Chapter 9 : The Old Bracelet

I was too angry to be embarrassed about parking my dad’s beat up old four door in front of the Ashworth mansion. Grady, the house manager, let me inside. He assumed that I was there to see Kim. I didn’t correct him. I bypassed the stairway that would lead me up to Kim’s room and kept going.

I couldn’t stop thinking about my dad’s pale, confused face as he’d gotten out of the car. He looked awful. Maybe I was overreacting because I felt guilty, but I was determined to get to the bottom of what happened in that mine. It was the only clue I had about what had happened to him.

My heels clicked against the floor as I stormed my way towards Mr. Ashworth’s office. I had no idea what I was going to say to him. I was far too angry to approach this calmly.

Whatever was found in that mine, I was convinced that it was responsible for my dad’s condition.

I knew that I would find him in his office. He was known to work late into the night and sleep until noon.

I stomped up to the door and raised my hand to knock, but I stopped short. I could hear Mr. Ashworth’s voice, but it was the middle of the night. Who could he possibly be meeting with?

I hesitated.

I didn’t want to eavesdrop, but I didn’t want to interrupt him either. Before I could make a decision, I heard a familiar, deep voice from within the room.

“It’s an armlet.” That was Tahir. I leaned a little closer to the door and listened. “Etruscan, by the look of it. It’s valuable, but damaged.”

“What does it say?” Mr. Ashworth asked urgently.

I frowned. His tone was odd. I’d heard him angry before, but there was a tense quality to his voice that I didn’t recognize. What had him so wound up?

There was a beat of silence, then Tahir spoke. “I have no idea how it would have ended up in your mine.”

“The mines are old,” Mr. Ashworth said dismissively. “Someone must have been exploring and dropped it at some point.”

“I think that’s unlikely,” Tahir answered. I could picture the uncertain expression on his face. “People tend not to wander around with centuries old trinkets loose on their person.”

“It doesn’t matter how it got there. It was found in the mine, so it belongs to me. What does it say?” he demanded.

I frowned. It wasn’t like Mr. Ashworth to talk like that. He wasn’t asking about the origin of the artifact so that he could return it somewhere. He sounded so possessive of the object. I’d never heard him talk this way. It sent a cold feeling through me.

“I’ll give you 20 million for it,” Tahir stated bluntly.

My jaw dropped open. That was an incredible amount of money.

“No,” Mr. Ashworth said.

I shook my head in disbelief. None of this made sense. What was this bracelet, really? There had to be something more to it for Mr. Ashworth to be possessive of it and for Tahir to offer so much for it. I didn’t understand what was happening.

“40,” Tahir countered.

“It’s mine,” Mr. Ashworth noted angrily.

Tahir sighed and I could picture the irritation on his face. “Think it over.”

“I want to know what it says,” Mr. Ashworth said forcefully.

“I can’t tell you that,” Tahir noted.

The wording stuck out to me. He said he couldn’t tell him, not that he didn’t know. I heard movement and speaking, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying anymore. They must have moved away from the door.

I leaned against the wall across from the door. Why would Tahir be willing to spend that kind of money on a broken bracelet? Why wouldn’t Mr.Ashworth sell it?

It occurred to me that the bracelet must be in that room and I was seized with panic. If it had really made my dad sick, then could it be doing the same to Tahir? The thought of him pale and sickly made my heart ache.

Before I could act, the door swung open and Tahir stepped out. He shut the door behind him and an expression of anger flashed across his face. Then he looked up and met my eyes.

“Thea?” he said in surprise.

I looked him over, but saw no sign of illness. His eyes were alert and focused as he stared at me. “What are you doing here?” I asked.

He looked over his shoulder, then back to me. He looked concerned. “Douglas called me and insisted I come over.”

“It’s the middle of the night,” I said suspiciously.

“I know,” he answered. The look of concern only deepened. “What happened to your father? Is he alright?”

“No,” I replied angrily. Tahir hadn’t done anything wrong, but I couldn’t help but raise my voice. I hated not knowing what was happening. “What do you know about that bracelet?” I demanded as I pointed at the door behind him. “What is it?”

Tahir looked confused. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“My dad was there when they dug it out of the mine and now he’s sick. He’s delirious! He said it was glowing. Is it radioactive or something?”

If Tahir knew anything that might be helpful, I needed to know now. I felt bad that I was being aggressive with him, but I couldn’t seem to stop. I was starting to cry.

“No, it isn’t radioactive,” he said in disbelief. “Your father works in the mine?”

“He’s an engineer,” I responded. “He said that he picked it up and heard voices in his head. What the hell is going on?!” I could hear the desperation in my own voice, but I didn’t care.

“Thea,” he said softly. “Your father is going to be alright, I–”

The door opened and Mr. Ashworth stepped out of his office. He had a tense, angry expression on his face as he looked at me. “What’s all this shouting?” he demanded.

He looked at me, and for a moment, it was like I was looking at a stranger. His eyes were hard and held no recognition as he looked into my face. Then he blinked and the look was gone.

“Thea, what’s wrong?” he asked more gently.

My lower lip quivered when I tried to speak and I choked on a sob. Tahir reached for me and I allowed him to pull me into his arms. I was surprised that he was comforting me, considering how I’d just shouted at him. I hid my face against his chest and wrapped my arms around him.

He moved his hand in soothing circles on my back and I focused on the pleasant sensation as I tried to calm myself. I couldn’t handle it if anything happened to my dad. I wouldn’t let anything happen to him.

I took a breath and pulled myself away from him. Tahir let me go, but the worried look remained on his face.

“I need to know what happened in the mine,” I said. “Tell me the truth, what did they find?”

I was talking to both of them. I knew by the tense silence that neither would answer. Tahir knew more about that bracelet. Why would he offer so much money for it if he didn’t?

“It’s just an old bracelet,” Mr. Ashworth said. “What on earth has gotten into you, Theadora?”

“Dad’s in the hospital,” I stated. “Whatever happened in the mine has made him sick.”

“What do you mean by sick?” he asked in an even, careful tone.

Mr. Ashworth knew something more, but he wasn’t going to tell me. It made me so angry, but I was helpless to do anything about it. I couldn’t make him tell me.

“He’s pale, sweaty, and delirious. He’s talking about a glow and hearing voices in a language he doesn’t know. He said the bracelet was speaking to him.”

Saying it out loud only renewed my concern.

“That’s crazy,” Mr. Ashworth said tersely.

“I know that!” I shouted. “That’s why I’m trying to figure out what happened. Could there be a gas leak in the mine?”

“You know I monitor for gas,” he noted with a hint of irritation. “There’s nothing untoward happening in my mines.”

“Then what happened to my dad?” I demanded.

“How the hell should I know?!” Mr. Ashworth shouted. “He’s in the hospital?”

“Yes,” I said. “Dex is with him. I dropped them off before I came here.” I wiped at my eyes uselessly. I could see my mascara smudged on the back of my hand. I must look ridiculous.

An awkward silence fell over the three of us. I watched Mr. Ashworth’s face as it shifted between anger, suspicion, and concern. After a few moments, he looked at me as if he had just realized I was standing there. Recognition came into his eyes and he furrowed his brows at me.

“Dex is with him?” he said gently. I nodded, but didn’t speak. His behavior was freaking me out. It was like he was possessed by something. “I don’t know if anything happened in the mine. I supposed he might have cut himself. Maybe it’s an infection. I’m going to head over and talk to the doctors. I’ll make sure they get to the bottom of whatever is causing this.”

“Thank you,” I said. I sighed in relief. I didn’t know why it had taken so long for him to process what I was telling him. It was late. Maybe he was just tired and stressed out.

“I’ll get to the bottom of this, Thea,” he said firmly.

He walked quickly down the hallway without another word. I followed after him. I didn’t know what else to do. I almost had to run to keep up with him. I could hear Tahir following behind me, but I didn’t acknowledge him. I was embarrassed about the outburst he’d just seen.

Mr. Ashworth seemed like his old self now. He put his hand on Grady’s shoulder as he approached the door. “I have to head out for a while,” he said. “Tell Kim I’ll be home before morning.”

“Everything alright, sir?” Grady asked, glancing at Tahir and me.

“It will be,” he said confidently. “One of my engineers is laid up at the hospital and I need to check on him. I trust you to hold down the fort while I’m gone.”

Grady nodded, but looked concerned. “I’ll have the car brought around,” he stated.

Mr. Ashworth thanked him, then stepped out the front door. “Dex is going to keep you informed, right?” he asked me.

“Yes,” I said with a nod.

“Then I won’t worry about calling you tonight,” he noted. “You take care and let me know if there’s anything at all I can do for you, Thea.”

“Thank you, Mr. Ashworth.” I was grateful that he was going to see my dad. It validated my own concern and reassured me that he would get the best care possible.

Mr. Ashworth walked off towards his garage without another word. A black car pulled up to the end of the driveway and Ziv stepped out. He nodded to Tahir, who returned the gesture.

Tahir looked at me, but he seemed to be at a loss for words. I didn’t know what to say to him either. He looked disturbed, but I wasn’t sure exactly why. He turned from me and walked to the car.

It felt like rejection and it stung, but I let it go. I had too many other things on my mind to worry about what Tahir might think of me now. I had to get to the bottom of this bizarre situation and help my dad before it was too late.