Marriage is Murder

Kate, Brian, Michael, and Robert followed closely behind and heard Jess briefing the rest of them.

"The reason Robert didn't have you follow," Robert said with a very slight amused expression, "is that he doesn't know where they went. We shall have to wait, I suppose. There is precious little else we can do."

Arriving in Diagon Alley, Marcus helped Khaat pull the hood of the cloak farther around her face. She didn't want to be seen. There were so many cloaks here that no one took notice of one more.

They didn't have to walk far before they picked up on a handful of people who were coming out of Knockturn, and they were upset. They were afraid, talking of 'so much death...."

"Sounds like our cue," Marcus said. She nodded. They entered the alley and saw people clustered around an entrance she knew all too well. It was the catacombs that led down to the illegal potions operations that Rob had once owned.

"Wait. I don't know where this goes," Marcus stopped her, whispering in her ear.

"I do," she said. "Like the back of my hand. Let's go." They headed down into the catacombs. The farther down they went, the more the green stone around her neck began to glimmer just slightly.

She and Marcus both knew the smell of blood much too well. There was a lot of it. A lot of death. Carnage of some sort. The smell alerted them to prepare themselves for some sort of brutal killing. And, Khaat's necklace said that there were either werewolves responsible, or werewolves being drawn by the blood.

Every one nodded not liking the waiting but what else can they do. " not much else we can do " Stevens aid and looked at Robert. Jack took the bags up to the rooms as did Jess. Brant headed down to the potions lab and began reading and writing letters again. Steven and Cassidy went to check the security around the main house.

Jack and Jess returned half an hour later and made sure every room was locked down and was fresh made for the others return as in Khaat and Marcus. She moved to the kitchen and started to make a pot of tea for Robert and the others.

Marcus heard the growing commotion of others who were apparently revolted by the crime in front of them. He wasn't sure he wanted her to see any more horrors.  

"Stay close to me," he told her quietly, holding tight to her good hand.  When they got to the lowest levels, she led him to the lab. There were others here, people who were Knockturn regulars who knew of the lab.  No one saw her under her cloak or cared. Nor did they know Marcus.

Marcus looked into the lab first. He turned and immediately moved to block her, to keep her from seeing.

"He took out the potioneers, didn't he?" Khaat asked softly.

"Well, someone did," Marcus said. "We don't know that it was him."

"You know better," she hissed angrily. "Of course it was him. How many of them did he get?"

"Its..hard to tell.  Two, maybe three," he said. She tried to push past him but all she got was a look over his shoulder. In that fraction of a second, she saw not only the women and how they'd died, but she also saw how many times James had wanted that to be her.

"Steady," she heard Marcus's voice say softly. She realized she'd buried her face in his shoulder, feeling dizzy.  Marcus was holding her upright against him.  "Breathe."  She was trying.  Then she heard one of the voices in the room bemoaning how long he'd known the women--ever since they'd been "Robbie's girls."  These were the same women that had worked for Rob. They'd stayed with the new owner.

The next she knew, she was waking. She smelled grass and was temporarily blinded by sunlight. She looked over and saw, beside her, Marcus was simply sitting in the grass beside her. She was laying in grass. It looked like a park of some sort.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Hogsmeade, I do believe," he said.  "I can smell fudge. We must be on the far side of the commons."

"How'd we get here?"

"I grabbed a portkey in my pocket when you fainted. Must have grabbed the one to Michael's and overshot it or something. Anyway, we landed here, and it seemed as good a place as any. You're not a fainter. Care to tell me what happened back there?"

"I knew them," she said softly. "A long time ago. They didn't deserve that."

"No one does," he said.

"That should have been me."

"No," he said forcefully. "They didn't have me. You do. England can't afford for it to be you. Wise up. This is bigger than you. Now, get yourself together. Let's go home before we're seen. It will do us no good to go hunting James. That's not our job. My job is you. Your job is to follow your father's orders, and he has not ever wanted you hunting a beast like James." He drew out a flask of firewhiskey out of his jacket and gave her a swig. It seemed to help. She was grateful.

There was a long pause where there was nothing but the sound of birds and the breeze through the trees.

"I owe them something," she said softly, finally. "I'm going to get him, Marcus."

"No. We're going to get him. Its going to take more than just you. He's not our first priority, though. As important as he is, he's not our first goal. Our first goal is to get your father back into some position where he can help more effectively. Come on. Let me take you home." He stood up and helped her to her feet.  

He ported them back to the house. Khaat simply headed straight to her room.

"Marcus,..." Brian began.

"One moment," Marcus said. "Can someone send up a tea tray, please?" He accio'd a bottle of brandy from the kitchen.  "Give me a moment. I'll be back. She's not hurt--just upset." He headed upstairs behind her.

Cassidy stood up seeing Marcus and Khaat return both her and Jess looked at each other. " I'll do that " Jess said and headed to the kitchen to make up the tray returning she saw Marcus with the bottle of whiskey and followed him soon after with the tray.

Reaching Khaats door she knocked and slowly pushed it open " I brought the tray you asked for" she said and set it down on a small table beside Khaat she looked up at her but said nothing a she simply pored a cup for her and stood up leaving as quietly as she had entered closing the door behind her as she went.

Marcus saw the tray arrive. He was glad to see it come upstairs. He was in the process of drawing a bath for her. She wanted to make sure the smell of blood was not on her or her clothes. Marcus understood that and intended to shower for the same reason.

"Thank you, Jess," Marcus said quietly. "I know Robert will want a report. If you'd ask him to just bear with me a few moments to clean ourselves up, I'll be with him." He went into the bathroom and got a bottle of calming potion that was in the cabinet and poured a bit into Khaat's tea. He handed her the mug. "Drink that. It'll help."

"I knew them," she said softly.

"I gathered that," he said. "How?"

"They worked for my first husband. They didn't deserve how he treated them, let alone this."

"How did....wait. There's a bigger story here, isnt' there?" He asked, wondering how the women got into an illegal potions lab.

"Yes," Khaat said softly. "Its a long story."

"Go get your bath first. Then we'll talk later." She complied.

Jess looked at Marcus and nodded " of course, I'll tell him right away. " She said as she noting the copper smell that hung thick in the room that she recognized as blood and knew Jack would note it as well. Jess moved back out of the room and went to find Robert.

She found him and accioed some more tea for him and Kate. " here I brought you some tea, Marcus says he will make a full report in time hes getting Khaat settled she seemed...rattled and upset." she told him " I didn't press for details but left him to it." She placed the tray beside Robert and waited to see if he had any words for her to take back to them.

Jack smelt the blood and where it was coming from but he could tell it was old blood several weeks old and he ignored it best he could. Brant moved to the chess table and sat down Cassidy sat facing him.

" okay game on" she said and moved her first piece Brant chuckled and refocused himself on the game rather than the boxes in the farm lab.

"I should go up," Brian said.

"Hold," Robert said. "Just give her a moment. Its okay if she's upset. she's not fragile. Lets wait til we know what its about. IF they're just cleaning up, lets give them a moment, shall we?"

Once Khaat had her bath and a couple cups of tea--with double doses of calming potion, Marcus left her sitting on the sofa in her room> He'd asked for an old photograph album and then he'd her to rest a moment. The potion left her a bit groggy and she didn't have any desire to go anywhere.

Marcus showered and changed quickly and went downstairs.

"My apologies," he said. "We wanted to freshen up. Her instincts were impeccable. She found James' latest crime scene. Not someplace I've been before, but she certainly had. Some illegal potions lab in the catacombs beneath Knockturn."

Robert and Brian frowned deeply.

"That's not good," Robert said. "Who did he kill?"

"Three women potioneers. We heard someone say they'd been 'Robbie's girls.' Whatever that means. Khaat said she knew them."

"And so she does," Robert said seriously." She definitely does."

Jack listened and snorted softly as he spoke to Marcus. " I noticed the smell as you returned " He told him sipping a cup of soda as he watched Cassidy and Brant playing chess , Brant had just taken her bishop and Cassidy was about to use ehr knight to take one of his pawns.

Jack sat back on the couch and watched Jess moved to sit with him her arm resting on his leg as she watched knowing Khaat's feelings were loud but she could block them out and she did. After a moment she moved to the kitchen.

"Is there anything I can help with?" she asked Angus hoping to actively do something rather than sit around.

"Somehow she was just, well, on it," Marcus said. "It was still fresh. I tried to stop her from seeing but, well, she managed to get a look over my shoulder. I know she's a healer, but that was beyond what any woman should have seen. She was pretty upset."

"Small wonder," Robert sighed, feeling for her. "You're sure she's alright?"

"She's had enough calming potion she might sleep, perhaps," Marcus said.

"Doubtful," Brian said.

"What did she want an old photo album for?" Marcus asked.

"Her first husband turned out to be an illegal potions king," Brian sighed. "Abbey's bio father. He's the animagus. Not me. When he left her, Khaat got all his assets. She knew the women who worked for Rob because of being married to him. It brings back powerful memories for her."

"When she was trying to burn the proverbial candle at both ends to try to salvage her marriage, she used to go there and get illegal energy potions," Robert said. "She kept it from us, but by the time we found out, she was powerfully addicted. It nearly killed her. She relapsed when she got pregnant, and we almost lost her again. Rob didn't know until it was well out of control that it was his own illegal lab that was feeding her habit. He saved her life. One of the decent things he did when he was with her."

Robert looked at Brian. "Now is when you should go up. Don't let her get lost in old photos of Rob. Her life isn't there anymore. Remind her where her heart is now."

"You mean you're finally going to let me make my own choices?" Brian sighed, edgy. He went upstairs.

"If you want to help with something, Jess," Angus said. "I'm up to my neck in kitchen and pantry inventory, and we do have to come up with dinner tonight. We should eat in a couple hours, and I haven't started a darned thing."

Jess looked at Angus and smiled " what about a simple pot roast with veg?" she suggested be easy to cook and we can serve it right to the table in the pot" she added as she crossed to the fridge and took out what she needed and began preparing it quietly.

Soon the pot was made and she slipped it into the oven to cook she had listened to then retell how bad Khaat's past had been. Jess felt like she should not go back there but those poor women and how she imagined how they died she could not help but shiver at the images that seem to skip in her mind.