Marriage is Murder

"Fine," Robert said, satisfied with how they had divided. "I will leave Michael here with her as well."

"We shall start with the shop," Daniella said. "Phillippe, rid us of those muggle police officers and get us capable aurors instead."

"At once," Phillippe said. He summoned two of his own aurors and then apparated out to go to the stairwell and walk up to avoid having to obliviate the muggle officers outside. He took the aurors with him and used his governmental identification to take control of the guards outside the room and to relieve them of their posts and leave the aurors in their places. He briefed them while Daniella and Robert made their plans.

"Robert," Michael called. Robert went out to the balcony and spoke with Michael a moment and then returned.

"Shall we?" Robert asked.

"The sooner the better," Daniella said. "Our boat is docked right outside the hotel. We can take that to the shop."

"Call us if you need us," Robert told those that were remaining behind. He motioned those who were going to follow and then opened the door to the suite and made his way downstairs to the boat at the dock.

Brian had decided to use the little fizzle of magic he had left to try to slowly and magically chip away at the stone that held the bars on the cellar window. He'd been working at it for some time when he was discovered. Two big musclemen were angry. They were going to cast spells at him but Brian picked up a couple of rocks from the cellar floor and hurled them at them, hitting them and knocking the wands from their hands. They dove at him, and he dove right back, deciding that sometimes an old fashioned brawl accomplished more.

"Well," Robert said to Jack, "that would be Brian's." They got off the boat and went into the shop. Robert pieced together from Khaat's story where she had been in the store, looking at the menswear. Looking for a gift for Brian. He'd known she had not wanted him to see what she was buying, so he had gone around the corner and was looking at some lovely scarves and shawls for her on the other half of the store--within earshot but not within eyesight. Robert went over to where Brian had been and saw the bloodstain on the floor. By his judgement, it wasn't a small wound either. Phillippe allowed Robert to do some investigating on his own, but he began to look for his own clues. He began to look in the area that would have been behind Brian, presuming Brian would have fouht back had he seen anyone coming.

He drew his wand and flicked it, casting a spell. There were traces of magical energy, but the closer Phillippe looked, the more curious he became. He knelt down on the floor and began examining something else he' found.

"What did you find?" Daniella asked him.

"Another stain," Phillipe said, showing her a dark stain on the floor.

"More blood?" she asked.

"No, I don't think so." he touched it with his fingers and sniffed the substance on the floor. "Ewww." he wrinkled his nose. "Its a French bordeux. And a really badly made one. Its about half cheap wine and half vinegar. And someone walked in it with expensive shoes."

"What is a French wine doing in a Venice shop?" Daniella frowned. She turned to Robert. "Do you know anyone in France who is your son-in-law's enemy? Or yours?" Robert spun around, his eyes wide.

"France? We most certainly do," Robert said. Gelding? Gelding had been behaving for quite some time. And Robert had left him largely alone. Could it be that Tom Gelding was rearing his ugly head one more time?

"Why the hell would they bring a bottle of wine here of all places? Why not just leave their bloody names signed on the wall?" Robert scowled. "Damned morons."

"Unless it is a trap, my friend," Daniella said gently.

"Jack," Robert said, "you and Steven go back to the hotel. Get Michael and take him with you. Brian is the one who knows his way in and out of Gelding's place. But since he's the one we're rescuing, we don't have that advantage. And we need stealth and speed. That means Michael. Michael does not need to have the blueprints to get you in and out, and he'll need your fighting skills and your strength. Get Brian out, preferably alive. Bring him back to Khaat here in Venice unless he's not able to walk. If he can stand and walk, you bring him back to the hotel. I will deal with Gelding myself, but I want him to have to wait. Sometimes your enemy will be crazier sooner if you do nothing than if you immediately strike back.

"Daniella, I want copies of all your reports, please."

"And I want you to catch Mr. Gelding," Daniella said. "We can contact the head of wizarding law enforcement in France to...."

"Unnecessary. He is very well aware of my movements in France. I have a free hand there so long as I can justify that it is for a good cause," Robert said.

"Can you get them to extradite Gelding here?" Daniella asked.

"If I don't extradite him home to my own courts first," Robert said.

"The offense happened here. The jurisdiction is mine, and you know it," Daniella said.

"When I get him, you can have him," Robert said. "Jack, go. Bring my son back home. Take a piece of that broken glass to Michael. It will help him know where to look for Brian."

(ooc: brian is in paris. i mentioned in my first post where he woke up that he could see the eiffel tower from the basement window.)

Michael heard them come in. Khaat had been seeing something that didn't make sense to her. Michael had given her paper and she had done a rough sketch. Michael had just taken the sketch in his hand when they came back.

"One moment," Michael said. He looked at the sketch and frowned. "One of you is wrong, Jack. Give me that label." He took the wine bottle label and studied it. "This wine isn't made in Italy. Its made in France. And look at this." He showed them Khaat' sketch. It was a rectangle with some very distinctive lines and shapes. "This bit here? No other place on the planet has that shape. That's the damned Eiffel Tower, and that's not in Venice. I think those thick black lines all the way across the sketch are bars. I think this very well could be what Brian is seeing from where he is. He's able to see the Eiffel Tower. I don't think he's in Italy. I think that boy is in Paris. Remember, Gelding's primary base and stronghold is in Paris. And, I don't know if you remember ever being in that cellar or not, but Gelding makes shitty wine down there. It well might be that the label is his way of marking his bottles. I think they're holding him in that wine cellar Gelding's got.

"If we do this, you lot need to decide if you're looking in Venice, or if you're coming with me. Because I'm going to Gelding's mansion in Paris."

Khaat didn't want ot remin behind if they were going to leave her alone again. Michael turned to her.

"I need you to trust me. I need you to stay here where you're safe," he told her quietly. "You won't be alone. I promise. Someone will be here with you."

"Good," Michael said. "I would presume that Robert will be back soon. Hiss--let's go, Boy. We've got a mission to do. Some prat has taken Brian, and we're going to go get him back." The rope perked up to attention in Michael's bag and slithered over to Michael, wound its way up Michael's torso and coiled up around his shoulder. He gave a whistle, and a small black case sprang out of the bag and snapped over to Michael's hand. Michael tucked the case in his pocket. "One of you need to take a bit of a first aid kit. The boy was bleeding, remember. We need to be prepared to at least bandage him so he doesnt leak all the way out and leave a trail."

Khaat look at her hands. She could see blood on them, but she didn't know whether it meant Brian was hurt or not. She didn't know if it meant he'd gotten blood on his hands from the wound on his head, or if there was an additional wound. She showed Jess her hands and signed one word. "Blood." She also knew he was angry and frustrated. He wanted to come home.