Valmont drives everyone over to a nearby Golden Corral for Lunch and there everyone gets their first plate of food and sits down and starts eating. Valmont looks around at the four kids who keep staring at him trying to say something. “So I take it there is something you need to tell me? Something that happened yesterday before that unfortunate incident occurred. Something involving this young lady.” Chris already explained the basics of what happened to his mother but figured that Sam should be the one to fill in on the details.
Sam looks down in her food and clears her throat as she looks up, “Okay I should first tell you that I have lost my confidence a while ago. I am a singer but recently I have been unable to get up in front of the stage and sing. I was desperate for help and well as a joke I went into this occult shop at the mall. I bought a small trinket but I really did not think it would help.” She sets down a small gold chain with a red jewel in the center down on the table.
Valmont snatches the chin and looks at the charm closely. A lighter red color swirls in the middle of the dark red gem as he rotates the pendent in this hand. Then he hands it to Alfred, “We will look into this if it's okay. I doubt it's anything special. Now the shop itself?”
“Tarque's Charms and potions.” Sam says. “Now I believe that’s where I had my first black out, I remember walking in and talking to the shop keeper, an older black gentleman with a french accent and then fifteen minutes I walked out of the store. I don't remember what happened between that. Then for the next week I had black outs pretty much twice a day, normally when I was near your son Chris.”
“Tarque you say?” Valmont looks at Al, “Does that name sound familiar to you?”
Alfred sets down a piece of roast beef that he was eating and nods, “Yeah, I believe a Gabriel Tarque use to set up a stand for our shows. He was a Voodoo shaman if I'm not mistaken. Not a very convincing one, an obvious hack. He was banned from selling at your shows after an incident a year ago. It does not surprise me that he was a grudge with you and the show.” It is Alfred Labrone's job to remember things like this.
Chris feels that while his father is being truthful to him that he and Al are leaving out some details. “And someone like that would kill because of that?” Chris asks.
“Tarque was unstable but mostly harmless. I really could not see him killing anyone. Besides I remember that one of the guards broke his nose.” Alfred laughs, his is a deep and powerful laugh that Chris use to be scared of when he was younger. “The man freaked out at the sight of his own blood and feinted.”
Valmont smiles but does not laugh, “Apparently he has stepped up his game. Now he has the balls to target my wife and kid.” Valmont shakes his head, “You kids went to his shop right?”
“Yeah and it was closed.” Chris answers. “He left no number or address. We were planning on visiting him, confronting him and wanted to see if he had anything to do with what happened.” Chris looks over at Jason who nods, “Oh about the conversation last night on the phone, mom told me she did not kill herself right before she jumped. I think she might have tried to say the name Tarque but couldn't.”
“I see.” Valmont seems to understand what happened too well. “I will contact Nashton Wayte later today if anyone can find stuff out about Tarque he can.”
Ric sits up and focuses his attention on Valmont. He has been just enjoying the very idea of spending a meal with Valmont Sharp and two members of team Sharp. Ric calls Wayte 'the man behind the Sharp.' His face brightens up at the sound of that name, “Sweet.” Nashton Wayte is an ex FBI criminal profiler. He now runs a private detective and personal security firm, the largest in the country and specializes in missing persons. Wayte is an expert and finding out everything about a person, can track them down, dig into their past and so on. The man also uses his investigative talents to book the Sharp shows and make them as realistic as possible. It's a side job of his.
“That’s all you have to say Ric? Sweet? Ha.” Jason laughs at his friend, however he really had not had anything to add to the conversation ether. Still he knows he would have said more then Ric did if he had anything to add.
The rest of the meal went by quietly. Okay not quietly as Ric had question after question about the sharp show, wanting to know details, asking for free tickets and so on. Chris and Jason were embarrassed by their friend and Sam was wondering why Chris and Jason even hang out with him, no wonder she had trouble remembering his name, he's not the type of person that catches her interest in the slightest.
After the meal Valmont drops off each of the kids at their home, starting with Ric who is the closest and then Sam and finally Jason. He then heads over to the hotel, “Al, Cole I think it's best if Chris and myself handle the next part alone.”
Al nods and he and his son get out of the van. Chris moves up to the front seat, “Here comes the fun part huh dad?”
Valmont laughs, it is a cold fake laugh that gets to the point, “Yeah here we go to the funeral home to set up the arrangements for your mom's funeral.” Valmont pulls the car into drive and enters the highway. “Chris you know your handling this really well seeing how it all happened yesterday and we are about to rush to get this over with. I don't know about you but I plan to have the funeral by Tuesday at the latest and for us to be at Sharp Estates by Wednesday. I would like to have this whole deal over and forgotten by Thanksgiving. Do you blame me?”
Chris is surprised by how calm and relaxed his father is, and how he can just want to get everything done quickly and get it over with. His father has always been an efficient person but he expected more emotion then this. “I understand.”
“I don't think you do. I love your mother don't get me wrong. I never stopped loving her, it's just...” He stops he can't really put it into words. “I feel like this is my fault, like somehow it's because of me your mom's dead.” Valmont's voice lowers as he says that.
The rest of the ride to the funeral home was quiet. Things are not completely adding up to Chris and his father seems to know much more then he is letting on. Still Chris feels like his father has his own share of problems to deal with. Valmont pulls the van into the Woodridge Funeral home and gets out of the car, Chris follows but then stops as he sees an old man staring at him coldly and with a blank stare. “Dad?”
Valmont walks over to his son, “Yeah?”
“Look, that's what I'm talking about.” he points at the old man in the flannel shirt who has a broom in one hand but is not using it. He is looking at Chris without moving, without blinking and pretty much doing nothing but breathing.
Valmont looks at the old man carefully, “I see. I have actually had people watching me like that recently too. I have already been investigating it and thanks to you and your friends I finally might have a lead on whose responsible. I can't tell you how Tarque does it but that man has a grudge against me. He better hope he is not responsible for Sharon’s death for his sake.” Valmont for a second seems very angry.
“Should I confront the old man? With others the trance broke when they were confronted.”
“Don't bother. The trances also last for a very short time and are fairly harmless. Really the man will suffer from some black outs but that's it. He looks like the type of person who blacks out anyway.” Valmont has a very unfunny sense of humor especially when he writes his own jokes. That is why he has a team of writers. Valmont walks into the funeral home with his son following behind. There they are greeted by a cold looking forty year old man.
“You must be Valmont and Christian Sharp. I am Mr Krieve, I run this place.” he leads Valmont and Chris over to the counter, “Here is the package you set up with me already Mr Sharp.” He hands Valmont a sheet of paper with information, the coffin used for Sharon, the plot which she will be buried in and the time and date of the funeral. It is happening Tuesday morning at nine am.
“Thank you for setting everything up. I realize it was on such short notice and that I'm rushing you but I hope it was not too much of a problem.”
&nb
sp; “It was no problem Mr. Sharp. Not for you.” Meaning that he had charged extra to get everything good quickly for Valmont Sharp who was more then willing to pay for the extra price.
Gabriel Tarque is also putting the final arrangements together to leave town. He plans on setting up a business in the town of Albern New Mexico and has commanded Rast to attend the funeral, to stay out of sight and speak to no one unless spoken to. “You are a business associate of Sharon Sharp's who has shown up to give his final respects. That is all.” That is pretty much true Rast has worked with Sharon on several instances not all of which involved Tarque. “You are to keep your ears open and report to me anything important. You know where I will be staying.”
As always Tarque has made it impossible for Rast to directly disobey his orders and he has strengthened his hold on Rast since he nearly disobeyed a command. It will cause Rast intense pain to attempt to warn the young Sharp or anyone else.
“Do you understand Rast?”
“Yes I do sir.”
“Then you may leave.” Tarque waits until Rast leaves the room and then bolts the door, he allows Rast to remain an element of freedom as if he takes away too much control from someone they could forget to breath without his commands. He does not an accident like that to happen again. Tarque pulls out a shining blue crystal, an object given to him by the Broker, as it is time for his report.
“My clients are pleased with you Tarque, you have served them better then expected. You have warned Sharp in record time. It is not your fault that he will not back down but instead focus his attention on you. That is what my clients wanted after all.”
Tarque was aware when the Power Broker first came to him that he was being offered great power with a price. That yes he was being granted a way to get revenge on Sharp but it would not be on his own terms. Also there is always a price when Belial the demon Tarque knows simply as the Power Broker grants someone their desires. Tarque knows this too well and he refuses to fail. “Glad I am to be of service, once Sharp is out of the way I get to keep my powers no strings attached?”
“They have accepted that deal. Also my clients wish to offer you two gifts, one which I am to give you now and the other which is to be received at your place in New Mexico.” There is a flash and out of the blue crystal flies out a strange voodoo doll made of straw and twigs that seems to be in the shape of a half man half dog creature.
“A Voodoo doll made of Wolf's Bane?” Tarque's face lightens up with a cruel smile, “I think I know what the second gift is.”
“You are not the only one who wants revenge on Sharp and my clients believe the best solution is to have the two of you work together. The creature is hard to control and wild but as long as you hold on to that doll it will not harm you. Do not lose it Tarque.” The light then vanishes and the glow of the crystal goes out. Tarque puts it back into the sack he took it from. It is only now that Tarque realizes now that his hatred of blood might be a problem if he has to control a rampaging berserker like he's thinking. Oh well as long as it's someone else's blood Tarque won't be as bothered by it.
Chapter Nine
Valmont Sharp: Monster Hunter Page 9