Genealogy Caper
Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 3:11 pm
She let out a small cry of pain. “Ow! That was my foot!”
“Sorry!” I quickly moved my staff.
“Give her some slack, Sue, she is blind, after all . . . .”
“Sorry, J; can’t hear ya,” she returned sarcastically. “Don’t you have anything a little more travel convenient, Ei?”
“Shhh!” Mask hissed.
I tried the office door as everyone else huddled in the small hallway. “Darn, it’s locked.”
“So?” Susan asked, perhaps with a raised eyebrow. “Let me try it.” I gave way as she got in front. The slight woman knelt, and I heard the lock jiggling. The sound brought back memories I had of living on the streets . . . .
“Susan, what are you—?”
“Shhh!” She said instead. “Oh, they apparently left a key underneath the doormat. How clueless can you get?” My eyebrows creased in consternation, but Susan quickly opened the door and drew me in. James followed, while Mask stayed behind as lookout.
The keeper’s office was cluttered and archaic, I figured that out when I tried getting out of the siblings’ way by staying in a corner and knocking down a stack of papers waist height in the process. Reddening in embarrassment, I apologized and stood still.
The finger bone Sue had received seemed to be the key in all this. I had offered to try reading it through Psychometry, and she had willingly accepted. And what I Saw didn’t make me feel very good. The first impression I had immediately received like a blow to the face was rage. Insane, blood-poisoning hatred that burned my thoughts with its intensity, causing me to retch. The grave was unusually large, with strange markings on it. The name I had Seen on the unusual marker was Beatrice Abbey. James had recognized the unique make of the grave as one that belonged to the Adroit Cemetery of the First Division Church of the Rose, about half an hour bus ride from where he worked. We had tried asking the groundskeeper nicely if we could look at the records, but he had been very uncooperative.
James and Su searched through the mess rather quickly after that exchange, Su occasionally opening my long coat and stuffing a tome or a CD or a diskette into one of the many pockets I had. Their rational was, if caught, they wouldn’t search me without my consent. Something seemed wrong about this logic, but I didn’t argue. Su was worried enough as it was without me pointing out flaws in her plan.
“Holy effing—!” Susan started swearing fluently, gesturing her brother to come and see.
“What? I’m—oh—! Is this what I think this is?” His reaction was the same, and he started swearing, too.
“Just grab it! We’ll sort through later.”
I opened my mouth to voice my confusion, but was interrupted by James. “There’s the signal; he must have heard us. You first, Ei.”
“We are DEFINITELY coming bask to this place!” Susan said, ushering me along.
I handed my staff to her and she guided me by the arm around all the obstacles and to the window. She slid out the window and jumped, Mask following suit. I sat on the ledge and lifted first one leg and then the other out, my hands feeling the edge of the open window to gauge the height of the opening. James took me by the waist and gently lifted me down, while the other women took me by the legs and brought me to the ground, holding my jacket flaps so it wouldn’t catch on anything.
The ground was about as even as a tent, but it was grassy and smooth. We started running post haste. The voice that I heard brought my heart to my mouth.
“Hey! What are you doing in here!? Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t call the cops!”
James stayed to mask our flight and to calm the eccentric keeper down.
“Sorry!” I quickly moved my staff.
“Give her some slack, Sue, she is blind, after all . . . .”
“Sorry, J; can’t hear ya,” she returned sarcastically. “Don’t you have anything a little more travel convenient, Ei?”
“Shhh!” Mask hissed.
I tried the office door as everyone else huddled in the small hallway. “Darn, it’s locked.”
“So?” Susan asked, perhaps with a raised eyebrow. “Let me try it.” I gave way as she got in front. The slight woman knelt, and I heard the lock jiggling. The sound brought back memories I had of living on the streets . . . .
“Susan, what are you—?”
“Shhh!” She said instead. “Oh, they apparently left a key underneath the doormat. How clueless can you get?” My eyebrows creased in consternation, but Susan quickly opened the door and drew me in. James followed, while Mask stayed behind as lookout.
The keeper’s office was cluttered and archaic, I figured that out when I tried getting out of the siblings’ way by staying in a corner and knocking down a stack of papers waist height in the process. Reddening in embarrassment, I apologized and stood still.
The finger bone Sue had received seemed to be the key in all this. I had offered to try reading it through Psychometry, and she had willingly accepted. And what I Saw didn’t make me feel very good. The first impression I had immediately received like a blow to the face was rage. Insane, blood-poisoning hatred that burned my thoughts with its intensity, causing me to retch. The grave was unusually large, with strange markings on it. The name I had Seen on the unusual marker was Beatrice Abbey. James had recognized the unique make of the grave as one that belonged to the Adroit Cemetery of the First Division Church of the Rose, about half an hour bus ride from where he worked. We had tried asking the groundskeeper nicely if we could look at the records, but he had been very uncooperative.
James and Su searched through the mess rather quickly after that exchange, Su occasionally opening my long coat and stuffing a tome or a CD or a diskette into one of the many pockets I had. Their rational was, if caught, they wouldn’t search me without my consent. Something seemed wrong about this logic, but I didn’t argue. Su was worried enough as it was without me pointing out flaws in her plan.
“Holy effing—!” Susan started swearing fluently, gesturing her brother to come and see.
“What? I’m—oh—! Is this what I think this is?” His reaction was the same, and he started swearing, too.
“Just grab it! We’ll sort through later.”
I opened my mouth to voice my confusion, but was interrupted by James. “There’s the signal; he must have heard us. You first, Ei.”
“We are DEFINITELY coming bask to this place!” Susan said, ushering me along.
I handed my staff to her and she guided me by the arm around all the obstacles and to the window. She slid out the window and jumped, Mask following suit. I sat on the ledge and lifted first one leg and then the other out, my hands feeling the edge of the open window to gauge the height of the opening. James took me by the waist and gently lifted me down, while the other women took me by the legs and brought me to the ground, holding my jacket flaps so it wouldn’t catch on anything.
The ground was about as even as a tent, but it was grassy and smooth. We started running post haste. The voice that I heard brought my heart to my mouth.
“Hey! What are you doing in here!? Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t call the cops!”
James stayed to mask our flight and to calm the eccentric keeper down.
