“There’s metal in my left knee from a knee replacement.”
The two guards looked at each other, and finally one of them said to her reluctantly, “I’m going to have to wand you.”
She glared at him, then held her hands out to the sides. “Fine.”
When that was finally over, she collected her things and Takahashi pointed to the stairs. “I’d like to take you to the lower level.”
She recalled the elevator buttons from her trip up to his office yesterday. “I didn’t know there was a lower level.”
“Most people don’t.”
The proprietor of the jewelry store is standing behind one of the cases polishing the glass cover when we enter. He immediately recognizes me from when I came in with Fionna yesterday. “Sir! It’s good to see you again. So, you were looking at necklaces? Yes, as I remember, you are a man of impeccable taste. May I—”
“I’ll be with you in just a moment,” I tell him, lifting the line that merchants typically use on customers, and he looks momentarily disoriented, which is what I always go for when I say that. Sometimes it’s just fun to mess with people.
“Yes. Um… Of course.”
“Come here, Charlene.”
She follows me toward the women’s necklaces. “So we’re looking for something for a woman?”
“Let’s say I was. That I was looking for a necklace for a woman.”
“For just any woman?”
“No. As I said before, it’s for someone special.”
“Hmm… And do I know her?”
“I think you two are fairly well acquainted.”
“I see. And what does she like? Diamonds? Platinum? Silver? Cubic zirconia?”
“Not that last one.”
“No?”
“No. It has to be the real thing. Diamonds, I’d say. I think she would like diamonds.”
“Well, you know what they say about diamonds. That sounds safe.”
“I’m not shooting for safe, exactly.” I point to an extraordinarily brilliant diamond necklace displayed behind the glass. “I’m really looking for something unforgettable. Something that would pretty much wow her. Blow her away.”
“You must really like this mystery woman a lot.”
“Like might not be the right word.”
“Really?”
“Nope. And I want this necklace to let her know that.”
“The right piece of jewelry can speak volumes.” Her gaze wisps across the engagement rings, but only briefly. “So, a necklace.”
“Yes.”
“Diamonds?”
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
“Well. These are all certainly nice, but you don’t need to spend a lot of money to express this sentiment you have in mind.”
“Is that so.”
“You could just tell her. Three words is usually enough.”
“Three words? That’s all you need?”
“Usually. Yes.”
“Well. I’ll take that under consideration.”
“Uh-huh…” She taps a finger against the glass case, then brushes her hand across the case that holds the engagement rings and looks at me demurely. “I’ll have to think more about what would be ideal as far as jewelry goes, but for right now I don’t think any of those necklaces are quite right for a woman that special to you.”
I flag the man behind the counter. “Not today. Maybe another time.”
He opens his mouth partway as if he’s going to reply, but decides against it and goes back to needlessly polishing his already spotless display cases.
I catch up with Charlene outside the store, and we leave for the hospital to do the children’s show.
Derek decided it was time to wake up Dr. Jeremy Turnisen.
“Can I do it?” Calista asked.
“Sure.”
She did it with a kiss.
Well, more than one.
As he regained consciousness, she stepped back.
Derek stood beside her, fingering the needle and suture thread. “We’ll give him a little time to recover. Then we’ll get started.”
Eyelids
Xavier meets us in the parking lot near the main entrance. He has a duffel bag full of props with him. We tell him about our rather truncated meeting with Agent Ratchford.
“So he didn’t want to see Fionna’s findings?”
“No,” I reply. “To be frank, it was all very odd. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what he wanted — it seemed like he wanted information about Akinsanya, but… Well, all I can say is that I got the impression something more is going on here with Ratchford’s interest in the case.”
“So did I,” Charlene adds.
Xavier takes a moment to reflect on that. “Well, let’s do the show and then figure out where to take things from there.”
For the performance, I plan on card tricks and small effects, and I figure there’ll be plenty to choose from in the voluminous bag Xavier is toting.
We’re on our way to the front door when I get a call from Mr. Fridell that tonight’s show has been blacked out.
I imagine this must be related to what happened last night during the finale. “Is it because of the accident involving the piranha tank? I don’t think the audience even knew it wasn’t part of the effect. Seth’s prestige salvaged things. We can still make that effect work.”
“The show manager and I talked it over. There are other factors to consider. Legal matters. And public relations. I know the audience members weren’t supposed to be filming your escape, but someone took cell phone footage of it and posted it online. The media got ahold of it and has been running with it this morning. Our lawyers think it would be best to take a day off so we can respond appropriately to the news stories and the queries we’re getting.”
I blame myself, and I hate the feeling it gives me.
“I’m not upset with you or your team,” Fridell assures me. “I’m just glad you weren’t hurt any worse. We’ll have to consider the possibility that our lawyers will want that trick out of your show.”
Though I can understand where he’s coming from, I’m not sold on the idea. “I’d like to be in on that conversation.”
“I understand. I’ll keep you in the loop.”
“And there’s no way we can still go on tonight?”
“The box office is already in the process of refunding tickets. For now, tomorrow’s show is still on. I’ll pass your views on to our lawyers, but I can’t promise anything. We’ll talk as soon as I know anything more.”
After we end the call, the hospital’s receptionist directs Charlene, Xavier, and me to the administrator’s office, where Ms. Sage-Turner enthusiastically leads us up to the third floor’s conference room/lounge in the children’s wing where we’ll be performing.
Akio Takahashi did not take the undersecretary down to sublevel 4.
He thought that by showing her some of the research that happened on the level directly above, he might quell her curiosity. So, he led her to sublevel 3 instead and began explaining the company’s findings on swarm technology using insect-sized reconnaissance robots.
It’d better be enough for her.
Because if it wasn’t, he didn’t know what he was going to do.
Putting the thoughts of tonight’s cancelled performance out of my mind, I focus on entertaining the children. Though my arm is aching, thankfully the show goes by without a hitch.
I do a series of street magic effects and mentalism, and the kids love it.
Although some hospital staff are present, most of the audience of three dozen or so is made up of children who are cancer patients. Some kids are recovering from operations, injuries, or broken bones.