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I forced myself not to react defensively, remembering her talent for sensing fear or weakness. “What do you think is different about it?”
She hesitated, then said with a shrug, “It’s just different. The real one made me feel strong. People obeyed me. This is nothing more than a piece of jewelry. It doesn’t do anything for me.”
“Maybe you’re tired. You can’t feel powerful all day.” I kept my voice kind, calm, and soothing, the way I had after the gargoyle attack in the museum. “You’ve been through a lot. That would sap anyone’s strength. Did everyone stop doing what you told them to do?”
She frowned. “No, not really. But they had to do what I said because I was in charge.” She actually seemed to be listening to me. She certainly didn’t have the crazy gleam in her eye that everyone else got around the brooch. “You could be right,” she added with a sigh.
“I am right. You should go back to the museum before you miss the rest of your party. You’re having a big gala tonight, aren’t you? You put in so much work. You deserve to take credit for it. Drink some champagne, dance a little, enjoy yourself.”
She nodded. “Yes, I should do that.” Then she frowned at me. “What on earth happened to you? You look awful. Come on, you should come back to the museum with me. You both look like you could use a drink.”
Now I was suspicious. Mimi was never this nice. She’d been bearable when she was in shock after the gargoyle attack, but she still hadn’t really been nice to me. When I worked for her, I could have come to work missing a hand and she’d have criticized my typing speed. Not to mention the fact that she didn’t seem to have noticed what a mess she was. This was a woman who practically had to be tranquilized when she snagged her tights. Something was definitely wrong.
“No, thanks,” I said, taking a big step backward and pulling Owen with me. “We’re on our way home so we can relax. We’re not really up to a party right now.” And that was the absolute truth. I wanted nothing more than to take a long, hot bath, put on my pajamas, get in bed, pull the covers over my head, and stay there for about a week.
“You’re probably right,” Mimi said.
I turned to walk away, talking to her over my shoulder. “Well, it was great running into you again. Good luck with your party!”
I didn’t think it would be so easy to escape from her, and I was right. Even though she talked about going back to the museum, she came after us—in the opposite direction from the museum. I was also right that it was weird for her to be so nice to me. The Eye must have been telling her what to say so it could get back into the hands of someone who would use it. Now she had that scary gleam in her eyes, and I knew that reasoning with her wouldn’t work. She lunged at me, clawing at my clothes. “Where is it? Give it to me! I know you have it!” she shouted.
I tried to fight her off, resorting to the usual chick fight moves of hair pulling, kicking, and scratching. Owen wrapped his arm around her neck to try to pull her off me, and then she screamed, “Help! Police! I’m being attacked!”
“You’re attacking me!” I protested.
“Because you stole my brooch!”
“You’re wearing your brooch!”
“This isn’t the real one!”
“Take it to a jeweler, he’ll tell you it’s real.” At least, I suspected he would. I didn’t think the gnomes would have tried to make the switch on the elves unless they had something that would stand up to appraisal. Not that it mattered, since she wasn’t listening to reason. She could feel the difference, and that sense of power had become a need, a hunger.
With either uncanny knowledge or extreme luck, she lashed out with her high heel and caught Owen’s injured leg. He blurted something that I suspected was a naughty word in some ancient, esoteric language. In his moment of shock, she broke free from him, knocked him down, and lunged at me again. There was a horrible tearing sound, and then she gave a cry of triumph. She had the brooch.
She held it above her head, cackling like a mad scientist in an old B movie. “Hey!” I cried out as I jumped to grab the brooch from Mimi, ignoring the torn lining hanging out of my skirt pocket.
“You did take it!” she shouted, holding the brooch out of my reach. “I knew it! I’m not insane! I was missing my brooch!” She pinned it on her dress, next to the fake brooch, then stepped to the curb to hail a cab.
“Don’t let her go!” Owen warned. He was still struggling to get to his feet, but he waved my help away.
I rushed to stand beside Mimi, hoping that my bedraggled appearance might be enough to scare away cabs, even if she did now have the power of the Eye and could probably summon them. “Go away!” she said to me, a ring of command in her voice.
“No!” I said cheerfully. “I don’t think so.”
She turned to look me in the eye. “I don’t need you now that I have my brooch back, so go away,” she said, emphasizing each word.
“What was that? I didn’t hear you.”
Owen limped over to join me. “Let’s herd her away from the street,” he whispered. I looked at him and could tell from his slight smile that he had a plan.
“Hey, Mimi,” I said, taking a step toward her. “Did I ever tell you what it was like to work for you?”
When I was nearly toe-to-toe with her, she took a reluctant step backward. “Get away from me,” she said, reaching up to rub the brooch.
Owen moved around me to stand in front of the curb, and then stepped up onto the sidewalk, forcing her back another step. “I hear you weren’t a very nice boss,” he said.
She backed away, frantically rubbing the brooch, like she expected a genie to come out of it and help her. “I said, get away from me.”
