you complete your father’s requests, you shall return to me and the funds will be released to you within seven days. Inside that folder is proof that you are the owner of said properties now. As stated, by the end of the week, everything will finish rolling over, but you can begin reviewing the information now. All of it goes to you now. It’s just the money, the liquid funds in the bank accounts, that is frozen until these tasks are complete.”
“All right, I get it. I’ll, uh, take this home and read it, and be in touch.”
The lawyer got to his feet and shook his hand.
“It was nice to meet you, Aries. I must say, the resemblance between you and your father is astounding. It’s like looking back in time. I wish I would have met you under better circumstances, but nevertheless, I’m glad I did.”
“You enjoy the rest of your day.” Aries grunted and turned away. He walked towards the door and paused. Turning back around, he found the lawyer and his assistant still staring at him. “Mr. Smith?”
“Yes?”
“You said you knew my father for twenty years. What, uh… what kind of man was he?”
The man smiled sadly. “He was a brilliant man. He was successful. He was also what I would consider complicated, Aries.”
“But… you knew him, so, like, was he a good to his employees? Was he well liked? Funny? All I keep hearing about is how clever he was, prosperous, things like that. That’s all fine and dandy, but it would be nice to know what people really thought about him, ya know? Like, would he still have had such a big funeral if he’d been poor? What was his character like?”
“Aries, your father was different things to different people. He was also quite a private person. I think all of us finding out about you the way we did is proof of that. One thing I learned rather quickly about Benjamin Ulysses Creed was: you didn’t ask him personal questions, son.” Darkness filled the man’s eyes, his expression now grave. “And secondly, we only knew what he wanted to show us. So, when I tell you I knew your father for twenty years, I did. But I also say, I know with certainty that I only knew a small facet of him. That facet presented to me was one of a good man, but if you only see the tip of an iceberg, how can one truly say what lies just below the surface?”
CHAPTER TWO
Something Wicked This Way Comes
“Five candles have gone missing within the last three business days. Two last week. Ten the week before that. I am about to put cameras in here. People are treating my store like it’s a charity.” Lauren snatched several hardbound, old books from the top shelf behind the checkout counter. Sherry, one of her employees, a young, cute college student with extensive knowledge in all things vampires, regarded her with deep-set eyes.
“Lauren, you know those teenagers come in here stealing all the time. If it’s not the candles, it’s the paperbacks. Sticky fingers. Speaking of which, have you noticed which ones come up missing the most?” The girl’s pierced brow rose. “It’s always the books on divination, sex, or tarot cards. They’re trying to make love spells.”
Lauren huffed and dropped all the books on the counter with a big thud. They were dusty and musty, some of her most prized possessions due for their monthly gentle wipe down. She laughed as she started gently rubbing a white cloth on one of the tomes. “Stealin’ to make a love spell? Seems like there would be some sort of karma involved in that.”
“Yeah, you’d think so. They need the candles to do it though, see? You remember what it was like to be sixteen and full of hormones, right?” The girl chuckled as she tugged at her dark purple hoodie, adjusting it just so. She clutched the cloth as she worked on another of the books, helping out. Her eyes appeared larger than usual, with her poker straight chestnut brown hair peeking from her hood, and her rosy cheeks stood out over pale, unblemished skin.
Lauren sighed. ‘Won’t’ by Tanerélle played on low volume throughout the store, setting a rather somber mood to an otherwise normal day.
“Why don’t they do a spell to stop stealing then? A money incantation… That’s what they need if they want to bounce their behinds up in here and steal from me. Cash doesn’t