I’ll use that excuse. Thank you for that, Isa.
“Yes, he is. He doesn’t have accidents anymore, but I need to do a better job at taking him out in the morning.”
We left the garden and the day continued to progress much like it had yesterday. After the evening games, I returned to my room and waited. Once things settled down for the night, I’d do some snooping. I needed to get out of here.
My head throbbed and my mouth was dry. I trembled, but so far, I’d resisted lighting any of the incense or eating it. It was strong stuff if I was already feeling withdrawal symptoms. What else is this stuff doing to me? And, just how involved with this cult were Xavier’s blood donors? Hearing Francesca conspire with Jarl about the blood made me wonder. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, Xavier had reason to worry. The incense was potent and was used for more than relaxation.
Once the majority of the Institute turned in for the night, I crept out with Muffin. I didn’t see anyone in the halls, but I also didn’t linger out in the open. Outside of Jarl’s office, I listened for signs he or someone else was in it. It sounded empty.
I leaned down and whispered in Muffin’s ear. “Keep an eye out, if you see someone, bark and run away, so they chase you. Can you do that?”
He nodded his head. God, this was weird. I was communicating with an animal.
The door was unlocked, which surprised me, but should have. Why lock it when everyone treated the man like a god himself. No one contradicted him or went against him in anything – at least from what I’d seen. No one should have that much power over another. Blind faith and trust was the equivalent of putting your life in another person’s hand. And if he was doing blood magic, it made having that much control over people extremely dangerous.
I slipped into the office. I went to the desk first. It had a built-in drawer and started there first. I found a file on the Robertsons and several other Uptown families. Skimming the file, the amount of money they’d given to the Institute blew my mind. Hundreds of millions of dollars was bestowed on this place. What did they need all of that money for?
And, the company they got the herbs from was paying them. I also couldn’t find any kind of invoice for the herbs that they bought from the Rare Herbs and Medicinals Company. Why pay someone to take your product?
The files in this drawer didn’t have anything on the members. I tackled the standing file cabinet next. This man kept records of everything. The papers were organized to an almost compulsive degree, which was beneficial for a fast search.
At the second from the bottom drawer, I found member files. I saw Isa’s name. If I had time, I would take her file as well. I’d like to see what it said about her. The files were in alphabetical order, so I quickly found the J’s and looked for Emma Lynn. I found a file on her, her mother, and her father.
Muffin barked and I jumped. Crap, out of time. I pushed the files down the front of my robe and adjusted it to hide them. The hidden spot wouldn’t fool anyone. If someone saw me, they’d know I had something under my shirt. I couldn’t get caught now that I might finally have some answers.
I shut the door and followed Muffin’s barking. He had cornered an unfamiliar man in robes. His clothing was unlike any of the robes I’d seen so far.
“Get this creature away from me before I have you flogged.”
So everyone wasn’t nice? His frown lines cut deep into his face.
“Sorry, he got away from me,” I said.
“Indeed. I should put it down for attacking me. If it happens again, he will be taken care of. No one, certainly not a mangy animal, treats me like that.”
I pulled hard on Muffin’s leash and the man and stalked away. That was close.
I led Muffin back to my room and locked the door. I opened Emma Lynn’s folder first. The first page was a summary sheet. It included her age, a physical description, magical ability and strength, date of indoctrination. There was also a box check for “screened by the company”. Could that be the Rare Herbs and Medicinals Company or something different?
I opened her parents’ file folders and saw the same summary sheet except theirs didn’t have “screened by the company” marked and there was no date of indoctrination.
I went back to Emma Lynn’s file. There were hand-written notes about her internship, community service activities, and her time at the Institute.
There was a stamp that said “inactive”. I searched her parents’ files and they had the same. I also found notes that they were located at the alternate location, but no other details were given beyond that. That meant the note saying Emma Lynn was found was either done by someone else or the Jamisons were forced to write it. There weren’t any clues in the files. They went through a very extensive investigation on all three.
I went to sleep with my mind racing over the possibilities. The picture was starting to come into focus, but the key piece was how the Jamisons played into it and what exactly the herbs did. And, why would a powerful and highly-profitable company like the Rare Herbs and Medicinals Company be involved in something that was either highly unethical or criminal?
29
I answered the knock at my door, looking forward to breakfast with Isa. It wasn’t her standing before me, but the man in the ornate robes. Muffin growled and the man tried to kick the devil dog.
“What is wrong with you? Don’t you know he’s a devil dog? Why would you attack him?”
“You and I have some talking to do, but he stays
