Chapter 4

Stubbornness.
 


"Oh, my God, Jerry, what happened to you?" Aunt Dorothy gasped, looking at my father with a horrified expression on her face.
Dad had a swollen black eye, split lip and bruised knuckles; he stank of manure and was covered in what I could only hope was mud. Mum was right behind him. I bet she had a lot to tell me, but the whole family was already in the living room waiting to start, probably waiting with bated breath for every word.
 "Don't worry about me. I'm fine, Dorothy. Have you heard from Dad?" he asked, walking straight into the living room. He was absolutely filthy, and he had done a lousy job trying to hide the fact that he’d used some kind of protection spell probably about an hour or so ago. His energy was pulsing from his body, electrifying the hair on my arms.
"No, I haven't. No one knows where he is," my aunt replied, concern filling her squeaky voice.
"Dad, what the hell is going on?" I demanded, standing right in front of him with my hands on my hips.
"Sit down, dear," he ordered me, ignoring my question and looking at everyone in the room. "The Commissioner insists that I stay away from the investigation. Now, I’ve confirmed that Mum died from a poisonous, illegal spell. I’ve seen the report from the forensic team and it's clear. She was definitely murdered." 
"Mum had her Elf Association … I don't understand any of it, Jerry. Who would have—?"
"I have no idea, Dorothy," he interrupted. "At the moment everything is unclear and these stories in the media are doing a lot of damage. The Association won't comment on these absurd allegations. Our mother held this family together and she would have never done anything wrong." 
Everyone was nodding in agreement, but I couldn't focus on what he was saying. He was already too emotionally involved. If he interfered anymore he would be risking his career and reputation.
Someone must have been selling stories to the papers, and there were plenty of paranormals who were willing to share stories about my grandmother’s past. Both my grandparents had made a significant amount of money over the years. Tron made it clear that some members of the community didn't like the fact that they got rich so quickly.
"I don't believe in the fraud or the affair with the wizard,” Aunt Dorothy said. “We should all sue the Daily Secret. These headlines are slowly going to destroy the Taylors’ reputation."
Dad scrubbed his hand over his face, appearing agitated; Mum placed a calming hand on his shoulder. The magic in the room shifted, increasing the delicate tension between everyone.
"I don't know what to believe anymore. I’ve spoken to the neighbours about that night when Mum was found dead. Apparently, Dad had been away quite a bit in the past three months. The shopkeeper in the village said he saw a white Mercedes parked outside the house more than a dozen times. She was seen with a tall, skinny man, much younger than her." 
Awkward silence filled the room as soon as these words left Dad’s mouth. All my cousins were shaking their heads in disbelief, and I swallowed hard, trying not to think the worst. They had all undoubtedly read the stories that flooded the papers. I hadn't been in contact with Grandma for a while, so I had no idea what had really been going on between her and Grandpa Fred.
"Come on, Jerry, don't jump to conclusions until you have all the evidence. Maybe this whole thing is just one huge coincidence," Nathaniel said, barging into the middle of the room. I was glad he had the guts to say that this story sounded far-fetched. Grandma was extremely powerful, and she did lead a quiet and uneventful life, but her past was still a mystery to all of us. "We have to find your father first and I think I'll be wasting my breath if I told you to leave it to the Unit, right?" 
Dad swore loudly, and Mum slapped at his back. He vibrated with anger and frustration, probably because his hands were tightly held in fists trying to manage his magic.
"The Commissioner has given me a desk job in another department until the investigation is completed. It was either that or being on sick leave until the investigation is concluded. I have no access to any files, witnesses or even my own desk for Christ sake. He even threatened me with compulsory redundancy if I don't take some time out, at least until after the funeral." 
"Oh, Dad," I gasped, bringing my hands to my face.
"Maybe it's better this way, Uncle Jerry. The unit will find the murderer and straighten out this whole thing with Grandma," Claudia, my other cousin, said, rubbing her hands over her jeans. I knew exactly what she meant. Dad couldn't rely on his own judgment when he was dealing with such a personal matter. His mother had been murdered, so I understood the Commissioner’s logic.
"The Taylor family name is in jeopardy of being tarnished. I can't sit around and let them deal with it." 
"Dad, Claudia is right. We all knew Grandma. She hated black magic. Dannika will clear our family name. Nathaniel has already spoken to her," I said, feeling heat rising in my body. Dad kept shaking his head.
"See, Jerry, listen to Julia and stop getting yourself into trouble. We’re here to discuss the funeral arrangements and to pay respect to your mother," Mum said, shaking her head. I bet she’d already spoken to him, but that conversation most likely hadn’t gone anywhere, judging from his psychical state.
"What about Dad, Jerry? Where is he?" Aunt Dorothy asked. "Do you think he might have something to do with what happened to Mum?"
"His absence concerns me. Dad wouldn't leave without a word. There’s a possibility that he’s been taken against his will."
I had no idea what to make of Grandpa Fred’s disappearance. Dad was confident that he wasn't involved in Grandma’s murder, and I thought that whoever had come up with this theory was crazy. Dannika was trying to find him, but so far without any luck.
After the family sat down to discuss the funeral arrangements, I cornered him by the bathroom, demanding to know why he looked like he had been fighting. He refused to explain himself, telling me to worry about the funeral, not him. Three hours later, I felt like my head was going to explode. I had a migraine and I couldn't function properly. Aunt Dorothy and Mum suggested that the funeral be held on Friday, which meant that the wake was only four days away.   
I overheard Dad talking to his other sister on the phone about some giants who supposedly could give him some information. By the time everyone parted I knew I had to get involved in finding my grandmother’s killer. Dad didn't care about rules anymore; he was going directly against his boss’s orders. He worked hard for twenty years to climb the career ladder and now he was going to throw it all away. I couldn't let him do that.
My family was important to me and I had every right to get involved, hopefully before my father got himself killed while trying to solve this complicated case.
When I got back into Nathaniel’s limo, the reporters were still there snapping pictures, asking the same pointless questions. Nathaniel grabbed my hand and squeezed it, when Roberto put his foot down on the accelerator.
"Your father will be a problem. He’s too tied to this case; he won't let go. I could smell trolls’ blood on him under the mud."
I exhaled, and looked back at him, knowing exactly what he was talking about. Dad had worked in the police department for a very long time and he’d developed useful contacts over the years. He wasn't going to let this go; he was more stubborn than I was.
“That's why I have to find the killer first, before he ruins his career forever."
It probably wasn't what Nathaniel wanted to hear, but I couldn't sit and pretend that everything was fine.
 "You have no idea who you’re dealing with, Julia. Besides, someone is still after you and your power. You don't want to jump the gun just yet."
"Everything went wrong last time, but this is different. I'm more aware and more experienced. Dad has no idea what Tron taught me during those few months when my abilities developed. I can't let my father lose everything that he’s worked for all his life. You of all people should understand this."
Nathaniel exhaled and closed his eyes. I knew he didn't want me to put myself at risk or in a dangerous situation. He could pay people to do all the dirty work for him. I already knew that was what he was thinking about. But when it came to my family, I was ready for anything, would sacrifice anything.
"So, what are you saying, Julia?"
"I'm saying that I have to find the murderer fast and figure out the truth." 
Even in the darkened car I could feel he wasn't pleased. The witch who tried to kill me last year believed I was blessed with extraordinary abilities, that I could help her gain immortality. When the witch was just about to take my soul, Jasper appeared and distracted her long enough for me to get free. During the ordeal, I was convinced that Nathaniel was also involved, that he’d been helping her all along. As if all that wasn't enough, my father was struck with a deadly curse. He was dying and out of desperation I made a deal with Jasper. He wanted me to reconsider taking him back. That was his price for helping me, and out of desperation I agreed. Unfortunately for him, after I realised that Nathaniel had only been protecting me, working against the dark witch, I chose Nathaniel over Jasper—and that didn't go over too well.
Getting into trouble seemed to be my specialty and Nathaniel knew I didn't deal well with sitting on the sidelines.
"I'll help you with whatever you’re planning, but promise to run everything by me first?" 
"Okay, fine. I will. Since my last encounter with the witches and Elvira I don't think I'm ready to risk my life again. I don't want to screw anything up."
Nathaniel nodded. He knew what I meant. Sometimes I acted on impulse rather than thinking about the consequences of my actions.
After the meeting, we went back to my apartment discussing our options on the way. Since we’d gotten engaged, I’d been spending much more time at his place than mine. We finally stopped messing around and now had a real relationship. The marriage was just a formality for us.
I didn't expect to see any press outside my apartment, but a few reporters snapped our pictures as we were driving past. Nathaniel was raging, but I took care of his bad mood soon enough, suggesting having an early night.
A few hours later when he was snoring next to me I was still wide-awake, thinking about everything that had happened over the last few months up to and including my last failed encounter with Jasper.
All my life I felt intimidated by Grandma and the fact that I was so useless with magic around her; now it was time to cast all my fears aside. After coming close to losing my life four times, I needed to come up with a plan. Kelsie, Ella and Dannika had all risked their own skin for my Dad and Kate, when those two nearly died from a deadly curse a few months ago. 
Then, there was Jasper. I had turned to him out of complete desperation. He knew the right people within the paranormal world and he didn't turn me away. There was just no way I could love him again, but he never let me explain anything. I hadn't spoken to Jasper or seen him since that day. He would always hold a grudge against me, but I didn't want to believe he was involved in my grandma’s death. 

***
 
The next morning Nathaniel insisted on taking my car and driving to work himself. He wanted me to use the limo to distract the reporters. I don't think he succeeded, as there were a handful of guys with cameras outside the agency. 
In my day job I dealt with recruitment for paranormal creatures who lived in and around London. Almost four years ago I was promoted to senior consultant, and I was happy enough. I enjoyed my job.
"Maybe I should drop you at the back entrance, Miss Taylor." Roberto said as he pulled by the entrance. In an instant, the reporters started flashing their cameras trying to take my picture, shouting their questions. The human world never cared about my grandmother, so I didn't understand why I was receiving all this sudden attention.
People believed that she had taken money from hardworking individuals while managing a fund for them, and there was a warrant out for Grandpa Fred. Once the stories spread, it was difficult not to care about the news, but I wanted to protect my family, find a spell to fix it all within a day or a night.
"No, you won't be able to drive through. Don't worry, they’ll go away at some point," I told him and got out of the car. 
"Any comments about the recent facts that have come to light?" 
"Do you believe your grandmother was involved in a fraud?" 
"Is it true that the Inspector was suspended because he got into a fight?" 
I gritted my teeth and rushed to the office, itching to throw some magic towards those nosy fuckers. Amongst the human reporters I noticed one or two paranormals. Nathaniel had forbidden me to even look at the Daily Secret website, stating that it would only drive me more insane. 
"Julia, are you all right? I was wondering if you were going to be in today." 
My best friend, Kate, stood by her desk looking worried. Her purple hair was smoothed nicely to the side, and she had her magic wand in her right hand. 
"I'm all right but could be better, obviously," I replied, looking outside as more reporters started turning up. "I can't be at home; I have to stay busy until the funeral, which will be on Friday.” 
Kate looked anxiously at the door to the interview room and then back at me. 
"You have a visitor. I told him this wasn't a very good time, but he insisted. It's Tron, Julia, and it looks like he’s back."