Chapter 32

Okay things are starting to settle back down and I can breathe again, woot.  so I'm going to try to go back to the twice a week postings. With luck the universe has tired of playing with me and will pick on someone else for a while. v

32.


Jamie’s dreams were filled with vivid details and altered memories as the restrictions placed on his training as the Keeper of the Crossroads dissolved and he woke up with his head feeling too full. He placed a hand to his temple as he sat up, feeling as though information was going to start leaking out of his ears. Slowly Jamie dressed, wondering what the evening’s court session would be like. He thought about calling Jim but decided it might be better to have a face to face conversation.



“I have to try and find a Michael proof lock anyway,” he reminded himself. The knot on the back of his head where he had been hit with the rock had disappeared overnight, even though when he touched the spot it was still tender.



“Let’s hear it for the elixir,” he said. Jamie went down to the kitchen where Del was hard at work. Jamie stood in the doorway watching the little man work. There were three bowls filled with various mixtures. A tray of biscuits was cooling on a rack and while Jamie watched Del pulled a second tray from the oven. It appeared to hold some sort of small cakes.



“Planning on company?” Jamie asked. Del jumped at the sound of Jamie’s voice but quickly recovered.



“Of course,” Del said. There will be plenty stopping by this evening and we will want to have refreshments available.” Del slid a plate out of the warming drawer of the oven and placed it on the table. A jar of jam and a dish of butter, with the accompanying utensils followed.



“I see,” Jamie said beginning to eat his breakfast. “I was planning on heading into town for a bit today, mostly to pick Jim’s brain about legal proceedings but also to pick up a better lock. Do you need anything?”



“I think I can hold things down here, and I doubt you’ll be in too much danger once away from the crossroads. Considering the issue deals with the Houses of the high court and most of them won’t interact with the human side any more than they have to that is.” Jamie finished his breakfast and left Del preparing copious amounts of sweet and savory snacks. He picked up his cell phone and keys and headed to his car. He glanced at his phone and was surprised there were no missed calls today from either his mother or brother. Jamie started the engine and headed down the drive.



“Maybe they are regrouping,” Jamie said to himself as he drove. More than ever before he caught movement in the woods as he moved. When he turned to look he only caught the tail of something shifting back into the woods but he could feel the eyes on him.



“Tonight is my first decision as keeper and they are curious,” he told himself. It didn’t help the creepy feeling of being watched dissipate. When he reached the gate Jamie found himself taking a deep breath before getting out of the car to unlock it, almost like a diver getting ready to plunge into icy water. He tried not to look like he was running but he did move faster than usual and heaved a sigh of relief when the gate was locked behind him and he was on his way to the highway.



“Scaredy cat,” he told himself shaking his head. He ran a hand through his hair and his fingers brushed up against the tender spot on his skull. The reminder that he had a reason to be cautious made him feel a little less silly.



“Hopefully things will settle down after tonight,” he said to himself. The drive back to town was uneventful but felt vaguely surreal. He passed other cars and signs for gas stations and fast food places and shook his head. Even though he hadn’t been at Albe’s for that long it felt like a completely different world. He laughed at himself, realizing that it was an entirely different world. In this world he was just an artist with an ill mannered family. No one here was planning on dropping boulders on him while he slept or waiting with trepidation for his decision regarding a religious ceremony. Here he was a relatively unimportant cog. He felt some of the tension in his shoulders ease at the thought.



Jamie drove, comfortably pushing all thoughts of the esoteric away. Instead he watched the other cars and details of the road. When he reached town he pulled off the main road and into the parking lot of a hardware store. Before going in and beginning his quest for a Michael proof lock he dialed Jim’s office number. Lucy the secretary put him through as though she had been expecting him.



“Jamie,” Jim said pleasantly. “Good to hear from you, everything okay?”



“Well at the moment no one is trying to kill me so it isn’t all bad,” Jamie replied. “How about you?”



“A little less exciting then your life.”



“Sounds fabulous actually,” Jamie said with a laugh. “Do you have any time to meet with me today? I have a couple of questions I would like some help with.”



“Sure, glad to help. This wouldn’t by any chance be family related would it?”



“Not really,” Jamie said frowning into the phone. “Why?



“I had a visit from your Mother yesterday. She wanted to know the process for contesting Albe’s will.”



“Really,” Jamie said. He sighed. “I shouldn’t be surprised I suppose. They showed up yesterday with an investor and were somewhat less than pleased when I told him the property was not for sale.”



“I see,” Jim replied. “Legally they don’t really have a case. Apparently after your father died he had paperwork drawn up to make sure that if anything happened to him before you reached adulthood your mother would have nothing to do with the estate. I believe he also filed paperwork legally disowning Michael as well. When coupled with the will, it makes a very strong case.”



“Albe did like to be thorough,” Jamie said. He knew that Bella and Michael were not Albe’s favorite people but had not known the extend of it. ‘Of course given the specific property details I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised.’



“She also asked about mental competency while she was here as well.”



“Really?” Jamie asked. He wondered if Bella would really try to declare him mentally incompetent. “Um, neither she nor Michael are listed in my will. Is there something I can do to make sure that even if she does go that route the property is safe?” The thought sat rather queasily in his gut and he really hoped nothing would be needed.



“There is standard paperwork we use for the property when the Keeper has not designated an heir. It basically ensures the property and the money to maintain it is kept safe. I can have a set for you to sign when you come in.”



“That might be for the best.” They set a time for Jamie to come in to sign the paperwork and ask Jim his legal questions and said goodbye. Jamie slipped his cell phone into his pocket and got out of the car feeling like he had swallowed rocks. He had spent years dodging around his family but this felt more solid and permanent somehow.



“Maybe because there is paperwork involved,” he thought. Jamie went into the hardware store. “I’m sure once things settle down it will be fine,” he told himself. There were few patrons in the hardware store at this time of day. There were a few contractors, a couple of mothers with small children and a pair of older men who were slowly perusing the aisle of power tools. As he passed Jamie noticed that one of the older men was not in fact human.



‘Gnome,’ his brain told him. ‘Jabern clan,’ he thought, as he saw a small tattoo on the man’s wrist. The man smiled at him and Jamie smiled and nodded politely back. A clerk slid past him and Jamie realized he was not quite human either.



“Not non-human though,” he thought. “More like a cross several generations back.” The clerk was struggling with a heavy box and paid no attention to Jamie. ‘I wonder if he knows.’ Jamie continued towards the locks wondering. Centerville was the closest town to the crossroads and Jim was the lawyer Del said worked with those blending into the human world. ‘I wonder how many mixes there are in town,’ He thought, his mind scrolling through images of people he had known all of his life. It was an entirely new perspective on his hometown and guessing about his friends and neighbors kept him from dwelling too much on his family.



Most of the locks he came across were either less sturdy than the one he currently had on the gate or of equal strength. He was pondering two that he thought were about the same as the one Michael had cut when one of the clerks came by. It was not the one who had passed earlier and Jamie noticed this one appeared to be completely human.



“Can I help you sir,” the clerk asked. His smile was bright and empty.



“Yes, do you have anything sturdier than these locks?” The clerk cocked his head to the side as though hoping a thought would dribble into his ear.



“We have some industrial ones. Is that what you mean?”



“Yes,” Jamie replied, figuring any other answer would just confuse him.



“Then right this way,” he was told. Jamie followed as he was told and a short while later he left the store with an industrial lock that he didn’t think that Michael’s bolt cutters would be able to break.



“I’m pretty sure the lock is more substantial than the gate,” he told himself as he placed his new purchase on the passenger’s seat. He sincerely hoped this would not lead his brother to taper with the gate itself instead. As it was nearing time for his appointment with Jim, Jamie headed to the lawyer’s office. Once parked he caught himself glancing toward the bank, wondering if Erin the pretty teller was working. He stopped in thought for a second. He wondered if she was completely human and if not, was there a rule about the Keeper’s dating of non-humans? He shook the thought away.



“Best get through tonight before I start worrying about future dates. Assuming I asked and she said yes. So maybe future potential dates.” Jamie headed into the office where Lucy buzzed him back into Jim’s office.



“So my friend James of the paintbrush, what legal issues would you like to discuss?” Jim motioned Jamie to a seat. Jamie settled himself in the padded leather chair.



“What exactly do you know about Fey courtroom proceedings?” he asked. Jim chuckled and then looked at Jamie’s face. His smile faltered and fell from his lips.



“You aren’t kidding are you?”



“Unfortunately not.”



“Wow,” Jim said. He turned to his filing cabinet and pulled out the bottom drawer. He extracted a rather slim file from the back of the drawer and placed it on the desk. “How about we order lunch in, you can tll me how you got yourself into this and I can share what I know?”



“Sounds like a plan,” Jamie told him. “Does Ralph’s still deliver?”