He slid out a folded piece of paper, then he shook the envelope, and a key fell into his palm. He placed the envelope and key on the table, then unfolded the paper.
Chapter Twenty-One
I would have expected Owen to consider this a personal moment, something he’d want to absorb on his own before sharing it with me, but he cleared his throat and began to read aloud, “‘My dear son, I hope you never read this. I hope you grow up healthy and happy and far away from the troubles we brought on ourselves. I don’t want to think that your parents’ actions will go on to harm you, but that’s the way the world works, isn’t it? He isn’t getting what he wants this time, so he’ll try again, and I’m afraid he’ll try to use you. If he does and you find yourself in trouble because of who you might be, I hope you’ll think to research your origins and come across this note.
“‘I probably don’t have to tell you this, if you’ve reached a place in your life where you needed to find this note, but the one who led us isn’t what he appears to be. Your father won’t listen to reason, but ever since I realized the path we were on and that there was no way out for us, I’ve been gathering evidence and documenting his actions. I hid everything in a monument in the park by the office. I hope you know what I mean. I will do everything I can to secure this note, but I’m afraid to take chances. If you need this, you’ll know what the office is. This key will lead you to what I’ve hidden. Only you will be able to open it.’”
Owen read silently for a few minutes, then he read out loud, his voice rough, “‘I am so sorry I won’t see you grow up. But my last hope is that you will be able to undo the evil your parents did. You’ve already saved me, no matter what happens to us tonight. It was because of you that I started thinking and asking questions. I couldn’t be selfish anymore when I had a baby depending on me. Perhaps it was your power that gave me the strength I needed to pull away.’” Owen’s voice broke, and I rubbed his back as he finished. “‘Know that you were wanted and loved, and if I thought I could take you and run away somewhere safe, I would, but I have to see this through.’” He turned to look at me. “It’s signed ‘Your mother, Mina Morgan.’”
He was silent for a while after that, and I put my arm around him and rested my head on his shoulder. He put his arm around my waist, and we sat, hugging each other. After a while, he said, “Well, now I know. Idris was right. And you were right. It’s the smoking gun.”
“Not entirely. It just tells us how to find the smoking gun. The letter on its own isn’t much good, since she doesn’t actually mention Ramsay’s name. I assume she’s talking about the park by the MSI building. It’s going to be tricky getting to it, with the protesters and with people from both sides following me and ready to arrest you the moment they find you.”
“But I have to go. I’m the only one who can find her stash and get into it. Since my blood from the paper cut opened the envelope, I’m guessing she used blood magic.”
“Blood magic? That sounds dark.”
“Some kinds are. This is more accurately DNA magic, but that doesn’t sound nearly as dramatic. It’s the best way to tie something directly to a specific person. Think of it as magical biometrics.”
“So, now we need a plan for getting you out of the hotel and all the way downtown without getting caught.” I thought for a moment, then said, “That close to the office, maybe we could get Sam to set up a security perimeter around the park. You could get the stash without an audience.”
He shook his head. “I can’t get Sam involved. I’m a fugitive. If he knows I’m there, he’s duty-bound to hold me.”
“That makes things more challenging.”
“It’s easier to hide among a crowd, so we should do this during rush hour, when all the city employees will be in that area.” He checked his watch. “It’s almost five, so I suppose it’s now or never.”
I got out my purchases from the lunchtime shopping trip. “I don’t know how good a disguise these will be, but I do have hats and funny glasses. And ‘I Heart NY’ obnoxious tourist T-shirts.”
“This would be a lot easier in winter, when we could really bundle up and hide ourselves,” he said, taking a shirt from me.
I went into the bathroom to change shirts. I wished I’d thought to pick up some hair rinse at a drugstore to darken my hair, but I settled for stuffing it up under a “Big Apple” baseball cap. When I came back out, Owen had also changed. He hadn’t shaved that day, and with a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a touristy T-shirt a size too large so that it looked sloppier than he usually did, he was almost unrecognizable. Someone who knew him well would spot him if they knew to look for him, but in a crowd, he might not obviously be Owen. I was naturally invisible in crowds, which made ditching followers in a busy city easier. Utterly average blends in nicely.
“Okay, let’s do this,” I said, trying to talk myself into courage.
He picked up the key, then folded the letter, slipped it back into its envelope, and then slid that into the book he’d been reading. “You’ve got a key to the room?” he asked. “I think it’s probably safest if I don’t have one on me.” I didn’t like the way he made that sound. It reminded me of the note of fatalism in his mother’s letter.
“You think they’re going to catch you?”
“Let’s just say I’d rather plan for the worst-case scenario and then be pleasantly surprised. And I do think the odds of me making it there and back are slim.” He took both my hands in his and faced me. “Listen to me now. Our priority—our only priority—is getting those documents. If we get ambushed or caught or chased, get the documents and don’t worry about me. Go straight into the building and give them to Merlin. Once we have those, I’ll be okay eventually, whatever happens, even if they catch me. Do you understand?”
I nodded and tried to swallow the lump in my throat. “Yes, I understand.”
“Now promise me.”
“Owen,” I whimpered.
He squeezed my hands tighter and looked me square in the eye. “Promise me,” he repeated, his voice firmer.
“Your magic doesn’t work on me, you know. This isn’t binding. But, yes, I promise. I know what the priority is.”
He held my hands a moment longer, then said, “Are you ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” On impulse, I stood on my toes and threw my arms around his neck to give him a tight hug. “You will be careful,” I whispered into his ear, making it an order.
He hugged me in response. “I will. Trust me, I have no desire to end up back in one of those cells.”
“I’d better go down first and scope out the situation,” I said. “I’m pretty sure I wasn’t followed, but they saw me come here yesterday and may be on the lookout. You sit tight, and I’ll call the room when the coast is clear.”