Keeper: Chapter 6

Chapter 6

This room was slow going as Jamie found himself dwelling more on the stories than simply checking off items. Some of the items were ones his mother would drool over. They were of rare metals and encrusted with jewels. Others were of more simple materials but the artistic quality was still high. Jamie picked up an acorn that had been carved to resemble an old man with a cap. The ridged cap of the acorn formed the cap, while the bottom point formed the chin. According to Albe it was a perfect likeness of George Fulton, Albe’s grandfather. George had been given the gift after relocating a wasp’s nest far from a fairy enclave. Jamie smiled and placed it back on the shelf, wondering. A discrete cough sounded behind him. Jamie turned. Del grinned sheepishly at him.

“Beggin your pardon sir. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“That’s okay I was kind of lost in my own thoughts. Wondering exactly how many rooms there were to get through. Is there a problem?” The brownie had changed from his eye searingly purple suit to a pair of soft brown breeches with a black leather belt and a lighter homespun shirt made from natural cotton. There were small boots on his feet and he looked very sturdy.

“No sir, but I figured you’d have lost track of time. I’ve set a luncheon out. Just sort of a plowman’s meal if you will sir since I figured you wouldn’t be wanting to stop for too long.” Jamie nodded.

“Thanks and you can just call me Jamie.”

“If you wish,” Del said. “I’ve set lunch up in the kitchen. Unless you would prefer the dining room?” Jamie looked at Del in surprise.

“We have a dining room?” He could never recall eating a meal in the dining room. Del chuckled.

“Yes sir there is a dining room but the main table seems to be covered with maps and the like and doesn’t appear to have been actually used as much of a dining area in quite some time.” Jamie blinked.

“Oh Albe’s map room. I suppose that was once the dining room. The kitchen will be fine.” He shook his head and followed the chuckling man back to the kitchen. “Please join me if you are hungry.” Jamie said feeling a little uncomfortable with the attention. He was so accustomed to doing for himself that the arrangement seemed strange. The plowman’s luncheon as Del had called it consisted of thickly sliced buttermilk bread, slices of sharp white cheddar and sliced purple onions. The bread was toasted and the cheese sort of melted into it. The onions went on top and Jamie bit in appreciatively.

“Good,” he said.

“Nice to be appreciated,” Del said as he poured Jamie a tall glass of water and sat down with his own sandwich. “We’ll be needing more provisions soon.” he said. “There isn’t that much left in the cupboard.” Jamie nodded.

“Makes sense. No one has been here in quite some time. I can run to the store in the morning if we can last the night.” Del frowned at Jamie and he was unsure if he had caused some sort of infraction. Was Del supposed to shop according to the rules? He sighed. “Did I say something wrong? Del’s face cleared

No no, although I will be taking care of the shopping bit. It’s just that, well, did you say no one has been here in a while?”

“Yes,” Jamie said. He thought about the papers. The last one was dated two days prior but it looked like something scrawled in haste. He didn’t imaging Albe spending a great deal of time at the house in the last few weeks. “I think,” he added.

“Well these fixings were here already and I can assure you that this bread is less than a week old. It had started to go a bit stale which is why I toasted it but other wise there was nothing wrong with it.” Perhaps Albe had spent more time at home than he had thought.

“Hmm maybe Albe was here recently. I just didn’t realize he had groceries. I thought it was just in and out.”

“Albe?” the man asked. “That would be the keeper before you?”

“Yes, you knew Albe?” The brownie shook his head.

“Not to speak to in the streets just by reputation.

“Really?” Jamie was curious. He just knew Albe as Albe not as the keeper.

“Yes He was a fierce one with a strong sense of justice. You always knew that it wasn’t so much as who you were that fed into his right and wrongs but what had actually happened. He’d help the low as well as the high and not give a toss who had the most clout.” Del looked proud of that fact. “Ah he was a good keeper. Most of are hoping that since he taught you and all you’ll be coming along just like him.”

“Most?” Jamie asked.

“Well there’s always those who hope the post will be taken by some one a little more accepting of a bribe,” Del said with a wink.

“I suppose some things are universal.”

“I suppose so,” Del said taking a large bite of sandwich

“Truth is I am still trying to get a handle on exactly what a keeper is and does. There seems to be a lack of information.” Del laughed.

“I think that is the way of it. Usually is with the inherited positions like this.”

“Really? Jamie asked.

“Aye. You see all you are given is a basic job description and you are left to figure out how best to carry it out without being cluttered by traditions and other senses of things gone by after all you are meant to solve the problems that come up today not wonder how your five times great grand dad would have solved them. Jamie nodded and realized he had completely eaten his sandwich. Del popped the last bite of his lunch into his mouth.

“Well then,” he said. “I suppose I better get back to it. Thank you for the lunch. It was exactly what I needed.”

“Will you be inventorying the rest of the day and such?” Del asked.

“Um no I think I am going to take a break, unload the car and set up some of my stuff before tackling another room.” Jamie stood and took his plate and glass over to the sink. The papers crinkled in his back pocket. “I’ll probably be spending some time in the study.” Del nodded.

“So it will just be basic stuff then I shouldn’t be preparing things for more than us for dinner then?”

“No it should be a quiet week but I think we can expect visitors on Monday. Jim said people wanted to settle their affairs with Albe’s estate. I’m not exactly sure what that entails. Or what time they are planning to arrive or how long they will say or if we are supposed to feed them.” Del laughed.

“In other words we’ll be winging it a while with no set routine. It’ll be good to get the larder stocked early then, just incase any of those showing up would ant to be staying for dinner. That Jim you mentioned? Would that be Jim Evers, the lawyer fellow?”

“Yes, you know Jim?”

“Not him but the family. They handle pretty much most of the legal affairs of my sort when we’re out and about in the world. It helps when you live a bit longer than those around you to have someone steady to look out for things.”

“I imagine it would,” Jamie said.

“I heard that the one who took charge was called Jim. I expect if he’s the one sending folks over it could get a might bit interesting. I might do a bit of extra shopping to be sure.”

“Great,” Jamie replied. Del began cleaning up from lunch as Jamie’s cell phone started to ring. Strains of Marylyn Manson reached his ears and he pulled his phone out of his back pocket. Jamie rolled his eyes and hit the button for silence on his phone. He’d probably have to answer the phone later but figured he could put it off for a few more hours.

“That’d be one of those portable phones they have now a days?” Dell asked.

“Yeah. That was the tone I set for my mother.”

“Well, by the sound of the song she must be in interesting woman.” The words were said hesitantly. Jamie decided Del should be given fair warning.

“I don’t think she and my brother know how to get out here but if they do, well House isn’t too fond of them. So they probably wouldn’t be invited inside. Although they might try to come in anyway.” Del’s face darkened.

“I see. Well they will not be at finding me an easy mark if they do show their faces here. I’ll be polite and all until I can’t be polite.” Jamie smiled at the fierceness.

“Hopefully it won’t be an issue.” Del nodded and picked up the dishes. “Although with that attitude you and House should get along well.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” Jamie replied. “House decided to be polite by dousing my mother with cold water from the faucet. If House had been impolite I think the hot water would have been used.” Del laughed.

“I’d heard of House but I can’t say as I actually believed it. All right then I’ll follow suit. Cold water instead of hot indeed.” He chucked to himself as began to wash the dishes. Jamie decided it was time to get back to work and left Del in the kitchen. He stepped out of the front door and walked to his car to begin the unloading process. He stared at his car for a moment as if it were a relic from another life.

“A talking house with a brownie serving as a house keeper and Jim is the lawyer of fairyland.” He opened his trunk. “And to think, it is only lunch time.” It didn’t take too long to ferry his stuff inside. He placed his things in the room he had always used when staying with Albe.

“You know you could use the master suite now since you are the keeper,” House told him sleepily as he was emptying his duffle bag into the chest of drawers. Jamie shrugged. Somehow it didn’t seem right to move into Albe’s room. Albe’s room was across the hall and had a great big picture window facing the woods and the lake beyond. Albe had loved to watch the sun come up over the lake and the birds begin their morning rituals. He shook away the sadness that threatened to creep in.

“Maybe later,” he told the house. “For now this is fine.” Once the clothes were away and the empty duffle bag was kicked beneath the bed, Jamie took his laptop to the study. It seemed as good a place to check for a wi-fi signal as any. Once he knew if he could get it out here he would think about setting up the rest of his equipment. There were various other doors along the hall that he passed on his way. Most were bed rooms that had been unused in Jamie’s lifetime. Jamie didn’t bother opening the doors, figuring he would see enough of them when he did his inventory.

There were steps at the back of the hallway and Jamie took them quickly, his laptop bag swinging at his side. The study and library were the first rooms he came to once he crested the stairs although there was another short hallway to the right. If he took it, he would eventually end up in the servant’s hall where Del would be setting up his rooms. He figured the small man would probably take one of the first floor rooms.

The house and grounds had been designed with many servants in mind, for a second Jamie paused and wondered what this house would be like filled with people and the sounds of life. It had always been just him and Albe with one house keeper. He had never heard it filled with the sounds that it was designed to hold. He wondered if House had ever been filled like that and if so did the house miss it. Jamie pushed the door to the study open and stepped inside. The study and library were connected by a set of pocket doors that Jamie had never actually seen closed. Both rooms had their walls lines with books and the biggest difference Jamie could see between the two was the fact that the library had chairs for reading while the study had a big desk that dominated the room.

Jamie paused in the door way wishing for a moment that he had brought the inventory. If he had then he would know if anything was out of place. He didn’t want to actually move anything before he knew whether it was important or not. Jamie knew that Albe spent long hours up here and more than any other rooms in the house it reflected the old man’s personality. Jamie saw that the desk in the study had been cleared and there was and empty spot. The spot didn’t look unusual more like someone had just put away the papers they had been working with before leaving.

Jamie pulled his laptop from it case, placed it on the empty spot and turned it on. He glanced around the room while he waited for it to warm up. The shelves that were built into the wall were filled from floor to ceiling with books. There was even a small ladder on metal rails to slide around the room with ease allowing even the shortest patron to get to the top shelf. Thinking of Del, Jamie was sure this was a nod to the many different types of visitors that Albe or the keepers before him could expect.

He wondered if Albe had ever invited others up here or if all of the visitors had been relegated to the cold and austere front parlor. Jamie certainly hoped not. He felt that if Albe were to entertain friends, this would certainly be the place for it. He squinted a little and he could almost see it. Albe sitting around with several white haired old gentlemen and snifters of brandy all around. Discussing politics and they way the world seemed to be changing at such a rapid pace.

Jamie smiled and unscrunched his eyes. He certainly hoped it had been like that rather than Albe holed up here by himself night after night. He thought of who he would bring up here and scrinched his eyes to see himself sitting around on a cold winter’s evening. He saw which of his friend’s he would invite and which he would leave out of the gathering. He wondered if Jim would confess to being a fairytale lawyer. Some how Erin the bank teller popped into his little gathering and she seemed perfectly at ease with the group.

“Not a bad thought in all,” he said to himself. Jamie turned to the computer and clicked to search out a connection. To his surprise he got a very strong signal. “Impressive,” he said wondering if there was a modem stashes somewhere in the house or if he had just gotten really lucky. “That is one problem solved.” He said once he realized the connection was not locked. Jamie took another look at the study and tried to figure out if the other computer equipment could be set up in the room. He would obviously paint in the studio Albe had put together for him but it would be nice to have the computer ready and waiting. As he looked around this second time he noticed that several of the shelves had dark spaces where books had been removed. He thought of the two books in the satchel and mentally fit them back on the shelves.

"Still missing about five books,” he said to himself. “Perhaps Albe had them with him or took them for some bedside reading and forgot to replace them.” Both were logical scenarios but Jamie could never remember Albe taking a book out of the library. His before bed reading was always done in one of the chairs by the fire and when he was looking things up he would bring them to the desk and take notes in one of his journals. Jamie looked over to the shelf of journals. One of the empty spaces was at the end of the row.

“His last journal.” Albe would not have taken that with him. When he was in the field he used a small rumpled notepad. The journals were all leather bound and Albe transferred his notes into the journals at the end of the day. Jamie looked around. The journal was not on the desk. One by one he opened the desk drawers. It had four large ones, two on either side, and a small tray drawer in the center for smaller objects like pens and paperclips. The journal wasn’t in any of the larger drawers. Without much hope, he pulled open the top drawer. There was no journal. There was however a spare fountain pen. Jamie picked it up. Underneath the pens he saw a scrap of paper. He put the pen down on the desk and pulled up the tiny scrap. There were four words written on the paper.

"Yahoo. Mozy. File. Aphid.” Jamie read aloud. He blinked. “Mozy?” he repeated. “Albe didn’t even use e-mail.” Jamie turned to his computer and brought up the Mozy site.

“Why would he need an off site data storage site?” Jamie mumbled to himself as he typed Albe’s name into the system. He figured if Yahoo was mentioned it was probably where Albe had an e-mail account.

“Ha,” he said aloud when it turned out to be correct. On a hunch he used Aphid as a password. This was less successful. “Aphid is probably the file name.” Jamie tried typing Keeper. Still no luck. He was afraid it would lock after three unsuccessful tries so he logged out of the site and shut the computer down. He would have to give the password a bit more thought before trying again. Jamie looked around the room again and sighed.

“I guess I know what two rooms I’m inventorying next.”