Chapter 6 ~ File In Hand ~

• ~ File In Hand ~
• Earl of Lancashire slid into the back seat of his personal car. From the driver's seat, "I have the information you requested, sir!" Aiden held out the folder for William to take.
• William gazed at how thick the folder was, “That was quick! I had figured it would have taken more time.” He looked in the rearview mirror to see that Aiden was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
• "I can't take all of the credit, William!" Aiden began following the row of cars that were heading to the airport. "The Canadian Tribunal's P.I's have been following the family for some time." He looked into the mirror to see the puzzled expression on William's face. "They are not the only ones that are watching the family closely." He remarked. "My connections plus the church have followed the family since their last disaster that was linked to Gerion's transformation."
• William opened the folder up. Photos of Niamh Rosa Lancashire were staring at him. She was wearing sunglasses with her black hair pulled back in a bun. Blue jeans with a loose-fitting tan top. Even with no makeup on, he could tell the family resemblance. In the background, she was coming out of a hospital. "This picture was taken recently!?"
• "Yes! And there is a reason she is being followed, William." Aiden kept his expression neutral, “The child has the Lancashire's curse flowing in her vains. Rosa might have changed her name, but she can't run from the curse."
• William's eyes scanned over the first page of information that had been collected. 'Graduated from Island View High School ... Attended a community college... Computer programming and editing, Marketing, Graphic designs ... Feck! She is a computer geek!' He thought to himself.
• Looks up when Aiden speaks, “it was difficult to get her grades, but if you flip the page you will see her credentials.” He sealed his lips, with the corners of Aiden's lips turned up.
• William flipped the page and highlighted her grade average of 91%. "Aiden, am I to assume that our P. I have found an informed person in Canada among their ranks." He already knew the answer but had to anyway.
• "Walter informed me that Rosa has been followed since the death of her parents. Arthur, as well! He did disclose to me that our Tribunal has no knowledge of the split in the bloodline." Aiden focused as he made a left turn. "Walter also confirmed that for the last 200 years, none of the family bloodlines has turned, each of them choosing to remain dead. Their ways differ from ours, but not by much! Walter told me ... Once all family members are given the chance to say their last good-byes ... the body is taken to the crematorium to be cremated before the gen can take over. Then, three days later, the funeral is held so that family and friends can grieve together." Aiden's tone was grim.
• "I see!" William said as he flipped to the next page, which had the family history.
• At the top of the page, it showed that the bloodline started with Gerion Lancashire. Arriving at the Canadian shores in 1601. To this, he bought a plot of land and began farming. Looks up from the folder, “Why does the name Gerion sound familiar?” William had a puzzled expression.
• Aiden had more than enough time to think about the question as he did the research. “I can only assume it was one of the many bastards your uncle's had. Your uncles did frequent the pubs and brothels often.” That was the only thing he could come up with. “I can only assume that one of their mistresses had given birth to an offspring that was not acknowledged.” His expression was flat, not wanting to upset his master.
• William nodded his head, knowing that not all offspring had been recognized. In most cases, the unacknowledged bastard's deaths had caused issues. With so many oversights and a need for change, the Irish Tribunal was formed. "We can't be turned back. We can only learn from our mistakes." He brought his head back down to the file as he continued to read.
• Strokes had been placed through many of the names. William could only assume that they were corpses. While a red teardrop had been placed over a few of the names. Those William had to assume walked among the living, like himself.
• Flipping the pages, he got to the end of the family tree. As he was informed, Rosa and her brother's family were the remainder of the bloodline. The thing that caught William's attention was the name 'Niamh,' which was used for the firstborn daughter of each generation. In some generations, the name was used more than once in the event of a death.
• Flipping the page, William saw a photo of Arthur Lancashire. William wrinkled his nose. "Rosa's brother has no characteristics of a Lancashire!" He spoke his thoughts out loud. "At most," He closed the folder. "Miss Erickson and her brother are distant relatives ... and will be treated as such. At least until otherwise, they display favourable qualities." He was thinking about what his Uncle Leif would say when he found out about this.
• “Shall we continue with the plans, sir?” Aiden white-knuckled the steering wheel.
• Glaring at Aiden as if he were a tart, he said, “I want to know why Niamh Rosa Lancashire is coming here.” William leaned back in his seat.
• Intertwining his fingers, William slowly smiled. “Dig further into Niamh Rosa Lancashire’s history?” The smile got bigger. “She is a hermit, but even hermits leave breadcrumbs to follow.” He recalled the two full pages of information that had been gathered on Arthur. However, there was only half a page of information on Rosa.