Trevor found his father, Jonas Edson, and Jonas’s supermodel girlfriend, Ewa Monica, among the airport crowd.
After greeting them, Trevor took a luggage bag from Ewa and asked, “How was the flight?”
“It was comfortable; I slept all the way,” Ewa replied, flashing a charming smile on her tanned face. She wore a pink floral sundress and looked relieved to have Trevor take the large, heavy luggage from her right hand.
“Good for you. It was very bumpy for me,” Jonas said, looking tired in his steel blue suit.
“Guess the trip wasn’t without issues. Losing your cuff links, watch…” Trevor said with a wry smile.
“Ah, don’t mention that again! At least the deal is finished and the money is secured,” Jonas grinned, dragging his own large, heavy luggage. “Let’s find a taxi. I need to sleep first.”
They rode a taxi toward Jonas’s house. It was nearly an hour’s drive from the airport, and Jonas dozed off quickly. Trevor, also feeling sleepy after the previous night’s drama, took a nap too.
“Oh my God, Swan Tiger is dating the Mayor’s son! They were both found at the Dressrious Salon last night,” Ewa said excitedly.
“What? Where did you see that?” Trevor asked curiously, instantly awake.
“Gossip News, of course,” Ewa answered. “They are well-matched, but who knows how long they’ll last, since both have long romance histories.”
Trevor checked his phone and found the Gossip News report:
Spotted: Drop that dream playlist, Darlings! Swan Tiger’s next heartbreak ballad is not for you. Why? Because she’s officially off the market and making moves on Chuck Adams, the Mayor’s heir apparent. Yes, C-H-U-C-K. No official announcement, but trust us, the receipts are in. Last night, at the supposedly exclusive (but clearly porous) Dressrious Salon, a terrifying sound shattered the midnight silence—and the illusion of security. Guests scrambled to the lobby, where, amidst a tableau of unconscious muscle, our favorite pop diva and the heir to City Hall were found snuggled up in matching Salon nightwear. Was it a wolf? Was it just a tragically loud fire drill? Who cares? The only headline that matters: Swan is officially claimed! Memo to the A-list: If you’re hiding a scandalous hookup, darling, never join the evacuation crowd. The truth always finds a spotlight.
XOXO, Gossip News
Trevor read the article twice. His mind suddenly cleared. “I have a stratagem,” he murmured.
“What? For what?” Ewa was wide-eyed, looking at him confusedly.
The late Professor Antonius’s book event proceeded as scheduled. The Reading Room was packed, with scarcely an empty seat to be found. Most attendees were the professor’s students, and Spion easily blended in with them, sitting beside Emily.
“Welcome everyone. It is truly regrettable that Professor Antonius cannot be with us to share the outstanding insights of his book, Wars and Innovations. I may never match his wisdom, but as his assistant, it is my honor to share these insights with you.” Olivia stood in the center of the Reading Room. Part of the projector light illuminated her, while the rest was cast onto the retractable screen behind her, displaying the professor’s portrait and the book cover. She clicked a control, and the screen now showed the title of her speech: Is War a Bad Thing?
“The biggest insight from the professor’s book, also a highly controversial…”
Rinnnggg! A piercing fire alarm went off all of a sudden, interrupting her speech.
Shemsu rushed into the room, announcing panicky, “Fire alarm! Everyone needs to evacuate immediately!”
Attendees freaked out, rushing to leave the room. Crowds streamed from all directions into the lobby, then evacuated to the front or back yard under the guidance of Ali and the Salon staff.
Olivia exited the Reading Room with the others, but when she saw a few staff running out from the basement staircase, a plan stirred in her mind. She walked to a corner, observing. When she saw no one else emerge from the basement stairs, she sang a quick spell, conjuring a protective fog around herself, and walked toward the basement.
The fire alarm was sounding in the basement, but the area was now empty, and the fog was enough to conceal her from the security cameras. She recalled the location Shemsu had given up and found the Storage Room. It was locked, but not for her. With a simple wave of her hand, the door unlocked. She stepped in, and the lights turned on automatically.
Two message boards were affixed to the wall on each side of the door, but ahead of her stretched endless shelves. The room was indeed a magic room, bigger inside than outside, and no one knew how deep it went, because there was always a shelf for anything anyone wanted to store. If you wanted to retrieve something you had stored, you just pictured it in your mind, and it would automatically appear on a table in front of you.
Olivia focused on the flash drive—a silver aluminum USB 3.1 drive with a big ‘S’ logo. She pictured its look for several seconds, but no table materialized in front of her.
Did they move it after last night? It was still worth a try. She began walking toward the shelves, hoping to spot it among the rows.
“It’s right here in my hand.” A voice spoke from in front of her. A guy approached her. She recognized the guy in black jacket: Trevor, Lady Bella’s schoolmate.
Trevor raised his right hand, displaying the flash drive. “We know it’s you, Olivia. We know you attacked Shemsu. We know you were behind the intrusion last night, and we know you murdered Professor Antonius.” Though he delivered the last sentence with a firm tone, he was slightly nervous.
“What are you talking about?” Olivia smiled serenely. “I just took the wrong turn in the confusion.”
“Using magic to cast a fog around you to walk into a restricted area is a mistake? We have a witness who saw you cast the spell. Besides, we have evidence for the murder. The car company, Nikola, investigated the accident. They confirmed the steering wheel was sabotaged and have reported it to the police. The professor’s death was a murder.”
“I’m shocked. If that’s true, I’m sure the police will find the murderer,” Olivia said impassively.
“You forget it was an electric car, which can be opened with an app. The professor must have authorized you to open his car before, but every time you access the car, it logs your username and the time. On Tuesday, the professor spent much of the day on campus, so the car was parked until he left for the Salon at 3:42 p.m. But the car door was opened thirty minutes before that time under your name. You only opened the door; you didn’t start the car.”
“I picked up a pen the professor left in the car for him. There is nothing strange about that,” Olivia offered weakly.
“That’s obviously a bad excuse. Olivia, it’s useless. You left the office before three o’clock. The professor’s colleagues can confirm you didn’t come back to urgently deliver a pen.”
Olivia regretted using the pen as an excuse. She gave up the pretense. “What do you want? I can keep this unregistered magic room a secret if you hand the flash drive over to me.”
“Why do you want it? What’s inside?” Trevor grilled her, needing her full confession.
“My naked photos the professor shot,” Olivia smirked.
“Come on. Don’t tell me that ninja werewolf is your boyfriend. We know you both belong to a criminal gang, mad about war.”
Olivia raised her eyebrows, then smiled slowly. “Clever boy. Have you considered joining us? I researched you too: the Queen’s ex-boyfriend, a washout hacker, the son of a famous father, and you suffered the loss of your mother when you were just twelve. You have talent, but seem not favored by the gods. We are the gods’ servants; we do what the gods wish. Join us, and you will be blessed by the gods.” Olivia raised her hand, a gesture not to cast a spell, but for a handshake.
Trevor didn’t move. He continued, “What will happen if I join you? Will I end up like the professor? Once you find out I’m no longer of any use, will you kill me?”
“We have many great minds, brilliant scientists, with us. Professor Antonius was an exception. He didn’t want to follow the gods’ will, even after he discovered it. I just want to say, as an economist, he was truly irrational.”
“So you murdered him? Your gang sounds too dangerous for me.”
“You know I can take the flash drive from you anyway. Just a spell—”
Wham! Something hard struck her from behind. She felt an immediate rush of powerlessness and dizziness, couldn’t utter a single spell, and collapsed onto the ground.