Were in the City Ch. 16

It's Silvie Richard .............

Jacob, Jessie and Liam were sitting huddled together on the edge of Jacob's bed staring at the image on Jessie's phone while listening to Helen talk.

"I know the woman in the photo looks a lot like Silvie, but it's been 123 years. How much detail do either of us really remember about her Jacob? It is just a freaky coincidence that Jessie's grandmother looks so much like Silvie."

Jessie leaned towards Liam and whispered, "What do you think? Does she look like Silvie?"

Liam shook his head and whispered back, "I never met her. She was dead before I was taken to the Richard pack lands."

Jacob's voice was still shaky. "Silvie died Helen. No one could have survived what her father did to her, and I felt her go, felt the bond break. But I remember her ... vividly. The woman in Jessie's photo has much shorter hair, looks slightly older, carries a bit more weight on her frame ... but I swear to you, she's Silvie come back to life! How is that possible?"

Helen took a deep breath, "It isn't possible Jacob. Dead is dead. Let's be real here. Jessie's grandmother can't actually be Silvie Richard."

"Then she's Silvie's doppelganger and we are living in some twisted episode of the Twilight Zone" Jacob muttered.

Liam spoke up, "Well, she's definitely related to Jessie. Look at her eyes. Jessie, you showed me pictures of your mother. I can see the resemblance between the woman in this image and your mother and you. I believe what your mother told you -- this is your grandmother."

Helen agreed. "Yes, I'm looking at images of all three on my monitor right now and I agree. Whoever she is, she's your relative Jessie."

Jessie sounded frustrated, "I only saw this photo once and at the time my mother only said that her mother "died a long time ago". I know nothing more. Helen, does the information about the ship in the background help at all?"

Helen answered, "I have people looking into that as we speak. It might. It's strange, but I seem to remember the name of that ship SS Egypt for some reason but I can't remember why. It's been almost 100 years since the collision when it was sunk. I feel like somewhere in the last century the name of that ship was mentioned somewhere in something I read or heard. I've got someone checking on that too but it could take a while and might not amount to anything."

Helen sighed, "There is something else we might try, but it's dangerous and may lead nowhere. I hate to even suggest it ..."

Liam spoke up again, "Spill it Helen. Let us decide if it's worth it."

"Ok, but don't do anything without a lot of careful planning please. Silvie Richard's mother, Lillian Parker, had two sisters -- Beth and Alice. They were very close and I remember both of them visiting Lillian a few times before she died. Maybe Jessie's grandmother is related to the Parker family -- maybe it's a close family resemblance that makes her look so much like Silvie?"

"Beth Parker is still alive. She is one of very few Were who actually manage to live out a full Were lifespan. She lives with her great grandson and his mate. Maybe there's a way to talk to her, learn more about her side of the family? She doesn't normally speak with anyone, hasn't for a long time -- she's pretty much a recluse now -- but if we told her why, maybe she'd talk with Jessie?"

Jessie was ready to go, "Yes, let's try that. I want to know. Where is she? How do I contact her?"

Helen groaned, "Slow down! She's on pack land, bonded to an Alpha, protected by family. You would have to walk in there and be recognized. There's no going back from that."

Jessie nodded, but didn't back down. "Yes, I know that. But I need to try this, we can try this somehow, please! Where is she?"

Helen sighed, "Don't do anything until we all talk about this carefully. Beth Parker is a member of the Jenkins Pack, only a few hours from you. Her great grandson is the pack doctor."

Jessie was excited. "I met him! He was the medic who was treating Tony Richard at the beach. Helen, can you give me Alpha Jenkins' phone number? He doesn't have to know where I'm calling from and I can ask to meet Beth."

Jacob and Liam both growled, Liam stating firmly, "Jessie, you are not going anywhere alone, especially onto pack lands, to be surrounded by wolves."

Jessie thought about it for a second. "What about suggesting we meet at Rubble Beach? Helen, you said its neutral ground right? We'd all be safe there."

Liam shook his head, "The beach may be neutral ground but you have to arrive and leave along the highway which makes you vulnerable. We'd have to be very careful not to be followed to protect our home. It would be complicated ... "

Jessie was undeterred. "Ok ... complicated ...got it ... but not impossible yes? Helen, let me call Jenkins. If it's possible to meet Beth then we can plan how we do it safely. Jacob, Liam, please let's do this. Jacob needs an answer to this too, not just me."

Jacob sighed, "Helen, give her the phone number. Jessie is right ... I need to find out what's going on too."

Helen didn't sound happy, "Very well, I will contact William Jenkins and confirm he will take your call. I want Jacob and Liam listening in when you talk to him Jessie, you are still too new at this to do it alone."

Jessie was thrilled that she'd at least be given a chance. "Helen, tell him Robin wants to talk to him. That's the name I used with him last time, that might help."

After Helen hung up, the three of them just sat quietly together for a while. Jessie finally said, "To hell with making dinner tonight, how about we just order a bunch of all-meat pizza and finish off a bottle of wine?" The twins both nodded and Jessie got up to make the order.

Liam and Jessie tried to get Jacob to talk, about anything, as they ate and drank but he remained very troubled and quiet. As it got late, Liam took Jessie aside and suggested she stay with Jacob through the night. "He's in danger of sleep walking again. It happens when memories of Silvie get too close to the surface. Perhaps if you are there he won't do it, but we both should keep an eye on him tonight." Jessie smiled, "Then we should both be with him, yes? We can both shift and sleep -- our other halves will warn us if he wanders." So that's what they did, and it worked. It had been a very eventful few days and rest was what they all needed.

****************************

The next day Jessie spent a while using multi-coloured duct tape to patch all the upholstery in her car. It looked like some kind of crazy art piece when she was finished, and she liked it, but then she realized it stuck out like a sore thumb and would be memorable for anyone who saw it. So much for trying to hide. Oops! She grabbed some dark towels and a black blanket to cover up her creation, making everything dull and boring again. Spankings could be an edgy kind of excitement, but not every day -- she'd behave for a little while at least (she hoped!)

She checked and refilled her go-bags, did her laundry, planted some seeds in her garden beds, did some weeding in the rest of the garden -- anything to fill in the hours waiting for Helen to call with permission to phone Alpha Jenkins. What was taking so long for heaven's sake?! It was late afternoon before her phone finally rang.

Helen got right to the point, "Jenkins will take your call. I'm texting you the number. I've assured him that it is about something personal for you and does not endanger his pack. He will be available for the next couple of hours so find Liam and Jacob, then make the call. Remember, they need to listen to everything that is said. Ok?"

"Alright Helen. Thank you. We'll let you know how it goes."

Jessie found the twins working in the office off their living room. "Jenkins will take my call. Can we do it now?"

Liam pulled a burner phone from the desk drawer. "Use this phone. We'll only use it to contact him."

Jessie nodded, dialling and setting the phone to speaker mode.

"Hello, Jenkins speaking."

"Hello Alpha Jenkins, this is Robin. Thank you for taking my call."

"Curiosity got the better of me ... and Helen is quite persuasive. What can I do for you?"

"I'm doing some research that is very important to me personally and I would really like to meet and talk with Beth Parker. I understand she is a member of your pack."

"Beth doesn't meet with anyone. She likes her secluded life just as it is."

"Yes, I understand that. But what she may know is of great interest to me. Could you ask her if she would be willing to talk with me for a short time, I don't intend to bother her more than once."

"I can ask but I already know her answer will be no. She has been hounded enough over the years. When you have lived as long as she has someone always wants to know all about something Beth has seen or done or heard about. She no longer discusses the past."

Jessie wasn't sure what she could say that would convince Beth to meet with her. The only thing she could think of was a big risk but maybe a picture was worth a thousand words.

"Alpha Jenkins, I would like to email you a picture. Can you show it to Beth? Tell her it's a photo of my grandmother. Tell her I would like to talk to her about my family. Maybe she'll make an exception for me and we can meet?"

Jessie saw the twins were frowning but she mouthed "Its ok" to them and waited for Jenkins to reply. When he agreed to do it, and gave her his email address, Jessie quickly pulled up the image she had of her grandmother and carefully cropped it so only her grandmother's head and shoulders were visible, and emailed the smaller image to Jenkins.

"Ok, I've got the picture. I will call you back when I've spoken with Beth."

"Thank you sir. Could you please keep the photo between you and Beth, share it with no one else."

When Jessie hung up, she could tell Jacob wasn't happy she'd shared the photo but Jessie was gambling that there could only be very few people left alive that might recognize the woman in the picture -- and hopefully only one of them would be in the Jenkins Pack on the West Coast. She explained that to the twins, and emphasized her reading of Jenkins as being an honourable man, hoping that would reduce their worry.

They talked about various things for a while, waiting. Jessie realized they had no idea when Jenkins would show the photo to Beth so eventually she left to continue doing whatever she could to pass the time. While they were all having dinner that night, the phone finally rang.

Jessie didn't even get "Hello" out before Jenkins was talking ... well no, he was yelling. "Why the fuck didn't you warn me! Who the hell are you?"

Jessie was confused, "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong."

"Beth is in our medical clinic right now! We thought she had a heart attack after I showed her your grandmother's picture but our doctor assures me it was just an acute shock reaction. Either way, not good for someone her age."

Jessie felt terrible. "I swear to you, I didn't know she would respond to the picture in that way. I just thought she might know something about my family."

"Well she knows something alright, and it's made her very upset ... and she is refusing to tell anyone what's wrong. She insists on meeting with you, as soon as possible. She's been given something to help her sleep but apparently she's unlikely to calm down until she's talked with you, so for her own protection I will allow the meeting. But I will be there to make sure no harm comes to her."

Jessie saw Liam mouth the word "beach" at her.

"Do you think she's well enough to meet me at Rubble Beach? I know its neutral ground and I think that would make everyone more comfortable yes? I will honour its neutrality, unlike the other man you dealt with there."

Jenkins sighed, "I will ask. It is probably the best idea if it's possible. There are lots of people here right now who are not feeling at all kindly towards you -- and I'm one of them. Beth is a treasured member of our pack. I will call again in the morning."

Jenkins hung up abruptly, leaving the three of them to stare at each other over the dinner table. Jessie finally said, "Beth's reaction doesn't sound like good news, or am I reading too much into it?"

The twins both shook their heads, Liam saying "Something's wrong, but who knows what ... we'll just have to wait to find out. I'll update Helen after dinner and we'll work out a plan tonight for going to the beach so we are ready if it happens."

It was after midnight before the three of them went to bed. The twins had walked Jessie through various scenarios of what might happen during the meeting, everything from "it all goes well" to "it all goes to hell", making sure she knew what she might face and what to do if she had to run or fight. She described everything she could remember about the beach layout and they looked carefully at Google Earth images of the area to plan how Jacob and Liam would position themselves to protect her.

The next morning the twins ran Jessie through everything they'd talked about the previous evening, making sure she remembered it all. Jacob was particularly obnoxious every time she skimmed over the least detail of the plan. Jessie had to work very hard several times not to let her inner gryphon take over and smack him, telling her it was only because he cared about her safety, but it was difficult to concentrate when she kept sending images of Jacob's coywolf shaved like a fancy poodle dancing on his hind legs with a pink ribbon tied to his tail!

Finally the review was over and Jessie walked outside to sit in the garden for a while to calm down. When the burner phone in her pocket rang, the resulting conversation was quick and to the point. Jenkins let her know Beth could meet her at Rubble Beach at 3pm that afternoon; Jessie confirmed she'd be there.

********************

About 2pm the three of them were sitting in Jessie's car, parked off the side of the highway about 5 miles from the beach.

Jacob looked at Jessie, "Stay put here for at least 50 minutes, then take your time driving the last few miles. Arrive as close to 3pm as you can. Sit in the car and let them move first. If they try to block the car, leave. If you see wolves, leave. If you see more than 3 people, leave. If any of them is carrying a weapon, leave. Don't forget to call me and leave the call going before you get out of the car. Ok?"

Jessie nodded. All three of them got out of the car. Hidden from the road, Jacob and Liam stripped and shifted. Jessie pushed straps hooked to small pouches over each of their heads and they trotted off through the trees towards the beach. She put their clothes in the trunk, then got back in the car and sat, twisting restlessly, looking at the clock on the dash until the wait time was up. She took a deep breath and started the car.

Jessie arrived at Rubble Beach a couple of minutes before 3pm. She drove carefully to the parking lot and turned the car so it faced the exit for a straight run out if needed. There were no other cars in the lot and she couldn't see anyone else, but just as Jacob and Liam were in the trees somewhere there were bound to be a few Jenkins Pack wolves in there too. She spotted a truck arriving, it looked like the same one she'd seen last time. It too took its time and turned facing the exit, parking across the lot from her. There were only three people in the truck. Jessie recognized William Jenkins and his medic.

The men got out, Jenkins nodding at Jessie, and they helped an unsteady, frail-looking older woman step down onto the pavement. They walked over her over to a picnic table where she sat down. Jenkins shook out a blanket and wrapped it around her, then walked part way towards Jessie's car and stopped.

Jessie called Jacob's phone, put hers on speaker, said "I'm leaving the car", tucked the phone into her top jacket pocket, got out and walked over to Jenkins. Her hood was up but her face was uncovered, and she could tell Jenkins was taking careful note of what she looked like.

Jenkins said tensely, "Beth is very tired but she insisted on meeting you today. The sun is warm but the ocean breeze is cool, I don't want her getting a chill so make it quick please."

Jessie nodded, and Jenkins moved aside to let her approach the picnic table. The medic, Beth's great grandson, looked at Jessie. "I want to stay here and keep an eye on her."

Beth spoke up, in a surprisingly strong voice given her physical appearance. "Don't be silly Dean, I will be fine. Please leave us to speak alone."

Dean sighed, shaking his head, but he stepped back to stand with Jenkins, both of them constantly scanning the area. They seemed as tense as Jacob and Liam were about the meeting.

Jessie sat down across the table from Beth and spoke first. "Thank you for meeting me. I'm sorry about what happened when you saw the picture, I didn't know it would be such a shock for you."

Beth's eyes were bright and piercing as she stared at Jessie. "Push that hood back, I want to get a good look at you." Jessie did as Beth asked.

Beth sighed, "Not your natural hair colour I'm sure, just as I'm certain Robin is not your real name. But you've got her eyes, I see the resemblance. You say she's your grandmother yes? So why do you need to talk with me?"

"Because that's all I know. My mother once told me that the woman in that photo was her mother, but I don't even know her name." Jessie watched Beth carefully as she said, "Helen Lavalle says she looks like someone Helen once knew but it can't be her -- I think you know who I'm referring to. I've come to ask you if you can tell me my grandmother's name."

Beth nodded slowly, then reached under the blanket and pulled a cell phone from her top jacket pocket. She placed it on the table. "I'll turn off mine if you turn off yours. What I have to tell you should be for your ears only."

Jessie smiled and pulled her cell phone out and placed it on the table. They both hung up their phones and powered them off in front of each other.

Jessie sighed, "I'm going to be in so much trouble for doing that."

Beth laughed softly, "Me too, but I'll get away with it easier than you I think ... I so love taking advantage of being a "revered elder". I just have to wobble and shake a little and everybody stops bugging me."

"So my dear, I assume Helen says your grandmother looks like my niece Silvie Richard, yes? And Silvie died young, never had any children. How much do you know about her?"

Jessie shrugged, "I think I know the whole story. I know she was killed by her father in 1888. The photo of my grandmother was made at a later date than that, so she is not Silvie Richard, but she looks so much like Silvie that Helen thinks it has to mean she is related to Silvie. Do you know who my grandmother is?"

Beth nodded, "Yes I do. We didn't think she'd survived but it appears she did. And now you are here." She took a deep breath, "Your grandmother has to be Miriam Richard, Silvie's twin sister."

Jessie was astonished, "No one has ever mentioned Silvie had a twin!"

Beth sighed, "Only four women ever knew and I'm the only one still alive to tell. Jacques and Lillian hardly ever saw each other while she was pregnant that last time, and she was so unwell that she was rarely seen in public. We knew she was carrying more than one baby but we didn't say anything to anyone. We were not sure she'd live long enough to give birth she was so sick. Every ounce of Lillian's strength went into surviving long enough to give the babies a fighting chance. She was so brave."

"Alice and I stayed with her during the last two months. When she went into labour we were her only support. Lillian was barely alive when Silvie was born, and seeing her baby was a girl finished Lillian's will to live. We knew what the Richard family did with girls. Lillian had given everything for her children and it was all for nothing. We hoped the other baby was a boy and we kept telling Lillian that, keeping her going until the second child was born. She died just minutes afterwards. She never knew they were both girls."