Echo

powers do you have?” The aura dimmed.
    “I am sorry Brother, I do not know how to answer that question. I just am what I am. I do not recognize what I am as having powers. I am aware that humans are not very evolved yet. It’s quite a disappointment to a minion like me. And then there is the unfortunate mistake. When mistakes are made, the Womb insists we must intervene. The Elders convinced the Womb to allow the mistake to evolve, expecting the eons to smooth out the potential problems. Unfortunately, that did not happen. The Womb is patient but now it is time to draw the line. With your help, we will do that together.” The aura faded and Echo fell silent.
    Whoa. What the heck did Echo mean; with our help, to do what? Jose couldn’t imagine what Echo referred to but he didn’t want to pester her right now. He faced a ton of work. And Echo was clearly proud and excited about her gift of the diamonds. He didn’t want to ruin it for her with intrusive questions. There would be time for that after they made their escape from this town. Now, he must get Abby moving and out of here with the first pieces of gold to sell.

Chapter 13
    Selecting an attorney had been very simple. They just picked the firm in town with the largest ad in the Internet directory. Pulling up in front of the firm’s office, they realized that large was a relative term. The cedar shakes on the one story, shabby building cried for a coat of paint. The law office shared space with a small neglected used car dealer. Oh well, this was a rural poor community. Even though, as the county seat, they expected something a bit more auspicious from Newtown. They scanned up and down the street as they got out of the Chevy. It looked clear, except for the scruffy white Volkswagen that sat parked near the busy corner that most attorneys used, coming and going from the courthouse parking lot.
    Slipping on their sun glasses, Abby and Jose let themselves into a basic but cheerful reception room, comprised of four yellow plastic chairs and the obligatory sofa table stacked with fairly recent magazines. They gave their name to the pretty young receptionist, with a nametag that announced the name, Tiffany. Jose asked for Mr. Gavin. Tiffany pleasantly escorted them to Mr. Gavin’s clean, but cluttered, office. Scanning around the room for personal family photos, Abby found nothing that would indicate Mr. Gavin’s age.
    While they waited, a man entered to rifle through Mr. Gavin’s files. He appeared to be early thirties and a rumpled mess. His big pale moon face with round owl eyes hidden behind even rounder wire frame glasses gave him a professorial demeanor that his rumpled exterior only enhanced. Nodding to Abby and Jose with a slight shy smile, he hurried out of the office. A few more moments past and he returned, taking the seat at Mr. Gavin’s desk.
    “Mr. Gavin?” Jose inquired.
    “No—oh no. Mr. Gavin is my father. I’m Peter. Peter Gavin. Please call me Peter,” he invited; his tone self-effacing. “Now, how can I help you, Mr. Diaz?” He looked down to refer to a paper, glancing over to Abby, “And Ms. Preston?”
    As Jose related the parts of their story they had agreed to tell, Abby noticed Peter didn’t even blink when Jose spoke of needing his guidance to dispose of a considerable amount of gold bullion and untold karats of rough uncut diamonds. Abby passed photos of the items in question across Peter’s desk for verification. The photos, taken by Scotty, showed both Abby and Jose in the frame. After listening for half an hour to their plans, Peter, undaunted, announced he was prepared to give his advice.
    “Well, it appears you both will be coming into some sizable assets. First the gold. In all of Sussex County, there are no dealers that I am aware of, that can handle even one of your pieces, at ten pounds each. I suggest you melt one piece down to a more manageable eight-ounce size. The dealers will have no problem with that. It will give you more than enough cash to begin your plans. My office will file all of the necessary papers to the government and make sure all applicable taxes are paid. The bulk of your gold assets will need to be sold in Manhattan and other major metro cities. I hesitate to use just one dealer. And you do not want to flood the local market all at once. I believe we should make some inquiries in India, another wonderful source of eager gold dealers. One of the problems I see here is the necessity to carry