"Well, you never know until you check it, do you?" Angus said.
"But if he has this lodge, who knows what else he's spent some of that ill gotten gains on that we don't know about yet? I think it's worth trying to check the financial dealings of his shell companies to see what they're buying and selling."
"And that means we need to know precisely how much he has in Gringotts," Michael said.
"Well, we're shelving that until such time as we can seriously consider that," Robert said. "We'll deal with what we can do."
"And there's also the Paris wizarding bank. Surely he has money there too," Michael said.
"Again, that will be easy for us to check when you're able to do it."
"Robert, I promised your brother..."
"You gave my brother a promise on the night before the Second Wizarding War broke out. He made you promise to protect Khaat and Teddy with your life. And you have protected Khaat always, my very dear friend. You have. We never got a chance to step in for Teddy because the Potters simply snatched him up and took it upon themselves to claim him, but that is what the Potters do, isn't it? I don't know if James' arrogance is genetic, but they sometimes behave just like him. If they want something, they pretty much just claim it and take it, but I digress," Robert said seriously.
Kate looked at them quizzically. This was something, after all these years, that even she had never heard. She didn't know that Remus had asked Michael to protect Khaat. Robert, at that moment, had had a falling out with Khaat, and it had been significant. It had taken Remus's death to bridge the gap. And as for Robert's assessment of James Potter, James had been their friend. They loved him, but even Kate had to agree that James could have a bloody thick streak of arrogance--probably his biggest shortcoming.
"But, Michael," Robert continued, "you are absolutely no help to her until you are well yourself. I'm still her father, and I really fell short of the mark back then and I would have won no fatherhood awards. I will not fall short ever again. Leave her, this time, to me." He paused and then looked at the others. "I think, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go shower and then I'll join you in going to Paris. Michael, we'll try to send you some ledgers to look through, but it could take us at least a couple of hours to roust someone out of bed to get them for us."
"Understood," Michael said. "That gives me a couple of hours to freshen up myself and perhaps get a little shut eye. I'll be ready when those ledgers come." He excused himself from the rest of them to go to his room. Robert did the same thing.
"Kate," Edward said, "As I understand it the safehouse is still not really useable yet."
"It isn't," she replied.
"That means we will need a remote command post for this mission. Obviously this estate is set up for that in every way imaginable, save one. Someone who intimately knows the organization and intimately knows the estate. I know how driven you'll be to want to go on the mission, but, really, this one time, we really do need you to step up and command the mission. We won't be able to stop Robert from going, no matter how big of a target that makes him."
"Me? Command a mission?"
"You and Robert own the organization together. It naturally and legally falls to you."
"No, it falls to Brian," she said. "He's the second in command."
"We need him on the mission, and he isn't going to be left behind. You have always been Robert's port in the storm. You are very capable of this, but you've never done it because you've always been more comfortable being in Robert's shadow. This one time, it has to be you." She knew he was right, but her silent fear was that she might muck it up, and if she did, what if that mistake cost Khaat and Marcus their lives? She sat down, sipping on her tea, not saying anything.
by 
