Marriage is Murder

Cassidy listened and nodded " I'll make a list of ingredients ,mot we have already " she said and stood up heading into the kitchen she returned a few minuets later with a piece of paper. " here's the list Michael" she said and handed him it it was basic with meats and herbs she wanted for the casserole.

Steven set the cleaning spells in order and walked back to the table " okay that's done now down to putting the kids in the nursery." he said as Little Robert jumped out of the high chair into Stevens arms. " okay okay I'll take you up so you can all play" he said smiling and he looked apologetically at them all.

Kate wrote down a couple of things for Michael to pick up.  

"Michael, if you get the ingredients for that potato tart that Brian makes, I'm sure he will make it," Khaat said. "He likes to cook but he hasn't done it for quite awhile."

"Will do, Sweetie," Michael smiled. "I'll go now, though because I really need the ingredients for noontime, and I don't want to be gone all morning."  He got up and drew his wand. "I'll see you all later." He ported out.

Brian came back in a few moments later, looking very pleased. Owens followed him and went outside.

"What are you up to?" Khaat asked Brian.

"Now, that will spoil everything if I tell. I just need another day or so, and then we can all see.  Kate, can I raid your art studio?"

"Of course," she said.  "Anything there is yours, if you want it.  You know that."

"I'll go later, then.  And Kieran and Fi are coming today.  Is there anyone that can freshen up a couple rooms for them?" Brian asked.

"I'm sure that Cassidy and I can manage it. Can't we, Cassidy?" Kate asked.

Cassidy chuckled as Michael said he needed the ingredients for noon time. "yes I need those for what I'm making" she said smiling but not saying anything about what it actually was she was going to make. Steven returned from putting the kids in the nursery and smiled.

" okay green house , then hot house then barn" he said to himself mentally making a check list of what he had to do. Jack looked up and watched Michael go he also looked at Marcus and smiled.

"You'll get use to all this as the days go by." he said sipping his coffee as he sat " its no usually this mad around here" he caught Cassidy looking at him.

"Speak for your self, this Marcus is normal " she told him " but it can get weirder" she said Jim shrugged his shoulders.

" I've seen it worse yes, especially when Khaat's magic was on the fritz and we had furniture running around the place" he said Cassidy laughed and nodded.

"I'm actually rather enjoying it," Marcus told Jack and Jess. "Its a good change of pace from my usual work. I don't mind a bit of a new challenge." He glanced at Khaat and smiled slightly. He had figured out that she was going to require him to be on his game. She was going to be driven, unpredictable, and certainly more energetic than the old Bulgarian men he'd taken care of. And the fact that she was better looking was not something Marcus had missed either.

"Would you like me to help you get into something else besides those scrubs?" Brian asked her finally.

"Unless you'd rather me ask Marcus to help me," she said Marcus looked up, caught momentarily offguard. Brian rolled his eyes at her, and Marcus smiled, seeing that this gang of people had a definite sense of humor.

"We'll be back," Brian told the others. He helped Khaat to go back up to get a shower and from fresh, comfortable clothes.

Jack laughed and nodded " yes she is a challenge" he said and watched as Brian took Khaat to get changed out of her scrubs. Jim stood up and went to find a suitable table to place the game on when one was found for Marcus and him. Steven moved to the main doors and out to the green house to see what was ready and what was not.

Cassidy sat and listened to Marcus and smiled " Khaat has a strong will and if she doesn't want to do something she won't as for the people who after gaining her as influence they are fools for trying to attack here, were just too ready for them, the place is protected by spell and charms, Roberts spells and charms" she said picking up her cup of juice and taking a sip of it " I play winner " she said liking the idea of a challenge.

"You won't have to play the winners, Cassidy," Kate said. "Not necessarily. "They're going to divide the players into teams of four to play four different colored armadas and armies. If we get 8 people, there will be two players for each team. This game can go for weeks, actually. We played it once and it went for about six months. We started it when the kids got home from school on summer break and didn't finish it until after New Year's. Remus and Robert and I each played a team, and Khaat and Brian were paired up on their own team."

"Is that the one we played where Robert ended up taking over the world?" Brian asked.

"Yes, I believe it was," Kate laughed. "He didn't do it easily, though. We almost had him."

"How did he manage a win, then?" Marcus asked.

"Pure luck," Kate said. "The game has anti cheat dice, so it was purely how the dice rolled in the last few days of the game."

"So how are the teams divided?" Marcus asked.

"However you like," Kate said.

Michael apparated in quickly. Brian frowned. Michael had only been gone a few minutes.

"What's wrong? Brian asked.

"A dead body found behind Sparks before daylight," Michael said. "It can't be identified in the state its in now. Robert's gone there to try to secure it. Some of you who are strong stomached need to go help him secure it."

"I'll go," Khaat said, standing. Marcus stood up. Blood and gore didn't bother him either.

"No," Brian said. "You two stay here. Edward, you go. You see this stuff regularly. Jim is the manager. He needs to go. Anyone else want to go help him secure this and clean it up fast?"

Cassidy nodded she now understood some of how to play the game , when Michael returned and as soon as the word sparks was mentioned Jim stood up " I'm on my way " he said and ported to Sparks seeing Robert he walked over to him. " who is it any id?" he asked kneeling by the remains of the body. He had no clue as to who it used to be and looked back to Robert. " you don't think this is a warning to Khaat?" he asked noting how the flesh seem to be torn in places.

Cassidy made sure the table was clear and ready for what ever was to come she moved to make sure all the children were in the nursery and she staid to play with them keeping herself and them occupied. Steven returning with an arm full of flowers placed them in several vases sent each to a room and the old vases came down to empty and be washed.

"Not yet," Robert said. "It was a woman. She had graying hair. That's about all I know. Not sure what she was doing in the dark alley..."

Brian apparated in and started looking for clues. He'd brought Archangel with him. "Scout," he told the bird, sending it to look for anything that would have belonged to either a victim or an intruder. The bird glided through the alley, back and forth, while Brian made his own search.

In the next block, he found a clue. He found a torn cloak, with a woman's wallet in it, and a wand. He used the tip of his wand to open the wallet. He sighed heavily.

"Damn," he said. He whistled for the bird and then sent it back for Robert and Jim. The bird went over and perched on Jim's shoulder and screeched loudly in his ear.

Jim felt archangel settle on his shoulder what he didn't expect was the screeching that he did right down his ear. " Ouch arch, if I wanted to be deaf I'd sit and listen to Brant ,what did you find " he asked Brian hoping the bird would stop screeching so he could think and hear better.

Jim looked around the alley then at the shop " well who ever she was she was headed to the shop" he said and walked over to check if Lizzie knew what had happened out side even with Arch on his shoulder he just waited out side.

"Jim," Brian called him back. "Don't do that. We need to talk." Robert walked up to him.

"What'd you find?" Robert asked.

"Emily Dalhquist," Brian said very softly. "Same name last name as Lizzie, 2 years older, with the same village as Hannah's home town. I think this was Hannah's sister. We need to keep her out of the alley if we can. She definitely should not see this, not if its a stranger. And certainly not if its her sister."

The bird was still looking around and flew off Jim's shoulder and glided over to a corner of a dumpster. He landed on the dumpster and gave a yank to something in one of the metal seams. He took it back to Jim. It was a big mat of stinking fur, and it had a wet bloodstain on it.

Brian saw immediately what the bird had, and so did Robert. "Jim, send for Steven and Jack. We need to get this cleared up. Jim, go talk to Hannah and see if her soux chef can handle things for the day. Then get Hannah to a safehouse that's guarded by our people until we know Emily Dahlquist wasn't deliberately targeted. I'll trust you to make sure Sparks will stay running today without anyone finding out about this. And do please make sure that there is a staf member to make sure that any need Hannah has is met--no matter what it is. I trust you can take good care of her and of Sparks while Jack and Steven clean this up before everyone finds it out. Lets do this fast. We can't afford a panic."