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“You’re welcome,” Owen said. “Need a reheat?”
I was left wondering what he was about to say to me, but it would have to wait because we had work to do.
Chapter Eleven
We went back inside, where Merlin was now also awake. While Merlin and Ethan ate, Owen talked me through what I would have to do. I wasn’t sure what he’d done to Ethan’s radio, but it was wrapped in duct tape and I felt a faint vibration when I held it. “I’ve already got it mostly set, but when you find the transmitter you’ll have to turn the radio on and rotate the tuner dial until the radio is in sync with the transmitter. Wear your magic-detecting necklace and you’ll be able to feel it.”
“But how will we find the transmitter?”
“The radio will vibrate more the closer you get, and you should feel it in your necklace.”
“Okay,” I said, turning the radio over in my hands. It didn’t look like anything magical at all, and yet this little thing could affect every magical person in the Manhattan area. “You’re sure this will work?”
“Magic is a very uncertain art, my dear,” Merlin said. “We always have to leave room for the unexpected.”
As soon as Ethan had finished his coffee and doughnut, he drove me to the nearest train station. While he drove, I used his cell phone to alert my roommates that we were being called to action so Gemma could get her friend’s building pass. As I’d expected, they were more than eager to take part. I’d be lucky if they hadn’t created clever disguises by the time I got home.
And I wasn’t lucky. They met me at the door of our new apartment wearing Bermuda shorts and loud Hawaiian shirts. “See? We’re tourists!” Gemma said.
“You’ve got a pass to the building,” I reminded her. “That means you aren’t a tourist.”
Her face fell. “Oh. Right.”
“You can be the local showing us around. But I refuse to wear a Hawaiian shirt.”
“And Bermuda shorts make my thighs look fat,” Marcia said. “I’m changing.”
“Or maybe black catsuits,” Gemma mused.
“No!” Marcia and I vetoed her, and I added, “We’re going in legitimately. Looking like cat burglars would probably draw unwanted attention. Unless you want to scale the outside of that building at night.”
She finally decided that she was the local who worked in the building showing around a foreign friend (Marcia) and her country cousin (me). I didn’t think anyone would much care what our cover stories were, but it kept her from asking too many questions about the magic, so I let it go.
Marcia’s phone had a Bluetooth headset, and I hid the earpiece under my hair. While I looked for Owen’s cell number in my address book, Marcia pulled it up on the phone’s screen. “Why do you have my boyfriend on speed dial?” I asked her with a raised eyebrow.
“It made it easier to nag him about remembering to eat and sleep while you were gone,” she said. “Rod deputized me.”
“He was that bad?”
“He was that bad. Not that it was all you. He’s also a workaholic.”
“Tell me about it. He did say that when all of this is over, we’d go away somewhere. Of course, I’m not sure what ‘over’ means.” Then because I couldn’t resist, I blurted, “And he made an offhand reference to honeymoon plans. It may have just been a joke, and I don’t think he’s planning to propose any time soon, but still, guys don’t bring up the subject of honeymoons unless they’re thinking along those lines, do they?”
Gemma adjusted the scarf she’d tied around her neck to accessorize her otherwise all-black “Really, I’m a local!” outfit. “Yeah, it’s generally a good sign if a man ever mentions anything to do with weddings or families. Most guys don’t even think about that stuff. So, are we ready?”
“I guess so,” I said.
“Communications check?” Marcia said.
I hit Owen’s cell number on Marcia’s phone. When he answered, I said, “We’re about to head out. Any last-minute advice?”
“Be careful. Look out for anything that feels like magic. After that spell we did, they know we’re up to something, so there could be some danger.”
“I was planning to be reckless. Putting my life on the line is fun!”
“You don’t have to be sarcastic about it.”
“I know, it’s because you care. Anyway, I can hear you loud and clear. I’ll call you back when we get there.”
