The fake this mysterious alchemist had prepared was probably pretty valuable in itself, too. He’d likely used real gems and precious metals that would pass muster as a true piece of jewelry. But nothing compared to the value of a dragon egg.
A dragon egg was a mass of concentrated magic, and more valuable than anything else on earth. Feeding a girl-crazed billionaire a lesser copy while making off with the real one was exactly the sort of scheme a shifty alchemist might come up with.
Jeffrey’s lips moved nervously.
“Take it from me, kid. You’ve stuck your neck in some business you really shouldn’t have,” I said. “The moment crows started talking to you, you should’ve dropped everything and run for it. But I am lucky you hung on to this. I’ll be keeping it, so you can hide out here for a while. I’ll talk things over with Diefenbaker and your boss and settle everything.”
“What about Laura?” Jeffrey said, tears welling up in his eyes. “You left her there!”
“Oh, be quiet! Yeah, I’ll take care of Laura too, okay? You behave yourself, kid. I do this sort of thing for a living. Once this gets back to its rightful owner, I’ll help you out, you and Laura. I’m sure my employer will approve the expense.”
“So I do have to give it back?” he asked.
“Of course!” I snapped. Jeffrey jumped and shrank against the couch like a whipped puppy. Maybe that really had been a blow. I still had a bad habit of releasing magical energy when my emotions got the better of me; not a great idea in this line of work.
“I’ll go talk to my employer,” I said, avoiding the pitiable look in Jeffrey’s eyes. “You watch the place, Jeffrey Chandler. Larry gets back, you fill him in, order some food, watch TV, play games, whatever. But don’t even think about leaving here and going back to that theater, not unless you want both you and Laura turned into Swiss cheese.”
That was enough for Jeffrey. He cringed and nodded. I didn’t place a lot of stock in the man’s moral code, but at least his feelings for Laura were real. If she was in danger, he’d stay here for now. Besides, normal people couldn’t get out of my office any more easily than they could get in.
“I don’t like it, Jack,” Evan Dean said. We were in his filthy office, the ashtray piled high with cigarette butts. He leaned back in his chair, resting his well-worn shoes on the desk, looking less like a lawyer (his public persona) or an alchemist (his private one) than a stereotypical gumshoe detective. He nailed the part more than I ever would actually.
“You got the goods, that oughta be the end of it. Why you gotta keep meddling? Hand the thing over and you’re done. With that special bonus, too.”
He glanced sideways at his desk drawer. It took so much effort on my part not to follow his gaze. The drawer contained something I longed for—a booklet of dreams I’d drooled over at events and on Yahoo auctions nearly every night. In my fangirl fantasies the little limited edition book, signed by the voice actors and manga artist, danced ever nearer…
I coughed, making sure my voice carried.
“Can’t do it that way, Dean.”
“What?!” He’d been leaning over the desk, but now he shoved all the way back. I waved the pouch with the dragon egg.
“This has a strong magic dampener on it. I’ve heard Jeffrey Chandler’s story, there’s a powerful alchemist pulling strings behind this mess. Until I find him and catch him, the case ain’t over.”
“We’ll think of a way to handle the alchemist ourselves,” Dean groaned. “Alchemists deal with their own problems. No place for a changeling faerie to get involved.”
“No matter what you say, I’m not handing this over to you, Dean. You may as well just report it to Lindel.”
I traced a circle in the air with my finger. The circle became a glittering gold thread that tied up the pouch. I hung it around my neck, tucking it into my bra to keep it out of the way.
“I get in quick, and I get out quick, but Jack the Flash never abandons a half-solved case. Round the whole thing up and finish it off, that’s my policy.”
“I don’t give a damn about your policy,” Dean said, spraying spit. “Gimme that thing!”
“Too bad!”
I turned and left the nicotine stench of his office. The door slammed behind me, but I wasn’t sure which of us had done it. Maybe both of us had at once. I could feel Dean’s glare boring into my back even through the door and the mountain of cigarette butts.
8
Dean certainly had a point. Actually, I was pretty sure he had me dead to rights. I’d recovered the item, which should’ve been the end. Lindel would hardly be pleased with the delay and even less pleased that I was keeping the egg at all.
But I really didn’t want to give it to Dean. I felt like placing something this beautiful in his nicotine-stained hands would be tantamount to blasphemy.
I may not be able to hand it directly to Lindel, but if I contacted him, he’d send someone to fetch it. Just as he’d explained the job in person, it only felt right to return the thing to him directly. Besides, I hadn’t yet uncovered the alchemist behind all this. As long as I kept the egg, there was a good chance I’d flush out my quarry.
I know, I admit it. I just didn’t want to let the egg go.