The Guardians of the Relic

Emily stared at the photo. The woman had high cheekbones and pale white skin. Her hair was fiery red. It stood out in the picture. Now she understood Glohone’s fascination. She was very beautiful. Her eyes caught Emily’s attention the most. She looked innocent, like she couldn’t hurt a fly, let alone be a murderer.

“This doesn’t make any sense” she said finally. Ethan was now seated on the couch.

“It’s makes perfect sense. She did attack me, didn’t she?”

She sat down next to Ethan. “According to Zugast she hasn’t left her apartment in days. Who would give the police this lead?” she said.

“I think there’s another unknown player in this game. Someone else is searching for the pendant.”

Emily put her hands on her head. “As if things weren’t complicated enough already.” She looked at him. “I can’t believe you think this a game.”

“I didn’t say it’s a fun game. But you have to admit it is a race.”

Emily got up from the couch and started to pace. “I wish I could do something. I feel so helpless.”

“Well making a hole in that already ruined rug is not going to help.” There was a knock on the door. Emily and Ethan exchanged looks. She was slowly starting to miss her former peaceful life.

“Who is it?” she asked, a bit irritated.

“Hey babe, it’s me. I thought I’d swing by to give you a lift to work,” said Jason.

She looked at Ethan. He indicated a ‘no’ by shaking his head frantically and waving both his hands. Obviously he didn’t want Jason to see him here, and honestly, neither did she. Emily pointed to a room and motioned for him to hide. He nodded.

“Ems?” asked Jason after a moment.

She couldn’t wait to make sure Ethan was inside the room. She opened the door. “Hey handsome,” she said, grabbing him quickly and kissing him.

Jason lost all train of thought. She did that to him. Often. “That was an interesting welcome. Not that I’m complaining,” said Jason with a smile. He held her around the waist.

“Well I missed you. Let’s get going,” said Emily nervously.

“Wait. What’s the hurry? I am the boss’s son, remember?” He winked at her. He was so cute, she thought.

“Yes I know,” she said, straightening his collar, “but we can’t take advantage of your dad now that we’re dating.”

“Just five minutes.” He swept her off the floor and carried her inside the apartment.

She laughed. “Jason, put me down.”

Reluctantly, he put her down. The big smile on his face faded as he caught a whiff of cologne. Armani. It was strong. “Do you have company?” he asked

Emily saw that he wasn’t smiling anymore. Oh God, how did he know? “No, I had company. Jess was here. She spent the night.”

Jason was silent. Either Jessica had started wearing men’s cologne, or Emily had just lied to him. He felt an actual pain in his chest.

“Let’s go Jason, it’s already late.” He walked out without a word. When she didn’t follow, he turned around. “I’ll be right down. I just need to get something. You go ahead,” she said.

As soon as the elevator door closed, she ran and opened the bedroom door. Ethan was sitting on her bed. He seemed to have made himself comfortable.

“Ethan, you need to go. Now.” Ethan got up slowly. She was getting agitated. What if Jason came back? “Move,” she yelled.

“Okay. Relax.” Ethan walked to the front door and opened it. “I have to say one thing before I leave.”

“What?”

“Listening to the two of you is really nauseating.” She rolled her eyes and gave him a push out the door.

Emily noticed Jason was silent all the way to work. The day went by and he didn’t say much to her, which was strange because they usually talked all day. She felt really bad. She thought about the problem while she stacked a couple books on the self. Maybe she should have told him that Ethan was there to fix her computer or something, even though that would still have looked suspicious. She sighed.

“Why the sulking face Ems?” came a familiar voice.

Emily turned around and her frown turned instantly into a smile. She was so lost in her own world she didn’t even hear the door.

“Michael!” She gave him a tight hug. She was thankful he was okay, given the crazy things happening all over town.

“It hasn’t been that long since I saw you, has it?” He obviously noticed the hug.

“No, but can’t a girl miss her little brother?” she asked. He winced. He always didn’t like her to call him ‘her little brother’. “Okay, I meant my talented brother.”

“Much better,” he grinned at her sheepishly. “So are you going to tell me what that sulking face was about just now?”

She shook her head. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Emily was momentarily distracted by a little boy who asked her for a book. He was so tiny that she almost didn’t see him smiling up at her. While she helped him, Michael’s eyes wandered around nervously. She could tell that something was on his mind.

“So...I heard you went to see Sheriff Archibald,” he said when he had her attention again.

Emily arched her eyebrows “How do you know about that?”

“He called me as well,” he said impassively.

“Oh Mike, I didn’t think he would call you. It really wasn’t necessary,” said Emily. She didn’t want him to know.

“Do you think they will find anything?”

This time he made eye contact with her. Emily didn’t know how to respond. She stared down at the white dots on her blue dress. These questions were exactly why she didn’t want the case to be re-opened. It didn’t help anyone. She finally lifted her head and saw Jason heading their way.

“Hey Mike,” said Jason. He looked at both their faces. “Sorry, did I interrupt something?”

“No, just catching up with my sister. How are you doing?” Michael patted him on the shoulder. Emily exhaled in relief. Jason had saved her from having to figure out a response to Michael’s question.

“Great, thanks,” said Jason. He looked at Emily. She fidgeted with her hair. It was like there was an elephant in the room. Michael scanned both their faces and picked it up.

“So, are you guys going to the meeting tomorrow?” asked Michael.

“What meeting?” Emily and Jason asked in unison.

“The town meeting.” When they both looked at him blankly he continued “You didn’t hear? Mayor Brown has called for an emergency town meeting. I guess all these murders have got the people a little spooked.”

“Yeah, it’s shocking. Did you know that the cop was the Mayor’s nephew?” asked Jason.

“No, I didn’t,” said Michael.

“Yeah, his name was Tom Brown”

Emily was silent. Jason noticed and slowly wrapped his fingers in hers. She looked at him with a shocked expression.

“I think we should go,” he said.

“Of course. We all need to know what’s going on,” she said.

Michael stayed for a while. They all had coffee together, and Jason explained some of his work to Michael. Emily tried to pay attention, but her mind just drifted.

“Okay, I need to head back to the gallery,” said Michael. “I left Kristine all alone. I guess I’ll see you guys at the meeting then. I am taking Daisy.” He hugged her and said, “Take it easy Ems.”

As much as she tried to take her brother’s advice throughout the rest of the evening, she couldn’t. Emily was unnerved after hearing the identity of the cop. Things were getting worse. She didn’t go back to the antique shop after Alastair told her to leave. She wondered how much he knew. But she guessed Ethan would pay him a visit soon and bring him up to speed. Emily just prayed there were no more surprises at the meeting.

* *

Generally, the town meetings were small and always held in the main hall. However, in the case of this emergency gathering, the local football field was used. The stadium was large enough to hold most of the population of Elgin. Emily sat next to Jason. It was a sunny day. She wore a short pink summer dress, and a straw hat to shield her from the scorching sun. Jason was dressed in black shorts and a grey t-shirt. He had on his sunglasses.

She spotted Michael and Daisy when they walked in. They found seats two rows down from them. They waved at her and she waved back. A tall man dressed in a black shirt and pants walked next to Michael. His hair was sleekly styled back. He had a long, skinny face and high cheek bones. For a moment he looked up in her direction. She saw that his face was pale and there were red rings around his eyes. The man’s eyes caught hers for a few seconds. She quickly looked away. He appeared to be quite old. Michael seemed to know him because the two were engaged in a conversation when they sat down, but she didn’t recognize him.

The crowd cheered as Mayor Brown made his way to the podium. He was a hefty man. He looked like he’d gained a few pounds too, since she last time she had seen him. He waved to the crowd. Although it was a humid day, he still wore a brown suit. He tapped on the microphone gently to check if it was on.

“Good morning to you all. Thank you kindly for your pleasant welcome,” said Mayor Brown. The crowd cheered again. No wonder he had won his re-election campaign, she thought, the people love him. Emily noticed the sheriff stood near the stage.

Mayor Brown smiled but lifted his hands for the crowd to quieten down. When they did he continued. “In light of recent events, I have called for this emergency meeting today. I’m sure you are all as concerned as I am about what has been taking place.”

He read from a sheet in front of him, and paused to push his glasses in place “However, I assure you that the Elgin Police Department is doing everything in its power to apprehend this murderer.” The crowd murmured amongst themselves. Jason put an arm around her and pulled her closer. He seemed to have let the incident at her apartment slide. She felt relieved.

“My family has been personally affected by these horrific crimes. My nephew was one of the victims,” said Mayor Brown. He waited a moment. There was silence. “I am told by the sheriff that we now have a suspect in the investigation. The identity of this person will be released to the press later today. I urge you all to come forward with any information you may have regarding any of these crimes.”

As the mayor continued his speech, Emily zoned out for a few minutes. She thought of Athena. Glohone would be so hurt, not to mention furious at her actions. As much as she thought about it, though, something just didn’t add up. If Athena had turned evil, she would have surely killed Ethan in his apartment. But she hadn’t. She creased her eyebrows. It didn’t make any sense to her.

Jason whispered in her ear, “Are you okay?” She looked at him and nodded in response. Emily didn’t realize he had been watching her so closely. She turned her attention back to the stage. Mayor Brown had handed the podium over to Sheriff Archibald. She caught the tail end of his speech.

“I know that you are scared. This town is not used to such acts of violence, but we are trying our best to keep you safe. I advise you all to stay indoors after dark.” The last statement rattled the crowd, and the sheriff waited until they calmed down before continuing. “Please bear with us until we are able to successfully bring this murderer to justice. Thank you.”

After the Mayor issued his final statements, the people slowly began to make their way to the exit. Emily and Jason decided to wait until the crowd cleared. She looked down and noticed Michael and his new friend remained seated. Daisy looked a bit bored.

“He is Alexander Graham, if that’s what you’re wondering,” said Jason. He still had his arm draped over her in a possessive way. She didn’t mind.

“Oh, do you know him?” she asked.

“No, not personally. He is sort of a new big fish, if you know what I mean.” She did. It was the first time she actually saw him. She had only heard about him through Michael. “He seems to be creating waves too, throwing around his money. I heard he bought a mansion just outside of town recently.” Emily shifted, sat up straight, and faced him.

“Where outside of town?”

“There’s really only one big property in that area. My dad wanted to buy it, but I guess Mr. Graham beat us to it.”

“Is it near the hiking trail?” she asked.

Jason’s expression changed. “Yeah, that’s the one. How’d you know?”