Chapter 6

Sophie stood next to Elizabeth "are you sure this is what you want to do? Beth" she asked a touch of sadness in her voice. Elizabeth looked around the loft, it was now empty except for a pedestal table with a rice mat sitting on top. Blinking back tears, she nodded "its time to move on, Sophie, the new place has a wonderful studio, its perfect for painting, I know I can be happy there."

As she walked out of the door for the last time she smiled "grasp the unknown, my pet, it's there for the taking." That's what Taipei would have told her with his deep purring voice. In the seven years since she had lost Taipei, Elizabeth had continued her search for the jade dragon, people had started calling her the dragon lady, in the antique stores and all the other places she haunted seeking her statue. Elizabeth had seen many changes, Sophie had married Mike and settled down to domestic bliss, Daryl and Tom had opened their own restaurant, that immediately became the most popular place in town to eat. Her sister Amanda had moved to sunny California and had a thriving practice. Her parents as always remained the same, just older.

Elizabeth had quit her job, living off her savings the first year, when her career as an artist had finally taken off, she had become well established in the art world and her paintings and sketches brought in more then enough for her to live comfortably. Over the years she went out less and less, only attending gallery showings, family functions, with the one exception, at least 2 nights a week she ate with Daryl and Tom at their restaurant. She was godmother to Sophie's little girl Lizbet, who was five, little Lizzie as Daryl called her, loved to come and help her Aunt Beth draw, the two had spent many afternoon's laughing and giggling through tea parties and sleep overs. Sophie was expecting her second child in about three months, the social butterfly had turned into a wonderful wife and mother, Sophie often laughed and would say "call me Domestic Goddess if you please."

Elizabeth drove through the gates of her new home. An old rambling country house on 10 acres of land, with a old stone wall surrounded the property, there was a small lake and huge old tree's everywhere you looked. Originally the house had 7 bedrooms, Elizabeth had walls torn down and a large sunny studio with lots of windows put in, she had only kept 3 bedrooms one for herself and two for company. In the living room there was a large fireplace and one in the master bedroom almost as big. She laughingly figured she could put a whole tree in the livingroom fireplace. The old Kitchen had sent Tom into spasms and she had happily let him refurbish and design a new one. It had taken almost eight months of work but the house was finally ready. Unlocking the front door Elizabeth looked up, over the carved arch of the door was a plaque which read "Taipei House."

Elizabeth stood at one of the windows in her studio watching Lizzie and her little brother Brett playing in the back yard. It was hard to believe how quickly time had gone by, Lizzie was now ten and her brother five, Elizabeth took pride in adding to their wild hellion ways as their father Mike put it. She knew she should be out helping with the picnic, but she just wanted to put some finishing touches to the sketch she had been working on. Chuckling to herself, as she washed the charcoal off her hands, Elizabeth knew she was considered eccentric by the locals, that odd woman artist who rarely left her property, even ordering in her groceries and winter supplies.

Perhaps she had become a little reclusive, she had reached out and grasped the unknown just as Taipei had encouraged her to do, but when it was all said and done, she was happy in her own world of sketches and remembered dreams of a jade dragon. If anything her art had become more popular as time went on, now she could draw if she wanted to or take a break without feeling pressured to make sure her name and art stayed in the public eye.

Hearing the phone ringing Elizabeth looked at the number, it wasn't a number she was familiar with and walked past, letting the answering machine pick it up. It was the mention of Frank's name that stopped her dead in her tracks and grabbing for the phone. Lizzie stood next to her Uncle Daryl watching him put a hamburger on a bun for her, he handed her a paper plate and told her to be careful not to drop it, she nodded but didn't leave, he smiled down at her asking if she wanted a hot dog also, she shook her head, still not leaving, Daryl tweaked her little nose and grinned asking Lizzie what he had forgotten, she giggled and said nuffin, but why was Auntie Beth sitting on the floor crying in the phone? Daryl found Elizabeth frantically flipping through her phonebook, the tears drying on her cheeks. "What's going on Beth? Lizzie said you were crying on the phone." Elizabeth looked up, her finger on a page, "Taipei is buried in Frank's mother's backyard somewhere, the nurse that called me from the mental hospital said there is no address listed for the mother only a phone number." Elizabeth was already on the phone talking to Jackson, he put her on hold while he went through his old files looking for an address on Frank's Mother. Elizabeth stood tapping her nails on the kitchen counter, hurry Jackson, hurry she kept saying to the phone. Daryl put a strong drink in her hand, "take a drink Beth, you can't hurry the man by swearing at the phone." Elizabeth took a long drink and started to cough, glaring at Daryl, who grinned at her "got your attention away from the phone for a minute didn't it." Daryl went back outside when he heard Brett yelling "food on fire."

Elizabeth hung up the phone, leaning against the counter for a minute, her legs were shaking almost as badly as her hands. Walking into her studio she looked at the large drawing hanging on the wall, it was as if Taipei had stepped back into the canvas, he looked down at Elizabeth, she could almost hear him purring to her. She didn't dare get her hopes up, to many times there had been calls about a jade dragon statue, usually from people trying to get the reward. Even though this was different, she had to stay calm and wait for Jackson to call back.

Explaining to everyone about the phone call from a nurse who remembered Elizabeth's visits to Frank and her always asking him what he had done with the Jade Dragon statue. Frank had over the last few years gotten much worse, and been babbling about hiding the statue where Elizabeth would never find it, in his Mothers backyard. "Jackson said he would have to go and request a search warrant just in case Frank's mother refused to allow them on her property, it might take a few days and to be patient, she had waited this long a few more days would just have to be tolerated." she told them. Elizabeth lay curled up on her couch, watching the flames from the large log in the fireplace crackling and spitting out sparks, it really wasn't cold out, just pouring sheets of rain, the thunder and lightning shaking the room now and then, she found the fire comforting. It had been three days since she got the call about Taipei, tomorrow weather permitting she would meet Jackson at Frank's Mother's house and either find Taipei or know her search would continue.