Once Upon Stilettos

Page 19

Merlin’s office door swung open, and he and his latest victim emerged. The chairman of the magical committee for something-or-other didn’t look quite as shell-shocked as the Amalgamated Neuromancy guy had that morning, so he must have been cooperating. He and Merlin shook hands, then Merlin approached Trix’s desk once his visitor was gone.
“How’s it going?” I asked him. “Are we getting allies?”
He sighed. “They’re reluctant to accept change, to acknowledge that the cheese has moved.” Oh boy, he was now quoting from the business books. This was going to be fun. “I’m having difficulty persuading them of the threat inherent in one lone renegade. They seem to have forgotten the last few lone renegades who caused serious trouble in the magical community. They hide their heads in the sand until the danger is so dire they can no longer ignore it. Arthur was the same way about Guinevere and Lancelot and about Mordred.”
It still blew my mind that he was talking about people I’d always considered fictional characters as people he knew and remembered. “Human beings haven’t changed all that much in the past thousand or so years,” I said.
“And how is your investigation coming?”
“It’s difficult,” I admitted reluctantly. “It’s all rumor and personal impression at this stage. But if you wanted the fact that we might have a spy to remain secret, I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed. It seems like the whole company knows, or will know before long.”
He rubbed his beard thoughtfully. “Now, that I find interesting. You, Mr. Palmer, and I are the only ones who know the full details—and the spy, of course. I haven’t told anyone, I can assume you haven’t told anyone, and I suspect Mr. Palmer has remained as guarded as ever.”
“I think most of it is guesswork. Someone saw Owen tear out of R and D, and there’s already some worry that we could have intruders or spies. Next thing you know, word has spread around the company that someone’s spying, and they broke into Owen’s office. Finding a real spy when everyone else is already doing their own spying is going to be nearly impossible.”
“This is only the first day of your investigation,” he said kindly.
The intercom squawked just then. “Katie-Bug, you there?” said Sam’s voice.
“Yeah, I’m here. What is it, Sam?”
“I’m at R and D. You’d better get the boss down here, pronto.”
Merlin and I looked at each other, then he headed toward the escalator. Without waiting for an invitation, I got up and followed him. I’d been there no more than fifteen minutes earlier. What could have happened?
Normally, the door into the research and development department was secured, with a hand ID and magic spell required for access. Even I couldn’t get into that department unless I was accompanied by an employee or Owen was expecting me. But now the door was wide open. Sam and a white-faced Owen stood in front of the door. “What is it, Sam?” Merlin asked.
“The security to this department has been totally short-circuited. Kaput. It looks like it works the same way as always, but anyone could have walked in at any time.”
“How long has it been like this?”
Sam shrugged as expressively as a stone creature could. “No telling. I wouldn’t have even discovered it today if the kid here hadn’t asked me to do a security sweep of the department.” He indicated Owen with one wing.
“I thought it was a reasonable precaution,” Owen said softly.
“And it’s good that you took that precaution,” Merlin said. “Can you fix it, Sam?”
“Sure. No problem. But first, we ought to run a similar sweep on the rest of the building.”
Merlin nodded. “Do it.”
“That would explain how the spy got in, huh, boss?” Sam said as he went back to fiddling with wires.
“It also means we can’t narrow the suspects down to only people who have access to R and D,” I remarked. Great, my job had just become even more difficult.
“Was this done magically or mechanically?” Merlin asked Sam.
“Maybe a little of both,” the gargoyle replied. “I’ll get someone down here to check people one by one as they enter. Then you’d better seal off the department for the night.”
“I’ll make sure everyone gets out on time tonight, then we’ll shut down,” Owen said.
While they were talking, I glanced over my shoulder at the corridor, then did a double take. I touched Merlin’s elbow and said softly, “Somehow, I don’t think our spy is a secret anymore.”