“That would actually be kind of cool.”

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my desk. “Yeah, it would, wouldn’t it? And it might be less complicated. If we use a conventional meeting space, they’d get suspicious if we managed to put together an entire exhibit with no need for labor or catering, and I don’t see how we could hide that magically.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true. I’m so used to hiding magic that I forget about what people must think about what they see.”

I chewed on the end of my pen as I thought for a moment. “So, if we used real meeting space, we’d have to hide parts of what we’re doing—maybe make it look like a software users’ group meeting—without hiding the fact that we’re having an event. But if we create something magical, whether it’s tents in the park or boats in the harbor, we could just hide the whole thing. Can we do that?”

“My cousin Edlyn had her wedding in the park, and it was totally invisible to outsiders. She didn’t want to get married while using an illusion to make herself not look like an elf, so we veiled the wedding and used a compulsion spell to make people not want to go near that area. A couple of my uncles were able to do it, so I’m sure this company could take care of it.”

“This could work,” I said with a grin. “Thanks, Perdita.”

My brief moment of triumph faded when my phone rang and I saw Kim’s name on the readout. After steeling myself with a deep breath, I answered the phone. “You need to come up to the president’s office right away,” she said. “It’s about the incident this morning.”

Chapter Five

I assumed that Kim meant the armored car incident, but I didn’t know why Merlin wanted to talk to me about it. All I could think of was that Merlin wanted to know about Owen and that time-stopping spell, which he wasn’t supposed to use.

“I have a meeting upstairs. Don’t know when I’ll be back,” I told Perdita as I left. Heading up to Merlin’s office, I felt like I was back in elementary school and had been summoned to the principal’s office, and even though I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong, I still got a sick feeling in my stomach. If this was about Owen, I wasn’t sure what I should say.

When I reached Merlin’s office, I was surprised to find Ramsay there. “Ah, there you are, Katie,” Merlin said when he noticed me standing in the doorway. He sounded friendly enough, so I let myself relax slightly. Merlin gestured and the door shut behind me. “Please, have a seat,” he added.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Far too much,” he said. “I’m sure you’ve noticed the many criminal incidents associated with magic use.”

“Yeah. It’s getting pretty wild west around here.”

“And I understand you were present for one of these incidents this morning.”

I glanced from Merlin to Ramsay. Neither of them looked angry or more concerned than I’d expect them to. Ramsay was leaning back in his chair, one booted ankle resting on his knee in the masculine version of crossing his legs. “Yes. But I walk down Fourteenth Street to get to the subway, and that’s a pretty busy thoroughfare. That increases my chances of being present for an incident.”

“You were with Owen Palmer, weren’t you?” Ramsay asked.

I couldn’t read his face at all. He seemed so casual and neutral, but suspiciously so, like he was trying not to show anything. “Yes, Owen lives near me, so we usually go to work together,” I said, trying not to sound confused or irritated by his question.

“And I understand you two handled what could have been a serious situation.”

“Owen did. I just shouted a warning.”

“Do you know how he caught them?”

I fought to sound just as casual as Ramsay. “He figured out who was doing the spell and blocked it, then chased the people responsible. Someone sprinting down the sidewalk was a dead giveaway.”

If I wasn’t mistaken, Merlin was intensely uncomfortable with this questioning. He even fidgeted, which was something I’d never seen him do. That turned my confusion about these questions into suspicion. “There have been questions raised,” Merlin said with an overly bland neutrality that conflicted with his body language, “and it is best if we know the answers before they’re asked officially.”

Ramsay leaned further back in his chair. “I tend to hear things in an unofficial capacity, so I thought I’d give you people a heads up. With all the incidents going on, and with as much trouble as the company has had countering these spells, it’s interesting that Owen was able to counter this one on the fly.”