Marriage is Murder

"She should know I don't die that easily," Brian sighed. He was quickly becoming frustrated. "I've checked these doors and windows a dozen times. There's nothing wrong with them. Nothing wrong with the locks, nothing wrong with the protection charms. How the hell did he get in here? Even if he got back on the grounds, how the hell did he get in the house? We've never, ever been breeched before. Never."

"Perhaps you weren't breeched," Escobar said. "When it doesn't make sense, go with the evidence and see where it takes you. If there's no damage to the doors and windows and no evidence of tampering, then perhaps they weren't tampered with."

"Now you're not making any sense."

"Oh, yes I am. Clearly he got onto the grounds. But perhaps he had help getting into the house."

"What are you saying?" Brian frowned.

"What makes sense, with the evidence, is that one of your staff is a traitor and not to be trusted," Escobar said.

"I guess I didn't want to think anyone I trusted would do that," Brian sighed. "But if that's the case, I'm going to find them. And I will kill them. I'm not bringing my family back until I know, beyond all doubt, that they'll be safe."

He considered another thought. "Brant, we evacuated immediately. Go into my office and open up the space behind the big landscape painting behind my desk. There is a huge messenger back in there. Grab it. Be careful--its very heavy. Don't let it out of your sight. Hopefully, Robert's enchantments on it still hold. If they do, none of us should be able to open it. I'm going to trust you with hand delivering that to Robert when we get to the safehouse. I don't think he had time to get it before we had to leave."

"Jim, I'll let you talk to the house elves. I can't imagine they did this. They're sworn to lifelong loyalty to those they work for. But I think we should start there since they're the only other ones who work in the house. Everyone else works out on the grounds and only come in the house when they have to," Brian said.

"That's fine," Brian said, agreeing to Jim taking Brant to the safehouse. Brian knew Brant didn't have a key. He knew Brant hadn't been there when Robert gave out the keys, but Brian hadn't had the ring of keys. Robert had had it. At the moment, it didn't matter to Brian how people got there--just so they got there.

"One of my ground crew?" Brian frowned. "Most of them have been with me from the beginning, from my early days in Paris. I've fought alongside almost every one of them. They're not going to put my family--my wife, my kids, Robert--at risk...." He stopped short. His training taught him differently--taught him to be willing to look at things even when it was hard. And this was hard. If there wasn't someone who had betrayed him, then there was a very serious breech in security. "Either way, I must have missed something," he said heavily. "I'm going to have to talk to each one of them."

Robert took the bag from Brant, glad to have it. He checked to be sure his protection spells were still in place. Seeing that they were, he tucked the bag under his arm, preparing to take it to the basement.

"Robert," Kate asked. "Are you sure you even need that thing here?" He didn't change his expression. He merely headed for the basement.

"Should I even ask what that is?" Michael asked.

"Its his 'last resort' bag," Kate said. "It has everything in it that he believes he needs to have in case of the last resort. He's been keeping a 'last resort' bag of some sort since the break out of the second wizarding war."

"Do you know what's in it?" Michael asked, frowning.

"A bloody lot of potions stuff, some books and ledgers of some sort, some medical equipment and supplies, and I don't know what else," she said. "The only other person that I know he has allowed to know what all he has in it is Brian.."

"Then if Brian knows what's in it, I presume he felt it was time for Robert to have it," Michael said.


Hours passed. As the long night passed, Marcus tried repeatedly to get Khaat to give in and go to bed. She refused, unable to rest without Brian following them to the safehouse. He tried to tell her it might well be days before Brian showed but, but she wasn't giving in. He did get her to at least stretch her legs out on the sofa, and he found pillows and a blanket so that she could be a bit more comfortable if she were so determined to sit up and wait.

Meanwhile, near dawn, back at the estate, Brian found one of the grounds crew in one of the guard towers, and the guard was counting a large bag full of galleons.

"Whats' this?" Brian frowned. The guard turned and saw he'd been caught. He didn't answer right away. Brian saw the look in his face. "No," Brian said. "Tell me you didn't sell out my family." The guard didn't reply. "Why?" Brian demanded. "Why would you do this..."

"He paid me!" the guard retorted angrily. "Do you have any idea what that much money looks like to a man like me?..."

Brian grabbed him, unable to control his rage.

Some time later, as Michael and Angus were starting breakfast, Brian ported finally to the safehouse. He was covered in blood. Khaat perked up, saw him port in saw all the blood and began to panic.

"Its not me!" Brian said quickly. "Its not mine. Calm down. I'm fine."

Marcus looked at Brian, needing to be sure Brian wasn't stretching the truth to soothe Khaat. But all he saw was honesty in Brian's face.

"He's telling the truth," Marcus said to her quietly. "Brian, Jim's right. Go shower. We're fine."

"Be sure," Brian said.

"We'd be better if you weren't scaring the shit out of us," Michael said sarcastically, coming over. "Was there not water where you were? Forget to pay the water bill, did they?"

"I don't have a water bill," Brian frowned.

"Go make yourself presentable before you scare the kids too," Michael said. Brian headed for the shower. Michael looked at Jim. "I don't think we want to know, do we?" he asked.