Inheritance

Chapter 2: Jack (Part 3)

"No. I just want time to get away from it so I can see it fresh," Jack said.

"Okay, okay just giving you a hard time, kid. I'll do what I can to keep the body here, but it is going to be hard with no criminal cause of death."

"Other than the burn marks around his wrists?"

"I'll play it up, Jack. Trust me."

"I'll call when I am on my way."

"Later," Blaine said and hung up.

Jack flipped his phone off and headed back to the house. Olive and Crow stood by the fireplace and Zephyr flew over to the mantle. Crow glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. Jack went through what Blaine said. When he finished, he went down the hall to Fortunatus' room and went in without knocking. Fortunatus lay in his bed with his fingers steppled on his chest.

"You have gotten a phone call," he said.

"I think I want to talk with Sundance and Hero both tomorrow," Jack said after giving him the same information as Crow and Olive.

"I think I will occupy your trunk tomorrow."

"Fat lot of help you'll be if the sun is shining when I need help."

Fortunatus tilted his head. "I may not be able to protect you but I will be nearby and that will make me happier."

"One of these days we should just black out the windows of the back seat and make you a whole space back there. Or maybe get a windowless van."

"You would not look very 'cool' in a van with no windows," Fortunatus said.

Jack sat on the edge of his bed and sighed. "All joking aside, I can't help but think this is all related."

"All this what?"

"My attack at the mall, Derrick getting killed, and Olive's magical lines pointing to my school."

"Maybe they are all related."

"I just don't have any proof yet."

Jack sat silent on the side of the bed lost in tumbling gray thoughts. Fortunatus grasped his shoulder.

"Any witch who wishes to harm you will have to dispose of me first, Jack."

Jack smiled. "I know. I'm not worried about me. It's innocents like Derrick and the people they leave behind like Hero that I'm worried about."

Fortunatus lay back down.

"We will start to get some answers tomorrow, Jack. Rest up today and I will join you in a few hours."

Jack stood up and stretched. He shivered, his clothing soaked with snow. Pulling off his layers of clothing, he went and took a hot shower, re-dressed in jeans and a dark green sweater and went to his desk to finish his homework for the weekend.  

The day passed as a steady stream with studying, drinking hot chocolate, reading in front of the fire, discussing magical history with four beings that lived it, and one more time going over the case. Olive fixed a beautiful dinner, and then some of them went to bed and some of them went out into the bright, snow lit night.

Monday morning dawned all too soon. The sun glistened on Olive's snow. It filled the town with diamonds and ice, but not enough to prevent school buses from trudging out to take children from their warm beds and try to teach them something about the world.

Thankfully, Jack's Camaro let him leave for school later than the kids forced to ride the bus.

Olive opened the large pot filled with her potion and began spooning the contents into small vials.

Crow came in and sat down at the bar. "Look, kid. Remember what I said the other day in the cemetery?"

Jack pulled out a barstool and sat down.

"Well, we are leaving today. We talked about it for a long time yesterday, and right now I have a responsibility to protect Olive and the twins. You can handle yourself, and Fortunatus and Zephyr are staying with you. We're going north to the Enduring Door in Vermont. We'll be back after the twins are born."

"Okay." Jack felt torn. He wanted them here with him, but he also wanted Olive and his new siblings safe. Safe. They would be safer away from him, right now. Damn, what a family to be born into.

"Okay," he repeated. "I'll be fine and I can reach you if I need to. Just call me when they're born."

"Of course we will!" Olive said. She smiled down at her round tummy.

She came over and gave Jack a big hug. Crow stood and shook his hand. Jack grabbed his back pack and headed to his car. He pounded on the trunk as he walked by even though he knew Fortunatus could smell him, hear him, and sense his coming. Zephyr waited on the dash.

"What's next?" she asked.

"I'm calling Ronan. I wanna see if he'll meet me to view Derrick's body one more time, if he can even make it by this afternoon. And I'm going to talk with Sundance and Hero."

"Sounds good. You should call Ronan now."

"I know," Jack said. Sweat broke out on his hands and he rubbed his palms on the legs of his jeans.

"Ready?" she rustled her wings.

"Ready."