Temple: A New Journey Begins
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Kermit returned to the Sheriff's office. He took out the plastic bag containing the business card and placed it on the Sheriff's desk.
"Looks like we have a couple of suspects. I found this at Xia's place."
"Jake Carson and Kyle Jameson? I don't know who Carson is, but I do know Kyle Jameson. He's an old recluse. He's also one of the riches men in town. Why would he be involved with Xia?"
"We'll just have to find out," Kermit replied. "Where does this Kyle Jameson live? I don't know the town all that well. I was lucky to find Xia's place because of its unique architecture."
"It's unique, I'll say that for sure," the Sheriff concurred. "The Jameson place isn't far from here. The house isn't much to look at. Kind of run down if you ask me. Then again, the guy's getting up there in years. Even though he could afford someone to keep the place up, it's as if he doesn't want too many people knowing that he's wealthy."
"Do you know where his wealth came from?"
"No one knows for sure. There's been stories, but all that seems to have died down. People around here just seem to accept it."
Kermit grew silent, wondering just how Mr. Jameson got his wealth. "I think I'll take a ride over there and talk with Mr. Jameson."
"Be careful," warned the Sheriff. "Mr. Jameson is very picky about his privacy."
"Careful is my middle name," Kermit replied as he left the Sheriff's office.
***
It took Kermit an extra fifteen minutes to find Jameson's house. It wasn't anything to write home about. It was small and set back from the street. There was a large old oak tree in the front. It's branches hung down obscuring the front of the house making it harder to see. The house itself was a simple craftsman style bungalow. Its boxy lines were in straight contrast to the large pitch of the roof. At one time, the house had been a jewel on the street, but peeling paint and dirt marred its once beautiful blue gray tones. A couple of missing banister spindles gave it the appearance that it was missing a couple of teeth. And the once rich red color on the door was blackened with age.
As Kermit approached the house, there seemed to be something familiar about it. He didn't know why. It was as if a memory clear back to his own childhood tugged at his mind, but in this instance, he knew that wasn't the case. Then a small sign caught his attention. It had been painted over as if to hide its existence. Brushing his fingers along the surface, he felt every letter and his mind comprehended each shape, recognizing their configuration. He finally understood the significance and he filed that piece of valuable information for later retrieval. The irony of it caused a small smile to tug at Kermit's lips. He remembered he had seen this house before, but for the moment, he could not remember exactly where. The full memory would come later.
Kermit knocked on the door. It was soon answered.
"Yeah, who is it?"
"Mr. Jameson, My name is Kermit Griffin . . ."
"I was wondering when you'd show up."
"You knew I'd be coming over?" Kermit questioned.
"Yeah, stands to reason."
"First of all, how did you know that I would be here?"
"That bitch probably told you. Well, I can safely say I flat out refused her offer. I was down right shocked when she told me what she'd been doing."
"May I come in," Kermit said. "I would prefer to speak about this in private. No use giving the neighbors any fuel for the rumor mill."
"Suit yourself." Jameson moved aside so Kermit could enter.
The room was quite dark, but Kermit kept his customary shades in place. He surveyed the room and his eyes were drawn to an antique roll top desk in the corner. It wasn't so much the desk, but what was on top of it. A thick folder could be seen, along with an area map of Braniff. On the very top of the desk sat an unusual rock. The similarities to Vance Cavanauh's rock, which he had picked up from the cave under the temple, were too coincidental for words.
Kermit headed over to the desk and picked it up to examine it more closely. The weight and the color were the same.
"I see you have an interest in geology," Jameson tried to sound disarming, but the look on his face was anything but.
"I dabble a bit, when it suits me," Kermit replied.
As Kermit placed the mineral back on the desk his eyes fell on the map. He recognized it as a geological survey map, and one that was quite old. There were marks in the mad that obviously had been drawn by hand and added since the map had been acquired. Kermit files away the number on the map for future research.
As he stared at the map, he quickly turned the conversation back to the initial conversation.
"You said Xia Tan came to your house and made you an offer that you refused? May I ask what that offer was?"
Silence filled the room.
Continues with Part 46
Alisa Joaquin Copyright@2004.
This story cannot be reprinted or sold in any other form without strict permission from
the author. It is being distributed here solely for your enjoyment.
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