Circling Stars

🌟 Chapter 31 🌟

"What the fu–"

"Are you alright?" Jasper rushed from the shower, hastily wrapping a towel around his waist, looking alarmed. I grabbed the file and began to go through it. Dimitri Halliwell arrested for multiple charges of counting cards in Monte Carlo, Vegas, and Montana? I read and reread the file while looking at the photograph every other second to make sure it actually was my father.

Jasper read over my shoulder without comment. His first arrest happened five years before I was born. At that time my mother would have been married to him for three years. The last arrest which was for a small casino in Montana happened a few months after I was born. The file also contained a few papers unrelated to the report saying that dad had a life time ban from all casinos both foreign and domestic. Also that the Halliwell Logging and Carpentry company had a lien filed on it from Wendigo Trust, the largest bank in town, for a hefty mortgage payment that had fallen far behind. It too was from the year I was born.

"Is this real?" It had to be a joke. The man described in these pages couldn't possibly be the one who raised me.

"It appears so. I believe you missed something."

"What?" Jasper took the file from my hands and turned to the inside of the cover that held a small sticky note with unfamiliar handwriting on it.

'You know where to find me. Make it soon.' Jasper smelled the sticky note but any trace of whoever wrote it was gone. Only my father's scent remained.

"Someone's blackmailing my dad. And he's a compulsive gambler?"

"People have pasts. Nearly twenty years of life will change most people."

"But why didn't he tell me? I need to find out if this mortgage is paid or if we're in danger of losing the business. If we lose it? What will be left for Sean's inheritance?"

"Perhaps he is ashamed and did not want you to know."

"My mom must know."

"I would not doubt it. Choosing to withhold indiscretions of his past does not change the fact that he loves you."

"I know," I quietly admitted. "Who could be blackmailing him?"

"Probably the same person that vandalized company property the second time."

"Yes. That makes sense. I'll have to call the bank." I pulled out my phone and looked up the information. "Damn they're closed. Well Shirley is Mr. Nixs great niece or cousin or something, he's the president of the bank. I bet I could get her to get the information somehow." Jasper stared at me with an odd expression. "What?"

"Theo, perhaps you should ask your parents about it. I have every confidence they would tell you the truth."

"I...I. What if-I don't want to hurt them. Or embarrassed them."

"If you would rather not let on that you know, I could look into the mortgage for you."

"What do you think?" I sat down and put my hand on his for strength.

"If it were me I would ask my parents directly and explain I happened on the information by chance."

"I don't know if I can do that," I admitted cowardly.

"You do not have to decide tonight. Do you want me to make excuses to the girls?"

"No, no, I'll go with them in the morning."

🌟

The cozy Canadian mountain spa was a good distraction. It was more of a small city rather than a luxury resort, though only the rich could afford to come here so the luxury part still applied. But due to its secluded location it had many things you wouldn't expect to see at a spa.

There were stores that sold everything from milk to high end designer clothing. We'd been here for three days and I still hadn't seen the whole place. It was that huge. A celebrity or ten walked past me causally without herds of adoring fans or reporters. Of all the shops I thought I'd visit the tattoo parlor wasn't one. Rose and Shirley were at brunch. Jasper had taken Sean for the morning. Both parties had invited me to go along with them but I complained of cramps and stayed in.

I had had some cramping due to my monthly biological event but they weren't so bad today really. After about half an hour I grew restless. Far too restless to stay in the room. I ended up going for a walk. A cold front had blown in so it was a bit chilly.

Maybe Jasper was right. I should just ask my parents. What was the worse that could happen?

     Embarrassing them was something I didn't want to do. They had withheld it from me for a reason. It could just be as simple as not wanting me to think ill of my father. But what if there was more? Was my life as I knew it about to be uprooted?

This was when a large poster taking up the entirety of a store window caught my eye. It was a beautiful starry night tattooed on the back of a woman. Nightingale Ink was smaller than all the other shops on the grounds. I started to wonder what else was in the body of work of this artist. I wandered in to see a woman at the desk.

She was maybe about five years older than me with dark red hair. She wore a short sleeve shirt that showed off her heavily tattooed arms. The work was beautiful.

"Hello," she said brightly. "My name is Kalie Nightingale. What can I do for you?"

"Hi. I'm Theo, are you the artist responsible for the work in that poster?"

"No. My sister is, that is me in the poster though. I'm just the secretary and bookkeeper. Would you like a consultation with Jordan?"

"Yes I would." Jordan and Kalie were identical twins. Or they were at least before they got tattoos. Jordan sported just as much ink as her sister though they were more in an anime style for the most part.

I was shown a portfolio of Jordan's work. The woman could do everything. There were portraits, pinups, animals, tribal, mermaids, Daryl from The Walking Dead and abstract pieces that would only mean something to the owner. 

I began to describe my four favorite constellations Andromeda, the Hydra, Hercules, and Perseus. I asked if it were possible to show the traditional lines and dots inside more detailed and realistic depictions of these. She said yes but it would have to be black and grey only, no color. She would have something drawn up tomorrow if I was serious about getting it. I told her I was and I would like it to go on my back. We made an appointment and I went on my way.

As I was leaving I got a phone call I'd been waiting for. A southern drawl awaited me on the other end of the line.

"Miss Halliwell. We've found the records you wanted. Sorry it took so long. They were so old that they hadn't been added to our computer systems. They're in good shape though. If you still want them I can send pictures to your email address or physical copies to your home if you'd prefer."