Chapter 7: Stolen Treasure
Winter arrives with another promotion for Candice. She is now senior manager, but instead of enjoying it, she's already worried about the next step. "I'm leaning towards the management, I don't know if I have what it takes to make it in investments." Charles listens, reassuring her that she'd be good whatever she picks, but already knowing she will pick the management branch. She likes managing, is organised, efficient and clever - what she is not is prone to risk and taking chances. But she has no need for him to tell her that, she already knows where her strengths are and yet she can't help but to fret over them anyway. It's just in her nature, and Charles has long ago learnt that the best course of action is to let her work it out for herself, and reminding her that life is here and not in the future every now and again to clam her down.
And here and now it's time for another one of their children to have a birthday party. Third time's the charm, Candice thinks, trying to get that gold stellar party going again. She plans a fantastic meal, bakes a chocolate cake (since Sandy prefers chocolate over fruit at all times) and invites over the neighbors and all the kids' friends. She asks Neo if he would like a friend over, but he just shakes his head. "I'm good," he says, locking himself in his room again with his toys.
She would worry, but right about then the house is filled with guests, steaming in through the door, and all other thoughts go out the window. They eat, chat and laugh at Charles' often wildly inappropriate jokes until it's time to blow out the candles on the cake.
And then Sandy ages up to become an active teenager eager to learn both practical skills and smarts. The second isn't easy for her, never have been, but she's confident in her own ability and knows she just needs to study harder than others, which she's fine with as long as she can also move about.
As they move to the living room for the gifts, she shows off her new party outfit. A bit too revealing dad thinks, but Candice brushes him off. "That's how young people dress today," she says.
The next morning the entire family goes to the newly opened skating rink in Newcrest. The big building is freezing cold inside, but while most people wear outerwear, Willow insist on an entirely new skating outfit.
"But you'll be cold," her mother worries, but Willow insists that she won't be.
"I'll be moving, if anything you'll be sweaty."
But while Willow is having a ton of fun, Sandy isn't. Cold isn't something she appreciate, and while she normally loves all kind of sports, this is just not her cup of tea. Soon she finds herself on the stands, chatting with Rory from school. Now that is much more interesting, especially since Rory is absolutely gorgeous, and, she thinks, possibly flirting? Just a bit? Maybe?
But even as they glide over the ice, Charles spots someone he hasn't seen since autumn began. The envoy woman. In her normal clothes, in the middle of winter. Not even skating, just watching. It feels weird, even more as he has a sneaking feeling that she is watching him.
His suspicions is confirmed when he moves over to where she is and she immediately leaves. On his phone he finds a single text. "Meet me for a game of chess in the park tomorrow." He wonders what she wants, then remember the three keys in his possession. Has she figured out he has them? Or does she want him to find out more?
"What was that about?" Candice asks on the way home. Charles shakes his head and shows her the text. "No idea."
"Are you going?"
"Not sure. It's not like we need her money anymore."
But as the day dawns, curiosity gets the better of him and of course he is there, in the park, waiting for her just as she suggested. Again she is in her normal clothes, in spite of the cold, as if not affected at all by the snow. Charles walks over and sits down in front of her. "I'm here."
Looking up, she suddenly looks a bit odd. As if curious, worried and eager all at the same time. "So you are. A chess game? Loser tells all?"
Charles shrugs. If this is how he lose those keys he have then so be it. But for all her bravado and self confidence, Charles, who is by no means very good at chess, finds himself besting her at every turn. Who she has been playing to make her so confident, he isn't sure, but both Candice and Willow are better than this.
The "check mate" from his lips is as much a surprise to himself as it is to her, but not more so than the complete outburst from her as he repeats her terms. "Loser tells all."
"Fine!" she snaps. "You win! How are you always one step ahead? It's frustrating! Look up princess Cordelia of the Thebe family, then call me, and I'll share what I know." With that she storms off. Not really what Charles thinks of as telling all, and he gets the feeling she is just stalling for time. For what, he isn't sure, but surely for something.
Later that evening, after dinner, he tells Candice about the whole encounter.
"Princess Cordelia?" she asks. "I remember reading about for a course at uni. She was a princess, but also a pirate, apparently stole a large treasure and hid it somewhere behind "lock and key" as they say. Do you think it has anything to do with those keys you have?"
"Maybe. I don't know, but if the envoy is interested then most likely."
"I heard there was some mention of Cordelia at work, something about the museum."
"The museum."
"She was a painter too."
"Princess, pirate, painter? She did like doing things that started with a p, didn't she?"
Candice laughs and puts on the news. "It seems so. Let's see if there is any information about it on the news, shall we?"
And very true, soon there is a report about the new exhibition with art from the Thebe family.
"I guess I know where you'll be tomorrow,"Candice says.
"I really should be focusing on the game development I have started. The brief was... confusing at best, it's complex."
"Up to you," she says, giving him a kiss on the cheek, knowing full well his curiosity will never allow him to sit this one out. "Coming to bed?"
And here and now it's time for another one of their children to have a birthday party. Third time's the charm, Candice thinks, trying to get that gold stellar party going again. She plans a fantastic meal, bakes a chocolate cake (since Sandy prefers chocolate over fruit at all times) and invites over the neighbors and all the kids' friends. She asks Neo if he would like a friend over, but he just shakes his head. "I'm good," he says, locking himself in his room again with his toys.
She would worry, but right about then the house is filled with guests, steaming in through the door, and all other thoughts go out the window. They eat, chat and laugh at Charles' often wildly inappropriate jokes until it's time to blow out the candles on the cake.
And then Sandy ages up to become an active teenager eager to learn both practical skills and smarts. The second isn't easy for her, never have been, but she's confident in her own ability and knows she just needs to study harder than others, which she's fine with as long as she can also move about.
As they move to the living room for the gifts, she shows off her new party outfit. A bit too revealing dad thinks, but Candice brushes him off. "That's how young people dress today," she says.
The next morning the entire family goes to the newly opened skating rink in Newcrest. The big building is freezing cold inside, but while most people wear outerwear, Willow insist on an entirely new skating outfit.
"But you'll be cold," her mother worries, but Willow insists that she won't be.
"I'll be moving, if anything you'll be sweaty."
But while Willow is having a ton of fun, Sandy isn't. Cold isn't something she appreciate, and while she normally loves all kind of sports, this is just not her cup of tea. Soon she finds herself on the stands, chatting with Rory from school. Now that is much more interesting, especially since Rory is absolutely gorgeous, and, she thinks, possibly flirting? Just a bit? Maybe?
But even as they glide over the ice, Charles spots someone he hasn't seen since autumn began. The envoy woman. In her normal clothes, in the middle of winter. Not even skating, just watching. It feels weird, even more as he has a sneaking feeling that she is watching him.
His suspicions is confirmed when he moves over to where she is and she immediately leaves. On his phone he finds a single text. "Meet me for a game of chess in the park tomorrow." He wonders what she wants, then remember the three keys in his possession. Has she figured out he has them? Or does she want him to find out more?
"What was that about?" Candice asks on the way home. Charles shakes his head and shows her the text. "No idea."
"Are you going?"
"Not sure. It's not like we need her money anymore."
But as the day dawns, curiosity gets the better of him and of course he is there, in the park, waiting for her just as she suggested. Again she is in her normal clothes, in spite of the cold, as if not affected at all by the snow. Charles walks over and sits down in front of her. "I'm here."
Looking up, she suddenly looks a bit odd. As if curious, worried and eager all at the same time. "So you are. A chess game? Loser tells all?"
Charles shrugs. If this is how he lose those keys he have then so be it. But for all her bravado and self confidence, Charles, who is by no means very good at chess, finds himself besting her at every turn. Who she has been playing to make her so confident, he isn't sure, but both Candice and Willow are better than this.
The "check mate" from his lips is as much a surprise to himself as it is to her, but not more so than the complete outburst from her as he repeats her terms. "Loser tells all."
"Fine!" she snaps. "You win! How are you always one step ahead? It's frustrating! Look up princess Cordelia of the Thebe family, then call me, and I'll share what I know." With that she storms off. Not really what Charles thinks of as telling all, and he gets the feeling she is just stalling for time. For what, he isn't sure, but surely for something.
Later that evening, after dinner, he tells Candice about the whole encounter.
"Princess Cordelia?" she asks. "I remember reading about for a course at uni. She was a princess, but also a pirate, apparently stole a large treasure and hid it somewhere behind "lock and key" as they say. Do you think it has anything to do with those keys you have?"
"Maybe. I don't know, but if the envoy is interested then most likely."
"I heard there was some mention of Cordelia at work, something about the museum."
"The museum."
"She was a painter too."
"Princess, pirate, painter? She did like doing things that started with a p, didn't she?"
Candice laughs and puts on the news. "It seems so. Let's see if there is any information about it on the news, shall we?"
And very true, soon there is a report about the new exhibition with art from the Thebe family.
"I guess I know where you'll be tomorrow,"Candice says.
"I really should be focusing on the game development I have started. The brief was... confusing at best, it's complex."
"Up to you," she says, giving him a kiss on the cheek, knowing full well his curiosity will never allow him to sit this one out. "Coming to bed?"
Just as Candice already knew, Charles is at the library the next morning, studying the paintings. He's not sure what to look for and other than her painting the same building over and over in different artworks, something the museum guide says was her home at some point, he's not sure what he's looking at, until he finds the signs of an inscription - a code - on a bust of her. Wait? Hasn't he seen that somewhere? On the benches outside, they're all numbered, this looks like that.
Heading outside in the raging blizzard he wonders what he is doing here at all, but he finds the right bench and when examining it also a small hidden compartment, with a place for another key. What he doesn't find is the key itself. He seems to be too late.
Heading home, he calls the envoy again. "Time to share," he says plainly, perhaps a bit more annoyed at being beaten to it than he would like to admit.His mood doesn't really improve when the envoy starts laughing at him.
"Share? Oh I'm not sharing anything. While you were busy finding out information anyone knows I found it. To the early bird goes the worm!" And with that she hangs up, still manically laughing.
At first Charles is confused. One key won't cut it, and that he has another three of them, so why is she not more interested? Unless, well of course, she doesn't know there is more than one key. And now she thinks she has it he is of no more importance to her, as all she wanted was for him to find it for her. But he knows more than she, and he has more than she, and now that he is annoyed, he might just do something about the situation.
Heading outside in the raging blizzard he wonders what he is doing here at all, but he finds the right bench and when examining it also a small hidden compartment, with a place for another key. What he doesn't find is the key itself. He seems to be too late.
Heading home, he calls the envoy again. "Time to share," he says plainly, perhaps a bit more annoyed at being beaten to it than he would like to admit.His mood doesn't really improve when the envoy starts laughing at him.
"Share? Oh I'm not sharing anything. While you were busy finding out information anyone knows I found it. To the early bird goes the worm!" And with that she hangs up, still manically laughing.
At first Charles is confused. One key won't cut it, and that he has another three of them, so why is she not more interested? Unless, well of course, she doesn't know there is more than one key. And now she thinks she has it he is of no more importance to her, as all she wanted was for him to find it for her. But he knows more than she, and he has more than she, and now that he is annoyed, he might just do something about the situation.
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