Following Alan's suggestion I handed my journals over to Matt. It seemed a lot like what happened when Alan read it except this time it was Alan saying "Finish it then we'll talk."
Even when it comes to talking and reconciling issues my big brothers, by birth and by choice all try and look out for me. On one hand I appreciate the intentions behind it but it also hamstrings me when it comes to protecting myself.
Case worries that I don't think of myself when it comes to getting things done. It's what brought me to the Walker clan. At least now everyone has realized that while I can't handle everything I can roll with the punches.
It's only taken them how long?
My brothers, they're annoying, opinionated and at times slow.
Matt did surprise me though. When he finished reading my journal he borrowed a pack of 3x5's. Looks like we're going to be in for an interesting week.
You know… I think people who use 3x5 index cards to figure things out can be downright annoying.
Matt spent most of the day working on his notes and every time I tried to ask him something he'd hold a hand up and tell me. "Let me finish, then we'll talk."
It took me a while to realize he was cross referencing my journals and his pocket secretary. He was still at it at dinner time and when he wouldn't stop Mom Walker intervened.
She didn't make him come to the table but she did tell him that he had to take at least one bite between each card, and if he didn't, the hearth spirit would tell her.
I don't know if she'd really resort to that but Matt did actually eat. He's still working on his cards now and when I was about to knock on the door Alan was standing to the side shaking his head.
"Jess, give him time. He's got a lot to go through… "
I looked past him to see Case. All Case would say is "Now you know how I feel."
Matt is still working on his 3x5 index cards. Nathan's still working on figuring out Alan; Alan is still busy being inscrutable and Case is still trying to get a handle on what's going on.
That left me with way too much time on my hands, especially while Bri was at school. I started doing some research on the Aztecs and the Mayans and more importantly how ATZ has 'modified' their traditions.
Of course, it's not the sort of thing they'd document so I have to do some serious extrapolation. I looked into crime scenes and the profiler version their actions.
Fortunately, before I got far enough to cause nightmares, Bri got out of school and I put the books away. Instead of reading up on blood rituals we had a picnic. I think I could get used to this.
Okay, I've been kept out of my office for two days. Driven from my computer I've been forced to do research at the library.
Everything I could imagine was nothing in comparison to what I found.
I walked into my office and my cards were still posted on the far wall, but every other wall was covered with Matt's.
He even color coded them.
It's one thing when I group information based on my latest whimsy but when you see things based on the type of disturbance… (That was the north wall.)
Location: East, Time: South… yeah… it's a lot to take in. I'm still not sure if it means anything but it sure is… colorful.
Not Maya, not Aztec… Toltec… Okay, our opposition is using the Mayan Calendar but their leanings are bloodier and far older: Toltec, maybe Olmec.
You'd think maybe this is good news but, the Toltec and the Olmec make the Maya and Aztecs look like girls scouts.
Sometimes I wish I wasn't so good at research-sometimes I wish this information wasn't so readily available.
I started with the North wall of my office, going over Matt's notes. By lunch time I was ready for a break. The afternoon was spent going over the forensics reports for Matt's wife: My sister-in-law who I'll never meet.
The sad thing is, I know more about or opposition than I do my own brothers.
I woke up not feeling well and things actually got better from there, mainly because Case made me sleep in and brought me breakfast in bed.
I could get used to this.
Alan was a bit impatient but I heard Mom Walker warning him, "Jessica has been pushing herself on this. There are times when even she must take a break… "
She's right. Never mind burning the candle at both ends, I'm borrowing candles to burn and I think it's catching up with me.
Things did look a lot better after a nap. By the time I woke up, Case was at the office and I had our rooms to myself. I almost broke out my spare cards but I realized this was not the place. The Walker's home is my refuge-I don't want to bring this here any more than I already have.
It was late by the time I made it to the office and by then I had gotten enough of a break that some of the ideas had time to percolate. I think we're on to something.
I am getting very tired of esoteric writings and trying to decipher Mayan Hieroglyphs. Up until now I'd read translations and well… when you take into consideration the fact that most of the translations are actually translations of translations it gets to be a giant game of telephone.
It's what people think it says based on a translation of what other people thought it said, and let's face it when you wrote something and the world view at that time add context to what was written.
I've found some books and have started translating but its slow going.
Of course, what I'm translating most likely has nothing to do with what our opposite number are doing. Then again, it might help us learn how to counter them.
Copyright 2010 M.T. Decker