Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Iknew I was in Freddie’s car before I opened my eyes: sweaty socks, longanisa, his cologne, and the pine air freshener swinging from his rearview mirror.
I tugged my phone out as I extricated myself from the back seat, the map results flooding back.
We needed the real location and a way to reach it before seven.
Before my text to Ori got a reply, I was out of the car and had a clear view of the dome and my friends across the parking lot.
My head was cottony, like my tongue. Ori waved me over, but I detoured to Juke’s cooler and guzzled one of her canteen bottles. My thoughts were still all over the place, but at least I was able to speak now. “What happened?” I asked as I entered the dome.
Juke pulled off her headphones as I approached. “You’re looking better. We were worried when you passed out. Ranth thinks the drug and the spell did some sort of transfer that affected you. Sleeping it off was the solution.”
“Yeah, my head is a mess.” I ran my fingers over my loosened braid. “Any plan how we’re getting to Argentina?”
“The gold is in Anaheim, not Argentina,” Ori said.
“Whaaa? But the light that stayed on was in South America.”
“South America was the fried light. Anaheim was the real hit,” Juke replied, pointing at the projected image on the ceiling.
“See, it’s still on? The spell energy, or whatever it was, fried the upper part of the map.
What should have lit was Anaheim, but there was no power.
But I got the feed impression data, so on the monitor it looks fine.
” She turned the screen of her laptop around.
The map clearly showed the point southeast of Los Angeles.
“It’s Disneyland,” Ori said.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“That’s what I thought too. But they have a museum exhibition of ancient artifacts.” Juke held up her tablet with the zoomed in map.
“And it’s in the exhibition? That makes total sense. Bizarre though.” I pulled the elastic out of my hair and redid the braid.
“The security is tight,” Juke said. The headphones around her neck emitted a steady musical beat.
“Does it belong to the museum or is it on loan?”
“It doesn’t. It’s a private donor collection.” Ori’s eyes met mine.
Oh Foxgloves, don’t let it be…
“Gerrard Lin,” Ori confirmed.
The weight dropped. I could only hope my mother wasn’t watching wherever she was. Her last words to me about my father were to imagine I had no father and leave it at that. If I needed something, I always called Bud. Or my father’s lawyer. “Well, the good news is, that’s my biological father.”
“Your father?” Juke asked.
“The bad news is, it’s my father.” A cold, old ache opened, and I capped it fast.
“I thought you hadn’t seen your father…” Juke asked.
“Since I was a baby, yeah. He basically abandoned my mother, dumped some money for me in a trust, and went on with his life.”
“You’re a trust fund baby?” Freddie asked.
“Ha. I seriously have no control over any money, and Bud isn’t good with talking. I call him when my account gets low, and I try to make some cash to pay for incidentals, so I don’t have to bug him.”
“Basically, your sugar papa has your back.” Freddie grimaced. I knew it hit close for him.
“Yeah, not like that. He has nothing to do with me, and I’m more than happy to keep it that way.”
“But maybe he could help us. Depending on how you want to approach this.” Ori tugged at the end of her ponytail.
“I knew he liked art, but I had no idea he had a collection of ancient pieces.”
“What else don’t you know about him?” Juke asked.
“He’s a top executive with a Silicon Valley tech company that makes medical devices,” Ori said, sliding through screens on her phone.
“He’s not a doctor, but he’s got skills with his hands, or so my mom said. She didn’t talk about him much, understandably, but I pried stuff out of her until I got old enough not to care. He wasn’t around, wasn’t part of our lives, you know?”
“You weren’t curious?” Freddie asked.
“Sure, Ori and I stalked him one night, and the security guards chased us off his compound. He’s got two kids and a new wife. Oh, and two dogs. Chows, I think, and a fleet of expensive cars. He’s a real family man, just not for my family, or rather me. Honestly, I’m not sure he’d help us.”
“Worth a shot, though, right?” Juke asked, tipping up her sunglasses. Her eyelashes were the same neon green as the ribbons in her hair.
“I don’t even have a phone number. I’d have to call the lawyer back.” I sighed and swiped through my messages. I hadn’t even listened to it yet.
I poked the screen and put the phone to my ear.
“Hello, Ms. Redwood, I’m calling as a courtesy to remind you that we have not received the ancillary paperwork to process the request that your stepfather submitted.
If you are having difficulties, please do call me, and I can walk you through the process.
Mr. Lin is, of course, supportive of your endeavors, but this lies outside our original agreement and, thereby, must have documentation as per the divorce outline. ”
“What documentation?” I mumbled while listening to the voicemail again. I hadn’t asked the lawyer for anything since I’d set the kitchen on fire making chili oil, and we’d had to rebuild it to meet the current fire code. Back then, Bud had called and made the arrangements.
I called my stepdad first. “Hey, Bud, got a minute?”
His long exhale said volumes. “What’s up, Cookie?”
I winced at the nickname, which Bud found hysterical. It was the reason I still let him use it. I loved to make the man laugh and so had my mother. Bud’s laugh lit up galaxies.
“I got a weird call from Worthington. He wants paperwork for something.”
“What paperwork?”
“That’s what I don’t understand. Something about being supportive of my endeavors? Extra filings?”
“Oh, that! I’ll take care of that. Don’t you worry about it. I’ll give him a call.”
“Bud, what are you up to?”
“It was supposed to be a surprise, Cookie. But I guess…”
“What kind of surprise?” Color me interested in anything Bud planned in advance. Bud was an in-the-moment kind of person. The one that liked to deal with future business in the future, if he could, or hire people to deal with it.
“I know I don’t usually think ahead, but your mom set things down in her book. You know, instructions for important things?”
“Mom left a book!” I caught myself and lowered my voice. Mom hadn’t known she was going to be taken, at least that’s what I thought. Was I wrong?
“She said in case anything went poorly, I was to unlock it.”
“It was locked?”
“Yeah, with a key and everything. Anyhoo, she said to make your twenty-fifth special.”
My chest ached with heaviness. “That’s not for another year.” Without Mom, every year was a weight of missing her.
“Special takes time. You have to grow it.”
“Oh. Kay. What exactly are you growing?”
“Ha, you completely KNOW me. I’m blowing it, but I have a special strain that we’ve created—Sorrel Special.”
I snorted. It was so perfectly a Bud present. “Whoa, I’m honored, that’s really cool. But I don’t get why you are contacting Worthington.”
“Because… Cookie, this will really blow it. Sure you want me to?”
“Go for it. I promise to be surprised.”
“I bought you a farm, or I’m buying it. By then, it will be in full production.”
“You bought me a marijuana business of my own?” I repeated it so I would understand it. It was beyond bizarre. I was going to be responsible for a working farm?
“Yeah. Are you excited? I know I am! Don’t worry, I’ll be running it for you unless you want to run it. Figured some new family income stream would be a great legacy.”
I looked at the sky, breathing out relief. “I’m… I have no words to describe what I’m feeling.”
“I knew it. Your mom said to make sure you had a safe place and to make sure your coming-of-age party was special. I figured I’d roll them into one. Get it?” He laughed, and I laughed with him, but I was rubbing my forehead.
“That’s amazing, and I promise to forget about it. But apparently, Charles wants papers signed or something. I bet you’ll have to do something too.”
“Right, I’ll call him next week. Hang on, why were you calling, then? Because of that?”
“I’m good-ish. What time will you be home? You can show me the book.” It was just like Bud to vaguely remember to tell me things.
“We’re almost done rebuilding the pump. I’ll be down this weekend. But you know that anytime you want to talk I’m here, Cookie. And by the way, next time you come up, I have some new strains for you to try. Since I blew it, you can try some of the Sorrel Special trials.”
I laughed. “Okay, Bud. That will be amazing, I cannot wait to try them. Thank you. See you later.” The part about being excited to try the strains was honest, but the idea of all the rest was bigger than I could deal with.
“What’s up? I saw the sky look,” Ori asked.
“I can’t even explain because it’s a secret. Don’t worry, it’s one we want to keep until we need to tell.” I was still a little woozy from the drug thing, and Bud’s wild revelations had done nothing to help that.
Ori wrinkled her nose. “Okay. Are you calling the lawyer now, then?”
“I doubt it’s going to get us anywhere.” I dialed the number. “Hi, I’d like to speak to Mr. Worthington. It’s Sorrel Redwood. I’m returning his call.” I waited while his secretary went to see if he was free.
“Ms. Redwood. Thanks for getting back with me. I have papers here…”
“I know, I’m happy to sign them. Send them over.”
“Actually, you need to come in for the deed transfer.”
“Bud told me. Great. We’ll come up with a time. Actually, Mr. Worthington, I’m calling for something else.”
“What can I do for you?”
“My father, Mr. Lin. I know he’s not interested in speaking with me directly, but there’s an item in his art collection that is of interest to my research.
A project a friend and I are doing for school.
I’m wondering if it might be acceptable for us to show it to our group.
I believe it’s currently on loan to a Disneyland museum.
My friend is traveling down there, so if it would be convenient… ”
“I don’t know, Ms. Redwood, it’s a rather personal request.”
“I wouldn’t ask, but it is very important to this project, and getting Mr. Lin’s approval would speed up the process.”
Ori raised an eyebrow at me.
“I’ll be seeing him tonight at an event. I’ll ask him casually, if you like, and let you know tomorrow?”
“That would be fabulous, Mr. Worthington. You have no idea how much it would mean.”
“I can hear it in your voice, Ms. Redwood. Have a great rest of your evening.”
I hung up. “Whew, well that might actually work out better than I expected. He’s seeing my dad tonight at some party.
So, we’ll have to wait. Hold on, I have an idea.
Juke, can you do for the Anaheim museum what you did for the Egyptian museum?
Send an email from my dad to them saying they need to release the scroll case to Vivian? Then maybe you can go get it?”
“I can, but…”
“I hear an uh-oh.”
“I’d need an IP to hack into. Do you have an email or phone number?” Juke straightened a butterfly in her hair, thinking.
“No phone. Email always comes from the lawyer. Hang on. Charles forwarded me a Christmas card a couple of years ago when Mom died. My dad wanted me to know he was still around, although he wanted nothing to do with me—that kinda thing. It even said Merry Christmas, which was thoughtless, but then that is him.” I searched my phone.
The email attachment had the forward header. I sent it to Juke.
Her phone chimed, and she held it up. “Got it. Give me a couple of minutes. I need to haul the laptop out. Same thing? We need a short loan or need to pull it from the exhibit, due to family reasons?”
“That. That’s perfect. When you sign, use -GL. He always signs with his initials.”
“Got it. Are we doing a dry run for the garden thing?”
I glanced at my phone’s lock screen. Waiting was not my strong game.
“Without the third piece of gold, we can’t complete the ritual but, yeah.
We could set up, and we’ll need supplies.
We could go to Rose’s for them since my place is still a target.
Anyone heard from her? She was furious with me when she left. ”
I texted Rose—no response. I dialed and got voicemail. “Hey, it’s Sorrel. I’m really sorry. Please call me?” Rose almost always picked up. Maybe she was in the shower. I glanced at the time. “No one has heard from her? Hmmm. Okay, I’ll try again in five minutes.”
My phone sang with an unknown caller. “Hey there, Greenie. Looking for your bud, Rosebush? She’s pining for you, hoping you’ll come visit. We both miss ya.”
Fabra had Rose.
The revelation echoed over and over in my head. “What do you want?”
“Your big, handsome dead guy, of course. Bring him and we can do swapsies.”
“Where?”
“Hmmm. How about the cemetery? Don’t you have to be there at seven?”
“That was last night, but how do you know… wait, you’re at my house?” I shouted into the phone.
“Yeah, and your keeper lady came by wondering where you were. I told her you’d be back in a bit, and I’d take care of the groceries. Those nori rice cakes she brought are killer, but you need to buy more.” She crunched one into the phone for effect.
I balled my fist. “I want to talk to Rose.”
“Sure, honey-child. Here you go.”
“Sorrel, don’t meet her. She’s going to—” Rose said, then a loud smack was followed by a groan.
“Your sweetie pie has a big mouth,” said Fabra.
I ground my back teeth together. Rose was tough and smart. “Meet us at the graveyard in an hour, and Rose better be okay.”
“She will be when she wakes up. Don’t worry. I want my bronze man, and I have to have something alive to trade, right?”
“Right,” I replied, hanging up.
Ori’s face reflected my gut-wrenching nausea. I should have dealt with Fabra the first time. But now to get Rose back…
“You are trading Ranth for Rose, aren’t you?” Ori asked. The choice scraped like a thorn. Fabra was not in control here.
Ranth crossed his arms, his brows knitting. I could literally hear his reply.
I ignored him. “Not a chance. We’re going to take Fabra down, and here’s how we’re going to do it.”