“I didn’t know you had this.” Rory sounded excited.
Stella’s music and Rory buried in his novels. Arthur could wake up to this more often. “I liked the film,” he confessed. “Have you seen it?”
Rory shook his head. “The church didn’t let us see movies.” His eyes were still on the page. “I started it asThe Curse of Capistranobut I never got to read the last two parts. The orphans were passing the magazines around, then my dad found out and banned it.”
“He did, did he.” Not for the first time, Arthur was tempted to pay an unfriendly visit to Theodore Westbrook, Senior. “I’d forgotten I picked up the book. Where did you find it?”
“In there, with Stella’s records.” Rory jerked his head at a trunk. “You know you got a medal buried in there too?”
Arthur’s heart stopped. “You didn’t—”
“What? Oh, no!” Rory’s eyes widened. “No, Ace, I know we were playing last night, but I wouldn’t ever scry something without permission.” He squirmed, then added, “Scry something likethat, I mean.”
Arthur’s heart slowly began to beat again. Rory was forced to watch too much suffering in history already. Even if he wouldn’t have seen the scene from the dream, Arthur still didn’t want to inflict any of this violence on him.
Rory’s shoulders hunched. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snoop—”
“You weren’tsnooping.” Arthur wanted to hit himself for putting that guilt on Rory’s face. He offered Rory a rueful, apologetic smile. “I invited you to play the records. The medal was misplaced.”
“It did look awfully important to be buried in a trunk.” Rory hesitated. “They don’t just hand those things out to everyone. You must’ve done something special.”
Arthur made himself shrug. “Only if being born a congressman’s son counts. I was practically guaranteed a commission. Just an officer on the sidelines.”
Rory looked dubious. “You put yourself between me and the street when we walk down the sidewalk.”
“A quirk of manners, nothing more,” Arthur protested. “Although New York does have the most appalling drivers, and if one were to swerve—”
“See? You’re not the stay-safe-on-the-sidelines type—”
The whistle of a kettle cut through the flat.
“Whoops, sorry,” said Rory, scrambling in the direction of the kitchen.
Before Arthur could follow, the telephone rang, and he answered to find Jade on the other end. “Shall I assume you told Rory about Lord Fine?”
“Christ.” Arthur rubbed his face. “How bad was the aftermath? I’m sorry I didn’t stay to help, I thought I should just get Rory away as quickly as I could.”
“It was a hit,” she said wryly. “Patrons were delighted, decided it was part of the show.”
Arthur quirked a smile. “Still, bill me for all of the damage, just put all of it on my account.”
“I’d rather bill Fine himself,” she muttered. “He’s still upsetting your life from across the ocean. Upsetting Rory, I assume, based on the indoor windstorm.”
Rory, who was only steps away in the kitchen. Arthur lowered his voice. “Rory wasn’t happy to hear about Wes, no. But we got the ring off last night.”
She sighed with relief. “Wonderful. I’m glad something’s gone right, because I’m afraid none of the other news is good.” She lowered her voice as well. “Jianwei searched the plane last night. Edgar Barnes did eventually reappear in Grand Central and then went home, but we still don’t know where he went while he was missing.”
Very odd. “I’ll try Edgar this morning. He’s got to go to work, after all. Did Zhang find Miss Shelley? Or something in John’s office?”
“No to both. But there was something wrong at Coney Island.”
Arthur furrowed his brow. “What doeswrongmean when we’re talking about the astral plane?”
“Another distortion on the plane, like in Grand Central when he was following Mr. Barnes, but not in tunnels this time, on the open beach. Jianwei described it like radio interference,” Jade said. “We’re going to Coney Island this morning to investigate.”
“I’m coming with you,” Arthur said firmly.
“Don’t you have to pick up Lord Fine?”
