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Author's Note: Sorry for the huge delay, this chapter and I did not mix. This is actually my third rewrite which I finally got right.Sorry for how short it is too, I'll try to make the next one a bit longer. I'd like to thank djkauf for the editing and everyone else for loving my universe so much.

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Ch.14

I don’t remember much after leaving the Chambers. The next thing I vaguely remember is getting into Mr. Wilkes’ black car. Mary climbed in with me, so did Boomer. I barely acknowledged either of them until the dog laid his head gently on my lap. He looked up at me, giving me that sad puppy dog look that I didn’t think he was capable of. I thought only dogs in movies did that, like it was some cheap Hollywood special effect, but I was proven wrong. I learned my new thing for the day except today it was the twentieth or so.

“Lady sad” said Boomer, raising his head a bit “did Boomer make Lady sad?”

I shook my head. “You didn’t make me sad, Boomer. I did that all by myself.”

He whined and lowered his head back on my lap. He kept it there the whole ride home, refusing to budge. That was fine by me. I spent the whole ride staring out the window. Mary tried to say stuff to me, stuff that I think was supposed to be comforting. I was kind of cold and standoffish though, caring nothing about her words. I just told a woman about this nasty big wolf I’d seen, snooping around two different murder scenes. A wolf that I just assumed belonged to another Wolf family, a wolf family that didn’t exist apparently. So saying I saw the wolf pretty much tied it to Dad. So I condemned my father, sold him out in fact. My own father could end up rotting in a prison because I was too stupid to realize that the Lockes were in fact the only Wolves in the whole town. It made me wonder though. I knew the wolf wasn’t Dad so who the hell was it?

When the car finally made it back to the house, Mr. Wilkes got out and walked around to let me out. Boomer jumped over me and out the door first. I slowly crawled out, Mary following right on my heels.

“I was under express orders to drive you straight home after the hearing, Miss Crawford.”

Mary shook her hand, slipping her hand into mine. “You tell my grandmother my friend needs me.”

He smiled and nodded. “As you wish Miss Crawford.”

Mr. Wilkes closed the car door and walked around to the driver’s side. As he was getting into the car, I stopped him. “Tell Maggie I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye and that I’ll see her at school.”

He smiled and nodded before getting into the car.

Mary turned me around toward the house before the car drove off. The two of us walked together up the path, Boomer in the lead. When we got to the front door, it flew open. Constance rushed out and threw her arms around me. Her eyes were blood shut and her hair was a mess so it was clear she was crying. I couldn’t cry, I’m not sure why. But I let her hold me; it made me feel a bit better. We stood like that for a while, holding onto one another in front of the house. Finally, we broke free and Constance looked over at Mary, smiling. Mary smiled back and got pulled into a hug, too. The look on her face was priceless. When Constance finally let go, I thought Mary was going to implode. It was one small bit of happiness in an otherwise very dreary “welcome home.”

“Mary, are you spending the night?” asked my stepmother as the three of us went into the house.

Mary nodded. “If it’s not too much trouble, I think Tracy needs me tonight.”

Constance smiled. “No trouble at all, I’ll fix up one of the guest rooms for you.”

“No” I said quickly. “She’s staying in my room tonight.”

Neither of them argued.

Constance took my duffel gently from my fingers---I didn’t even know I was holding it. She offered us some snacks. “Gloria whipped them up for our guests.”

“Guests?”

Constance sighed. “They’re all in the auxiliary sitting room.”

I didn’t waste any time. Instead, I took off in the direction of our second sitting room, the one we used to entertain. I heard pounding footfalls behind me, I’m guessing it was Mary. I wasn’t running too fast but she was definitely huffing to keep up. We used to play hide and seek a lot in these halls when we were younger, she used to hate being it because there were so many rooms to search. Greg and I loved finding the best possible places to hide. Things got a little uneven when Tommy got old enough to play---Mary always ended up coaxing him into helping her.

Now, however, she knew these halls just as well as I did.

When we got to the sitting room, the double doors were shut. I crept up to them slowly, grateful that I had enhanced hearing. On the other side, we had a full house; I could hear Trev, Carson, the Twins, T-Bone and the biggest surprise of all my Dad. Uncle Tim was probably home taking care of the boys. The meeting and the guests surprised me, I was certain that my uncles were still kind of pissed at my father for abandoning me at the lodge. I could tell from the conversation they were having that things were still a bit strained between them though. They were arguing about the hearing but seeing as I came halfway through the conversation most of it was out of context.

“This is ridiculous,” Carson was saying. “We have a pretty good idea what’s going on here. I say we act now, strike quickly, deal with the consequences later.”

My father didn’t sound too happy with the idea actually. “Let me remind you that that will only escalate things further. He made his move, it was a calculated risk but so far he seems to have the advantage.”

“So we doing nothing?” That was one of the Twins I think, not sure which one though.

“No” said Trev “we’re doing something that they won’t expect. We’re…”

My father cut him off. “Wait a moment”

I heard him stand up. It took me only a second or two to realize where he was going but it was too late. He yanked open the doors and I nearly fell into his chest. Instead, I wobbled and caught myself before Mary grabbed me to steady me. He looked at me, his eyes calculating. He looked a lot better now, clean shaven and hair nicely combed. His eyes weren’t as bloodshot as before either. He continued to stare at me for a bit longer before looking at Mary. When he spoke, it was in a cold, emotionless tone.

“You girls shouldn’t eavesdrop where you don’t belong.”

Trev was quickly at his side. He looked at me and smiled softly. “She has every right to be here as you or the rest of us.”

Dad didn’t say anything but he did nod. When he spoke, it was to Trev. “I think we’re done for the night” then he turned to me. “See to it that you don’t intrude on private conversations in the future.”

Then he brushed past the two of us. I didn’t watch him go as tears stung my eyes. Mary made a comment, one that I’m sure he heard and I’m not going to repeat. As soon as his footfalls started to grow distant, emotions got the better of me and I buried my face into Trev’s chest. I had a nice long cry, he put his arms around me gently and somehow I was in the room with the others a moment later, sitting on one of the couches. Trev was sitting on one side, Mary on the other.

“You want me to get Aunt Connie?” asked Carson, who left without waiting for an answer.

The Twins stormed off with him.

I was now alone with my two uncles and my best friend. I sobbed through half an umpteenth things, letting it all come out. My fears came to light, how I thought he was mad at me for being a girl, mad that I sold him out like that, mad that I was spying when I shouldn’t have been. Somewhere in the crying, I felt a different pair of arms take me, slender, softer. Trev moved away as those arms took me and hold me in a much more tender embrace. Constance held me for longer than Trev; it was exactly what I needed after one of the worst days of my life.

“He’s a monster” I finally managed softly.

“Honey” she said, pulling me away from her gently. “Your father is a difficult man with a lot on his mind. I wouldn’t call him a monster but he’s definitely not being the man that I fell in love with either.”

“He looked at me like I crawled out of the sewer just now.”

I started to cry some more. Constance held me again.

“After everything I’ve done tonight” I sobbed. “He probably hates me even more.”

Constance hushed me gently, rocking me back and forth. The rocking was something she hadn’t done in a long time. I was a sensitive child, always breaking into tears at the little things. For a long time, all I seemed to do was scrap myself, cry and end up in her arms. I toughened up a little after Mary protected me that one time but I was still prone to crying every once and a while. It was strange though, a gentle soothing voice and some comfort from Constance was all I needed to make things right.

I slowly drifted off to sleep as she gently rocked me.

As soon as I woke up in the morning, I was confused for a second to find myself in my bed. For a moment, I thought I was back at the Crowley house. I was even more confused when the last thing I remember was crying in Constance’s arms. I tried to push yesterday’s events out of my head as I made my way slowly into my bathroom. I was rolling into a Monday morning that I was hoping wouldn’t come. When I dragged myself into the shower, not even the water was enough to wake me. All I could think about was my father. Things didn’t add up for me. I was too distraught to give it much thought yesterday but now that I had more time to think, the more I realized something was wrong.

My father couldn’t have done those things. Ok, so maybe he could have had someone else do it but it didn’t make any sense. Why would my dad kill his lawyer and his real estate agent? I understood that they were dragging their feet, not doing what he wanted but he’d never kill them. I knew what Dad did with people who failed him---it was unpleasant but he never wanted to kill any of them. There were a lot of horror stories about business rivals or even associates of his who wronged the great Tobias Locke. He only “murdered” them in the sense that he crushed their spirits and ruined their reputation. The only killing Dad did was with his tongue and with his pen.

There were other factors to think about too, like the time line. If Dad was responsible then things didn’t add up. The night of the Thompsons’ murders for instance, he was home in bed with Constance. If he had in fact left the house, I definitely would have seen him or possibly heard him from my window. Then there was the wolf. Did they honestly think it was my father? Because I’d seen my father in his wolf form and he looked nothing like that other one. Of course, it was kind of dark and I was a bit scared but there were definite differences. For one thing, Dad was all gray and another, he was huge. The wolf I saw was big but it was definitely not Dad. It made no sense. Dad never would have sent someone else to do his own dirty work either. He always used to say that if “you something done and want to make sure it’s done right, do it yourself”. Kind of clichéd I know but it worked for him.

Getting out of the shower, I had one thing on my mind. I needed to find out who was really behind all of this and clear my father. I felt partially responsible for getting him into this mess and now I was going to find some way to get him out of it. With that in mind, I rushed through dressing and ran downstairs. I was surprised to find everyone already at the breakfast table, including Mary or at least someone I thought was Mary. I’d never seen my best friend in anything other than her Goth stuff. So here, she was sitting at my breakfast table wearing one of my t-shirts and a pair of jeans.

“Ummm. I think you might be Mary,” I said as I slipped into the chair next to her.

It was strange to see my normal friend sitting there. Besides the black hair, she looked just the old Mary I remembered from growing up.

She gave me a dirty look. “Well there was no way I was going to wear that flighty white dress thing to school and the only clothes I had were from yesterday.”

“I think she looks better,” said Tommy, his nose buried in his PSP.

Mary bit her lip. I could tell she wanted to insult my brother but with Constance sitting nearby she didn’t want to take the chance. I couldn’t help but smile at that.

Breakfast was a quiet event after that. Mary did shoot my little brother a lot of wicked looks so that I couldn’t help but smile at her. When Carson showed up to take us to school, he even did a bit of a double take at the sight of her. He knew better than to say anything though. Well he kept his mouth shut until we got into the truck at least.

“You clean up nicely” he said with a laugh.

Mary groaned. “Listen dog boy, if you don’t want to go around the rest of the day as a cute little poodle, you better keep your asinine comments to yourself.”

Carson looked like he swallowed a frog, me I couldn’t stop laughing.

I climbed into the back seat with my annoyed friend. I wrapped my arms around her, in hopes that a hug might shatter her sour mood. I think it did the trick even though she still pretended to be a bit pissed. I was starting to twig on her whole bitch routine and it was clear that it was a lot of smoke. I knew the real Mary and if only she showed it to other people, they might not be so afraid of her.

“You’re in a better mood I see,” she said after I let her go.

“I did some thinking while I was in the shower actually.”

She sighed. “Why does it sound like you and I aren’t going to school today?”

I smiled. “Someone has to know something. Those other Elders for instance.”

She groaned. “So we are skipping school then?” she asked in a hushed tone, even though I’m sure Carson could hear us.

Wolf ears and all that.

I nodded. “I want answers and I’m not going to find them if I’m sitting in class all day.”

“Mr. McC is in school you know, we could ask him.”

“That would require us to somehow end up in the principal’s office” I shook my head. “I think I have the perfect person but it’s going to take some cooperation from you.”

She groaned. “I’m not playing the bimbo, that’s all I’m saying.”

I didn’t say anything more to her until we got to school. Carson gave me a look like he knew what I was planning. He didn’t say anything though. I was kind of surprised about that actually. I was even more surprised when he didn’t say anything about coming along too. For a bodyguard, he wasn’t very good. As soon as Carson was gone, we turned around and started in the other direction. We got a block or so away before we used Mary’s cell to call a cab. She refused to do anything until we went back to her house and she could change out of “the drab” clothes she was wearing. It made me wonder how she was going to deal with school dressed like that, actually.

When we got to her house the only one there was Nicodemus. The giant black cat was sitting on the back of the couch. He rose up when he saw me and let out a nasty hiss before running off. Ever since I changed, the stupid cat would do nothing but hiss at me. I guess it’s true what they say about cats and dogs.

“Where’s your grandmother?” I asked as I followed her to her room.

She shrugged. “Grams has a busy schedule, she’s never home much.”

When we got to her room, I noticed things had changed slightly. It was still dark and overly creepy but it wasn’t as masculine. I didn’t say anything though for fear that she might change it back to the way it used to be. I couldn’t help but think that maybe my changing room was influencing hers as well. After all I was starting to give things a more feminine touch back home, just moved a vanity in there last week---not that I used it much. Constance was talking about painting the walls as well. I was trying to avoid that as much as possible though. I felt like I was starting to lose myself to well myself---Trevor being consumed by Tracy.

The strangest thing was how comfortable I was starting to get as Tracy. Take now for instance, Mary was stripping in front of me and I didn’t even bat an eyelash. Hell, it didn’t even seem to bother her that I used to be Trevor---almost as if she accepted me as Tracy now too.

She dressed quickly, donning her usual black garb. She handed me back my boring clothes as she walked over to her vanity and applied her makeup.

“Do you have a plan?” she asked as she was putting on her eyeliner.

“Well Patrick Harper is out of the question” I said, without giving that any thought whatsoever.

I didn’t want to go anywhere near the Harpers---at least not right now. I ended on good terms with Chris but it still felt weird. It felt even weirder knowing all this time I was dating another Were---a Were that I didn’t even know what species he was. Hell, I didn’t know what species Corday or McClintock were either. If I had to make a guess, I’d say Mr. McC was a fox, he had that statue in his office after all and the Harpers were maybe Coyotes. It’s strange that I never noticed it before. I’d been in their house a lot since dating Chris. I knew a lot of Chris’s cousins too and none of them screamed “I’m a Were”. Though now that I thought about it, there was this distinctive smell. I just thought it was a typical odor but they all kind of smelled the same way.

“And of course we’re not going to that jackass Damien.”

“Don’t even mention his name,” I said, shuddering.

If I had my way, that son of a bitch would never grace my presence again. Just the thought of what he might have done to me if Terry hadn’t showed made me sick.
That only left one other person.

Mary groaned. “So that’s why you need me.”

We stood in front of the nondescript building that was the law offices of Corday, Dupray and Bosch. We tried our best to look as inconspicuous as possible, even more so because Constance’s bank was actually across the street. Mr. Corday was our best bet now and it helped that my father was really close to him. In fact, we were practically family at one time. When we were younger, Terry and I used to call Burton Corday “Uncle Burt”. But being close to him wasn’t going to get us into his office. So that’s why I had Mary. Not that I was using her---I really wanted her along---but it helped that she had a special in that I didn’t.

“You want me to pull the uncle card, don’t you?”

I didn’t have to answer. It was like she could read my mind.

Mary’s mother had two sisters---Grace and Sandra. Mary’s aunt Sandra moved out of Ravencrest after college, she met someone, got married, moved to Seattle and had a kid. I didn’t really know much about her actually. Grace on the other hand stayed in Ravencrest; she worked as the pharmacist at the local drug store. There was a bit of animosity between Mary’s aunt and her grandmother because Grace decided to hyphenate her name: Grace Crawford-Dupray. I didn’t know either her aunt or uncle but Mary and I went to school with her cousin Morgan. He was an ok guy, a but hotheaded at times but most people looked past that little flaw.

“I don’t think waltzing in and throwing my uncle’s name around is going to do much good,” she said.

“No but it will get us through the front door at least.”

Mary groaned. “And what if he tells my grandmother I’m skipping school. She’ll turn me into a newt or something if she finds out.”

“Then I’ll get you a nice bowl and clear a spot on my dresser for you.”

Mary gave me a playful shove and we laughed.

Then I took a deep breath and we entered the law firm together. There was a bell above the door that made a little ding when we entered. The lobby had a nice cozy feel. From somewhere in the room, I could hear music, Monster Mash actually. Everything was decorated for Halloween. The reception desk was directly in front of the door underneath large gold letters that said CORDAY, DUPRAY AND BOSCH. The woman behind the desk was middle-aged and apparently liked to bathe in lilac perfume. The smell was overpowering.

I put on my best smile as the two of us approached. She looked up at us and slightly sneered as she caught sight of my Goth friend. Mary often had that affect on people.

“Shouldn’t you girls be in school?”

I ignored the question. “We’re here to see Arthur Dupray.”

The woman looked from me to Mary then quickly back at me. “What business do you have with Mr. Dupray?”

Mary scoffed. “He’s my uncle. My business with him is none of yours.”

The receptionist gave her a nasty look. I inwardly groaned. Mary was not helping things at all.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Dupray is not available right now,” she said in a snotty tone. “He’s in a very important meeting and can’t be disturbed.”

“What about Mr. Corday?” I asked quickly, hoping I could go right to the source.

“I’m sorry Mr. Corday just left on his lunch break.”

“No he did not,” said a booming voice as the imposing figure of Burton Corday came around the corner. “He is about to leave on his lunch break.”

Burton was a large man, built like a linebacker. I could only imagine how people reacted to him when he walked into the courtroom. He was an overwhelming figure, standing at nearly seven feet tall with enormous hands; a booming voice and a presence that made even the sternest badass pee themselves. But I knew the true man as well and he was a sweetheart. Though a bit boisterous, he had a heart of gold. When he used to come around the house, he always brought Terry and me the greatest presents. He was three times the father my own was and he wasn’t even related to us.

The receptionist looked like someone shot her cat. “I’m sorry sir, I didn’t…”

He waved her off. “It’s ok, Janice” he said and then looked at us. When he saw me, he looked surprised then slightly smiled.

“Tre...Tracy Locke. I was wondering if you were going to come to see me today.”

The receptionist’s eyes seemed to bug out of her head at my name. Not wise to piss off a Locke in this town. I gave her a smug look.
“I’m here about my father,” I said quickly.

He nodded. “I figured as much.” He turned to the receptionist. “Janice order in for me. I’m going to be taking lunch in the office today.”

Janice nodded. Mr. Corday turned and beckoned us to follow him. He led us back through the door in which he came and down a short hallway. His office was at the end of the hall, marked with Corday on the door. He opened it up and I marveled at the size of the place---it was enormous. I suppose that was fitting for a man his size but everything made me feel so small. The desk was gigantic, the chairs were huge, even the filing cabinets looked bigger somehow. Behind the desk were a lot of framed pictures, a lot of them had my Dad in them. Off to either side were bookshelves, crammed with books. It was kind of surprising to see so many because he definitely didn’t look like a big reader. Looks could be deceiving of course; Carson was a big example of that after all.

Uncle Burt walked around desk and plopped down in his large chair, pointing to the two equally large ones in front of the desk. When I dropped into the huge chair, I felt like a toddler. He smiled then reached into his desk drawer, taking out a box of donuts, which he set on the desk.

“Bear claw?’ asked the large man as he took a donut and turned the box to us.

Mary and I shook our heads as he practically folded the donut in half and stuck it in his mouth.

He swallowed. “If either of you see my wife make sure you don’t tell her about that, I’m supposed to be on a diet.”

I smiled. No wonder they used to call him Burton “The Bear” Corday when he used to play football for Ravencrest in high school.
He ate another donut before giving the both of us a once over. He smiled at Mary and then shook his head when he looked at me. “Looking at you now, it’s hard to believe that you were ever that scrawny little guy who used to follow me around.

I smiled too. “Lots changed.”

He sighed. “I know why you’re here but I’m not sure how much help I’m going to be. You were at the Hearing.”

“Is there anything you can tell me? Something that might even hint that my father was set up?”

He ran his fingers through his thinning hair. “Let me explain to you about the Elder Council” He moved some objects around his desk, five different ones. “Let’s say each one of these represents the five major families. This one” he said, holding up his coffee mug. “this is your father.”

I noticed the mug was bigger than the other objects.

“Your father” he continued “is the Head of the Council. The Lockes have been on the top of the Council since it was created, hundreds of years ago. Back then though, your father wouldn’t have been as big as he is now. There used to be a little more compromise, a little more order. It lasted this way for hundreds of years in fact. This order came to a screeching halt about thirty years ago.”

“What happened?”

“The Lore Keeper vanished.”

I was confused. “What’s a lore keeper?”

“He’s a record keeper,” said Mary as if to explain. “The three major Unseen groups have one. The Were Lore Keeper vanished though, a lot of people think he might have been murdered but nobody was ever found.”

Uncle Burt nodded. “He wasn’t just a record keeper to us though; he was the guy who kept order in the Council. He was mediator and negotiator. A neutral party, not a member of any of the five families but just as important. When he vanished, it didn’t take things long to fall apart.”

“So you’re saying that my father took that opportunity to seize more power?”

He shook his head. “No but some of the other families might think that. Your Dad had to step up and fill the void. He was a young man when the Lore Keeper vanished, hell we all were. Your Dad had a lot of responsibility thrust upon him, more so than any other Council Head actually. He did the best he could but there was bound to be infighting. It didn’t take long for the relationships in the Council to get a bit strained.”

I think I was finally starting to understand some things. “So you’re saying my Dad might have been set up?”

He shook his head. “I’m saying that it’s a possibility.”

“If you had to guess, who would you say would benefit the most from having my Dad out of the way?”

He laughed. “I know that trap; I’m not going to walk into it. We all have something to gain though. It’s a dangerous path you’re about to walk on though if you start pointing fingers though.”

I decided to change tack. There had to be something. “Did my Dad have a grudge with anyone?”

Burton sighed and looked around. Then did something that surprised me. He shut off the intercom on his desk. The action was clear; he didn’t want Janice to listen in. As soon as he did that, he opened his desk drawer and took out a strange blue stone. When he set it on his desk, Mary’s eyes widened. Clearly, she knew what it was but I didn’t have a clue. He rubbed the stone and it started glowing, as soon as it did, he sighed.

“Those are illegal,” gasped Mary, staring in awe at the stone.

Uncle Burt winked. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

“What is it?” I asked, staring at the strange blue stone.

“Something that will keep people from listening in on what I’m about to say” said Uncle Burt.

Leave it to a lawyer to have something that can keep people from spying on him. I stared at the glowing blue rock for a moment before asking my question again.

“I’m not saying he’s responsible but if you’re looking for someone with a grudge, you might want to try Patrick Harper. He and your father had a falling out over that land deal. Apparently your father cut him out of the end game, Harper wasn’t too happy about it that’s for sure.”

Harper. Shit, why did it have to be Harper?

Uncle Burt learned forward and rubbed the stone, the glowing stopped. He picked it up and put it back in his desk. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be any more help to you girls,” he said loudly as he turned the intercom back on.

I stood up and smiled. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Corday” I said, keeping up the charade.

He led us to the door whereupon he gave me a hug.

“You be careful,” he whispered in my ear before I found myself kissing him gently on the cheek and leaving the room.

Harper huh. Well I guess I knew where I was going now.

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF

Picture Credit: Actress Jane Levy

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