Chapter 78

He replaced the ledger in the drawer, but left the false bottom open a bit so the police would be able to find it if they looked carefully. Then he picked his way through the debris and left the shop, remembering to lock the door behind him.
"Well?" Mari greeted him in a whisper as he made his way over to the fire escape where she was crouched.
"It's been sold," he told her. He transformed, then quickly grabbed the jeans she held out to him and pulled them on.
"Did you get a name?" She handed him his shirt.
"Albert Delmonico," he answered as soon as the fabric cleared his face. Then he took his socks and boots and donned them as well.
Mari still hadn't spoken. He touched her cheek with one finger. "What's wrong?"
"I've heard of him." She looked up at him with wide, troubled eyes. "He's kind of a big shot in Atlantic City. He owns pieces of several of the casinos and most, I think, of the Avalon. He's big into all things Arthurian and seems to have a thing for so-called magic. But the thing that worries me..."
"Go on, sweetness."
She took a deep breath. "Supposedly he's also a big shot in organized crime."
"Fuck!"
Remy's succinct comment about summed up Mari's thoughts on the matter. She really dreaded the thought that Remy would have to deal with Delmonico. She'd seen the man once at the casino, and even from a distance he'd made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
"When you were in the shop, did you see the owner enter anything into a computer?" Remy's voice was barely a whisper in her ear as they strolled back to his car.
"Umm-hmm." She tried not to be distracted by his closeness, but it was difficult.
"Where was the computer?"
"Right next to the cash register, I think." She paused for a moment to try to picture the shop. "Just to the left. He even printed off a receipt with a description and everything."
"That's what I was afraid of," Remy told her. "I'm fairly certain that's what they were looking for when they searched your apartment."
She gulped. "You mean - whoever broke into the store also broke into my apartment?"
Remy nodded. "Probably." He held open the door of his car. Once she was seated he came around and climbed in himself. "And I have worse news. I think that the shop owner was killed. Someone certainly was. I'm sorry, Mari. But I think you're in danger, and I think it's because of the cup."
Gary was dead? And possibly because of her? Mari rubbed her suddenly cold hands together. "But - it's just an antique. There were hundreds of items in that store, many much more valuable. Why would someone kill over that one?"
Remy shook his head. "The only thing I can think of is that he was somehow able to detect the cup's magical properties. There are sorcerers in the world, Mari, just like there are gargoyles and selkies. I'm very afraid we may be dealing with one of them."
"So what are you going to do?" Fear coiled like a tight knot in the pit of her stomach.
"The first thing is to get you somewhere safe. They obviously know where you live. It may even have been you they were shooting at last night. I'd like to send you to Philadelphia, to my friend Damien. We could be there while it's still dark."
She checked the clock. Not quite midnight. It was only two hours to Philly, so there was plenty of time. But it wasn't a good idea. She shook her head. "No. You said they were expecting. The last thing I'd want to do is bring my trouble to their doorstep. If necessary I can just shift and go for a really long swim. But I have to be back for classes on Monday. I can't give that up, not this close to finishing my degree."
He turned the key in the ignition then leaned over and planted a fierce kiss on her lips. "I promise I'll do everything I can to make sure you're there. But first and foremost I want to keep you safe."
Mari waited until the car was moving to tell him the rest. "I know where he lives."
Remy's hand tightened on the wheel, but he kept his cool and didn't swerve. "So tell me. By tomorrow night I'll have reinforcements down here and we'll go get the cup."
"So in the meanwhile, we hide?"
"No. In the meanwhile, you hide. I need to go check the place out, see if I can find a way in." He turned the car onto a busy street - headed away from his motel room.
"Where are we going now?"
"Somewhere out of town where we can get a motel room. Preferably one Delmonico won't think to check."
"But your room..."
"Is probably already being watched. I left my name and phone number at half a dozen antique shops last night. I'm guessing that's what triggered this whole mess. If he knows my name, he most likely knows where I was staying."
It felt like she'd been sucked into an episode from a bad cop show. She'd always assumed that the worst thing she'd have to deal with was her mother's promiscuity, or maybe having her sister steal her savings. She never thought she'd be caught up in robbery, murder, and most of all, magic.
But she did know that she didn't like the idea of Remy heading into danger on her behalf. And she knew somehow that there would be danger.
"There's a bed and breakfast in the next town south," she told him. "My friend Anny works there. She'll rent us a room under a false name, I'm sure."
"She works at night?"
"So she can take classes during the day. Just like my shift at the gift shop."
"Fine then. Let me know where to turn."
"There's just one more thing you should know before we get there," she told him, hoping he wouldn't mind. "It's kind of a specialty inn."
"Oh?" She heard a trace of humor returning to his voice. "Not gargoyle-themed, by any chance?"
"No." She chuckled. "That would have been funny, though."
"Then what?"
"Their specialty is honeymoons."