by Tom Keller
"That might work," Andy replied. "What type of severance are you thinking?"
"Well, since there wasn't a contract, I'd say a year's base salary would be sufficient, but rather than argue the matter we'd be willing to go two."
"Two year's salary at 250k a year, is that your offer?"
"That's the best I can do, Andrew, and you know as well as I do that it is more than fair. That assumes, of course, that your client provide us with the letter of resignation immediately so we can get this matter resolved." There was a moment of silence on the speaker. Cornwall looked over at me and I almost broke out laughing when he winked again.
"I believe I can convince my client to accept that offer. When can I get that in writing?"
"I'll have my office run the papers over this afternoon." Cornwall replied, sifting through some paperwork in his briefcase. "I can have a check ready when they are signed and we are in receipt."
"I'll get a hold of my client this afternoon and see if we can get this resolved then," Andy said. "Thank you for contacting me."
Cornwall started to get up so I took the phone off speaker and told Andy I would call him back. He leaned over and said something quietly to Carmine that I couldn't hear, but I could clearly read Carmine's lips when he said "bullshit."
"Attorneys," he remarked, shaking his head. "It's days like this when I miss the old Vegas." He was clearly not too happy with the negotiations.
"Times change," Cornwall replied. "And I did have clear instructions from Mr. Milagre."
Carmine still didn't look happy, but he didn't seem to want to argue, either.
"Carmine, can you give me a moment with Mr. Hoskins?"
"Sure, I'll be in the car." Carmine said as he stood up. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Robert. Remember what I said, if I can ever be of service, don't hesitate to call."
"I won't, Carmine, and thank you again for your cooperation today."
I got up as well and walked him out of the conference room. When I saw him head toward the front door, I turned and walked back to Cornwall.
"Is there something else?"
"Robert, may I ask if you have any other interests in this case?" he asked as he put the papers back in his briefcase.
Hmm, now we appeared to be on a first name basis. I wondered what was coming next. "No, as I said, I merely handled the subpoena, why do you ask?"
"I wanted to see what you had to say about what you just witnessed but I wanted to make sure there wasn't a conflict before we talked"
"Well, Mr. Cornwall, I guess I am a little surprised. I know Carmine's reputation and it doesn't quite add up that you would give up so much. Then again, I've met Mr. Milagre and I am sure he has his reasons. I'll also admit to curiosity as why you handled this from my office."
"Consider it an act of good faith on Mr. Milagre's part. I am not completely sure why, but as you said, he has his reasons.
"Good faith?" I commented. "How would giving 500k to someone else's client show me good faith?"
"Come now, Robert, you can't tell me that this doesn't put Andrew in your debt. Besides, his client will never work in this town again, not without an endorsement from Carmine. The money, well, the money will keep him from being an inconvenience. Our kind must show other's that we have influence. Wouldn't you agree?"
"I guess that's true." Our kind, now I saw where he was coming from. I could see that the world was changing for me. I just wasn't sure if it was for the better.
"I wish I had known of your lineage before," he commented as he picked his briefcase up. "It was silly of you to hide it. We could have sent a lot of business your way. We will of course attempt to remedy that in the future," he said as he walked out of the conference room and headed toward the front door.
"I also had my reasons," I remarked, walking along side of him.
"Of course, but now that we are acquainted, let's hope they won't get in the way of business in the future." He turned to shake my hand.
"I look forward to seeing you again."
"As do I," I said.
Hailey was pointing at the phone as I walked back toward my office. "It's Mr. Lagisto, where do you want it?"
"In my office," I answered and headed through my doorway and then plopped down in my chair and picked up the phone.
"Andy that was quick."
"Quick! No shit! I want to know where that came from. I can't get that prick to return my calls half the time and he walks into your office and hands me a deal on a silver platter Why didn't you tell me you knew Cornwall?"
"It never came up, and Andy, you know I keep my business dealings confidential. I figured it was better to play the part but I was hesitant about mentioning Milagre. Still, Andy was a good client. I might not be thrilled about the "our kind" mentality but I'm not an idiot.
"Honestly, Andy, I think I caught Pontedra off guard with the subpoena. You know how good he is at ducking folks. Plus, your client has been around a long time so I'm guessing the negative publicity of a civil suit wouldn't sit well with his boss."
"Yeah, maybe," Andy muttered. "Either way, that's one off the books. I guess I owe you a bonus as well."
"Always appreciated."
"Send me an invoice, and thanks."
"Anytime, Andy, talk to you soon," I said as I hung up the phone.
Fortunately, computers make owning a small business a lot simpler than the old typewriter and carbon paper days. I accessed my accounting program and whipped up an invoice for the subpoena service and the meeting. I have to admit, I toyed with adding hazardous duty pay for battling wizards and getting butt stroked by security but of course I left that part out. Putting the invoice in an envelope I grabbed my coffee cup and walked out to the front to face the inevitable questions from Hailey.
"Well," she asked, as I dropped the envelope in the outgoing mail slot. "I'm waiting?" There was, of course, no way to get out of it, so leaning against the counter and gave her an abbreviated version of the meeting and outcome.
"That's amazing," she said, after listening to my story. "How did you pull that off? That's the first time I've ever seen Cornwall come to a meeting at someone else's office unless it was one of his high and mighty clients. Us common folk usually have to go to the towers. That's if he'll see us lower life forms at all." She meant his offices at the Hughes complex, which was where a lot of the big attorneys in town called home. She put down her cup and leaned toward me, giving me that look my grandmother used to when she wanted information out of me. "What aren't you telling me?"
"That's it Hail. Look, it's got to be because of Milagre. Hell, maybe he figured he owed me a favor. Whatever the reason, I'm not complaining." I poured myself another cup of coffee.
"You know, I have a few more hours of paperwork and then I think I'll call it a day. How's your workload, do you need anything?"
"No, I'm good, just some motions to finish and file. There's a few subpoenas to get out but I'll use the runners for those. Besides, it sounds like you've already had a productive day," Hailey replied as she shuffled some papers and files on her desk.
"Looks like I can make the rent this month, that's for sure. OK, back to work I go." I headed to my office.
Even with today's interesting start, the rest of the day was just plain boring. It's like back when I was a cop, mad dashes of adrenalin laced excitement separated by long periods of monotony.
One other thing, and this is the most important. I may have just stepped into a world of magic and mystical beings but the rent really did still have to get paid. I had tried using magic to win a few bucks on the slots but that hadn't worked so I figured I was stuck with being a P.I. So in that spirit, I returned my calls and did what was left of my paperwork.
Finishing up a bit after 4:00, I said goodbye to Hailey and headed for my car. I left the office and headed off to the freeway. I guess the weather report had been right after all. By the time I got halfway home it was pouring. Fortunately it was almost over as I pulled onto my street.
&
nbsp; Chapter 8
I unlocked the door and went into the house, putting my keys and cell phone down on the counter. Opening the refrigerator, I grabbed a Diet Coke and went into the back yard to sit on the patio. It had been a long, strange week. I still didn't know what to think about it all. So I sat in my rocking chair on the patio and watched as the rain stopped and the clouds parted.
Charlie, of course, took this as a sign and walked over and dropped a ball in my lap. This time I wasn't surprised when I heard "play" as he sat there wagging his tail. I looked at him in his usual playtime stance, eyes wide, tail wagging like clockwork. I held the ball up high and watched his eyes follow it.
"Do you want me to throw the ball?"
His eyes never left it, but I heard him say "ball" again.
Well, I don't know if what I heard is the right way to put it. It's more like a wisp of something that appears in my head when he barks. I tried some other words and ideas out on him. When I was finished, I had clearly gotten some responses, "ball, play," and "happy," to name a few. He wasn't a great conversationalist, but we could communicate. Things seemed to get clearer the more we interacted.
Let me clarify something. Apparently, dogs don't think like humans. I didn't get full sentences in my mind from him. I got concepts and images that somehow reminded me of words. But who knows, maybe the longer I worked with him we could even have a conversation. That made me laugh, I know I'll be in trouble when I come home and he asks how my day was.
We played ball for an hour or so. Let's face it, with a dog like Charlie, we could do this all day and he'd never get bored. The few times I made a bad throw the look he gave me was interesting. Everyone's a critic and now my dog is too. Yep, life was definitely getting weird.
I sat back down in my chair and threw the ball in the pool. I knew this would give me a few minutes while he swam. Whatever had happened to me had opened up senses I had not been able to access before. I still didn't know how to go into full mode, like I'd done with the Werewolves, but maybe that would come.
Charlie came back and dropped the now wet ball in my lap.
I looked over at him and said, "I don't know what to think anymore buddy." I ran my hands through my hair. I had to get a handle on what was happening to me.
Charlie laid his wet head in my lap and looked up at me. "Sad?"
"No." I said, patting his head. "Just confused. I'm not sure you can help me with this one but I'm glad you're my friend." I rubbed his head and tried to just relax.
Suddenly, Charlie lifted his head up and walked a few feet. I heard him say,"Friend?" I could swear it was a question.
"Yes, Charlie, you're my friend." I said as I watched him.
He came toward me, getting excited, and then trotted to the area behind the pool. "Friend," he said again, and then went to the oak tree I'd planted in the yard when we'd first moved in.
The oak was one of two saplings I'd gotten from my Aunt Cacilia. I had planted one in the front and this one in the backyard. They had been saplings from my family's home in Bavaria and I had planted them in memory of my grandmother. Oaks don't grow that fast, so they weren't huge, but they were healthy and I loved the way they made the yard look.
I watched as Charlie started barking and wagging his tail at the tree. Suddenly it began to shimmer. A golden glow surrounded the bottom part of the tree and someone materialized. Well, it was more like they popped into existence. It was a woman in late middle age. She had dark hair with streaks of white. She was dressed in a white top with a shawl draped around her shoulders and a pleated dress. It took me a moment to realize who she was. It was my Aunt Cacilia.
"What the hell?" I stuttered as she walked toward me.
I looked at Charlie, his tail started to droop but then it sprang back up. He gave me a look, one that almost said danger, but I didn't hear anything in my head. Maybe he was smarter than I thought.
"Robert," she said, her eyes meeting mine. "Robert, I do not know how this could happen. I will have to explain some things to you now." She walked over to me and sat down. "We were only trying to keep you safe, you must believe this." She leaned forward and put her hand on my arm. "But first, I must know what occurred, tell me."
"Aunt Cacilia? What the hell is going on? How did you get here?"
"Relax, Robert, all will be explained. But please, tell me what has happened so far."
"Relax...damn it!" I started to get up and then thought better of it. I mean I did need some answers. "Fine...I'm sorry...it's just been an insane week and now this! Whatever? What do you want to know?" My mind was in a thousand places at once.
"You must start at the beginning."
So I told her the story, almost. After what could only be a warning from Charlie, I left out the fights with the Werewolves. Something didn't seem right here so I held back a bit. I told her about the attack at the Neptune and some of the rest, including being able to hear some animals. When I was finished, she stood up.
"This is troubling. We had hoped to spare you from such things."
"Spare me?" I repeated. "Spare me from what. What the hell is going on? Wizards, wands, magic spells and potions, I feel like I've stepped into a bad story, or is it some alternate reality?" I walked over to the BBQ island and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator, popped the top and sat back down. Taking a large gulp, I continued. "I've got people shooting at me with wands that I ended up having to kill. Now I've got family popping out of trees. I would really like an explanation."
"It is a long story," she said.
"Well, I've got some time. Let's hear it." I took another drink and waited.
"I will have to start with some history," she began. "You've heard a bit of it from what you've told me but I will tell you more, especially as it relates to you and your situation." She leaned forward and looked directly at me. "In the beginning, the world was a different place. Many creatures of the Fae roamed the earth. Nymphs, Trolls, Sprites, Dryads, fair creatures and beasts such as you have heard only in myth. They were all here when the world was young.
"It was a wonderful place. Creatures of the land, sea, and sky moved over the Earth. For the most part, life was good, the Earth provided for them and they protected it. Oh, I don't mean to say that all was perfect. There were minor squabbles here and there. There always are, you see. But for the most part, it was peaceful. We even got along with mortals in the beginning. I suppose it was too good to last."
"What do you mean?" I asked. "What happened?"
"It is difficult to explain, but when man came, we changed. He saw us as Gods and began to worship us and although we were no better than he was, some of us began to believe they were better. As they were more powerful, they placed themselves above the others. That led to wars and battles for dominion over others. Dark creatures began to challenge us. This was The Fall and it was a bad time for us. Many of us perished or just faded away. Earth's history is full of these stories. They call them myths and legends, but believe me, they are based in fact. It couldn't last, although we did not learn the truth until much later.
"It was the arrogance, you see. Many used magic as if it was the air itself, never realizing that it would not last forever. As they fought they used up much of the magic and destroyed many of the things that could replace it. So, the magic waned, and most of us had less and less power. When The Fall occurred we were no match, even for the humans, who always outnumbered us. Then even man forgot about us for a time and the magic dwindled even more." She lowered her head.
"Wait a minute now, there is obviously still magic, or how did all of his happen? I am not sure I understand."
"Hand me that bottle," she said as she stood up.
I did as she asked.
She took it and held it up in front of me. "This bottle contains liquid."
I watched as she emptied what was left in the bottle, pouring the beer onto the deck.
"Now it does not. The bottle, once full, was like the earth when it was young, full of magic that we could u
se and access in our daily lives. As we fought, we drained the earth of its magic, just as you drank the liquid that once filled this bottle."
"Okay," I said. If the bottle was empty, it must have been filled again, or none of what has occurred could have happened."
She put the bottle down on the table. "Exactly, but it takes a very long time to replenish what was lost. Magic comes from all around us, the trees, the water, and especially the belief of man. It has taken many years for a semblance of our past abilities to manifest itself. That is why we have been so cautious. Never revealing ourselves unless it was necessary, for fear of further losses, and that brings us to you and your situation."
"What exactly is my situation then?" I asked, hoping to finally discover what was going on.
"When the magic dwindled we distanced ourselves from others that would threaten us. I suppose we did it to hide as well. We had to do this, as well as take other measures to protect ourselves." Cacilia sat back down, continuing to talk.
"We seldom get involved in the mortal world since The Fall but it and our world are intertwined. The forests near our home have sheltered us since those times and always have we strived to protect them. We are daughters of those trees and we must protect them to protect ourselves."
"One moment," I said. "I thought you said the magic came from other places, not just the trees?"
"Indeed it does, but the primary source of our family's magic is the trees. Just as the primary source of your new friend is the water. That is where we derive our power from. The ability to harness the rest comes from that source." She pointed to the oak tree in the yard. "Why do you think I sent you those trees? Through them you are still part of us. We can use them for other things as well. This you have already seen."
"Alright, I guess I've seen all that," I agreed, looking over at the oak tree. "But where do I fit in with all this?"
