Ice and Fire novel Chapter 437

When Cherry returned home, she found Joe on the sofa, fast asleep. Looking at all the toys haphazardly scattered, she knew her son had fallen asleep playing.

Cherry smiled at the scene, and gently covered him with a blanket before heading to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

As Cherry and her son, Joe, sat together eating lunch she shared her news, "Joe, I found a piano teacher to give you lessons. She was a classmate back in high school."

"Really?" In his excitement Joe asked, "Yay! When do I start my lessons?"

"Perhaps, in a few days. Once your piano is delivered she will come to give you lessons, " Cherry told Joe.

"Okay. I can't wait to meet her!" Joe's face was lit up with his bright smile as he spoke.

"Your teacher's name is Amy, and she is a kind person. You should address her as Miss Amy, " Cherry explained to Joe.

"Okay, I will, Mommy." Joe agreed, but, he didn't give a wit about the pleasantries, all he was looking forward to was meeting her and the piano.

"Alright, enough chatter then, finish your lunch quickly. Remember, tomorrow is Monday and you have to finish your homework for school, " Cherry emphasized it by taking a bite of food.

"Yes, Mommy, " Joe said, his voice suddenly glum. He stared at his lunch and feeling down in the dumps at the prospect of having to go to school. He wanted nothing more than to be homeschooled.

After lunch, Joe went up to his room while Cherry cleaned up the kitchen, before watching some TV in the living room.

Cherry's phone rang, unexpectedly. When she checked, she saw it was Lily calling. She knew if Lily were calling, it was important, so, she answered it quickly.

"Lily? Hello!" Cherry said into the phone.

"Oh my God! Mrs. Cherry! It's horrible! What happened, is just, horrible!" Lily was hysterically saying.

"What's wrong?" Cherry's voice was raised as she reacted to Lily's panicked tone, "What happened?"

"It's the house! The house was broken into! We've been robbed!" Lily rushed to tell her.

"What?" Cherry was flabbergasted! She tried to clear her head, so, she took a deep calming breath and asked, "Have you told Jackson yet?"

"No, I called you first, " Lily said, the worry and panic still in her voice.

"Lily, you and Bill stay there; I am on my way, " said Cherry as she grabbed her coat and headed out the door.

"Yes ma'am, we'll wait here for you."

Cherry called Jackson as she drove away and headed to the family residence.

As soon as Jackson answered the phone, "Hey Babe, what's up?"

"Jackson, Lily just called. The house at the military compound was broken into. You need to get over here asap! I am headed there now, " Cherry rushed to give him details.

Jackson was stunned on the other end. He pulled himself together, "All right, yes, I am on my way." He acknowledged.

Jackson clicked the end call on his phone. His face reflected his shock, even though he was calm inside.

"Are you okay?" Jackson questioned Cherry, as he took her hands in his, clutching them tightly.

"I'm okay, but?" Cherry looked around at the cherished items laying broken and scattered, and she looked near tears, "Our home!"

Bill looked concerned as he approached Jackson, "Mr. Jackson, Lily and I cleaned the second floor this morning. We went out to get lunch, and this what we came back to."

"So, the man was here earlier?" Derek cut in and asked abruptly.

Bill nodded, "Yes, he was. The compound guards caught a glimpse of a dark shadow and gave chase, but weren't able to catch him. The man boarded a minibus."

Jackson listened to Bill intently and gained a clear understanding of what had transpired.

"Derek, tell Bobby he is to scour the entire city and find the Butler. I want him alive, " Jackson seethed, biting the words out through clenched teeth.

"Got it!" Derek knew from Jackson's demeanor to keep his response short, and to carry out the orders immediately.

Glancing at the vandalized living room, Jackson's heart tightened. He told Bill and Lily, "I want you two to clean the living room before anything else."

After that, Jackson took Cherry's hand and they went up the stairs to the second floor.

The first room they checked was Grandpa's. Jackson was infuriated at the sight before him. All his Grandfather's personal possessions had been thrown on the floor.

Fear kept Cherry from stepping over the threshold of Grandpa Andrew's room. She had always considered the butler to be a kind man and having seen the havoc downstairs, and now seeing the destruction here showed her frightening side of him. She knew he had come looking for the token, but, why would the butler think he could hope to find it when Jackson hadn't located it.