A New Reason to Hate Paris

"If he is like most muggles, I doubt he has a choice but to try to make a living, regardless," Michael said dryly. "Let's go." Michael went ahead towards the second door and used his work badge to get inside. It was a long narrow corridor that had been whitewashed and had nondescript tile floors with doors on each side of the hallway. Michael remembered the row and seat numbers from the tickets and worked the code in his head.

Balcony seats...management offices--because they oversee everything. Box C...Curator's office, obviously. Where else would it be?

"This way," Michael said quietly. He knew where that was from previous trips. He lazily slipped his hand into his pocket, reaching for a lockpick, but he didn't want to bring it out before he got to the door. When he got to the curator's office, he used the pick with one hand, blocking the security camera by standing between it and the door, and slipped inside. He glanced around and saw no cameras in here. Good. Well, they hadn't modernized since he was last here, had they? That was in their favor.

"Keep watch," Michael said. "I doubt you can help with this bit, unless I've underestimated your training." He went over to the safe and crouched in front of it, pausing only a moment to look it over. It was an old school safe, and it made him smile, appreciating their generosity of making it easy for him.

This was in the fingers, letting them glide across the dial, and letting himself listen for the rolling of the tumblers. He turned the knob slowly until he heard the first sound of the tumblers and felt the vibration in his fingertips. So far, so good. He turned it back the other way until he felt the tumblers roll the other way.

"Almost there," he said, turning the dial back one more time until he heard it roll once more and then he heard the latch. He smiled at Brant. "We're in." He opened the safe and found a leather bound book right on top of the other papers in the safe, and on the top shelf a tray of priceless jewels. He left everything but the book, taking it and opening it. Scanning the pages, he saw it was a financial ledger, but what for? The more he read it, the more he paled. He looked back at Brant.

"This is our book! This is our own bloody book--the organization's ledger, our finances--right here. What the hell did Gelding have our budget for?" He was angry now.

Brant chuckled and nodded as he followed Michael's direction. Watching in awe at the expert work to get them inside and to the room he followed in silence knowing that would be best for Michael to work in. At Michaels words Brant chuckled and shook his head “ I'll keep watch” he said glancing back and forth up and down the corridor while Michael worked on the safe. When he spoke Brant glanced back at him but immediately looked back into the corridor.

Hearing Michael speak he moved to his side “ bloody hell, how'd they get a hold of that, we should get this back asap to Robert.” he said moving to door and looking back out into the corridor. “ all clear still, we should move and now.” he glanced at his watch noting how soon they would change back to themselves. “ The polyjuice will ware off in six minuets by my calculations.” he told him.

"Agreed," Michael said. "It doesn't make sense why Gelding would want our books. It does not reveal names or places, only basic categories and amounts, but we should get out. Six minutes is more than enough time if we don't plan on getting caught. Going back the way we came is perhaps the best plan."

He closed the safe and went to the door and started to lead the way out. He'd only taken a couple of steps when he heard footsteps approaching. He started to whistle, and soon a pair of fellow guards came around a corner and down the hallway.

"What are you so happy for?" one of the guards asked him. "Finally thinking of going out with me, are you?" Michael knew his voice did not sound the least bit like a woman in her 20s, he smile cast the man a bit of a flirtatious smile and kissed the man's cheek and then turned and walked away. The man took it as a fortunate sign from the female guard, but Michael knew he had to just keep on walking.

When he got outside, he walked straight down the street and over behind the hedge where they'd come from. He dropped the work badge on the ground and drew the portkey from his pocket.

"Shall we go home?" he asked Brant, wanting to get the book to Angus to look over, since Angus had done the books for the organization before taking the job with Brian full time. If anyone could see a discrepancy, it would surely be Angus, wouldn't it?

(feel free to port them home. )

Brant followed Michael out of the building he paused when the third guard caught up to them and flirted with Michael which made him chuckle a little but he admired his resolve when he responded to the man then walked away. Now behind a large Hedge Brant saw and felt the polyjuice potion wear off and his cloths become baggy he transfigured them back to his size and ran his hands threw his hair placing it back into its normal position glad to be himself again.

“yeah, I need a shower after that.” he said and chuckled as together they ported back to the main house. Looking around he didn't see any one but he could smell the smell of fresh cooked cookies lingering in the air. “ Angus must be in the kitchen.” he said ad smiled at the thought of the fresh cookies. “ I'm headed to grab a shower.” He said and headed up the stairs to his room.

Michael was glad both to get back into his own form and his own clothes, and glad to get back to the estate. He wasn't surprised at Brant needing a shower. That wasn't an altogether unheard of reaction. Michael was more concerned about the book he'd gotten.

He took it into the kitchen and found Angus at work gathering up dirty cookware to put it into the sink.

"I see you're back in one piece," Angus said. "Where's Brant?"

"Showering. Polyjuice apparently doesn't agree with him," Michael said.

"It has that effect, so what did you find?"

"Take a look," Michael said, handing over the book. Angus picked up his tea mug and took a sip of tea as he started thumbing through the pages. Suddenly it dawned on Angus and he choked on his tea.

"What in the name of Merlin is this!" he exclaimed. "That's our book! Michael, is this some sort of a joke?"

"Not on my part, Mate. That's the book I found in the museum safe," Michael said seriously.

"But these figures don't even add up. That's not our budget, not at all. If this is our real ledger, then we're considerably over budget and all for things we do not buy. Nor have we ever bought those things. This is, potentially, off by hundreds if not thousands of galleons."

"So, what should we do?"

"I need to show this to Robert at once. If there's anyone who might make sense of it, it's him." Angus took the book and went to find Robert. He found Robert working in the estate office.

"Robert, here's the book Michael and Brant got. Mind taking a look?" Angus asked. "Looks, for all the world, like its our own financial ledger. It is--and it isn't."

"What?" Robert frowned. "Let me see." Angus handed over the book and Robert looked through some of the pages, his frown deepening nearly with ever page he turned. He looked up at Angus. "Get the others together for me, Angus. We need to discuss this at once."

"Will do," Angus said. He walked through the house and stopped at the rooms, asking for everyone to gather downstairs in the living room to discuss the book that Brant and Michael had brought back.

Brant finished showering and felt so much better now dressed in slacks and a shirt he walked barefoot down to the kitchen and over heard Michael and Robert talking as he walked in drying his hair off. “Now I feel like me again” He said smiling as Jack walked up and ruffled his hair again. “ Hey” he said and chuckled running his fingers through it to straighten it out again with a huff towards Jack who just chuckled and carried on into the room.

“so what's with the book.” Brant asked as he lent against the door frame.

“Jess is staying with Brian I'll relay any information she needs “ Jack said picking up the serious tone in Angus's voice as he waited for the others to join them. “ you think Khaat will join us?” he asked softly knowing she might not.

"I've tried to talk to her about Brian and about not moving out until she knows more of the facts, especially what Brian's view of the facts are," Marcus said. "I talked her into a long soak in the bathtub in my bath, and I gave her a bottle of a herbal bath oil for relaxation that she bought from Solstice Cane. Good smelling stuff, that. I think she'll be in there for awhile. What have you found in that book, Robert?"

"I think we have the evidence we need that there is a traitor on our midst. What I don't know is whether or not Gelding knows what's in this book, and I don't know if Brian knows what's in it," Robert said.

"Was it a ledger of our finances?" Michael asked.

"It appears like it is, but here's the thing. Some things are, interestingly, things we would have never spent money on. For example, there is a fee, every month, for the last 4 months, for a rental hall in Paris, as well as a fee for an auctioneer. No names listed--just line items. It looks like perhaps Owens was using our monies to pay for part or all of Gelding's expenses."

"Then we have to get Owens out."

"If it is actually Owens that we're looking for," Angus said.

Jack chuckled and nodded “ yeah Jess mentioned them , bit too flowery for me though, she likes them.” he smiled but on listening to Marcus talk he sighed and shook his head , having a traitor was always bad for any organisation, and sniffing it out as not easy ether. Brant finished drying his hair and slung the towel over his shoulder waiting for the meeting to start at hearing Roberts words he frowned.

“You sure it was Owens?” He asked standing straighter that usual “It just doesn't seem his style, I mean the guy trained half the man here including me.” Brat wasn't defending Owen's but he couldn't believe he'd betray Robert the way as he was telling them.

"No, we don't exactly know it was him," Robert said.

"But he's the one doing the books," Angus said. "I trained him myself to take over the books when I started here full time. I know what each of those entries should be saying. The losses to the organization's finances is astronomical--and they're being used for the exact opposite purpose that those monies should be used for."

"Calm yourself," Robert said gently. "Brant, you're the last one trained, so you might be the right man for this. What would you think about going back to Paris? Tell Owens I need you to get some advanced training on some of the martial arts things we use. It would give you a reasonable way to be returning there. And, as a potions maker, you're clever enough to be able to take some veritaserum with you and perhaps slip it to Owens."

"I need to go, Robert," Angus said, "whether or not Brant goes. If there's a question in the books, I need to see for myself that there are or are not funds in the bank in Paris."

"Lovely, but that blows Brant's excuse for being there to heck," Michael said.

"Perhaps. Or perhaps not. What if Angus is injured and cannot help Brant with the training?"

"But I'm not injured," Angus said.

"You could be," Michael teased.

"Don't be so helpful," Angus retorted. "Why, if I'm injured, would I be there?"

"If you were already in Paris, on a separate affair for me and were injured, where would you go?" Robert asked.

"To headquarters, of course," Angus sighed. He looked at Brant. "What do you think?"

"I think, if we do this, one of you needs to go first and the other needs to follow some time later," Robert said, "to reduce suspicion."

Brant still stood arms folded and shaking his head in disbelief. Hearing Robert he sighed and nodded before he spoke. “ if it proves one way or the other I'm in. “ He told him then he continued “ but...if it turns out he is the traitor I want first pop at him” his voice lowered as his knuckles turned white at the thought of being betrayed by some one he'd come to think of like a brother. Jack looked at Brant and shook his head.

“Wow there sparky I get a feeling there will be a long ass line if it turns out he has.” Jack says with a chuckle “ and I'm thinking Robert will be first in line.” He paused on hearing Angus talking.

“oh I'm going try and stop me, we need to know the truth.” Brant said then listened to the two of them scheming as to how to get both of them there “ could work for Angus to go first then he can ask for me to come and help him, maybe he was bitten by a snake with a rare poison or maybe I'm there at a convention, Humm...” He paused as he paced trying to work out a scenario that would work in his mind.