The Guardians of the Relic
Chapter 7

The icy cold wind crept through her car window. It was just past six in the evening. The air was fresh after the rain showers of the afternoon. Droplets of water streaked down Emily’s windshield. She had had a long day at work and a lot on her mind, like her trip to the antique shop. It hadn’t given her any additional insights into what Alastair and his friends were really up to. It was frustrating. She was beginning to think maybe there wasn’t any more to their story. Maybe they were just bored men who played secret society games for fun. But, on the other hand, her instincts had never been wrong. She drove into the gallery parking lot.

A trip to see her brother would get her mind off of it for a little while. She asked Daisy if she wanted to come along, but she had politely declined. She said after seeing Emily’s car the day before, it reminded her of her dad, and that she hadn’t seen both her parents in ages. She was going to visit them that evening. Apparently a little visit at the McFadden’s home could quickly turn into a holiday, and she told Emily she might be away for a few days.

Michael would be happy to see her. He was eager to tell her some big news; she guessed it had something to do with the new funding for the gallery. She entered through the back door. There was a small office, a stylish room with black and maroon furniture. The gallery usually closed at five, so the place was quiet except for a lady that sat at a small desk.

“Emily, so lovely to see you,” Michael’s assistant hurried over to her and gave her a kiss on both cheeks.

“Hey Kristine. Is Michael around?” Kristine sat back at her desk. She was smartly dressed in a black and white suit. She had a hands free phone in her ear. Emily had only met her once, at the art exhibition. She could see why Michael hired her; she seemed efficient.

“He is in the back studio,” said Kristine. “He has company though, but you’re welcome to go in. He will be delighted to see you.” Emily noticed she multi-tasked while she spoke. She wanted to get out of her hair quickly. The woman was obviously very busy.

“Ok. Thanks.” She wondered who could be having a meeting with her brother at this hour.

Before she even got to the studio, she could smell the acrylic paint. Michael had built his studio at the back of the gallery so he could work after hours. The studio was elegant for a work space. Empty canvases, paint trays, and brushes lay all over the room.

“I appreciate the offer, but the gallery has a big donor at the moment,” came Michael’s voice as she approached the doorway. Michael saw her at the door and gestured for her to come in. The man he was talking to had his back towards her. When he turned, she recognized him.

“Hey Ems,” said Michael and gave her a hug with one hand. He was holding some papers in the other.

“Good to see you Mike. Sorry I didn’t call first, I was in the neighborhood. I didn’t know you had company.”

“Nonsense, you’re welcome anytime. Emily, this is Mr. Cunningham,” he said, introducing them. “This is my sister, Emily Carson.”

“Hello Mr. Cunningham.” She stretched out her hand to him. He wore a grey suit, which made him look very professional. It wasn’t what she was used to seeing him in.

“Hi. It’s very nice to meet you. Please, call me Ethan. Mr. Cunningham is my father.” He shook her hand.

“Ethan here has a very generous offer for the gallery,” said Michael.

Emily hadn’t pegged Ethan for an art lover. She wondered if he only did it for his father. After all, the story was that his father is the one that brought him back to Elgin. “Oh that’s wonderful.”

“Unfortunately, I already accepted another investor’s offer.” Michael’s phone rang and he excused himself to take the call.

Emily and Ethan stood in silence for a minute. She wasn’t exactly sure what to say to him. “I’m not sure if you remember me. I work at Elgin Central Library, I noticed you come in regularly,” she said, breaking the silence.

“Yes of course. I thought you looked familiar. It’s hard to forget a pretty face.” She blushed. He was more polite than she expected.

“Thank you. So you have a passion for art?” asked Emily

“Not exactly. My father is the one who loves it. But this seemed like a good investment. Your brother is very talented. Any idea who my competition is?”

“Yes, he is very talented. I’m not completely certain, but I think his name is Alexander Graham.” She noticed his face change immediately. “Do you know him?”

“Not personally, but I have heard of him,” he said without looking at her.

She changed the topic. “So I heard you own a computer shop.” She thought it would be good idea to take her laptop to him. It was giving her some trouble and it would give her a chance to talk to him privately about her research.

“Yes I do. It keeps me away from the Cunningham Corporation, which may seem strange, but I prefer it that way.” He turned his head when Michael walked back in the room.

“Sorry about that, I had to take that call.”

“No problem,” said Emily

“Well, it is getting late. Thank you for your time Michael, and please let me know if you change your mind,” said Ethan.

“I will, thanks,” said Michael

Ethan looked at Emily. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Emily.”

“You too, Ethan.” She watched as he exited with Kristine. She wore a big smile on her face and brushed her arm against his as she led him out. Obviously she found him attractive. He was charming and handsome. Emily didn’t understand why everyone found him antisocial, or strange for that matter.

“You seem fascinated by him,” said Michael. She didn’t realize she was staring and Michael noticed. There were very few things her brother missed when it came to her. He knew her very well.

“Well he is an interesting guy,” she said.

“I’m not sure how Jason would feel about that.”

“Oh no, it’s not like that. I mean he is handsome and all, but he’s not my type. I just think he’s a little bit of a mystery.”

“I think most people agree,” he said.

“So what offer did you accept from Alexander Graham?” asked Emily. She wasn’t sure if it was right to tell Ethan about Alexander. He seemed upset about it. She didn’t understand why he would care, though. Investment opportunities fell through all the time for businessmen like him.

“It’s quite amazing. I couldn’t believe it when he told me. He is prepared to fund everything, including the promotion for our new artists. And the best part is he only wants twenty-five percent of all profits.”

“Wait, did you say twenty-five percent? What’s the catch?” said Emily. With an offer like that, there was always a catch. It sounded too good to be true.

“No catch. He said he isn’t doing it for the money, but for his love of art.” Michael took a seat in front of one of his canvases. It wasn’t complete. He picked up a brush from the paint tray and started to paint.

Emily pulled up a chair next to him and watched him work for a minute in silence. She was trying to process what he just told her. The painting was magnificent. At first, she couldn’t quite make out the female figure in the painting. The figure was looking directly at her. Her eyes were a crystal color. After studying it closely, she recognized the woman.

“Oh my word, it’s Daisy,” she said. He had captured her figure so elegantly. Her hair covered a little of her face. He had even managed to capture the shy smile she was so used to seeing.

“Yeah it is. What do you think? Will she like it? Her birthday is coming up and I thought it would be a nice surprise.”

“Mike, it’s absolutely beautiful. She will love it.”

“I hope so. It helps that she is staying with her parents. It will give me time to finish it.”

She sat watching him work for a while. He was so creative. She wished she had some of that creativity. Her mother always told her that her brother was special. She just hadn’t known what she meant until now. They would have been so proud of him.

“Well, I will leave you to it then. I need to get home,” said Emily after some time.

She left the gallery and the rain started to fall again. She pulled out in front of a slow moving white car. It was really late and there were very few cars on the road. She turned the wipers on and watched the raindrops as they were caught in the light of the streetlights. As she neared her apartment she noticed in her rear-view mirror that the same white car was still behind her, despite the various turns she had taken. With everything going on, she felt a sudden sense of panic. When she took a turn onto her street, the car disappeared. I’m just being paranoid, she thought. Why would anyone be following me?

She got caught at a red light before it turned green, and the white car suddenly appeared behind her again. It definitely was the same car. She couldn’t see the face of the person in the car, but it was a male, that much she could tell. He was wearing a jacket with a hood. It reminded her of Izdel. But it couldn’t be him. It didn’t make any sense. When the light changed she took off with speed, trying to lose him, but he matched her. Emily started to panic.

She was fast approaching her apartment and quickly decided she couldn’t stop there. Daisy wasn’t home, so she couldn’t risk it. She had to make sure that whoever he was was off her tail first. Emily drove further down the street and took another right turn.

Maybe she should go to Jason’s place. It wasn’t too far from her apartment, but she had only been there once before and she really didn’t want to bother him. When she checked her rear-view mirror again, the car was nowhere to be seen. She breathed out in relief. It couldn’t have been Izdel. She knew in her gut it was someone else. But who?

She turned back and headed home. Emily felt frustrated over all of the strange things that had happened to her over the past couple of weeks. The incident at the park. Izdel keeping tabs on her. The mystery that was Alastair and that damn antique shop. Now, to top it off, being followed by some scary man in a hood. It was time she got some real answers. She didn’t know why, but she just knew Ethan Cunningham was her best bet.

* *

Ethan was uncertain what to do next. His effort to get access to the gallery had failed dismally. He had a plan, but it was never going to work without access to that gallery. It was even more disturbing that Alexander Graham had beaten him to it. Something was off about him, he just couldn’t figure out what it was. At least his visit wasn’t a total waste of time. He had officially met Emily Carson for the first time. Alastair was lying to him about the real reason she needed protection, he knew that. But he also knew that he was never going to tell him the truth. The old man was stubborn and stuck in his ways.

Straight after he left the gallery, he told Rupert to take him to the nearest restaurant to get coffee. He could use something stronger than coffee, but he didn’t want it to end up in the next daily report his father received from Rupert. Ethan really wasn’t in the mood for a visit from his father. He sipped his coffee and noticed Rupert shifting his eyes between the road and the rear-view mirror. He was watching him.

“Is something wrong Rupert?” said Ethan.

“No Sir...it’s just,” he hesitated.

“Go on,” said Ethan, noticing he needed approval to speak.

“I noticed that you have not been yourself lately. Is something on your mind?”

“Yes, there is, but it is nothing you can help me with,” said Ethan firmly, feeling a bit irritated at the intrusion.

“Very well, sir,” said Rupert.

After a few minutes Ethan thought that Rupert probably only asked out of concern. He should reciprocate in some way. That was the right thing to do, he thought.

“Thank you, Rupert.” They both said no more after that.

When he reached his apartment and walked up the stairs, his mind was somewhere else. He decided to take the elevator rather than the stairs. Just as he was about to unlock his door he felt a blow to the back of his head. The pain radiated through his skull. Instantly his eyes became blurry and he stumbled back. The last thing he saw after he hit the ground was a figure standing over him, and then it went black.