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Sam joined us a moment later. “My guys say you made a clean getaway. Your shadows never left that area.”
The next trip was even riskier because I didn’t dare lead them to Owen. I left the office a little early and walked up Broadway, stopping to window-shop my way through SoHo. I bought a new blouse at one store and hoped I was thoroughly boring my followers. I went into the subway at Prince Street and caught a train to Union Square. While I was in the maze of the station, I put the new blouse on over the top I was wearing and twisted my hair up into a bun before catching another train toward Grand Central. Meanwhile, Trix, wearing a Katie illusion, left the station and headed to my apartment building.
I left the subway at the station nearest the hotel and put on one of my new pairs of sunglasses before going up the stairs to the street level. The glasses were only lightly tinted, so I kept them on as I went through the hotel lobby to the elevators. It was a relief to be the only person on the elevator. I hit buttons for the floors above mine before I got off, just to muddy the waters.
I knocked on the door before using the key card to let myself into Owen’s room. He was lying on the sofa, reading the book I’d left him. “I think I may have something,” I said, by way of greeting.
He sat up, and I sat next to him. I got out the vial of powder and the spell booklet. “I got some powder on the envelope. Do you think you could use the moving spell to get it here?”
He pondered it for a moment. “It’s worth a shot. The specifics might be a little different, but I can adjust.” He sprinkled the outline of a square on the coffee table using the powder, then read through the booklet before putting it aside. He held his hands out palm-down over the square, said a few words in a foreign language, and then snapped his fingers. There was a flare of light and the square of powder vanished, but the envelope lay in the middle of where it had been.
I couldn’t resist a fist pump. “Yes! It worked.”
He blinked. “It did. Wow.” His voice quavered. “So, I guess I have to open it now, huh?”
“If you don’t, I will have wasted my day and Perdita will have terrorized a Chinatown shopkeeper for nothing.” At his confused expression, I said, “I’ll explain some other time. It’s a good story.” He studied the envelope lying on the table in silence, and when at least a minute had gone by without him doing anything, I said, “I noticed there’s magic around it.”
“Yeah, there’s an enchantment, but it feels benign enough. Just a mild compulsion that’s not aimed at me.” He frowned and chewed on his lower lip. “There’s something else, but I think it protects the contents. I don’t feel anything beyond that.”
“So it’s not going to suddenly possess you or unleash terrible evil on the world?”
“I don’t think so.” He took a long, shaky breath. “Well, here goes,” he said. I put my hand on his back in support as he bent forward and picked up the envelope. He read the writing on the outside first, then took another couple of breaths before sliding his finger under the envelope flap.
The envelope remained sealed, and Owen’s soft “ouch” told me he’d got a paper cut. There was a tiny flicker of light as a drop of his blood hit the envelope, and the envelope opened by itself. I didn’t know how he stood the suspense because I was about to die of anticipation and it wasn’t even about me.
He slid out a folded piece of paper, then he shook the envelope, and a key fell into his palm. He placed the envelope and key on the table, then unfolded the paper.
Chapter Twenty-One
I would have expected Owen to consider this a personal moment, something he’d want to absorb on his own before sharing it with me, but he cleared his throat and began to read aloud, “‘My dear son, I hope you never read this. I hope you grow up healthy and happy and far away from the troubles we brought on ourselves. I don’t want to think that your parents’ actions will go on to harm you, but that’s the way the world works, isn’t it? He isn’t getting what he wants this time, so he’ll try again, and I’m afraid he’ll try to use you. If he does and you find yourself in trouble because of who you might be, I hope you’ll think to research your origins and come across this note.
“‘I probably don’t have to tell you this, if you’ve reached a place in your life where you needed to find this note, but the one who led us isn’t what he appears to be. Your father won’t listen to reason, but ever since I realized the path we were on and that there was no way out for us, I’ve been gathering evidence and documenting his actions. I hid everything in a monument in the park by the office. I hope you know what I mean. I will do everything I can to secure this note, but I’m afraid to take chances. If you need this, you’ll know what the office is. This key will lead you to what I’ve hidden. Only you will be able to open it.’”
Owen read silently for a few minutes, then he read out loud, his voice rough, “‘I am so sorry I won’t see you grow up. But my last hope is that you will be able to undo the evil your parents did. You’ve already saved me, no matter what happens to us tonight. It was because of you that I started thinking and asking questions. I couldn’t be selfish anymore when I had a baby depending on me. Perhaps it was your power that gave me the strength I needed to pull away.’” Owen’s voice broke, and I rubbed his back as he finished. “‘Know that you were wanted and loved, and if I thought I could take you and run away somewhere safe, I would, but I have to see this through.’” He turned to look at me. “It’s signed ‘Your mother, Mina Morgan.’”
He was silent for a while after that, and I put my arm around him and rested my head on his shoulder. He put his arm around my waist, and we sat, hugging each other. After a while, he said, “Well, now I know. Idris was right. And you were right. It’s the smoking gun.”
“Not entirely. It just tells us how to find the smoking gun. The letter on its own isn’t much good, since she doesn’t actually mention Ramsay’s name. I assume she’s talking about the park by the MSI building. It’s going to be tricky getting to it, with the protesters and with people from both sides following me and ready to arrest you the moment they find you.”
“But I have to go. I’m the only one who can find her stash and get into it. Since my blood from the paper cut opened the envelope, I’m guessing she used blood magic.”
“Blood magic? That sounds dark.”
“Some kinds are. This is more accurately DNA magic, but that doesn’t sound nearly as dramatic. It’s the best way to tie something directly to a specific person. Think of it as magical biometrics.”
“So, now we need a plan for getting you out of the hotel and all the way downtown without getting caught.” I thought for a moment, then said, “That close to the office, maybe we could get Sam to set up a security perimeter around the park. You could get the stash without an audience.”
He shook his head. “I can’t get Sam involved. I’m a fugitive. If he knows I’m there, he’s duty-bound to hold me.”
“That makes things more challenging.”
“It’s easier to hide among a crowd, so we should do this during rush hour, when all the city employees will be in that area.” He checked his watch. “It’s almost five, so I suppose it’s now or never.”
o;So it’s not going to suddenly possess you or unleash terrible evil on the world?”
“I don’t think so.” He took a long, shaky breath. “Well, here goes,” he said. I put my hand on his back in support as he bent forward and picked up the envelope. He read the writing on the outside first, then took another couple of breaths before sliding his finger under the envelope flap.
The envelope remained sealed, and Owen’s soft “ouch” told me he’d got a paper cut. There was a tiny flicker of light as a drop of his blood hit the envelope, and the envelope opened by itself. I didn’t know how he stood the suspense because I was about to die of anticipation and it wasn’t even about me.
