When we were done eating, we got up and left. We decided to walk to the sheriff's office.  Dad filled Uncle Gordon in on what we suspected. Meanwhile, I called Trent.

"Hello"

"Hey, Trent. We just discovered we have fairies in the area whom Uncle Victor assisted with.  Check files for other species and try to give us an idea of how big a scope we need to expand."

"I was just getting ready to call you.  I just found a file. Your uncle had a surrogate carry three pups that were his and his mate. They are fifteen."

"You shitten me. Then where the hell are they."

"That is what you better ask the sheriff. That is what I was going to tell you.  Their names are Xavier, Xavion, and Xania.  They turned 15 in February."

Dad, granddad, and my uncle turned and looked at me. "Ok, I will ask about my cousins when we get to the sheriff's office." I then hang up.

They looked at me, "Uncle Victor has three pups, two boys and a girl, who turned 15 this past February. We will need to find out about them."

"I would love to know why my brother did what he did. We have talked many times, and he never mentioned having pups."

"Dad, I think there is a lot he never told us over the years." We stop in front of the sheriff's office, and Grandad says, "Victor, I think you should be the one who talks. You were named after him, and you have the information that Trent shared." He then pulls open the door, and we walk into the lobby.

I see a man sitting at the desk and walk up to him with my family behind me. "Excuse me, are you the sheriff, or can you direct me to him?"

He looked up at me and said, "If you, a reporter, go to the parking lot at the park. That is where the sheriff is conducting all his interviews. The next one is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. If you are a hunter, you go to the county office tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. when it opens to get a license. Now get out of here. "

I had to hold my growl in, and my uncle grabbed my arm and spoke up. He sounded angry but controlled, "That is not the way to talk to anyone who comes into a place of service. My nephew, Victor Shamong, asked to speak to the sheriff. We were told he would be expecting us." He laid the newspaper article down on the young man's desk. "We saw this newspaper article about my brother's death. We want to know why we were not notified and discovered it this way. I want to know where the hell are my nephews and niece are. My dad and I should not have been reading about his death."

"Carl, another group claiming to be family is here."

I step up, pull out my ID, and throw it on his desk, "there is no claiming. We are his family, and here is my ID. Now, who the hell has been here claiming to be family? Are my nephews and niece safe? If anything happens to them, this town will be involved in litigation for the next century."

A man walks through the door and says, "Calm down, Mr. Schmong. My deputy here has been dealing with hunters, reporters, and reporters claiming to be family all day. Moses, go ahead and head home. I will cover the front until Judy's shifts begin."

Moses grabs some stuff out of the drawer of his desk and starts to walk toward the exit. He stops and turns toward us, "I am sorry for how I treated you. Plus, I am sorry for your loss. Doctor Schmong was a nice guy and will be missed." He then nodded his head and walked out.

The sheriff holds out his hand, "my name is Sheriff Carl Taylor. He is a good kid. He is due to graduate this year with his degree in criminal justice. He volunteers here and will come on full-time once he graduates. He is just green and needs to learn more about dealing with on-the-job stress. With how the past few days have been, it's been stressful for even me." He shakes each of our hands. "I am sorry for your loss. I knew he had family, and we were trying to track you down. The paper wasn't supposed to release the name or photos. It has caused several problems in the investigation. Including this. I hoped your family would not see this until I could arrange official notification."

I reply, "When the Vice President of my company gets notified his boss has been killed by someone who saw the article, he is shocked. He requested a copy of the article, and he knew it was my uncle and not me. Then he notified me. That is how we found out. I will be sure to stop by the newspaper. At least they did not list the children in the article. Now, where are my nephews and niece? Is there anything else you know about concerning my uncle and the wolf?"

"We have had local hunters out searching, but no sightings have been made. Today, others have arrived in town to hunt, but I got a court order to halt issuing hunting licenses. We had too many patients of his wanting licenses with no experience. I did not want anyone else to get killed. "

"Why did the deputy tell us to be at the courthouse at 9:00 a.m. to get a hunting license?"

"I will be there at 8:45 am to announce that no more licenses are being issued, and anyone caught trying to hunt without one will get 30 days in jail and a $5,000 fine. Now, let me call Judy and arrange for all calls to be forwarded to her cell. She can work from home or drive to where she might be needed. I will grab my keys and take you to your niece and nephews."

He walks to the back of the station. He comes back a few minutes later. "Follow me, and let me code in so all calls go to Judy while I lock up. He then walks toward the door and starts dialing his phone. "Judy, it's Carl." He is silent and laughs, "Yes, I know what caller ID is, you smart ass. The family arrived and took them to the kids. Anyhow, I sent Moses home, and I am heading out. The place is locked up, and all calls will just be forwarded to you." He listens again, "any reporters call the next conference will be at 10:00 am. I will be at the courthouse tomorrow at 8:45 a.m. to deal with the hunters. Hope you have a quiet night. Call if you need back up. Tony is going to be patrolling tonight. GoodNight." He opens the door and holds it open while we walk outside. He turns and locks the door, "Call if you need any backup." He hangs up, "where did you park?"

"We parked at the diner and just walked over here."

"I will meet you there, and you can follow me to where the kids are."

My phone dings as we are walking toward the diner. I see it's a message from Trent.

"We discovered a file, and he has been helping several species. Good thing your uncle's there. How did this never get brought up? Attached is the totals list.

I growl and hand my phone to Gordon. He reads and starts texting.

"This is Gordon. Contact my secretary with all addresses. Plus, arrange with her to use your packed conference and hotel. Tell her I will contact her later. We are right now heading over to meet Victor's pups."

Then he hands me the phone back.