Natalie said, “You will do an honorable job. The Queen will be proud.”
Caroline left with Al and Margaret after dinner. Charles decided to go to bed early. That night he left his window open. He couldn’t sleep so he decided to read a book he found earlier in the library. It was a book about the adventures of a rambunctious young boy who was always looking to fight for a cause. Eventually he grew up to become a knight because others thought of him as fearless and brave. One day he was given orders from the king to fight the ferocious dragon of the land. When confronted with slaying the dragon, he discovered the dragon was a misunderstood creature. The young knight saw something in the creature’s eyes that made him decide that this large dragon actually needed his protection from those who didn’t understand it. He came to the realization that the dragon could actually be beneficial to the kingdom.
At that time Charles began to get sleepy. He returned the book to his side table and turned the light off. The night air had begun to cool the bedroom. He buried himself under the covers to get warm. He drifted off and dreamed of Caroline on the throne as the Queen of a faraway Kingdom.
CHAPTER 113
Once again Dolores put Joseph’s dinner in the refrigerator. She was tired. Sterling had worn her out tonight, and she was ready for bed. She made her way to her bedroom. She stopped and looked in on Sterling. He had his suitcase beside his bed. She smiled as she walked to her room. Before bed she always enjoyed reading a book. As she was reading she heard a strange noise coming from the office. She sprang to her feet and reached for the baseball bat that she kept next to her bed.
She cautiously walked down the hall toward the office. She tried the doorknob. It was locked. She put her ear to the door to try to hear what was going on in there. “Joseph, are you in there?” She knocked. No response.
She walked back to Sterling’s room to check on him. He was sound asleep. She went back to the office and placed her ear to the door. She was unable to hear much. “Joseph, open this door right now!” No response.
She backed away from the door remembering the stranger Joseph had brought into their house. She sneaked into Sterling’s room. She gathered him into her arms. He stirred and she whispered, “Shhhh, baby, be very quiet. We are going to go for a ride.” She carried him to the kitchen where she picked up her purse. She carried Sterling to her car and buckled him in. She got into the car and locked her door.
Sterling whispered, “Where are we going Mama?”
Dolores was looking for her car keys. She paused and put up the garage door. She reached for her spare set of keys in the car. Just as she started the car, the kitchen door flew open. A man, Dolores had never seen before, was standing in her kitchen doorway. She flashed her bright lights and threw the car in reverse.
Sterling asked, “Who was that man in our house?” Dolores didn’t answer. She put the car in drive and didn’t look back. She drove as fast as the car would go to Joseph’s office. When she arrived, her headlights shone on his car in the parking lot. She pulled up in front of the office, grabbed Sterling from the backseat and ran to the door.
She stood there and banged on the door until Joseph heard her. “Dolores, what are you doing?” he asked as he opened the door. She was clearly upset as she told him about the stranger in their house. Joseph ran to his office and called the police.
Sterling was crying. “I don’t want to go home! I want to go to the lake.” Dolores was trying to calm him down as Joseph was answering questions the dispatcher asked about the intruder.
Joseph came to Dolores and said, “Let’s go. We are meeting the police at our residence.” He took Sterling, who was protesting, from Dolores and put him in the car. Dolores got in the car and Joseph drove them back to the house. When they walked in the house was ransacked. Two police officers were walking through the house searching for the intruder. They called for Joseph to stay back. They wanted him to get back in the car and wait. Flashing lights streamed down the street. Before they knew it officers were swarming on their property. The investigation unit was securing everything.
The Chief of Police requested they stay at a hotel room for the night. Joseph was furious! “I have to get in there. I have a high profile case in court tomorrow morning!”
The Police Chief said, “That’s not going to happen right now. I’ll send someone for you tonight when you are cleared to enter the house.”
He asked Joseph where they would be staying. The Chief then gave him a phone number to call to let the dispatcher know what his room number would be. “Sir, you know how this goes. I’m just doing my job. We will come for you as soon as we can, but you will not be allowed to go through the crime scene at this moment. Something happened in there and we have to investigate.”
That grabbed Joseph’s attention. “Like what?”
“Sir, I am not at liberty at this point to go into details. You know the drill. A complete and thorough investigation must take place.”
Joseph knew the Chief was a serious man of his word. He and Joseph walked away discussing matters of the break in privately. Joseph didn’t want them to talk to Dolores, so he gave the police a statement.
Joseph walked back to Dolores and said, “I’m taking you and Sterling to the hotel. Then I am coming back.”
Donovan just missed them at the office. He fumed when Joseph wasn’t there. They had made plans and it was just like Joseph to not follow through. He was puzzled by the fact that Joseph’s car was out in the parking lot. He didn’t have time to wait. He had to gather his things and go without him. Joseph would just have to catch up with him later. Donovan went to his safe and withdrew the things he needed. There was a knock at the door. He scowled and thought: It must be Joseph. He closed the safe and walked around the corner. A shot rang out through the office. Donovan fell to the floor and crawled to stay out of view of the gunman, making his way back into the office. The perpetrator shattered the glass on the door. Donovan ran toward his Passageway and went through to the other side. He just hoped he didn’t leave Joseph to be ambushed by the criminal who had tried to kill him. He thought to himself: I’ll find out whom that unlucky malefactor is that shot at me. I’ll make him pay dearly.
Joseph took Dolores and Sterling to the hotel and checked them in. Then he left. He drove by the office and discovered the door to their law building had been smashed as well. He saw his father’s car. He got out of the car and ran inside. The scoundrel was gone. Joseph entered the Passageway to find out what had happened.
Donovan was waiting on him. “What took you so long and where were you? I could have been killed!”
Joseph made sure his father was fine. After he explained the events of the house break in, he talked his father into coming back to help with the police. On the way back they discussed the possibilities of who they thought might have committed the crimes. If the culprits were someone from the Netherworld then it would fall under their jurisdiction. They decided they would do their own investigation, after the police left Joseph’s house. Donovan said Joseph could travel with his fake paperwork across the border to go back in time to investigate what happened. That way they weren’t changing anything of major importance that would cause the Hub Authorities to get involved and snoop around.
When Donovan and Joseph walked in the law office they noticed nothing was disturbed except the broken glass from the door. They drove to Joseph’s house. Right after the police gave Joseph the all clear, he and his father entered his house.
On the way out the Chief of Police said, “We weren’t able to get past this door. We had specialists here and the door wouldn’t budge.”
Joseph said, “No way someone got in here. It’s our panic room.”
Then Donovan changed the subject.
The Chief said, “We will get back to you. We will send our findings to the law firm.”
Joseph thanked him, and the officers left the premises. After they were gone Donovan and Joseph armed themselves and walked over to the office door.
“If someone was in there, then there was no way for them to leave. They’ll still be here.” Then Joseph pointed out, “Dolores said there were strange noises in the office and someone was at the kitchen door as she backed out of the garage. That meant that there were at least two of them, maybe more. My thought is the intruders that ransacked the house used someone else’s Passageway to get here. It has to be an inside job for someone to have access to my office Passageway. Whomever is on the other side of this door is going to pay.”
Donovan asked, “How would they have been able to get inside your office. You made sure the door closed behind you didn’t you?”
Joseph growled, “Don’t be absurd, I always make sure the door closes behind me. Now let’s go. On the count of two I will open the door. Ready?” Donovan nodded.
“One… two...” He pulled the door open. Joseph looked around the office.
CHAPTER 114
Charles woke up the next morning, dressed and went down to the kitchen. As he ate breakfast, Charles analyzed his dream. He decided that thinking of his girlfriend as royalty seemed awkwardly formal so he concluded she’d always be the same Caroline to him, no matter what the future held for her. Things seemed to be moving right along as planned. He couldn’t believe Caroline was almost completely trained to be a Sojourner. In a couple of days she’d also be the queen of some mystical kingdom, in a land that everyone but the Queen of England had forgotten. Somehow for centuries, the royal family secretly waited patiently for an heir to come forward in order to claim his or her rightful inheritance. The Queen had managed to fulfill her families’ vow to restore the kingdom to its rightful heir and to correct a wrong that occurred long ago. That seemed weird to him. His mind wandered to what he perceived the far away land that he saw in the vision the other day, would look like today.
Bev was talking to him but he didn’t hear her. Carson asked if he was okay. Then he came back to the conversation. He apologized to Bev and said, “I keep thinking about Caroline being the queen of some distant kingdom.” He shook his head as he ate his pancakes.
“It won’t be long,” she added.
“It is going to be here before we know it. I can’t believe it.”
“I can’t believe the details. Each one of the invitations is an original masterpiece commemorating Caroline’s coronation.”
Carson took a sip of his coffee and added cream before saying as he stirred, “A package arrived for Caroline this morning. It’s in the office.”
“Who sent it?”
“The Queen of England’s Assistant arrived with it.”
“The Queen of England’s Assistant?”
“Yes.”
Bev said, “I’m anxious to see what is inside it. Carson and I have been trying to guess.” Bev refilled her coffee mug.
Carson turned the page of his newspaper and said, “You’ve been trying to guess. I’ve been trying to read.”
Charles changed the subject. “Have you heard when the trial will be?”
Carson looked at him over his newspaper. “This Monday I believe. Natalie mentioned that’s why her dad has been so preoccupied lately. Is that right Bev?”
Bev took a sip of coffee. “I think so.”
Carson continued, “Natalie said they seem pretty confident they have enough evidence for the Sojourners’ Council to render a guilty verdict. Did you want to attend the trial?”
Charles considered his question. “Yes, I would like to go to the trial. Will you come with me?”
Carson put his paper aside. “I think it would be a good idea for you to attend in order to see what a trial in front of the Sojourners’ Council looks like. Dimitrios must have thought you might want to attend because he sent a pass for the three of us. Bev would you like to go with us?”
She shook her head. “No, thank you. I’m going to call Margaret and set up a shopping excursion that afternoon.”
Carson said to Charles, “I’ve only been once before. I hadn’t planned on going back, but I think it is a good idea to go especially to this particular one. It is one of the largest group criminal cases recorded in the history of the Hub.”
Charles thought about that for a moment. “I think we need to be there.” Carson agreed.
Bev was already on the phone with Margaret. The men put their plates in the sink and headed for the office.
**********
Anjoleah let out a sigh as she finally had enough of the stray lock of hair that kept falling in her face as she worked. She had to put it behind her right ear so she could see her work. She shuffled through the papers in her hand as she went over her notes again and again before she rehearsed her speaking parts in the upcoming trial.
Xander quietly knocked on her door. She motioned for him to enter. He came into her office and sat down.
She stood up and leaned over her desk putting both hands on her desktop. “I need you to listen to my presentation and look over my exhibits that I prepared. I need your good mind to double check my work before I rehearse in front of Dimitrios.”
Xander nodded and agreed to proceed. He said, “This would be Anthony’s introduction to the case Sojourners vs. each individual on trial. For the record he will state the case number. He will explain to the court audience that they should remain quiet and not try to sway the Sojourners’ Council by their interactions; observing without making any noise or distraction. If they become a distraction they will be asked to leave and will be escorted from the room. He will then thank the Council Members for their service to the Sojourner Community and he will explain why they are there: to try these individuals in a fair and honorable way, to determine if the defendants are guilty or not of criminal activity. If they are found guilty, he will say that the prosecutor is asking for the criminals to be punished to the full extent of the Sojourner Law. He will go over what is expected of them from the Court Laws. They are not to communicate with anyone outside the Sojourners’ Council while the trial is taking place. They are not to form any opinions about the defendants’ innocence or guilt until all of the evidence has been heard. They are not to try to sway any other member of the Council or ask to see evidence that has already been presented, or comment on the evidence until they deliberate. He will ask each member of the Council if he or she knows any of the defendants and if so, how do they know them? He will ask if any one of them will be unable to be fair and unbiased as they hear the evidence. If so, they will be excused. He will then introduce you to the Sojourners’ Council.”
Anjoleah took a deep breath and said, “I will step up the podium and also thank the Sojourners’ Council for hearing the case that the Passageway Authority Department has brought before them. I will introduce all of the prosecuting attorneys to the Council. I will then give my opening argument to the Sojourners’ Council, which consists of a synopsis of why each one of them is on trial. I will state the evidence that will be presented to the Sojourners’ Council that will show these defendants without a doubt conducted illegal activity within the Hub. I will use my information pad and introduce each of the defendants on trial. I will give a brief statement as to why they are coming to trial. Then I will state what the Passageway Authority Department is asking of the Sojourners’ Council. I am asking for them to try each one of the defendants separately. We are asking for the Sojourners’ Council to find each of the defendants guilty and we are asking for the maximum sentence for each of the accomplices.”
“I will then be asked to take a seat by Anthony who will then introduce the attorneys for the defense and their individual clients…”
Xander leaned back in his chair and had his elbows on the arms of the chair with his fingertips resting on his bottom lip. “Where’s the rest?”
She muttered, “Always a kill joy.”
Anjoleah flopped down into her chair and tapped the stack of papers in front of her. “Right here.”
He squinted his eyes as he stared at her. “If you aren’t going to give me the whole spiel then how am I going to be able to he
lp you?” She shrugged and crossed her eyes. He shook his head, stood up and walked over to her desk.
He looked at her as he picked up the papers. “Again Anjoleah, from the beginning and don’t leave anything out.” He kissed her on her forehead and went back to the chair where he had been sitting.
Anjoleah stood up to start her presentation over, when the red alert light went off. Her information tablet sitting on her desk simultaneously flashed red pulses. She looked at Xander. “What is going on? Why wasn’t I notified of this first? Who sounded the alarm?”
Her assistant came bursting through her office door. “Thank goodness you are okay!”
She looked puzzled as she turned her attention from him and reached for her technology pad. She entered her codes to gain access and each one of them failed. She stood up and made her way over to the main screen of the network and slid her badge in front of the system. It finally recognized her badge and allowed her to gain access. She stood and patiently worked the problem.
Xander sent the assistant to locate a techie to help Anjoleah. Agents began to come through the door of her office.
When Anjoleah finally isolated the problem she stared at the screen and couldn’t believe her eyes. “No, no! This couldn’t have happened!” She turned and barked out orders to all of the agents in the room to suit up. The techie entered the room and walked over to the main screen beside Anjoleah.
She turned to the dispatcher now on the screen. She gave the information and orders to be relayed. “Require all able-bodied agents licensed to kill to report for duty immediately. Three guards are down at the cell grid. Four prisoners have escaped. Be on the lookout for them as the building and Hub are searched. They are to be considered armed and dangerous, bounty orders are in effect.”
She turned to Xander, “Shut the Hub down. No one is to get in or out.”
He started to protest, “Without discussing this with Anthony…” She turned and walked away.
The Xidoran Prophecy Page 81
