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“I don’t know,” I had to admit. “We need to figure out what they might hit so we’ll know where and exactly when. Any ideas?” I dragged a dining chair into the living room so I could join the others. Our living room wasn’t really equipped for all of us to be in there at once.
“It would have to be something people are sure to see, something that would be on TV,” Gemma said. “Otherwise, the news wouldn’t be guaranteed to get out.”
“Can you think of anything?” I asked. “You’re the walking Time Out New York. What events would be great for exposing magic that would likely be on TV?”
Gemma wrinkled her forehead in thought. “Fashion Week would be great, but that’s in the fall.”
“No, people would think magic was just part of the show,” Marcia said. “Don’t they do all kinds of fancy lighting and special effects? If you want to show off magic, it would have to be something relatively staid and boring, so you’d notice the magic and it would be impossible to explain away. I have an idea: There’s an awards ceremony Saturday night, honoring top executives involved in philanthropic causes. There’s always some press there because the honorees are people who get covered and it’s a chance for interviews.”
“That could be a target,” I said, nodding. “Any other ideas?”
“It’s Fleet Week,” Nita said. “There’s lots of stuff going on. The hotel’s full, and there are a ton of events. Plus, the city is crawling with sailors.” She said that with a great deal of relish.
“Easy there, tiger,” Gemma said with a grin.
“I think something they’d have on TV live is a good possibility,” I said. “Then it’s less likely that whatever happens would be considered special effects that were added in production, and more people would see it.”
Marcia got out her laptop to look up calendars of events. By the time we went to bed, we had a huge list of things that sounded like they’d be fun to do, but no real idea of which one would be chosen for a magical demonstration. Even if we brought the entire MSI staff in on it, we couldn’t cover all these events.
I got up early the next morning and turned on New York One to keep an eye on the local news. So far, they weren’t covering any major news event, just the usual weather, crime, and sports. Nita got up soon afterward. “Anything happening yet?” she asked as she staggered into the kitchen.
“Not that’s making the news.”
“I guess that’s good.” After pouring herself a bowl of cereal, she joined me in the living room. “I still vote for Fleet Week. Cute guys in uniform.”
“We don’t get to choose. We’re guessing what they’ll choose.”
“Your chief suspect’s a woman, right? So, cute guys in uniform.”
“She’s a wizard. I don’t think she’d consider ordinary guys, especially ones who aren’t rich. Sailors aren’t known for their wealth.”
“Speaking of rich wizards, why aren’t you working on this with Owen?”
“Today’s his bachelor party. That gives me a good excuse to keep him out of it. I’m pretty sure they’re trying to use him as a scapegoat and blame the exposure of magic on him so they can reap the benefits of exposing magic without getting in trouble. He’s already suspected, so it’s a win-win for them.”
“And it’s a win-win for you because you get to keep him out of the way of danger while being the super understanding fiancée and letting him enjoy his bachelor party. What kind of debauchery does Rod have planned? Beach house, keg, and high-class exotic dancers? Weekend in Atlantic City? Or Vegas?”
“I think Rod made a case for a big bash like that, but he went with something more Owen’s speed. They’re going to a baseball game.”
She raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Really?”
“That’s Owen’s idea of a party. He might get wild and crazy and have a beer.”
“You two really are made for each other.”
I tossed a throw pillow at her, and she stuck her tongue out at me.
When the others got up, we decided to hit a few of the events we’d picked out as possibilities. I wasn’t sure what good it would do, since none of us could do anything about magic, but at the very least, I could spot anything hidden and report it. We could add to the feet on the ground and eyes on the city while the rest of the security team looked at other places. Mostly, I needed do to something.
“I still say it’ll be the awards ceremony,” Marcia said.
“Like that’ll make headlines,” Gemma said with a soft snort.
“It’s at night, so if nothing has happened by then, we can get a team there,” I said.
“I vote for one of the Fleet Week things,” Nita said. “There’s a SEAL exhibit.”
We ended up going to a Fleet Week event because we doubted Nita was going to give in quietly. Besides, none of us were entirely opposed to the idea of seeing men in uniform. “It’s our patriotic duty to support our brave naval personnel,” Gemma deadpanned as she admired the SEALs answering questions about the displays. With a glance at me, she added, “We could consider this your bachelorette party, since Owen’s out having his fun today. These guys are classier than Chippendales.”
