Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 69909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
“Enough, Jericho,” Zeke says. “I told you. It’s been handled.”
Jericho puts his hands up. “Just want to be sure Blue here knows where I stand. I won’t let my brother destroy himself for a stranger.”
“I said enough.”
“If you two are finished arguing,” Robbie starts, breaking into what is quickly becoming a very awkward situation. “I present the elusive Antoine Girard.”
Robbie turns his laptop around and we all look at the face on the screen. It’s a man who appears to be in his late forties, early fifties. He’s of average height and build, his expression neutral enough, there’s nothing that stands out about him. It doesn’t look like he knows the photo is being taken. Zooming back out, I see the one thing that sets him apart from others. The pinned sleeve of his coat.
He’s the one-handed man who was at my house that night three years ago.
“Antoine Girard is fifty-two years old, unmarried and childless. He’s also the last remaining male of the Girard family. His younger brother passed away a year ago. That brother’s son will eventually inherit the Girard fortune upon his uncle, Antoine’s, death. It stands to be said it is quite the inheritance. You’ll notice the coda?”
He hits a button, and another photo fills the screen. This one is of Girard walking toward a waiting sedan and the way he’s turned his head, the coda tattoo is visible on his neck.
“That is taken outside the airport. Mr. Girard flew into New Orleans late last night.”
At that, my heartrate doubles.
“Where is he now?” Zeke asks.
“That is perhaps the most interesting part of this. He is apparently a guest of Councilor Augustus.” He hits another button, and we can see the heads of two men in front of what looks to be a guesthouse on the grounds of a large mansion. Six men encircle the two facing one another.
Robbie sets the laptop aside, stands and pours himself a whiskey from the liquor tray against the wall.
“Gentlemen?” He gestures to the whiskey before his gaze falls on me. “Excuse me. Blue?”
“No, thanks,” I say, and Zeke also declines. He pours for Jericho and resumes his seat.
“Are you ready for your history lesson?”
“Get to it, Robbie. I don’t pay you by the hour.”
“Touché.” He sips his drink.
“What is most interesting about Girard staying at Augustus’s guesthouse is that about twenty-five years ago, the two became bitter enemies. But let me start at the beginning. The coda, a musical symbol, signifies, as you may remember from music lessons at school, a finale or conclusion. The Girard family adopted it as their insignia two centuries ago. Turns out there has been more than one musical protégé birthed by Girard genes.”
Robbie starts to go into detail about those protégés until Zeke cuts him off.
“Can we keep the history lesson to this century?”
“Of course. I mentioned before that the family was part of IVI. The seat of the family home is in New England, outside of Boston, in fact. They were quite well connected for a time and a powerful family within The Society. In fact, the Augustus and Girard families were, at one point, close. Antoine and Lucius were great friends, Lucius Augustus that is. These names,” Robbie shakes his head. “Antoine and Lucius are only about three months apart in age. They went to the same schools, attended the same social events, dated the same girls, etcetera etcetera. From all outward appearances the two were best of friends and maybe they were for a time, although personally, I doubt it. Too much envy between the families. For as far back as I could find, there seems to be an almost incestuous relationship between them. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if DNA proved them to be related.”
“What happened if they were the best of friends.”
“Here is a photograph from commencement of Antoine and Lucius, who graduated Harvard University together. Lucius studied law, obviously as he is a Councilor of your great Tribunal. Antoine studied music. You’ll notice Antoine is… intact at this ceremony.”
Robbie brings up a photo of the two men with caps and gowns, each holding their diploma. I assume the people around them are their parents and maybe siblings. One particularly beautiful woman stands out in the group. She’s striking, her beauty appearing almost otherworldly in its perfection. She has an arm linked through each of theirs.
“Who’s the woman?” Zeke asks, leaning forward, elbows on his knees.
“That is Ms. Ines Delphine. Now Mrs. Ines Delphine-Augustus.”
“Councilor’s wife?”
Robbie nods. “After the boys graduated from Harvard, Lucius would be groomed to take over his father’s place on New England’s Tribunal. He’d be the youngest to ever hold that position. Turns out his father was ill and so The Tribunal moved rather quickly. Antoine was the latest piano protégé produced by the Girard family. He would go on to have an enviable career in that world. Honestly, I’m not a classical music man so I don’t know much about it. But I do know one thing. Can you guess what it is?”