Keeper of the Crossroads

Chapter 1

The drive seemed to last forever. Jamie shifted uncomfortably in the unfamiliar seat and tried to stifle his sighs. He was still a little unsure how he had come to be driving his brother's van with the entire family loaded inside. Jamie squirmed again and tried to figure out how to adjust the mirror. After a few seconds he realized there was no interior switch so he rolled down the window with the hand crank.

"Christ Jamie, roll that thing up I just had my hair done. Do you want me looking like one of those unkempt women?" His mother screeched from the passenger's seat.

"I need to adjust the mirror, " Jamie replied in a mild tone. "It will only take a second."

"Don't do that, " His brother said leaning forward from the first passenger's seat. "I'll have to fix it later if you do. Just use it the way it is."

"If I need to change lanes..., " Jamie began.

"Then I'll just tell you, " Michael told his younger brother. "Christ Jamie, don't be such a wuss." Jamie sighed.

"It is a nice day out, " Jamie said half-heartedly, hoping that if he could keep the window down he could surreptitiously adjust the mirror when no one was looking.

"If god meant for us to use outside air he wouldn't have invented air-conditioning." His mother pronounced. Jamie sighed inwardly again and began rolling up the window, bowing to the inevitable. He kept his thoughts about divine air condition to himself.

Personally, he thought the fresh air would have done wonders for the atmosphere of the van. Not only would it wash out some of the cigarette smoke scent that clung to his mother like a desperate lover, but also it would have blown white noise into his eardrums, blocking out the conversations going on around him. He glanced in the rearview mirror.

This mirror he had time to adjust after his brother had tossed him the keys. Center frame was his older brother, alternating between frowning at the gas gage and looking out at the long stretch of road ahead of them.

"How far is it out there anyway? I'm not made of money you know and gas prices are sky high these days."

"Don't worry honey, Jamie will chip in for gas, after all it is his errand we are running." His mother said patting Michael's hand. She pulled her purse into her lap and tugged out her half-empty pack of Virginia slims. They were menthol. Every time Jamie mentioned the dangers of smoking she pointed it out, the menthol somehow making them healthy cigarettes. Jamie had long since given up the argument.

The lighter was tucked between the shiny green back of the pack and the cellophane wrapper. She slipped it out with ease, tucked a cigarette between her lips and flicked on the lighter. The smoke quickly filled the air. Jamie dropped his left hand to his lap, continuing to steer with the right.

"We'll stop for gas on the way back so you'll have a full tank. Besides I'll need another pack by then, " she said around the cigarette as she lit it. Jamie blocked out the words, knowing he would be paying for the cigarettes as well. Slowly he slid his hand to his side. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his mother looking more out the window than at anything else.

He glanced in the rear view mirror. Michael was turned towards his mother. Next to him sat Michael's eldest, Jasmine. She had her headphones on and was staring out the window with a bored look only a fifteen-year-old could pull off. Michael's twin eight year old boys were likewise tethered to electronics although Jamie had his suspicions that these were more of the gaming variety than the musical ones. Jamie eased his hand forward and felt his finger tips brush the round knob of the window crank. Slowly he pushed it down, the window eased slowly open.

'Just a crack, ' he thought to himself. Not enough to muss his mother's hair or to arouse suspicions. Sometimes Jamie thought this was how he lived around his family. Just flying under the radar when they were around and staying as far out of their way as he could every other time. He hadn't actually seen them in several months.

Absence did not make the heart grow fonder.

The window eased open. Jamie released the lever and returned his left hand to the steering wheel. No one seemed to notice. A wisp of fresh air greeted his smoke-starved lungs and he turned slightly towards it as the smoke from his mother's cigarette was pulled towards him. Jamie knew from experience he would have to take a shower and throw the clothes he was wearing directly into the wash when he got back to his apartment. If he didn't the scent would linger.

"Well it needs to be a full tank." Michael said. Jamie wistfully thought of his own trusty Toyota parked across the street from his mother's house. He wasn't allowed to park in the driveway or even directly in front because she thought his beat up Toyota did not lend the air of dignity her domicile demanded.

All he had done was try to be nice. After all they were family. It was better they found out family news from him than the newspaper, wasn't it?

"I hope it doesn't rain while we are gone, " Bella, his mother said. Her eyes turned up to the sky. "It looks a little cloudy." Jamie eyed the veil of smoke around her and wondered when the world around her didn't look cloudy. "And those gutters still need work."

'That's where it started, ' Jamie mentally reminded himself as he took the exit leading from the interstate to the state highway. 'The gutters.' He had been asked to clean them out as Michael was busy with the kids and Bella was worried about property damage if a heavy rainstorm came. Jamie had been on his way out the door when the call came and distracted enough to answer it.

"Besides, we don't want to look the property over in the rain. You can't really get a sense of the value that way, " Michael said, a heavy frown creasing his face. Bella gave an answering frown.

"I can't believe that crazy old man kept all of it to himself all these years and never thought to share. I mean, when your father died he could have at least given part of the estate to me. After all I was family and I was raising his two great nephews. We're all the family he had. Selfish man." Bella took a deep drag on her cigarette and puffed out another cloud. She smiled and looked at Jamie and Michael for a moment. "Still he's dead now. So it all works out in the end."

"Well, it all works out for Jamie, " Michael said sourly. "He was always Uncle's favorite. The only one invited to stay over the summer. And it looks like it has finally paid off for him."

"For all of us dear, " Bella said kindly, patting Michael's knee supportively and training her eyes on Jamie. He kept his face blank; still the sudden silence that descended into the van demanded someone fill it.

"You never did like summers at Uncle Albe's, " Jamie said into the void.

"Of course not, there was nothing to do except play those stupid games with that crazy old man. How could anyone enjoy it?" Michael snorted in disgust.

Personally, Jamie had loved being out at Uncle Albe's house, but saying so would only throw his brother into a rant about his being a suck up and too stupid to know a good time in the first place. For the first time, Bella looked annoyed with Michael.

"You should have pretended you liked it more. Someone had to go out there and keep the family connection alive. If you had put forth more of an effort then you would have been written into the will as well instead of everything officially going to Jamie." Bella smiled at Jamie and he hid his discomfort at the emphasis given to the word officially.

"I noticed you weren't written into the will either, " Michael muttered. Bella glared at him, then beamed a smile in Jamie's direction.

"He knew Jamie would see that I was taken care of." She responded. Jamie had been on his way to meet Jim McElroy at Uncle Albe's house when he answered his mother's call. Jim's family had handled Uncle Albe's estate for years. Albe's father had been great friends with one of the elder McElroy's and the connection stood. Of course Albe's father was also Jamie's great grandfather as well. Albe was technically Great Uncle Albe but had thought there were too many words for family he liked. Jamie had often been told to just drop it to Albe.

Albe had been the brother to Jamie's father's father. Jamie had been named for his grandfather and when he was younger he thought that was why Albe had taken such a liking to him. From all accounts Albe and James had gotten along and been friends as well as brothers.

Idly Jamie wondered what that would be like as he turned off on to another highway. The road sign was missing and had been for quite a while. Before it went missing it had been pock marked with bullet holes from local boys letting off steam with their 22s.

Jamie was pretty certain the road sign now adorned some teenager's wall. He had been out here enough times not to really need to look at the road signs though, so the absence didn't really bother him.

Jamie thought he reminded Albe of James until he had seen a picture. After all, that is what his mother routinely said when Albe picked up Jamie and not Michael for their summers in the woods. Jamie and James were nothing alike at least that Jamie could see when he found the photograph.

That afternoon Jamie had been no older than his nephews were at the moment and he had stood in front of the mirror comparing his image to the old photo he held in his hands of his grandfather and Albe when they were around his age. Albe had caught him and asked what he was up to.

Around any other adult Jamie would have stammered out a nothing, apologized for putting finger prints on the old photo and left the room as quietly and quickly as he could. But Albe wasn't really like any other adults Jamie knew. He was kind of like a friend who had accidentally been stuffed into an old man's body.

"Mom says you like me 'cause I remind you of my grandfather, " Jamie had told him.

"Is that so, " Albe had replied. There was a glint in his eye Jamie had not seen there before. It sparkled like anger, but before Jamie could ask if he had offended it was gone.

"But I don't look like him." Jamie concluded weakly, really not certain if he had offended.

"No I don't suppose you do. In all fairness, although not many a boy would care to hear this, you favor my older sister in coloring. She had your hair and eyes, Although it looks like you got some of your build from your mother's side of the fence." Albe reached down and gently took the photograph from Jamie's fingers where he was holding it carefully around the edges.

"And those hands remind me of my grandfather." Albe smiled. "Now he was a man to be reckoned with." Albe put the picture on a shelf. But he made sure it was a low one so Jamie understood he was free to look at it all he wanted; Albe just wanted it momentarily out of the way.

"If you want to know the reason I keep you around, it is because I like you." Albe winked at Jamie and smiled. "I'm old enough that I can pretty much do as I please without anyone to gain say me. I've earned that right at least. And I don't keep people I don't like around." The old man turned his head to the side a bit and smiled. "Well, any longer than I have to." Jamie smiled at the memory and took another turn.

"How long is this going to take, " Jasmine said, pulling one of the earphones from her ear.

"I wouldn't know, " Michael said. "I was only out here once before crazy Uncle Al sent me home." Jamie winced. Albe hated being called Al. He even preferred his given name of Albrecht to Al. He thought only mobsters and plumbers were named Al.

"We are almost to the edge of his land now, " Jamie replied. "It won't be too long until we reach the house."

"Land?" Michael said, his eyes honing in on the back of Jamie's head. Jamie could feel them trying to bore holes, as if they could dig for information like a drill. "You didn't say anything about land. You said house. He owned land." Michael smacked his lips around the word. Jamie winced at the past tense.

"Yes, " Jamie replied. "We're on the short side. It isn't a regularly shaped property." Jamie thought of the map hanging in Albe's library with the property's boundaries clearly marked.

The property lines followed natural boundaries such as rock formations and river and creek beds. The measurements had been written in meets and bounds. Albe had taught him how to convert those to more modern, conventional measurements. Learning at Albe's had always had some sort of practical application, yet always seemed like something you would never have a use for once you left Albe's property boundaries. Albe's land was a world unto itself with Albe's rules holding out against the rest of humanity.

"How much land?" Michael asked. Greed sparkled in his voice and without turning Jamie could imagine his brother licking his lips in anticipation, like a cartoon villain.

"I'm not sure, " Jamie said. "A couple thousand acres, maybe more. He had mentioned some kind of real estate deal a while back so I'm not sure how much of it he sold." Jamie couldn't imagine Albe ever selling land. He had been afraid of encroachment from the sprawlers, as he liked to call the pop up subdivisions and may have purchased more.

From snippets of conversation he had the feeling Albe had actually added a substantial bit more rather than whittling down his property holdings. He didn't mention the possible addition of new land to the old family holdings. That would lead his brother down roads of questions leading to the bank and how much cold hard cash was there.

Or more importantly, how much cash Michael could convince Jamie to give him. Jamie smiled tightly. He may occasionally get sucked into the vortex that was his immediate family, but the last time Michael had managed to get money from Jamie had been when Jamie was twelve. It helped that he could pull the starving artist card, although that wasn't technically true. He did a lot of corporate work and made a pretty decent salary.

But he lived pretty cheap, hoarding the bulk of his pay for the "Someday Jamie will leave corporate art behind and just paint what he wants" fund. Although he had to admit he was quite good at the corporate art and it beat making a living in other ways. The only annoyance was tailoring his vision to other people's visions and usage. And of course like the late great Theodore Geisel, he hated seeing his work disappear once the product had moved on to a new sales pitch. Although Jamie didn't think children's books were in his future.

"Did you hear that?" Michael said excitedly to his daughter who had already plugged back into her music.

"So, " she replied, not even bothering to unplug herself. He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"So, " he repeated. "So, land is worth a lot of money. Especially land like this." He gestured out the window.

"I don't see what is so great about this land, " she said dismissively. "There is nothing out here." In the rear view mirror he had seen she had bothered to unhook one ear to listen. Bella had also turned in Michael's direction, her full attention riveted.

'Some apples don't even roll when they fall from the tree, ' he thought, taking yet another turn.

"First of all there are all these lovely trees. The lumber company would pay handsomely for the lot of them. Although we wouldn't sell all of them."

"Why not, " Bella demanded.

"Yeah why not, " her granddaughter echoed. "If they'd pay us for the stupid trees, " she continued.

"Because they'd pay more for the land if most of the trees were still here, " he continued basking at being the center of attention. "We'd strategically let them cut a few here and there to still leave the bulk of the property intact and looking nice. That's what they call environmentally logging."

Jamie tried not to roll his eyes, very certain his brother had either made up that term or strung the concept together from a couple of overheard snippets. He knew there was a way to harvest lumber in what would be called a green or sustainable fashion, but he was also pretty sure this wasn't it. Michael, however, was of on one of his dreams of easy money and mere reality wasn't going to get in his way.

"We aren't tree huggers Michael. There is no profit in it." Bella said dismissively as she pulled out another cigarette. Jamie wasn't sure if it was her second or third, but the thin little air vent his window provided was not cutting it. He figured they were tied up enough in one of Michael's schemes that he could risk widening it. Sure enough no one noticed the larger gap even though he could see the top of his mother's hair wiggle in the breeze like sea anemones in an undersea current. No one mentioned it.

"In this case it pays big, " Michael said.

"How, " Jasmine and Bella said together. Jamie tried not to shake his head.

"Think about it. We aren't that far from Denerton. And what is Denerton's biggest market?" Both Jasmine and Bella looked at Michael as if he had just asked them to recite the periodic table of elements. "Tourism, " he concluded. "Every year rich people flock to the high priced resorts in the mountains to ski and fish and be seen by other rich people."

Bella's interest peaked at the mention of the wealthy flocking to her. She had already gone through three husbands and was now looking to once again trade up the line. "Once we've sold off some of these trees and cleared a little space, we can easily capitalize on that market if we do a little tree hugging and keep it pretty. Then we get the big bucks."

Jamie could hear Albe ranting in the back of his head and while he agreed with Albe, Jamie had been well conditioned to keep his mouth shut. Besides, this was only the latest in Michael's get rich quick schemes and didn't have a hope of working.

As far as Jamie was concerned the land was Albe's. Albe had gone off for long stretches before. This was not a new thing. Just because he had been declared missing long enough to be declared legally dead did not mean he actually was. So Jamie would just hold the property in trust for Albe until he returned.

That was however a discussion Jamie was not exactly anxious to have inside an enclosed space without an escape route. In fact, Jamie didn't actually plan to have the conversation at all. He figured once they returned, he could find out a way to avoid his family, at least until Albe came home. He thought of his friend Mike who assigned several key people in his cell phone's contact list different ring tones.

'That might be an option to look into, ' he thought. Mentally he began running through song titles to see what he would assign to his mother and Michael. Jamie glanced in the rear view mirror and remembered his niece also had a cell phone. Perhaps hers would need a ring tone as well in case the family got sneaky. Jamie pulled the van to a stop and three sets of avarice filled eyes turned his way.

"This can't be it, " Bella said. "I remember a house, " she squinted, looking ahead as though she wasn't truly sure she remembered a house at all. Jamie recalled she had only been here once before as well. After the first time she dropped Jamie and Michael off, Albe had insisted on picking Jamie up himself at the start of each summer.

"It's the gate. I have to unlock it." Jamie told them. He opened the driver's side door and slid out. His paint spattered converse low tops sunk a little in the moist earth. It had rained recently and the air smelled like it had been freshly scrubbed. He took a deep breath inhaling the scent of pine and moist earth and the scent that all the dark places in the wild woods seemed to have. More than anything it was the scent of home. He deliberately left his door open, hoping to air our some of the van before his return. He walked over to the gate. The ground was moist, but not soggy.

'Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson, ' he thought deciding his mother's ring tone. It fit in both the tone of the song and the title. She was a very beautiful woman. Her body was built of long graceful lines and despite the smoking, she exercised ruthlessly and took good care of herself. She wouldn't go in for liposuction or tummy tucks because she was deathly afraid of the doctor, so as a last resort she turned to exercise.

And Jamie had to admit it paid off for her. She also had the snow white thing going. Her hair was cut in a chic style that framed her face with her black hair, like a setting for a jewel. She had pale skin like the Disney princess and bright blue eyes she could turn on any unsuspecting victim with great effect. Jamie had seen the act many times. Of course, she never bothered with family.

He took his keys from his back pocket and fitted the old key Albe had given him when he had become old enough to start driving himself out for his summer visits. He unlocked the gate and swung it open.

Michael's song would require a little more thought. Jamie had been cautioned enough times before to lock the gate back up before continuing down the road. No one in the van offered to drive the vehicle through the gates so he wouldn't have to get in and out of the car, but he hadn't really expected them to. With the gates opened wide, Jamie returned to the vehicle got in and drove through them.

"Good precaution, " Michael said. "Those gates. Keeps out all sorts of trespassers."

"Who'd want to trespass out here?" Jasmine asked with a sneer.

"Hunter's most likely, " Michael said absently as he looked around.

"So?" she asked.

"So you have to pay to hunt, " he responded in the same tone. Jamie was fairly certain the payment for the license to hunt went to someone in the department of fisheries and wildlife, but decided not to mention it. He stopped when the van was on the other side of the gate and then got out to lock it behind him. The airing out time had been good for the van, but it quickly filled back up with smoke as he closed the door and continued to drive.

"Not too far now, " he said, partially to the others in the van but mostly to brace himself. Silently he thanked whatever ancestor had positioned the house on the side of the property closest to the road. As he drove, talk in the van turned to how much money could be made from property sales and what each of them would do with unlimited funds. Even the two boys had caught on to the spirit of the game and called out things they wanted.

Personally he thought eight year olds had no business trying to build their own personal Nascar track with real cars, but as they were just wish listing he didn't comment. Perhaps he could get them some hot wheels and track for Christmas.

'God knows all of my other presents have been failures. That one can't be any worse, ' he thought. Last year he had been given a strict list and told not to deviate. Clearly marked at the top of the page had been NO MORE BOOKS. All of the letters had been capitalized. The words were underlined five times and had twelve exclamation points after them. Apparently there had been a family meeting.

At least Evangeline, Michael's wife, had not been a part of that holiday gathering. She had left Michael for a life she hoped to make more glamorous. She had aspirations. Personally he thought it was Michael's fault for marrying someone just like their mother. Jamie had never gotten along with Michael's wife.

Admittedly he had indulged himself a little at her expense. He had always avoided calling her by name when in her presence and signed every card sent to the family as 'to Angie' knowing she found the nickname vulgar.

She couldn't send any comments back on Christmas cards and such and since he refused to name her in person, she never had an opportunity to correct him. Michael had made several comments to him but was too self-absorbed to actually care whether Jamie listened or not. Michael often dismissed Jamie as a flighty artist and thought that his brother simply couldn't remember Evangeline's actual name.

Bella had despised Evangeline. After all, every hive can only have one queen bee and Bella was not about to give up her place. Jamie thought that might be the only reason she had agreed to take Michael and the kids into her home after Evangeline left. She wanted to reassert her dominance as the one in charge. Of course, Michael accepted since it was the path of least resistance.

That Christmas he had ended up putting a twenty-dollar bill in each card and called it good. He didn't think he even remembered to sign the cards. No one had mentioned it.

Somehow he was sure the hot wheels would be a mistake as well. In the conversation, only Jamie's voice was absent. No one asked what Jamie would buy with unlimited funds. He concentrated more on the road and tried to block the greedy conversation from his mind.

The road had been graveled, but much of the gravel had been washed away and it was very much in need of a new layer. He made a mental note to call for repairs. After all Albe couldn't be driving on this, he might get stuck with no one out here to help him.

Jamie avoided as many of the deeper ruts as he could, but the van still swayed and bucked like a small ship on rough seas. He slowed his pace to make up for conditions. From time to time he pulled his gaze from the road and flicked it to the tree line on either side; sure he had seen some movement.

'Animals and birds, ' he told himself unconvincingly. 'Just spooked by the presence of humans.' But the brief glimpses he saw triggered old memories and stories he hadn't thought of in years. Finally, the road led to a clearing. A Queen Anne Victorian with peeling paint and improbable additions making any guess as to floor plan, original or otherwise merely a shot in the dark, dominated the clearing. Jamie smiled.

Every rainy day he spent in the old house he had found a new room to explore. Albe himself admitted there were many rooms he had never really visited and always sent Jamie out with what he called a notebook of discovery to jot down anything fun and fascinating he had seen in his wanderings. Sometimes the findings were forgotten knickknacks, other times architectural details. They would discuss the items over dinner. Jamie often thought he learned more of history at this house than he ever had in school.

The grounds around the house were well kept, even if the small parking area had lost as much gravel as the road. The parking area was large enough for three vehicles and one was already there, with a dark haired man about thirty-five years of age leaning against it. Jamie recognized Jim and waved as he pulled up.

The lawyer was dressed in a three-piece suit and pulled a laptop bag from his passenger's seat as Jamie parked the van. Jim's face held a friendly smile as Jamie slid from the van. The smile faltered a little as he noticed the rest of the family piling out of the vehicle. It brightened back up to professional grade wattage in an instant, but Jamie thought it had lost some of its warmth.

Jamie had gone to school with Jim from kindergarten through high school. The two Jameses of the class of 91. There had been twelve Heathers and fourteen Jennifers in their class as well. Jamie attributed the low number of kids named James to the low number of male students in general.

"How's it going James of the law?" Jamie called his traditional greeting as he shut the van door.

"Not bad oh James of the paint brush." They shook hands. "I didn't realize you were bringing the whole crew."

"Wasn't really my plan either, " He said running his hand through his hair as everyone else looked around.

"I see, " Jim said, his tone neutral. Jim pulled a set of keys from the front of his bag.

"Why didn't you go on inside?" Jamie asked. "It's a little chilly to be standing out in this wind."

"Wouldn't have been right, " Jim said.

"Damn straight, " Bella said walking over. "We couldn't be sure if anything was missing if he had." She snatched the keys from Jim's hand and stalked over to the house, Michael and his brood following behind.

"I am so sorry, " Jamie said. "I know you would never have taken anything from the house."

"I know, " Jim said with a smile. "And you did tell me to go on and make myself comfortable since Albe had entrusted me with the extra set of keys."

"Of course, if Albe trusted you then there should be no problem."

"And I was sort of looking forward to taking a peek, " Jim said wistfully.

"Why didn't you?" Jamie asked. "I said it was fine."

"True, but the house didn't." Both men turned to look at the house. Bella had reached the front door and was trying one of the keys in the lock. It didn't seem to work. She tried another one.

"All the keys are very clearly marked." Jim said as they watched. Bella shifted to another key. "There are different colors for each door and carefully printed tags." Memories stirred in the back of Jamie's mind.

"Do you think he might not really be dead? He has disappeared for long stretches before" Jamie asked, surprised at himself for voicing the question out loud. Jim didn't seem startled by the question.

"I think this time is different, " Jim said with some sympathy in his voice as Michael began to push on the door. "Every other time he has disappeared we'd get periodic messages regarding his property. Little things about making sure gardeners came out to trim the hedges and keep things looking right. This time we got the paperwork for passing on his estate to you."

"You don't think he is just hiding out somewhere do you?" Jamie caught the longing in his own voice and cleared his throat. "I mean just as a prank or something?"

"I don't know, " Jim said with a shrug. "You'd know him better. There is other paperwork for you to sign as well as an inventory and the bank..."

"Could that wait?" Jamie asked hurriedly interrupting Jim as one of his nephews was sent in his direction. Jamie tried quickly to determine if it was Casey or Corey. "I could come by the office..."

"Of course, I understand completely." The boy stopped ten feet away from them and called.

"Dad says to come help make the door open." The edge of his left front tooth was slightly shorter than his right. Corey then.

"All right Corey, I'm on my way." Jamie said to the back of the boy's retreating head. He sighed.

"Maybe the house will let you in, " Jim said as they walked over. On the front door steps, the hair his mother had tried to keep from blowing in the wind was stuck to the sides of her face and neck with the sweat of her efforts. His older brother didn't look much better. All three kids looked bored. Jasmine's cell phone rang and she answered it stepping away from the adults. Jamie was actually impressed the phone hadn't rung on the way out here. He had just assumed she couldn't get a signal.

"This is stupid, " Casey said.

"Yeah, I want to watch TV, " Corey added, echoing his brother's tone. Jamie wondered what the signs were that a child would grow up to be a psychopath and if there was a checklist he could download from the internet just to be on the safe side.

"It's stuck, " Michael said throwing the keys at Jamie who caught them just before they hit his head in a gesture habitual after years of playing games with Michael. Jamie never played catch with his brother. He was always the target.

"Maybe the back door is open." Jamie said. Bella sighed heavily.

"Why didn't you mention the back door?" She said irritably, as if he and Jim had deliberately kept this fact from her. She shoved her hair messily away from her face.

"Come on, " she said to Michael as she left the front porch to wonder around to the back. Everyone but Jamie and Jim followed her. Jim looked at the keys in Jamie's hand.

"Do they think it is actually unlocked?" he asked. Jamie shrugged.

"Who knows." A comment about breaking a window drifted over to their ears and Jim shook his head.

"I really hope they don't try that." Jim said.

"Me too, it could go very badly." Jamie looked at the keys in his hand. As Jim had mentioned all of the keys were labeled. He picked out the one that was marked front door. He inserted it easily into the lock. It clicked open and the door swung open. There was not even a creak of the hinges.

"Apparently you are allowed inside, " Jim said with a smile. Jamie took a step inside.

"May I join you, " Jim asked, standing on the doorstep.

"Are you a vampire now that needs an invitation in?" Jamie said with a grin. Jim laughed, but it had a nervous edge to it.

"Now if I was would I be standing in the sunlight?"

"True, " Jamie said. "Unless you had a very thick layer of sun block smeared on your skin." Jamie saw that though Jim was joking, he was serious about wanting an invitation before entering the house. Jamie wondered what had happened when Jim had tried to come in on his own. "Sure you can come in, " Jamie said. Jim stepped over the threshold and looked around. Nothing happened. He let out a breath and grinned sheepishly at Jamie.

"I know it's crazy, but there are stories."

"Yeah, there are stories, " Jamie echoed looking around a bit himself. It had been a while since he had been to the house. Normally he made regular visits, but Albe had called him and told him he would be out of town for a while. Albe didn't like people visiting when he wasn't home.

The trips weren't unusual for Albe. He would go off for a while, do whatever it was that he did and then call when he returned. Albe didn't like to talk about what he did when he was gone, so Jamie never asked. Instead Albe told stories, wonderfully fantastic stories. Jamie chalked up the fact that Albe still told him fairy tales to the large difference in age. At 98 Albe was still spry and active, but even at 35 Jamie must have still seemed like a child.

Albe had always been curious about what Jamie did though, asking all sorts of questions and making detailed mental notes and remembering to follow up when a situation continued between visits. For most of his life he had only believed he wasn't adopted because of Albe's presence.

But the call from Albe stating he had returned never came. And now Jamie was standing in the foyer with Jim while his family greedily planned to divide Albe's estate. Jamie pursed his lips and swallowed the thought.

It would do no one any good to yell. He looked around as he calmly counted to ten. Everything was as he remembered it. Nothing appeared to have moved since his last visit. He smiled. Albe had liked to test him on that. Sometimes things would be shifted, other times they wouldn't be. Albe wanted Jamie to learn to notice little details.

"Because that was where life is my boy, in the details." Albe would point out. It was one of his favorite phrases. Most of Jamie's clients often remarked on his attention to detail in his work. It was quite a useful trait.

"No dust, " he said, looking at the cleaned and polished surfaces. Albe had been gone well over a year.

"Maid service, " Jim clarified. "There is a set contract. But only for the main portions of the house. Not the parts Albe was using for storage. The details are in the paperwork we can go over later in the office." Jim's voice trailed off as footsteps sounded on the porch. Apparently the family hadn't been able to get in the back door either.

"Well at least you got the door unstuck, " Bella said crossly. Jamie could see she had broken at least two nails and wondered how hard they had tried the back door and if it was damaged. "We will definitely need to get someone out here to fix that." Bella ran her eyes over the items displayed in the main hall. Jamie could practically see her mentally evaluating the worth of the Victorian coat rack and calling card holder. "Now where is the ladies room? I need to freshen up."

"Make a right at the end of the hall and it is the second door on the left, " Jamie told her.

"And where is the TV?" Corey demanded.

"I don't think he has one, " Jamie told them. They looked at him as if he were crazy. Jamie shrugged. Crazy or not he had never seen a television at Albe's. He had believed they rotted the imagination. This, to Albe's way of thinking, was worse than tooth decay from too much candy, after all teeth could be replaced. Once you lost your imagination, you were pretty much sunk.

"I'm sure he has one somewhere, " Michael said. The twins stomped off looking for the television they knew had to be around. Michael picked up the calling card holder and studied it much the same way is mother had. Jamie ground his teeth and he could see Jim biting back comments as well. Jamie noticed Jim was careful not to touch anything.

'Perhaps it would be best to make this a short trip, ' Jamie thought.

"So we know the old man left everything to Jamie, " Michael said with a sneer. "How much exactly is that?"

"I'm afraid I don't have those papers with me at the moment, " Jim said stiffly. Michael put the brass cardholder down with a heavy thunk in the middle of the hall table. Jamie shifted it back to its traditional place at the end.

"Must have been quite a lot. I mean the property taxes alone on this place must be a lot. And god knows the old man didn't work."

"Actually he did." Jamie said. Michael laughed.

"Right, " Michael said. He opened his mouth for another snide comment, but was interrupted by a scream from the bathroom. All three men turned towards the sound.

"Mom, " Jamie said. He sprinted towards the bathroom, Jim a few steps behind. Michael followed cautiously. In the hallway outside the bathroom Bella stood dripping water onto the edge of the worn runner. The faded red of the pattern darkened to the color of blood. Bella's hair was plastered to her head and her mascara had leaked into raccoon eyes with black stripes to her chin. Her look of surprise was quickly evaporating into anger.

"This house is falling apart!" She yelled. "I went to wash my hands and the water just launched itself at me!" Jamie stepped past his mother and into the small bathroom. It had been retrofitted into the closet under the stairs and had a sloped ceiling. The sink was at one end and the toilet at the other, over all, the bathroom was barely wider than the sink. Jamie looked at the faucet. The water was merely a dribble now and coming out from the faucet in quite the normal manner. There was a small puddle of water on the floor.

"Hand me a towel, " Bella demanded. He obediently handed her one of the bright green hand towels located on the rack next to the sink. It had a large F embroidered on it in purple stitches. "Obviously this house needs some work. You will have to see to that before we sell it." She told Jamie. She walked away from the bathroom, Michael following behind leaving Jamie to mop up the floor. Jamie pulled down one of the older towels stashed on the shelf above the sink and bent to mop up the water.

"Are you planning to sell the house, " Jim asked quietly.

"No, " Jamie answered in a voice just as quiet.

"Good. You know there were a lot of people who were very nervous when the paperwork came through, " Jim said. He glanced over his shoulder to where Bella and Michael had disappeared into the living room. "Personally when I saw only your name on the papers, I was a lot less worried. If you need to talk or anything, let me know."

"Thanks, " Jamie said. Jim nodded, turned and went into the living room. Jamie quickly mopped up the spills.

"I just have to get them out of here quickly, that's all, " he muttered to himself. He heard the boys join the adults in the living room complaining loudly that they hadn't been able to find a television.

"They couldn't have looked very long, " Jamie muttered thinking of his long rambles through the house on summer afternoons. Jamie didn't hear his niece's voice and figured Jasmine was still outside talking on the phone. He straightened up and spread the towels out on the edge of the sink to dry. He checked the faucet to make sure the water was off.

Jamie leaned on the sink, head bowed as he heard Jim tell his mother that he had not brought the inventory with him and of course the house would have to be gone through room by room with everything checked off before anything could be removed. He made it sound like an onerous, dusty and labor filled process for which Jamie sent him a mental thank you. It would certainly buy him some time. Jamie tightened his grip on the sides of the basin. He would not let them talk him into letting them come back. Somehow he had felt if they were along he would miss Albe less, grief shared and all that.

"Never again, " he muttered. "Now if the house will just behave I can get them out quickly."

"Sorry about that, " a soft voice said. "I didn't know you were trying to hurry them through. But on the other hand, I could have used the hot water." Jamie stood very still remembering all the times he had thought he heard answers to his mumbled questions. Then he thought of the damage scalding water would have done.

"Thanks for using cold, " he said. "I won't be bringing them back with me."

"Good, " the voice sounded pleased. Jamie couldn't pin point what direction it had come from and after a second didn't bother. "He never liked them."

"I know." Jamie thought for a second. "Is he really gone this time?"

"I'm afraid so, " the voice said sadly. "Otherwise I wouldn't have let you in." Jamie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He hadn't realized how much he had been hoping that this was just like the other times Albe had gone away. His shoulders sagged and he closed his eyes in pain for a moment allowing the grief in. The raised voices in the other room made him swallow hard and he forced himself to push away the grief for a more private moment.

"Thank you, " he said.

"I don't see why I can't take something to remember him by with me, " Bella's voice drifted towards him and Jamie figured he had better rescue Jim from the grips of his family. He left the bathroom and went into the living room. He couldn't tell what trinket his mother had grabbed, but no doubt she thought it worth something. She had no feelings but contempt for Albe.

"Mom we have to check the inventory before anything can be taken. All of the items listed need to be in the house before anything can be removed or sold off otherwise there will have to be an investigation and a missing items report or something filed, " Jamie looked to Jim as he was rapidly running out of legal sounding mumbo jumbo. Jim nodded emphatically.

"Exactly. If any item is found missing there is a whole police procedure that we have to go through." Out of the corner of his eye Jamie saw Michael surreptitiously sneak items out of his pockets and back onto the nearby shelf. He tried not to frown as his mother put down the small gem stone encrusted broach Albe had kept displayed in the curio cabinet.

The broach was shaped like a green salamander wrapped around a stick with leaves. The diamonds formed the dewdrops and Jamie was pretty sure the eyes were rubies. Albe had once claimed it belonged to a woman named Lady Herdana who led one of the many bands of fairy creatures dwelling in the woods. It was a gift of thanks.

Albe had loved telling the story of daring deeds that had led the Lady to bestow the gift upon him. Jamie wasn't sure if the gem stones were any more real than the story, but he had a pretty good idea that his mother certainly thought so. She cast a loving gaze on it as Jamie moved it from the table and back into the curio cabinet. He had never seen her look that way at another living person. Sad, was his first thought, disgust following closely behind as his mother's eyes followed his every movement.

"Are you all done in there already?" Jasmine asked from the doorway. Apparently her phone call had ended.

"I think so, " Jamie said. "I really just came out to do a once over and to get the keys. Everything else will have to wait for the inventory."

"And we can't take anything?" Bella asked, it had a somewhat whining quality. "I mean if you know we took it then you could just sort of automatically check it off the inventory."

"Not at this time. I'm afraid such a thing constitutes fraud and you would be held liable, " Jim said. Jamie wondered how much of this Jim was making up and decided he didn't really care, but would definitely be buying a round the next time a group of them went out.

"Well this was a colossal waste of time, " Michael said, leading the kids out the door. Bella followed slowly and Jamie got the feeling she was making a mental inventory of the room's contents. Once outside Jamie locked up the door and tucked the house keys in his back pocket where they clunked against his own keys. The family moved quickly to the van. Obviously, they were ready to go. Jamie walked a little slower, not really in the mood to be trapped in the smoke filled van again. He could already feel a headache building.

"I'll be in the office all day if you want to come by for the paperwork, " Jim said.

"As soon as I drop everyone off, " Jamie replied. Jim got into his car and headed for the gate. Jamie started up the van and followed.

"You don't mean to tell me that man has a key to the gate?" Bella said. "Why he could come in here in the middle of the night and rob us blind!" Jamie couldn't picture Jim wandering anywhere in the middle of the night.

"He is an honest man mom." Jamie told her. Bella sniffed loudly.

"He is a lawyer. Those two things don't match." At the gate Jim stopped and got out of the car. Jamie got out as well and helped Jim open the two-sided gate. Jim dropped the key in Jamie's hand before climbing back into his own car without Jaime even asking for it. He silently prayed Jim hadn't heard his mother's screech of indignation. Jamie tucked the key into his pocket with the others. Both men drove through and then got back out again to close it. Jamie thanked Jim for his help. Jim's eyes darted to the van.

"No problem. I'll see you at the office." Jamie returned to the van. He half expected either Michael or Bella to demand that they be given the key, but each seemed lost in their own thoughts. Bella lit up another cigarette and stared out the side window. Michael stared out of the window as well and Jamie was pretty sure he was still calculating the land value in his head. All three kids were once again plugged into their own worlds and Jamie was very glad for the silence.

Chapter 2

It was with a great deal of relief that Jamie dropped everyone off. He handed the keys to Michael and got into his own trusty Toyota with the air of a prisoner making an escape. To his surprise no one had said a word to him on the way back. Each had remained lost in his own thoughts and plans. He had not even been reminded to stop for gas and cigarettes. He was pretty sure this oversight would be remedied the next time he saw Michael. His brother wasn't one to let anyone forget to give him money for gas.

The kids dispersed into their own worlds and Jamie had the sneaking suspicion there might be a fight over internet usage between his mother and his brother. There was only one computer in the house and he knew his mother wanted to check antiques prices against the items she saw in the front rooms while his brother would be checking on land values. Idly he wondered if either of them would think to leave him a percentage of the final price despite the fact that legally it was all his.

Jamie drove away with a sigh of relief and rolled down the window, letting the fresh air blow over him. He hoped the smoke smell would dissipate enough by the time he got to Jim's office so that he wouldn't entirely reek. It would be more polite to go home and shower before being in an enclosed office space, but since Jim had already wasted a large amount of time dealing with Jamie's family he felt hesitant to impose too much on the remainder of his day.

Jamie parked in front of the small office building, pleased to see Jim's car in the lot. Apparently his diverting to drop off his family had managed to give the lawyer enough time to get to the office before Jamie's arrival.

The small brick building had its trim painted recently and its flower beds weeded. As Jamie walked from his car to the door of the building he could see small disturbances in the earth where weeds had been pulled. He didn't see a stack of dying plant matter to accompany it so he assumed the gardeners had taken that away with them when they had left so that the law office and other professional offices housed in the one story building wouldn't have to deal with them.

Jamie pushed open the door and stepped inside. The room was dominated by an efficient woman sitting at a sleekly polished wooden desk. Jamie immediately felt grubby by comparison. She had on what he thought of as a lady suit with the jacket buttoned and the skirt just the right length to convey professionalism without looking stodgy. She looked vaguely familiar, but Jamie couldn't place her at first. Her legs were neatly crossed at the ankles and tucked under her. She looked up from her laptop at his approach.

"Good afternoon, " She said with a warm smile. "How may I assist you?"

"Um, I am here to see Jim McElroy? I'm Jamie Fulton. It is about my Uncle Albe's estate. Um Great Uncle, " he corrected himself shoving his hands in his back pockets. Her smile dimmed.

"We were all sorry to hear about the elder Mr. Fulton's passing. Will you be holding a memorial service?" The polite question took Jamie by surprise. He actually couldn't imagine such a thing.

"I don't know, " he said.

"Of course, " she said, her eyes full of sympathy. "You must still be in too much shock to think of it. After all, even given Mr. Fulton's advanced age he was just so full of life it is quite difficult to picture him gone. If you will hold on a second." She reached for the phone and dialed a number. There were too few of the numbers punched to be connecting to an outside line so he assumed it was an interior system.

"Yes, Mr. Fulton is here to see you. Yes, Jamie Fulton." Jamie caught the emphasis on his first name and smiled tightly. Jim had never been a big fan of Michael. "Of course." She hung up the phone and gestured towards the door set to her right in the wall behind her. "Please go on back. He is in the second door on the right."

"Thank you, " he said and then stopped as he remembered why she looked familiar. "You are Lucy McElroy aren't you, Tommy's wife?" He smile widened.

"Why yes, I am. I'm surprised you remembered."

"I try to remember beautiful women." Jamie said knowing the line sounded corny. "Give my best to Tommy."

"I certainly will, " She said as he walked through the door. Jim stuck his head out of the door Jamie was told to go to and smiled.

"I didn't think it would take you long."

"Just had to drop everyone off, " Jamie said following Jim back into his office and taking the seat Jim indicated. "Again about that, I really want to apologize again for my family." Jim waved off the apology.

"We can't pick our family, " Jim said. Jamie ran a hand through his hair. Somehow he couldn't picture the efficient looking Lucy behaving as badly as his mother had.

"True, but I shouldn't have brought them and made you lose two chunks of your day instead of one."

"Just out of curiosity, why did you bring them?"

"Honestly? I'm not sure. They called when I was on my way out and I was feeling blue about Albe and I figured since they would probably hear soon that he was gone that it would be better coming from me instead of the newspaper's obituary and somehow that ended up translating into them all coming out." Jamie ran another hand through his hair.

"That is not a mistake I will be making again, " he thought of the water faucet incident. "I don't think the house would use cold water a second time." Jamie blinked and realized what he had just said. "Sorry, I'm a little off kilter today." Jim didn't look like he was ready for to run for the straight jacket fitting chamber yet.

"My grandfather used to tell stories of that house, " Jim said. "They made it sound like the house was somehow alive. I always thought it was just something to amuse us with when we were kids and never took it seriously until my dad took me on in the firm."

"And now you believe in talking houses?"

"The house talks?" Jim looked wide eyed at Jamie.

"Metaphorically, " Jamie said feeling rather silly. After all, Albe's world was one thing. In this world, people who thought houses talked were locked up.

"Of course, " Jim said with a smile, getting back to his lawyerly exterior. "Let's just say that talking houses aside, the family practice has opened up my eyes to accepting the unexpected." He smiled at Jamie. "Shall we get started then?"

"Of course, " Jamie said, wishing he had not interrupted Jim's revelations. He kind of wanted to know if any of the law office's other clients were as odd as Albe had been. Maybe there would be time later. "I also want to thank you for not doing this with an audience and for helping me out with the legal ramifications of property removal speech." Jim laughed.

"You do realize that most of that was made up?"

"Of course, that's why I owe you a beer next go round."

"I'll hold you to that, " Jim replied as he hauled out an improbably thick folder. "This is the inventory, " he said. Jamie knew his eyes were goggling but couldn't stop.

"There can't be that much in that house."

"Oh yeah, there can, " Jim said. "Albe very carefully noted things down. I believe everything in that house is accounted for. Some of the things are of course still in the storage boxes in some of the back rooms. Things Albe brought back from his trips. Most of those are simply labeled with the box number he assigned to it rather than an individual list. He assured me that there was an itemized list in each of those boxes and that the insurance company would have no interest in them whatsoever." Jim smiled. "I think that was Albe's way of telling me that while I was trusted, there were still some things only family should know. I'll leave them for you to figure out." He placed the thick folder in front of Jamie who shook his head.

"I remember the numbering system, " he said thinking of those long ago days in Albe's house. "I asked why they were still sealed and he said because it wasn't time yet to open them. So I don't think it was personal."

"Good to know. These are the financials." Jim handed Jamie a second file. "You will see that there Albe liked to have a diverse base to work from. If you need any help with them let me know. My brother-in-law specializes in that sort of thing and he is accustomed to dealing with the family practice."

"How is your sister by the way, " Jamie asked absently flipping through the folder and wondering where he could stash it so Michael wouldn't look for it. He was sure his mother would send Michael on a scouting mission the longer Jamie held out. The only place that came to mind was back at Albe's.

"Fine, " Jim said. "They are expecting their second child in a few months."

"Great, " Jamie said absently closing the file. "Hopefully he won't be late."

"One would hope not, " Jim said with laughter in his voice.

"Sorry, " Jaime said. "Just a lot to take in. I meant I hope the child arrives safely without any um, well... complications." He added after searching for the right word.

"I'll just pass along your congratulations, " Jim told him. "In there you will find some maintenance set ups, gardening, housekeeping that sort of thing, " he added indicating the file. "You are of course free to keep or change it. And finally there is this." Jim placed a key on top of the paperwork.

"I take it this does not go to the house?"

"It is for a safe deposit box." Jim handed him a slip of paper with the bank name and box number on it. "The only other thing I was asked to pass to you in my instructions was a bit of advice.

"Oh?"

"Don't make any rash decisions. Things exist for a reason. Find out why before you change them, it will save aggravation later. Think about what you are doing and don't rush. There is no hurry."

"You know you sounded like Albe when you said that right?"

"Did I? That wasn't intentional. You know I really am going to miss that old man."

"Me too, " Jamie said. He sighed and noticed one of the lights on Jim's desk phone was flashing red. He gathered the paperwork. "I can see you have other things needing your attention, " he said gesturing towards the red light with his chin. "I'll let you get back to it. Thanks again for everything."

"My pleasure. Or as much pleasure I can take under the circumstances." Jim not only walked Jamie to the door to his office but down the hall as well. "You take care, and remember, call if you need anything."

"I will, " Jamie said pushing the office door open and stepping back into the outside world and the glare of sunlight. At his car he opened the passenger side door and placed the stack of paperwork in the seat. He let out a deep breath. The paperwork made the whole thing seem damnably real. He looked at the key in his hand and spun it around. The bank was across the street.

Figuring he might as well take care of this too, he locked his car back up, tucked his keys into his pocket and started across the parking lot. The parking lot was bounded by a flower bed and Jamie carefully stepped over the newly weeded flowers. They were pansies or petunias, he could never decide which was witch, but he liked their bright happy faces. One of these days he would have to take the time to look up the difference.

Standing on the sidewalk he looked both ways down the street. At two in the afternoon not much traffic was on Centerville's streets. Large sections of Centerville's population worked in Denerton. The emptiness would change in a little while. School was out on break which is why his brother's brood had been along for the ride.

He thought it was fall break, but couldn't remember. He had been out of school too long and without children of his own to remind him of the schedules he lost track. Not for the first time he wondered if he would ever be a parent. Jamie liked kids well enough. As long as one didn't count the demon spawn his brother was raising. He decided that his kids would be different. He supposed all people told themselves that.

"Probably why the human race hasn't died off yet, " he said to himself. He hadn't really decided if kids were in his future because a he had never managed to find anyone he would want to have kids with and he really didn't want to raise his kids around his immediate family.

"Especially without back up." In all he would like to be very much like the Uncle Albe of his child hood, although he doubted his niece or nephews would be happy to fill his role. Living in the middle of nowhere and doing his own thing would suit him. He would have time to paint.

'Hell, ' he thought as he crossed the empty street. 'I could actually move out to Uncle Albe's place and do just that as long as they have an internet connection. I mean all of my stuff is done on-line.' The thought stopped him in the middle of the street. He stood there stupidly for a second, wondering if that would even be possible.

'It would definitely depend on the internet connection.' He reminded himself. He jarred himself from his thoughts and continued across the really wide street.

For a small town Centerville had a lot of asphalt. He stepped into the bank's parking lot and crossed it. There was a row of cars that looked like they belonged to employees. They were all neatly parked at the back leaving the prime parking spaces for the customers. There were a few cars in the lot, but most of the transactions seemed to be taking place in the drive though lane. Jamie figured this might mean that there were not that many people in line and he might get lucky. He opened the door to the bank and walked in.

There were a few desks placed in a square like pattern off to the side and then a row of bank tellers. All of the people at the desks looked like they were busily involved in intense matters of trade and Jamie realized he had only been in the bank once to open his own account. He had all his funds wired to his account electronically and he used the ATMs and drive through for the bulk of his transactions. He had only met with one clerk about setting up the account when he was fifteen and got his first job.

Technically that hadn't been his first job, but he had graduated from paper boy to grocery stocker at that point and he had noticed that the box of savings he kept hidden in his closet had mysteriously been lighter one weekend. Since Jamie was rather precise about his accounts, he knew he was missing seventy-two dollars. Jamie remembered staring at the box and realizing he didn't know if it had been his brother or mother that had "borrowed" from him. It was that day that he opened his own account.

His mother's current husband had been a man named Dennis. Dennis had gone with him first to the post office to rent a PO box and then to the bank where Jamie listed the PO box as the mailing location for all bank statements. Dennis had signed as consenting parent in both places and not asked any questions. Jamie had been grateful. A few months later Dennis had filed for divorce, but until his death Jamie had always gotten a check on birthdays and holidays. They were always sent to his post office box.

From where Jamie stood in the lobby there was no place in the bank that looked like it housed any form of safe deposit boxes so he assumed he would have to ask someone. Somehow he had thought that it would be like at the post office where you went in and saw the rows of post office boxes all neatly arranged. With a start Jamie realized how much of his actual commerce he did electronically. He shook his head and decided that the tellers were likely his best bet as no one at the desks had even registered his presence.

He went up to the first stall like area that had a clerk with no person near it. He smiled at the teller. She was younger than he pictured tellers being. Somehow he pictured bank tellers as white haired with little green visors. She was around his age and had her brown hair pulled back into a loose twist that seemed to threaten to drop at any moment spilling her hair down her back. Her face was what he would term pixie like and her eyes were bottle green. He liked her immediately. She smiled crookedly at him.

"How can I help you today?" she asked. His smile faltered and he remembered why he was there. He cleared his throat.

"Well My Great Uncle just passed and he left me a security box. I was just meeting with the lawyers and since they were right across the street I figured I would go ahead and deal with this as well, except that I don't actually see any boxes." The crooked smile fell from her lips, replaced with a concerned look.

"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss. We keep the safety deposit boxes in back. If you give me a second I'll go and get someone to open it for you. May I have your name and the name of the primary owner? I mean the person who left you the box, " she clarified when he looked puzzled.

"I am Jamie Fulton. Um, I suppose that would be James Andrew Fulton, " he corrected. "And the person who left it to me would be Albrecht Rodrigo Fulton." She nodded at the names and told him she would be right back. His eyes followed her as she moved and he watched her walk away. She walked over to one of the desks and passed Jamie's information on. The man she spoke to looked surprised and walked over to one of the offices set into the wall.

"Wow, someone who ranks an actual door, " he muttered to himself." The person in the office replied to the man questioning him. The man returned to Jamie's original teller and said something low enough Jamie could not hear. She walked back to Jamie.

"Mr. Edwards will see you now. He is in the office straight ahead." She told him before turning to walk back to the teller's booth

"Thank you, um... " he let his voice trail off as he realized he did not know her name.

"Erin, " she said. Again she favored him with her crooked smile.

"Thank you, Erin." he finished.

"Thank you Mr. Fulton, and have a nice day."

"Jamie, " he corrected automatically, but she was already walking away and he doubted she heard him. He walked over to the waiting man while Erin made her way back to her stall, ready and waiting to assist further patrons. Jamie felt that he was definitely loosing something by doing so much on line.

'I'll have to change that, ' he thought turning his attention to Mr. Edwards.

"Ah, Mr. Fulton we were saddened to hear of your Great Uncle's passing, " Mr. Edwards said in round well modulated tones. Jamie thought he sounded like an old fashioned stage performer. "Your lawyers or rather the elder Mr. Fulton's lawyers, informed us of the change in ownership. Now, are you planning on closing the account or maintaining it?" The man asked. Jamie thought about the words of advice passed to him. It would cost him nothing to wait, especially in this instance.

"I think I will leave it open for now, but I will need to see what is inside and possibly take something with me. You know, depending on what is there."

"Of course, " Mr. Edwards said looking relieved. "There is a long term lease on the box you realize. It was actually the first box leased when this bank was opened in 1826."

"Really, " Jamie said. "That long ago?" Mentally he tried to figure out which relative that would have been and realized he would need to look at the large family tree in Albe's study to figure it out.

"Yes. It passed from generation to generation, but has always been maintained. Quite a feat and we are very pleased that you have chosen to maintain the family connection to the First Bank of Centerville." Mr. Edwards smiled and Jamie for the first time wondered how much money his uncle had kept here. He certainly hadn't gotten this amount of service with his general savings account.

Albe must have had more than he thought. Inwardly Jamie sighed. At least legally his mother and brother couldn't ask about the amounts. 'Especially since neither of them were even listed in my will let alone Albe's, ' he thought.

Of course a lot of it would be the older family money. His mother had always claimed his father's family had money. It was why she had agreed to marry Rudy, his father, in the first place. While the bank manger checked all of his official pieces of identification and logged in the changes, Jamie spared a moment or two of thought for his father.

Not for the first time he wondered how he had fallen for his mother. Rudy had been a quiet man and in truth Jamie took after him quite a bit. He and Albe had been good friends and that is why there had been the connection in the first place. Rudy had always known that Jamie was the one likely to succeed him in Albe's world. Not for the first time Jamie wondered if life would have been different had Rudy lived. Jamie's memories were quite fuzzy and he mostly remembered the pictures he saw. Rudy had died in a car crash when he was about four.

'And how long had it taken mom to start dating again?' He thought uncharitably, his tolerance for the family waning. 'Not long, ' he remembered, 'a month, maybe two.' Although, she had the sense to go Denerton to date rather than stay in Centerville. The separation allowed her to play both the grieving widow and newly single lady at the same time.

Of course, she had mostly gone to Denerton because no one available in Centerville really matched up with her lofty standards. Rudy had left substantial funds for the welfare of the family so they were never uncomfortable, but it was no where near what his mother had felt she was entitled to. She knew that Albe controlled the family money and felt she was entitled to some sort of survivor's benefits. This had always been her main sources of dislike for Albe.

"All done, " Mr. Edwards said breaking into his reverie. Jamie shook off the pessimistic mood that seemed to have descended on him. He really wasn't like this. He never dwelt on the worst traits and bad memories. He chalked it up to the bad behavior of earlier. After all he had avoided seeing them for so long perhaps he was simply not used to it anymore.

"Great, " he said. Maybe it was missing Albe that caused the rising darkness. His one compatriot in the family was gone.

"If you will excuse me, I will be back with your box momentarily." Jamie sat patiently waiting for the box to be brought to him. He tried to slough off his foul mood. He concentrated on thoughts of the pretty little clerk, Erin. He smiled.

'She was quite sweet, ' he thought. 'Not bad to look at and definitely not the type of girl to be attracted to brooding.' He told himself sternly. He wondered if it would be considered proper to ask someone out when you had just come to transfer money from a deceased relative's account to yours. He decided it was in bad taste and he would wait a while when Mr. Edwards brought the box back into the office.

"Do you have the key Mr. Fulton?"

"Yes, " Jamie said digging the key out of his pocket and holding it up.

"Very good I will leave you with the box. Please signal me when you are through." He left, closing the door behind him. Jamie suddenly felt nervous. He had no idea why.

He had already dealt with the rudeness of family, a talking house and a confirmation that Albe was in fact dead. Of course the confirmation had come from his house, but Jamie considered the house a reliable source. After all, why would it lie? Jamie had to snicker at himself for that. He took a deep breath figuring he couldn't just stay in the bank manager's office with the locked box forever. Surely the man would need his office back at some point. Jamie had a brief flash of a television crew reporting that he was holed up in one of the banks offices and refused to come out. The scene played out in his head like a bad episode of COPS.

The thought galvanized him. He inserted the key into the lock and turned even as the show's theme song played in his head. The top of the metal box lifted up on its hinges and Jamie folded the long square back, trying not to knock Mr. Edward's pen holder over in the process. Inside was a brown canvas satchel that looked like it was meant to be slung over the shoulder of a world war one era messenger biking between the trenches with news of troop movements.

It appeared to have something in it. On top of the satchel was an envelope with his name written in Albe's copperplate hand. The sight of the letter made him want to cry as nothing else in this miserable day had. With shaking hands and even shakier breath he picked up the letter and turned it over. He slit the top open with his finger and pulled out the single sheet of folded paper. He unfolded it and read the short note quickly.

"Dear Jamie, If you are reading this than death has finally found me. I am sorry to leave you so unprepared. Somehow there always seemed to be more time. It is my weakness I suppose, always thinking that time would not run out. You will eventually face that same quandary and god willing, you will face it better than I.

Now I know you have many questions no doubt swimming in your head. This is good. Constantly questioning the world around us instead of merely accepting keeps us alive. Many of the answers to your more immediate questions can be found within the satchel enclosed. However, I ask a favor of you. Please take this satchel home with you and seek those answers there instead of sitting in the industriously nosy Mr. Edwards office.

All of my love I pass to you.

Albe.

Jamie refolded the note and let out a shaky sigh. Through the glass in the door Jamie could see Mr. Edwards circling like a shark. He sighed. In this he would definitely listen to Albe. Pretty clerk or not, he had enough of the bank. He wanted to be somewhere where there could be a stiff drink in his hand.

Jamie's stomach rumbled and he amended his request to a really late lunch followed by a stiff drink. He re- folded the letter tucked it back in its envelope and stuck it into the front pouch of the satchel. The letter caught on something and he shifted around until it stayed. He refused to look at what was in there, certain that once he did he would not be able to stop.

Jamie pulled the satchel out of the box. Slung it on his shoulder and relocked the box. Through the window he signaled Mr. Edwards who came back at a pace that was just shy of a trot. Jamie stifled a nervous laugh as he tucked the key back in his pocket. Mr. Edwards' gaze dropped to the satchel on Jamie's shoulder and Jamie could practically see the curiosity radiating off of him in waves.

"Thank you, " Jamie said. "I am finished. I will be back to deal with the other things later if that would be all right with you."

"Of course, " the manager said. Jamie smiled and stood. As he let himself out of the bank manager's office he realized that he finally knew who the bank manager reminded him of. He reminded Jamie of a plucked chicken, naked of even its pin feathers and ready to be stuffed and broiled. The thought made him smile and he waved to Erin the cute teller and then turned and left the bank.

The heavy weight of the satchel was oddly comforting as it swung by his side and Jamie had thoughts of going hunting with Albe in the woods. They would often go on treasure hunts with their lunch and treasure maps packed in satchels just like this. It brought back warm memories of past days. Jamie's curiosity was peaked. He really wanted to know what was in that satchel now. Somehow he thought it was important.

Jamie had not been left a talking house and lots of land just to get his brother's goat. There was something behind it. He just knew that this was all a part of something bigger. His mind was swimming with all the unanswered questions he had. Most of which had accumulated throughout his life and he had never had the courage to ask Albe.

Chapter 3

Jamie reached his car and unlocked the driver's side door. He slid the satchel from his shoulder and placed it on top of his stack of papers. It was a good thing he had taken a few days off to deal with his uncle's affairs since it seemed he was taking homework to his apartment for the first time since college. He eyed the stack warily. The satchel kept the papers from flying in the breeze from the open window. After being stuck in the smoke filled van that morning he just simply couldn't bring himself to close the window. The edges of the papers shifted in the breeze as though they were crooking a finger at him and beckoning him into his Uncle's would of secrets.

'Come, ' they whispered. 'Come see what really happened in Albe's world.' Jamie turned down a side street in a short cut over to Elm. There was a fast food restaurant that he liked. It wasn't a chain, but a locally owned dive that continued to thrive long after the McDonalds and Burger Kings had moved in.

Guppies sold the best hamburgers and chocolate milkshakes a person could want. And when you ordered a hamburger with onions you got a spoonful of sautéed sweet onions piled on with hot melty cheese covering them. Jamie grinned. He had been trying to be more health conscious, but he figured there were just times when health had to take a back seat. Besides he was limiting his grease filled delight intake to only once a month and he hadn't imbibed this month. Sure, it was only the second day of the month but he was still within bounds.

The chocolate shake wasn't exactly the stiff drink he had wanted earlier, but at the moment it sounded even better. Perhaps he would feel differently about that drink after he read the papers, but for now this would work. Jamie went through the drive in, sure that if he stopped he would be delayed once again by conversations politeness demanded. Personally, he never understood why people who had never liked you in high school now felt obligated to stop and make conversation with you when you happened to pass them on the street. "Ah, the joys of a small town, " he said to himself.

Jamie got through the drive through without incident and the scent of the warm burger filled the car. He didn't want the grease dripping on to the paper work so he took the fistful of napkins the clerk had dropped into the bag and placed them between the bottom of the fast food bag and the satchel. Idly he wondered if he looked like he was a messy eater or if all of the patrons received so many napkins.

At his apartment he parked behind the building, not wanting to leave his car out front. When he parked out front it was disturbingly easy for his brother to drive by and simply drop in. Until he had a chance to stash the financial papers somewhere safe he didn't really want to have family over.

Jamie parked and let himself in the side door with his quick code. With the satchel slung over his shoulder and the papers balanced in one arm while he grasped both the paper sack and his keys in the other he went up the three flights to his apartment and opened the door. As always, the smell of turpentine greeted him. He smiled and supposed that he really had no leg to stand on when he complained about his mother's eau d' Virginia Slims when he probably went around habitually smelling like paint thinner. Of course his family rarely visited here. There was no reason.

The apartment was fairly sparse and utilitarian and if Jamie was being kind, a bit run down. Jamie had to admit that part of that was because he didn't need that much, but the rest of the shabbiness was by design. It was a defense mechanism of sorts. If no one thought you had anything, they wouldn't try and take anything from you. It had come in quite handy when his brother and kids hit town looking for a place to stay.

Jamie's place was far too small for comfort and if he had to move in a hurry all of the furniture, apart from his art supplies could go back to the Salvation Army where he bought it in the first place. He would even kick in the new futon mattress on his bed without a twinge. Everything else could easily fit inside his car.

Michael had tried bringing the kids to his place when he first arrived in town, thinking Jamie was an easier mark than their mother. That had lasted about an hour. Jamie let them in, watched them look around and decided to take out the trash while they decided to leave.

His only request has been not to touch the computer since it was work related. He didn't think there would be a problem as even though his computer equipment was top notch enough to attract both boys, Jamie had not only locked it with passwords, but added encrypted techno codes that made even his tech savvy nephews' heads' spin. He returned however to find his work shunted off to the side and the boys trying to make the computer work. Three weeks' worth of work had been crumpled into a heap while they argued over which game to play first once they broke the codes.

For the first time in their lives he put his foot down and the family was on their way to bunk with Bella well before they had planned. They left in shocked silence as not only did he raise his voice, but he declared they would not be allowed back in until they learned some manners. They still had not been back and the incident was never mentioned.

Jamie set the paper work down and sunk into his worn lazy boy recliner. It was brown and looking a little threadbare on the arms. Michael had asked why he couldn't at least get a nice chair and Jamie had replied that he wouldn't want to get paint on a nice chair.

Luckily his brother thought of him as the starving artist and thought this was the best Jamie could afford. It saved Jamie a lot of grief. Jamie stared at the stack of papers and decided to eat his burger first. He ate the burger slowly, savoring each delicious greasy bite. In between bites he took long draws of his chocolate shake.

'There is just something about burgers and chocolate shakes that just goes well together, ' he thought. He used the meal to relax. He didn't think of family, he didn't think of death or greed. He didn't even think of the pretty bank teller. He just focused on his burger and shake. It was momentary contentment, but he took it anyway. The burger was gone well before the shake and he used one of the napkins to wipe the grease off of the side of the cup and washed his hands. Somehow it seemed wrong to leave grease stains on financial papers. The thought of it made him feel like a thief.

With clean hands he once again looked at the stack, realizing he had a dilemma. He could either start with the paperwork like a good boy or he could go ahead and break out the satchel and see what was inside. He eyed the bag, temptation winning out.

"Besides, " he said to himself as he reached for the satchel. "What is in the bag might give me more insight as to what I'm looking at in the other papers." He didn't actually believe the argument, but he pulled the bag over to himself anyway. The bag looked so much like the ones he and Albe would take sack lunches and treasure maps in that a grin split his face as he remembered the games he and Albe had played. Treasure hunts and searching for the lost city of Atlantis had occupied many a summer day.

Jamie first pulled out the letter he had read at the bank. That was the same handwriting he remembered from birthday cards and holiday cards during his child hood. And as an adult when he was going through college and then starting out on his own, random letters would show up whenever Albe felt like it.

The old man had never really needed a reason to write, just the urge. He had also never taken to e-mail. Again Jamie wondered if it was Albe's age that prevented this change or if there was no internet service out there. Jamie tapped the satchel thoughtfully. Really if there was internet at Albe's then there was very little reason he couldn't relocate for a little while. After all he would have to go through the inventory. And it would be the safest place to keep all of the paperwork.

Out of the immediate family, he was the only one who even remotely knew how to get to Albe's. That drastically reduced the possibility of Michael trying to sell the land without his knowledge and of his mother backing up a moving truck to the front door on her way to auction. He doubted seriously that any of them had paid attention to the few road signs there actually were along the way. For once his family's complete narcissism made him smile in a happy way.

Jamie set the letter aside. Perhaps when he went back to the house he could bring his laptop and see what kind of signals he got. Jamie reached back into the front pocket and came out with a small box. It was this box that the letter had gotten snagged on at the bank when he tried to tuck it in.

The box reminded Jamie of his father's Purple Heart metal he had tucked away in his sock drawer and he wondered if Albe had served in one of the armed forces. The topic had never come up although if Jamie had thought about it he would have assumed the man had fought in the Second World War. Somehow Jamie couldn't picture Albe in the military though, or at least not the regular military. Jamie had no problems seeing Albe as a spy or intelligence officer as they seemed to now be called. He always seemed to know a lot about everything and he certainly knew how to move through the woods as silent as a shadow.

The box creaked open and Jamie peered inside. Instead of the metal he was expecting he found a small folded piece of paper sitting on top of a small medallion on a chain. Jamie set the box down and picked up the paper. It was the kind of paper used to mail international letters, very thin and very light, with a slight bluish tinge. He unfolded the paper and read the note. It was addressed to him and he wondered how long Albe had prepared for this day.

Jamie, This is the symbol of the Keeper. It also serves as the key. You will need to wear it when you go to the house for reasons that will become obvious as you proceed. It has already been keyed to you. To activate it, take the medallion in your left hand and close your fist around it. You may feel an odd sensation in your hand. Keep your hand closed until you see the flash of light. The medallion will then be activated. It will open the books for you alone. Serve well.

Jamie set the paper down and picked up the box again. The medallion rested on a red watered silk backing that glimmered in the overhead light like a beetle's back. All in all it seemed a bit fancy for the simple medallion resting on it.

The medallion was about the size of a dime and was dull silver. It reminded Jamie of a cheap trinket embossed with the visage of a saint; the kind you would get in a five and dime rather than a jewelry store. It had a lightning shaped hole in its center. To Jamie's knowledge there were no saint's represented by something as naturalistic as a lightning bolt. Of course he had to admit most of his knowledge of religion came more from his art history classes than from any working knowledge of church doctrine. Religion had never been one of his mother's priorities.

"She would have to have possessed the ability to look outside herself and actually admit that there might be a power higher than she in existence for that to happen, " Jamie muttered. The loop the chain ran through looked as though it had been soldered on as an afterthought, as if the person who had originally made it thought of it as a good luck piece to carry in your pocket and only later had someone decided to add a chain.

Feeling a little silly, Jamie picked up the medallion and placed it in the center of his left palm. He closed his hand, allowing the chain to dangle between his fingers. As soon as his hand closed down around the small medallion, a tingling filled his hand. Jamie almost opened his hand in surprise at the sensation but remembered Albe's instructions just in time and kept his fist closed.

The tingle felt like a small electric shock and it increased as he sat there looking at his hand. The medallion felt hot and Jamie wondered if it was going to burn him. The heat had not yet reached the point of pain so he held on. Then light flashed between his fingers and for an instant it was like his hand was being x-rayed. He could see every little bone in his hand. He could even see the lines on the bones where two of his fingers had been broken.

Jamie stood still for a moment after the flash of light and stared at his closed hand, almost afraid to open it. Dark spots danced in his vision. The heat was gone and when he slowly peeled his fingers back from the center, the medallion had not changed. There were no burn marks on his palm. The only sight that made his hand look any different were the crescent moon shaped marks where his fingernails had pressed into his own hand. Jamie shook his head and wondered if he had imagined the whole scenario or if what he had felt was real.

He had the same feeling he often had around Albe, as if his imagination had been given free reign and something had slipped out of his mind and into the real world. As a kid Jamie had always liked that sensation. As an adult he wasn't quite sure what emotion he felt.

It still had that balanced at the top of the largest hill on a roller coaster feeling, but without Albe here he didn't know if the roller coaster had passed inspection and was safe to ride. The chain was a long one and with a deep breath Jamie slipped it over his neck. It hung to about the center of his chest. He wasn't quite sure why he put it on, but it felt right. After a moment's thought he slipped the chain under his shirt and felt the cool metal against his skin. He reached once again for the satchel.

There was nothing else in the front pocket of the satchel so he unbuckled the straps holding the top of it closed. He flipped the unbuckled top flap over and peered inside. There were two books inside and Jamie pulled them out. Both appeared very old. They were leather bound and had cracks from age but they appeared well cared for. The first was a very slim volume. On its cover were flaking gold letters.

"Rules and Regulations; A Guide for the Keeper, " Jamie read aloud. This was the second time he had heard the name Keeper. Once from Albe's note and he still had no clue what the term meant. Jamie opened the cover. The leather was stiff and he was worried about cracking it. From the dim recesses of his mind he remembered someone saying old leather bound books needed to be oiled every now and again to keep them fresh. He frowned at it wondering if motor oil or the kind you cooked with would be better. Perhaps he would look that up on the internet later. He smiled, research made easy.

Idly, he flipped through the book, being careful when turning the pages but letting his eyes skim the text. It was written like a law book with no diagrams or pictures to break up the long lines of very small print. Jamie frowned, something told him he was going to have to read it. It looked like one of those dull books that teachers always liked to test out of. A few words caught his eyes and he read them aloud to himself as he flipped.

"The Keeper must maintain balance and order. The Keeper is the final arbitrator. The Keeper must place personal gain to the side. Personal opinion is not relevant." His eyes blurred with the words. The sense of what he got was that the Keeper was some sort of combination police officer and lawyer. "Maybe judge would be more accurate, " he mumbled. Beyond that the book didn't seem to be telling him much. He flipped back to the first page.

"The rules and regulations that guide the Keeper are of great import." Somehow he found himself saying the words with his best lawyerly voice. It sounded like a line from a bad play. He shrugged. It still didn't tell him what exactly a Keeper was. Jamie set the book aside and reached for the second tome that was in the satchel. This one was a lot thicker and a little larger. It was old, but it looked like it had been well cared for. Jamie bet oil had been rubbed into this binding. The book opened without a creak.

Given its size Jamie expected it to contain material even dryer than the smaller book. Instead life like color drawings with descriptions met his eyes as he turned the pages. One particular image caught Jamie's eye and he stopped.

The picture was of an extraordinarily detailed old man who seemed to be barely knee high. He had a long gray beard and was dressed in what Jamie supposed would be called homespun. It reminded him of the farmer's clothing at the living history museum he had toured as a child. There was even a small patch on one of the legs. It wasn't an artistically designed patch made to look cute and 'ole timey' but as if that was where a hole had been.

In addition, the cuffs of the pants had a somewhat frayed look to them and had darker stains where they had perhaps come in contact with a mud puddle. The sleeves were rolled up to the elbow and there was a long scar on the left arm. It was the eyes that got Jamie though. There was intelligence reflected in them as well as humor, but Jamie got the feeling that this would be a bad person to cross. The image was so real Jamie half expected the little man to step off the page. Next to the drawing were measurements showing the approximate size of him. At the top was a heading.

"Tomte/Nisse or hob, " he read. Jamie frowned. He had heard of hob goblins before, but this looked nothing like what he would have expected. Somehow in the back of his mind he pictured something green and scaly. There was a paragraph of text under the heading. As he was alone he read the paragraph aloud.

"Although usually pictured as a small older man dressed like a farmer, a tomte/nisse or hob can shape shift at will sometimes appearing in a much larger stature. They are skilled in illusions and believed to be able to make themselves temporarily invisible. This latter skill can only be done for short bursts of time and even then only by the most skilled of the race. They possess an immense amount of strength that bears no relation to their size, somewhat like an ant.

They are usually protective and caring, but take offense easily. Once offended, retributions can range from a stout box on the ears to the killing of livestock or ruining of the farm's fortune. The tomte/nisse tend to be traditionalists who do not like changes in the way things were done at the farm. Whenever a change occurs they appear grumpy at first as they see how much this change will affect the daily operations. If the main balance remains the same they can be won over to warily accept new changes, especially if it can be proven to benefit them.

They cannot abide rudeness or the abuse of other living creatures and will sometimes react violently in their defense. The tomte/nisse is extremely territorial and will protect his chosen domain. As a gift in return, the owner of the land provides a bowl of porridge on Christmas eve for the resident tomte/nisse."

"Sounds reasonable, " Jamie said. "Although I'm not quite sure that qualifies as minimum wage so the unions might disagree." Jamie saw a note scrawled into the margin in what looked to be Albe's handwriting. With a smile he read it.

"Levas likes his porridge with a pat of butter on the top and a dash of salt. He has a fondness for milk." The word top was underlined. Jamie looked back at the image of the man and then back to his scrawled note, unsure if Albe was joking or not. Somehow looking at the picture Jamie found it difficult to believe this was a joke. Near the bottom of the page, under the drawing was a name. Figuring it might name the artist, Jamie peered at it. To his surprise it read Alexander Fulton.

"Obviously a relative, " he thought with a grin. Apparently he hadn't been the only artist in the family. He knew that there was a very detailed family tree hanging on the wall in Albe's study. When he went back to the house he would have to see where Alexander fit in. Jamie flipped through the book some more, leaving the Tomte/nisse behind.

"Levas, " Jamie reminded himself although he wasn't sure of the pronunciation. Other fairy tale like creatures greeted his eyes as the pages turned. Some were with names he knew but with different annotations added to them that made him shake his head. Some appeared to be proper names, others family or tribal designations. On one of the drawings of a fairy someone had scrawled what appeared to be a family tree at the bottom of the page. Some of the creatures were benign, others of a more disturbing ilk. Information on dealing with the peculiarities of each were on the pages. And all of the images were so life like Jamie had a hard time picturing them not jumping off the page and spinning around his apartment.

"It's like a field guide, " He muttered to himself. "A naturalist's guide to the world of the unseen creatures of the imagination." Jamie's cell phone rang and he slid it out of his pocket. Still bemusedly flipping the pages, he answered it. Given the various games he and Albe had played when he was younger he wondered why his great uncle had never brought the book out. It would have been a fabulous encounter. Searching for fairies in the garden. Fighting ogres in the woods. He could almost see the old man leading him off on one of those adventures.

"Hello, " he said absently.

"Have you gotten the inventory yet?" His mother's voice demanded, cutting through the pleasant thoughts like a hot knife. He was definitely going to have to look at changing those ring tones. Jamie glanced at the stack of papers.

"Not yet, " he lied. "Jim got called into another appointment." A heavy sigh greeted his ears.

"Well you will need to get it soon and start going through the whole place. Remember every item has to be checked off before we can start taking things out. And we will need to take things out to make the house ready to sell. You'll need to get some fresh paint on that house and make it look all right. And you will definitely need to fix that road. After all we can't be bringing investors out there with them thinking there isn't even a decent road." Jamie could practically hear her lips smack over the word investors. He fought back a sigh.

"Of course. I have to go, I have some work to do."

"You get started on that inventory the moment you get it from that lawyer." She told him before letting him go. Jamie hit the end button and sighed dramatically for his own benefit.

"It's a good thing the Tomte didn't pay a visit while mom was there." Jamie could not picture that visit going well. The description mentioned the creatures not being fond of rudeness. While his mother could be the most genteel and respectful person in the world, she reserved this attitude for people who were her social betters or equal or someone she might be able to get something from. She tended to refer to lawyers and other such people as the help and treated them with a rather dismissive air.

"Unless they were rich, single, older, male lawyers, " he reminded himself thinking of his mother's last boyfriend. Jamie pictured the scene with the wizened little old man chasing his mother around the yard. The thought was rather amusing, but from the description in the book he was pretty sure the reality of that would be much darker. Jamie stopped himself and shook his head realizing he had just thought of the reality of a fairy tale creature.

"Okay, " he told himself closing the book. "Play time is over." He set the book aside with a bit of regret. It was the kind of book he could easily lose himself in. Part of him twitched, wanting to get his own pen and paper out. He resisted the urge and instead reached into the satchel to see if anything remained. Inside he found a small bottle of linseed oil. Printed on the label were the proper instructions for oiling a leather bound book. Jamie set the bottle down on the small table. At least that was one question solved. He wouldn't be debating between motor oil and cooking oil later.

"Odd that only one of the books was oiled, " Jamie thought. Apparently Albe hadn't put much stock in the rules and regulations book even though he had thought to include it in the satchel. The two books and the bottle of linseed oil looked strange sitting on his coffee table next to the empty fast food bag and coffee cup from the morning. It was as if they were puzzle pieces to a puzzle he wasn't really sure he still had the box for. Albe had left him the house. There was a library in the house where the two books could have been presumably left. Questions danced in Jamie's mind.

Why did Albe want to show him these books in particular? Why lock them in the safe deposit box instead of just having the will mention them? How long had these two books been in the box? Did they have something to do with Albe's death? And what exactly was a Keeper? Jamie shook his head again and wondered that his brain was not rattling against his ears by this point. Perhaps the paperwork would tell him more. Jamie turned to the stack and began shifting through the financial bits and pieces of Albe's world.

There was plenty of money in the accounts located in several different banks and a widely diverse stock portfolio, both with amounts that made Jamie's head spin. He would definitely have to hide this from his brother. Jamie felt a bit like a heel for doing that though. After all he didn't really need the money.

Actually he didn't think anyone really needed that much money. But he knew once any money was given to his mother or brother they would never stop until they had it all. And a part of him thought that if Albe had wanted them to have any of it he would have left it to them. Jamie found a copy of the will which, when he scanned specifically mentioned both his mother and brother. Albe's comments made him feel less guilty.

With a wry smile he noticed that his mother was to be left a stern talking to about the fact that the world did not exist for her pleasure and his brother was to be left a swift kick in the pants. Somehow he couldn't exactly see Jim administering either, but it was a guilt clearing thought. Enclosed in the paperwork was also a copy of the map of the property. Jamie could tell that Albe had added a bit of land a few years back as he had thought. Albe had mentioned the possibility but Jamie was never certain if he had done so or not.

There were other odd markings on the map. Little notations made by hand as if Albe had used the map more for recording purposes rather than just as a reference. None of the maps made much sense to him. So he put it aside. After all there was time to clarify the marks on the map when he had finished. Jamie rubbed his eyes, not realizing how tired the day had made him. He eyed the inventory and decided there was nothing to be gained by looking at it now. After all he would need to be at Albe's to look at things.

The thought brought another one to his brain as if the two had been linked. He had been toying with the idea since he had finally realized that Albe was not going to come back. Jamie pulled up his phone. The first thing he did was download some ring tones. The first for his mother was 'The beautiful people' by Marylyn Manson. Somehow he knew that would tickle her since she had no clue what the lyrics actually were. She would assume it meant something much nicer and further from the actual truth.

Jamie smiled and downloaded 'Banditos' by the Refreshments for his brother. After all, the world is full of stupid people. Then Jamie thought about it. A couple of times, when he had not answered, his mother or brother in a while he had found them calling using his niece's phone number. Not really in the mood to deal with that he downloaded Aqua's 'Barbie Girl' for his niece. Not exactly appropriate for a man to give his niece, but hopefully that wouldn't ring while other people were around.

Then Jamie put the phone down and looked around his apartment. He had just completed a massive project and shipped it off. He had another project in the works that he had begun sketching things out for but the next meeting for it wasn't scheduled for another two weeks. He was actually ahead of schedule on it. He eyed his work gear.

It would be simple to break it down and fit everything he used for work into his Toyota. Once he added his clothing and all of his painting gear it would be a pretty full car load but he could make it. The furniture had mostly come second hand and would be not missed if anything actually happened to it. Jamie shrugged. He had already paid up for the month. His rent was actually on automatic draft so it didn't really matter if he was here or not.

He figured after a few days of not answering calls, he would get visits which would prevent him from working anyway. Albe's house had a back porch that would be great to paint on. Albe had even set up a small studio for him out there when he was a kid so he had a safe place to store his art supplies. There were still paintings stashed out there that Albe had been proud to keep. If there wasn't an internet connection or reliable cell service, Jamie could bring his laptop and cell phone to a coffee house or bother coming back here. The time away would let him work, start sorting through the inventory, and give him time to figure out a more permanent solution to his family's greed.

"After all Mom can't complain since she told me to get started as soon as possible, " he said with a lopsided grin. Jamie took out his cell phone and dialed his landlord's number.

"Harrison real estate, " A cheerful voice answered.

"Hi this is Jamie Fulton, apartment 54 in the Watson building on fourth, " He began.

"Yes Mr. Fulton how may I help you today?"

"Well I just wanted to give you a heads up that I was going out of town for a while. My apartment will be empty and I just wanted you to know that in case there were any issues. I may be gone for the better part of the month."

"Of course Mr. Fulton, may I ask, is this just a business trip or do you think you might be leaving us? I see you have been a resident for seven years."

Jamie nodded and then realized she couldn't see him. He cleared his throat. "No permanent plans, " he said thinking of Albe's caution to do nothing rash. "But I think my trips will become more frequent. You shouldn't worry about getting in here if there is any trouble. I am taking my computer with me so if you see an empty desk you know why. These trips will be more regular but my rent will still be drafted from my bank account. I like to know I always have a place to come back to after being on the road."

"We'll make sure everything stays safe Mr. Fulton. Is there anyone we should notify if something is wrong during your absence?"

"Actually if you could just call my cell phone I would be much obliged."

"Yes sir. I have your number as 234-567-8999? Is that correct?"

"Yes, that will be fine, " Jamie said.

"Thank you Mr. Fulton, I'll put the notes in the computer. You have a safe trip." The conversation ended with Jamie thanking her and wondering mentally how many tenants they had lost in the last few months for her to be so jumpy about him possibly moving. Jamie had very simple needs and didn't ask for much. Truth be told if something broke he generally fixed it himself. So far in this apartment he had fixed two broken window panes, his toilet and various leaks under the sink. Sometimes the skills Albe gave him came in handy for more than keeping his mother from paying a handyman.

Jamie set his phone down, and plugged in the cord to keep it charged. As his hand left the phone there was a ring coming out of it. Jamie sighed as a tinny version of the Banditos song filled the apartment. He sighed and left it to ring. Jamie pulled out a duffel bag from under his bed and began filling it with clean clothing.

He concentrated on comfortable clothing that he would be at home in whether he was painting, sorting through the house or taking a walk in the woods. At Albe's house that would be most of his effort's concentration. Jamie smiled as he quickly finished the clothing. There was very little left. Just the suit he wore to funerals and a few dress up for meetings things. After a second's though he added everything but the funeral suit to his bag. Over all he was not burdened with worldly possessions.

Jamie tugged out another bag. It held his gym clothes and he quickly transferred them to his clothing bag, wondering when the last time he had actually gone to the gym was. In the now empty gym bag he transferred the cords from his computer as he unplugged them. In relatively little time everything was packed and ready to go. He figured that it would take two trips to the car in the morning and he would be good to go.

Jamie found himself fighting a huge grin. It was like summertime all over again. He was off on another adventure with Albe. Jamie's smile faltered. Accept Albe wouldn't be there. Jamie flopped on his bed and let thoughts of Albe fill him.

Alone in his room he let the true sorrow of missing the old man wash through him. It was an ache but it still didn't seem real. He drifted off to sleep thinking of Albe's stories and the trips in the woods. Slowly Jamie's eyes drifted closed. The dreams became an extension of his memories and his mind took him back to a walk through the woods.