12 Ready Or No (1/2)

It had been two days since I called Daisy. She had still not called with the information; it was a bit unsettling.

I also didn't have much to do. I cleaned the house, looked at some of the family pictures from when I was young- which were a very few- played games on odd social networking sites and kept myself from thinking about the black files on my table that I had already read,. It was like they were screaming at me to look at them again.

My mind wandered to too many places. The only thing that could keep it off from the horrid thoughts was my morbid curiosity about Jasper, the person I had to find. So I opened my computer and searched.

Most agents had names that were of significance to them; it was usually what defined them or something they liked. Of course, I was hoping that the person would have significance to the name he gave himself. My father's name had been Tango. . . his favorite dance style, even though he had never been a good dancer. Jasper could be anything. . . What did the name mean?

[In English, the name Jasper can derive either from the Persian name Caspar, meaning 'treasurer,' or the Persian word 'yashp,' meaning 'spotted stone.' It is the name of a semi-precious form of quartz.

Famous Jaspers include Jasper Tudor, uncle to the English King Henry VII, novelist Jasper Fforde and fas.h.i.+on designer, Jasper Conran.

It was the 51st most popular name in Belgium in 2006.]

Then in another tab,

[Jasper, a form of chalcedony, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color and, rarely, blue. This mineral breaks with a smooth surface and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for vases, seals, and at one time, for snuff boxes. When the colors are in stripes or bands, it is called striped or banded jasper. Jasper is basically chert, which owes its red color to iron three inclusive.

The twenty percent of foreign materials determine its color, streak, and appearance.

The Jasper is, along with heliotrope also known as bloodstone, one of the traditional birthstones for March.

In physical therapy, Jasper is used to heal mental stress. It is said to aid in grounding, to give protection, and to help align all the chakras and balance yin-yang energies.]

I hunted for a pad and pen of paper and then scribbled down the newfound information in it. I thought for a second and then dismissed the idea.

I opened a few sites about authenticity and composition, but the most striking thing that came was that Jasper stones were polished to make aristocratic vases sometimes.

Yeah, not very interesting.

I shut the laptop down and stared at the notepad.

I was staring at things an awful lot these days.

I didn't know why I was doing this, myself. I needed time to think through my game plan with Anthony and here I was thinking about this Jasper who may or may not have any significance to his real name or character.

I was probably wasting my time and energy. So I kept everything aside and dragged myself to the bed. I covered myself up with a sheet and then closed my eyes to find some sleep.

Luck was not on my side, apparently. My phone started ringing, and I startled awake. I found it tucked underneath my backside.

'Awkward.'

I picked it up and looked at the number.

Nope. Don't know it.

I picked it up and answered cautiously.

”We need you tomorrow morning, at five.” FIVE! ”Don't be late.” And then I heard the dial tone.