.”
Carson nodded and said, “I was admiring it as well.”
Bev closed the book and Carson put their things away saying, “This was definitely worthwhile.”
“Wait until I share with you what I have learned about our latest mystery.”
“I can hardly wait.”
They found Fiona and returned the book to her before leaving.
On the way to the restaurant, Airabelle chattered nonstop about Charles’ “meeting” with Natalie and Dimitrios. It worried Bev that he had been through so much in one day, but she didn’t express it. She just let Airabelle tell her story and enjoyed the embellishments.
When they reached the restaurant Carson gathered the flying disks and put them in their backpacks. He took in a deep breath through his nose. There was nothing in the Hub like George’s cooking at Aristarchus’ restaurant. He was obviously here today because the place was packed. Word always got around when George was cooking, causing long waiting lists at the restaurant. They walked in and Dimitrios immediately spotted them. He motioned for them to join him. Once he greeted them, he led the way to a quaint table. The setting was rustic as if they were in a small pub in Greece. Carson had stopped in this restaurant many times, and just as often left before being seated because the wait was so long to get a table. “Connections,” Dimitrios mouthed as if reading his mind.
After Carson was handed his menu he looked around the restaurant. It definitely had an old world charm. Not far from where they were sitting was a small stage. It was dimly lit and had heavy dark blue velvet curtains with gold piping. The stage itself was hand painted and the wood where the performer would perform was beautifully worn.
Carson turned his attention back to Bev. He brushed her sleeve to get her attention. She smiled and pointed to George’s specialty on the menu. He nodded. That is what he would have for his meal as well. He laughed to himself as he watched Charles. Airabelle was pestering him with questions as he tried to look at the menu. Airasten would try to interrupt but Airabelle would extend a wing and say, “Not now, Dear.” So finally dejected, Airasten gave up.
Natalie elbowed Charles in the ribs and said, “If you trust me I will order for you.” Charles smiled gratefully to Natalie because if nothing else, he was hungry and having her order would save time. The waitress came to the table to take their order. She was a cute petite lady dressed in authentic Greek clothing. Once Airabelle stopped chattering Charles was able to relax. He thanked Natalie for ordering for him. His stomach was rumbling and he hoped whatever she ordered would be worth it.
A lone musician wandered around the restaurant playing a bouzouki. Some men at the bar broke out into song. When they were finished a round of applause and laughter rumbled through the bar. Food was constantly being rushed from the kitchen with waiters and waitresses racing in all directions. Just as soon as each party at a table finished eating, they were hurried to the bar where they could visit. Charles thought the bar would explode with the buzz of conversations taking place. Something exciting was happening in the bar.
Charles looked at Dimitrios. He certainly had been acting quiet today. He wondered what was going on. He was always so mysterious.
The bouzouki player walked over to the table and played a ballad that garnered everyone’s attention. Dimitrios thought: This must be karma; a way for the universe to tell me I must face the music sooner rather than later. His face grew red with the realization that in just a couple of hours he would be doing this again, but in Cassia’s company. After what occurred earlier... His mind started racing making decisions on how best to handle the situation. He knew canceling wasn’t an option. This was something he would just have to use his charm to get through.
He looked at Natalie. She was enjoying the musician. He was a little uncomfortable at the familiarity of this young man with his daughter. He frowned but not for long because everyone began clapping along to the music. It was so loud it sounded as if thunder itself was in their midst.
George came running out of the kitchen with his towel over his shoulder. He was used to the crowd being clamorous but he was scared a riot had started in the dining room. When he saw what was happening, he laughed.
A man shouted, “George! George!” Others took up the chant.
George made his way to the old stage, jumped up on it and began to perform the pidikhtos dance in a circle with some of the waiters and waitresses to the music. They danced the native dance as everyone shouted, “Opa!” This made the musician play faster. Everyone cheered! When the song ended everyone went wild! George thanked everyone for coming to see him and everyone laughed. They shouted, “One more!”
George said playfully, “What’s wrong with you people, don’t you want to get fed?” Everyone laughed. George disappeared back into the kitchen.
The musician took a break and walked from table to table talking to guests. The lunch was fabulous. Charles hadn’t been this stuffed in a long time. He thanked Natalie for her excellent choice. Once the waitress saw they had finished they were swept up in a wave that headed for the door to make room for the next customers. They gathered outside in the Hub.
Natalie said, “That is always a lot of fun especially when George is the entertainment!”
Everyone agreed that it was enjoyable. Dimitrios moved closer to Carson and shook his hand. He tilted his head and looked down. Then he turned to Charles and shook his hand. When he turned to Bev, he gave her a hug. He spoke with Charles and told him their next meeting wouldn’t be quite so strenuous. He stressed that Charles should continue to check his appointment book; Cassia would be scheduling their next meeting.
Charles took out his book and looked. Sure enough, Cassia had already taken care of that.
Dimitrios got a lump in his throat. What would he do without Cassia? He smiled at the group and said goodbye. He turned to Natalie. He hugged her and whispered in her ear. She nodded. Dimitrios left them and headed home.
Natalie spoke to Charles briefly as he searched his satchel for his glasses. He put them on. Then she too said goodbye and left them, disappearing into the sea of people in the Hub. Just as they were about to leave, they heard another loud, “Opa!” coming from the restaurant. They smiled at each other as they spun their disks and headed for their Passageway.
CHAPTER 58
While Dolores was dating Joseph, her father began a background check on Joseph and his family. He told Dolores in private that he was concerned about the Grey’s legitimacy and the lack of information he could find out about them. The Senator hired private
investigators to look into Joseph’s family’s law practice and the attorneys associated with their firm. He couldn’t discover many facts about their law firm. All the information he could ascertain was that the attorneys in their firm were all legitimate and practiced law in their state; four held licenses in multiple states. Dolores tried to change the subject, and convince her father that everything was fine.
Years later, after Joseph made partner, he began exhibiting even stranger behavior than usual. Dolores talked to her parents about the bizarre events that had been occurring. Joseph became even more secretive about his activities. Dolores’ father decided to have his private investigators observe the firm and its partners around the clock, in an attempt to look into the inner workings of the firm. The only three people documented coming in or going out of the building with regularity were: Donovan, Seamore and Joseph. The investigators all reported that other people from time to time were spotted walking into the office, but they couldn’t find any evidence of them ever walking out. No information could be discovered about the cases the firm handled. No high profile cases from their practice were ever filed on the courts’ dockets.
Her dad instructed one of his private investigators to call and arrange a meeting with one of the attorneys in the office. Once a meeting was scheduled, the investigator called the Senator to inform him when his appointment time was and a few details. The Senator was cautiously optimistic once the appointment was made. An hour before his appointment was to take place he received a phone call canceling his meeting. The Senator became worried when his contact with the investigator ceased. Concerned for the investigator’s safety, the Senator went to the Police Chief. The police report concluded the investigator was alive, but had relocated out of the country.
One day, approximately a year later, her dad called and urgently asked, “Dolores, is anyone home with you right now?”
“No, why? Do you need something?”
There was a pause before he said, “My investigator found something I need to talk to you about. It’s very important we meet tonight, Sweetie. I’m very concerned about your safety from the information I have learned in a recent report. When we meet I will show you everything. I want you to calmly come up with an excuse to leave town with Sterling for a couple of days. Pack your bags and Sterling’s things with just the necessities. Nothing else is important. I will call you and tell you where I want us to meet as soon as I wrap things up. Remember I love you.” She tried to ask a few questions, but he had hung up.
That was the last time she talked to her dad. That night he was involved in a hit and run car crash. The Senator died instantly. The other vehicle and driver were never found.
CHAPTER 59
Dimitrios was in a hurry. He didn’t have his flying disk because he had been in such a rush to leave that morning. He made his way to his apartment. As he walked up the steps, his thoughts were fixated on the object he had seen peeking out of Mr. Jones’ pocket at the library. Even though he barely caught a glimpse of the cover, he was intrigued. He was determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. If the pamphlet was what he suspected, then why on earth would an educated man like Mr. Jones bring something so treasured into the Hub in such a reckless manner? Unless, Carson didn’t know what he had in his possession. If only he had been able to get a better look at it to be certain. It sure looked like a Mystic Journal. If the object was a treasured Mystic Journal, he wished he’d been able to get his hands on it.
He had only heard rumors of one such journal existing. It belonged to Ms. Catherine Caperson. He had been too late to salvage the Caperson Collection after she died. Her idiotic family had no idea the treasures they threw out while they rummaged through her belongings. It made him cringe and shudder. What a terrible shame.
The glimpse he caught earlier continued to intrigue him. What if he had been wrong and another journal existed from a different royal family?
He knew the Caperson lineage story. He had spent tireless hours researching the royal family and re-enacting in his mind the daring escape the Caperson family made. The family split up for fear that the enemy would find them and kill them all. It was a tragic story of deception, betrayal and survival. Through the years traces of the family would emerge, but always found too late to reunite them. He wondered if the family had any idea about their background and how they were the rightful heirs, even to this day, to the land that their family once ruled. At one time, he had thought to tell them of their heritage, but it would have sounded like lunacy. In fact the telling of the story was strictly forbidden. Could it be that this treasured object had survived a war? More importantly did the family still have any papers left? What historic information could be gathered from the developed pages? His mind was spinning. Whatever it was, it was entirely possible something of intrigue now belonged to Carson Jones. Carson Jones was no fool. He would certainly know enough to research something so rare and valuable if he came across it. Carson might not know the worth of the document, but Dimitrios was certain he would go to great lengths to solve a mystery. Dimitrios scratched his head.
He thought about Carson and Bev being in the library today. He would have to pay a visit to the library this evening before he met with Cassia. He would inquire if the Jones had asked for help from Fiona regarding something in particular. Maybe they had asked her some questions that might help him determine the identity of the object. If anyone knew the vast books in that library it was she. He hurriedly threw his clothes in the corner and got ready to shower. He’d work out his strategy on how to approach Fiona and then solve the mystery. Hopefully he’d accomplish this before the Jones knew what they had.
CHAPTER 60
After her dad’s death Dolores began having frequent nightmares. She would wake up drenched in sweat and occasionally cry out. She could never remember the whole dream only bits and pieces of what happened. She confided the details of her nightmares with her friend Ruthie. Dolores really wanted Ruthie to comment, but often she would just sit and listen. Sometimes Ruthie would share her own dreams and laugh at the details. She claimed that in the daylight nightmares weren’t so scary, just bizarre. Dolores always walked away from their girl talks feeling better until the next horrible dream.
Joseph wasn’t sympathetic or comforting when she would wake up disoriented and sweaty. He’d complain about her getting the sheets wet with perspiration. He’d demand she get out of bed and shower while he changed the sheets. As she would get out of bed, he’d comment under his breath, “You’ve gone crazy. Your dad’s death has finally driven you over the edge. We need to take you to a psychiatrist for a mental evaluation.”
She always felt lucky he didn’t make her change the sheets. She didn’t have the strength after waking from one of her dreams. It was true she felt shaky. Dolores could feel herself slipping into a depression. She started to dread falling asleep. She tried to stay awake for as long as possible, only sleeping when exhaustion forced her to sleep. This cycle eventually led to insomnia.
Dolores lost a lot of weight during that time in her life. Finally she gave in and agreed to go to a doctor who prescribed pills for her. She was relieved when she could sleep and not see the disturbing images flash before her eyes. She went from insomnia to sleeping all the time. It seemed that every time she would wake up Joseph would be there to give her another magic pill. Dolores had no idea how long this occurred before Sterling sneaked in her room one day.
CHAPTER 61
It was time to confess. As they entered the office Bev began putting things away. Carson motioned for Charles to sit down. The two of them sat in chairs facing each other. Carson pointed to his pocket. “I have something here I want to show you.” Charles squinted as he examined Carson’s pocket. “What is that?”
“We aren’t exactly sure.”
“We?”
“We,” Bev replied, as she pointed to herself and Carson.
Charles turned to Carson and asked, “May I see it?” Carson nodded and took it from his pocke
t. Airabelle and Airasten were now perched on the back of Charles’ chair.
Carson handed it to him.
Charles smoothed his hand over the cover and asked, “Where did this come from?” Carson pointed in the direction of the bookshelves. Bev had the key and was turning them around. She stood in the area where the Caperson journals were stored. Carson walked over to join her. Charles said, “This came from a Caperson Journal?” Carson nodded. He took the exact book from the shelf and showed Charles how he found it.
Charles said, “It now belongs to Caroline. What do you think it is?” Bev walked to the desk and took out her notes. Carson reached for the Mystic Journal in Charles’ hand and opened it for Charles to reveal the unique pages.
Charles said, “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“It’s a miraculous find.”
Bev began reading from her notes. Charles sat back in his chair. He was contemplating what he held in his hand. Suddenly it all made sense to him what the look was that crossed Dimitrios’ face when they left the restaurant. He had seen the booklet. Charles looked at Carson and said, “Dimitrios knows.”
Carson looked surprised and asked, “What makes you believe he knows Charles? Why would you say that?” Charles explained.
Bev chimed in, “Well, we suspected he was a Rumor Sojourner.”
Carson nodded and said, “A darn good one at that.”
When they finished discussing the possibilities, Charles was certain the pamphlet he was holding was an important missing link, but a link to what? How it would relate to Caroline’s future was uncertain. He was sure that whatever they were about to discover, was going to be exciting. He could sense it. In the back of his mind Airabelle agreed. It gave him goose bumps.
The Xidoran Prophecy Page 54
