Uprooted

7

"Yeah, I found the package in my parents' room." I repeated. Immediately after finding the envelope, I jumped in my car and high-tailed it over to the station. For all I knew, this suspicious looking package could have something to do with Dad's death.

Dan nodded and looked animatedly at the contents of the envelope laid out on the table. Susan stood in the corner of the office with her arms crossed. I eyed her carefully. Despite her nonchalant demeanor, the spark in her eyes gave her away. This package was a major breakthrough in whatever investigation she was conducting on my family before the accident.

Most, if not all, of the documents were in Russian, which I couldn't read. Some had red markings on them while others had questions marks and notes. The most unsettling were what seemed to be portfolios of various U.S. individuals and their pictures and an ID of a younger Dad. A smaller note addressed to me laying off to the side of the pile particularly caught my attention.

My dear Cas, it read, If you are reading this, I am sorry. Protect your mother and brother for me. I have done bad in past, but I tried to keep you safe. Please give this to police, but do not look into my passing yourself. Remember importance of family. I love you. - Daddy

I read the note over and over again. I noticed that similar notes with almost the same message were addressed to Mom and Brody as well. "I think these documents might have something to do with Dad's death... He knew he was going to die."

Dan nodded again. "I agree. But what could these documents be?"

"Documents that could've let me convict Eric..." Susan whispered under her breath. I ignored her.

"You'll have to get a Russian translator for this. I only know the basics, and that's only for speaking. I think, maybe, this could explain why Dad left Russia to move to the U.S."

The detective's eyebrows raised. "You don't know why your dad moved?"

I shook my head. "All he ever told us was that he was visiting America as a tourist, met my mom and fell in love, then moved here to be with her."

While I was talking, Dan went through the other documents and froze. After a moment, he slowly drew the paper from the pile and slid it over to me. Susan walked over to get a closer look. On the portfolio was a picture of a younger Mom.

"I think," Dan said slowly and carefully, "that your father was sent to the U.S.... and one of his targets was..."

"Mom," I whispered, "You think that -"

"Listen, hun," Susan interrupted me. Dan and I both looked at her standing over the table. "Thank you for bringing us this information, but we'll take it from here."

I frowned. "No, I want in on this investigation. This is my family we're talking about."

"You're letting your emotions get the better of you. Leave this to the professionals."

"Um," Dan jumped in, "Sorry Susan, but I think Cas has every right. To have her go through this with us is important. She can tell us about family background that we don't have access to. Not to mention that this is good for her -"

"Did you not see the note her father left?" She snapped. "This case is beyond her. We can handle everything ourselves."

I snorted. "Come on, you said yourself that you'd been looking into my family for years. What makes you think you can suddenly leap over all the dead-ends you hit and solve this 'case'?" Both Susan and Dan looked taken aback. I forgot that they didn't know I was listening in on their private conversation. I continued, "What are you so afraid of? Having me on this investigation isn't exactly against the rules. Are you afraid of me acting on something?"

Dan nodded in agreement. "Susan, having her is beneficial to both us and -"

"No," she stated firmly, "I will not have a citizen involved in this -"

My phone went off in my pocket, interrupting her mid-sentence. "Sorry, let me turn this thing off."

"No!" Susan exclaimed sarcastically, "Please, take it. It could be important."

Ignoring her sarcasm and with slight hesitation, I took my phone out and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Cas!" Aunt Jess shouted through the phone, "Brody's awake!"