Chapter 89

Zeke looked at his mother thoughtfully.

“Um, I might be able to swing it. But I can’t take the twins. I’ll need Lindsay and Carly to help me, and Hercules only has seats four.”

“How long are you planning to be gone?” Paul asked.

“Say a day at the most?” Zeke replied.

“That should be okay. When are they releasing Dad’s ashes?” Dallas asked.

“Oh! We never asked Travis that!” Patricia cried.

Zeke held up a finger. “Freya, can you call Colonel Rodriguez, please?”

“Just a moment, Captain.”

“I shall send the call to the back wall, now, Captain.”

“Good afternoon, Captain Walker, Mrs Stone, and family. How may I help you?”

“Good afternoon, Colonel. We are inquiring as to when Frank Stone’s ashes will be sent to us,” Zeke inquired.

“Ah, yes. Sorry. I meant to call you earlier, but it has been hectic here. Ah, yes, here it is,” the Colonel said as he was busy pushing buttons on his keyboard.

“The coroner completed his autopsy yesterday. He ruled that Mr Stone died from a heart attack brought on by a bleeding aneurysm. Apparently, he shouldn’t have been flying anywhere. He was a very sick man.”

“As to our investigation, we have determined that Mr Stone wasn’t directly involved with the altercation between Minister Vance and General Shatner. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“So, while the coroner is still waiting on the toxicology reports, he released Mr Stone’s body to the crematorium this morning. It takes about twenty-four hours. We should be able to send his ashes up on the midday run tomorrow. Where do you wish them delivered?”

“Do you want them sent here, Mum?” Zeke asked.

Patricia nodded. “Can we do a simple ceremony on Freya?”

“Yes. When were you organising the wedding for, Dallas?”

Dallas replied, “Breakfast the day after tomorrow. Then everyone can head for home.”

Zeke faced the screen, “Thank you for your patience, Colonel. Tomorrow will be good.”

“Mrs Stone, please accept our condolences for your loss. We are sorry your visit has ended in such tragedy. Mr Marsh has informed us to direct any further questions through him.”

“That is our wish. Thank you for your assistance, Colonel,” Patricia responded.

“Ready to go home, Mum?” Zeke asked with a grin.

“How do you plan to go to Mars and back in a day?” Patricia asked with some confusion.

Zeke grinned wider, “We are going to get in Hercules, fly a short distance from the station and then blink to Mars.”

“You can do that?” she asked in disbelief.

“Sure, between you, Carly, Lindsay, and I, we should be able to do it easily. I even have a ring and a diadem to boost you. Come upstairs with me.”

“How about I go tell Lee where you are bugging off to?” Paul offered.

“Oh, yeah. She might wonder what I’m up to. Thanks, Paul.”

“I’ll go tell Sabrina that she is marrying into a bunch of crazy people,” Dallas stated.

Zeke chuckled, “We will see you for lunch tomorrow, boys, if we don’t get back sooner.”

Lindsay went to prep Hercules while Carly escorted the boys out, and Zeke popped his mother upstairs.

Zeke showed his mother into his hidden room.

“This jewellery was in the box that Dallas sent me. When Kyle and I were looking through it, I noticed this ring,” he said and picked it up out of the tray.

“Your medallion has a topaz and an emerald on it. The ring has them and a ruby on it. I’ve felt for a while that Energy was the next best skill set for you. Put it on, please,” Zeke requested as he handed the ring to his mother.

She slipped the ring over the middle finger on her left hand. She was a southpaw like Zeke. The ring slid on easily, then tightened. The DeRay crystal flashed, and the gems disappeared, and Patricia gasped.

Zeke grinned, “Kyle told me that you can wear mixed items, especially if the item has a DeRay crystal but doesn’t have an entity. Your guide can accept a new item if it matches your abilities.”

Zeke then went to another tray. Twelve head chains were stretched out in the tray. Zeke then removed two small sacks from his satchel. He loosened the strings and tipped out the contents. He swirled his finger over the gems, so they separated into piles of the same gem. The second pile were DeRay crystals.

“Pick a ruby, a topaz and an emerald, Mum. Don’t worry about the cost. They need to be big enough to touch the sides of the link in the chain. In this case, bigger is better.”

While Patricia picked the stones, Zeke placed four DeRay crystals on the head chain, leaving spaces for the three gems. He was surprised by how quickly his mother picked out the three gems she wanted. They were neither the biggest nor smallest, but they were all exceptional specimens.