“So I guess this means you’ve decided to stick around a little longer?”
“Yes, indefinitely, actually.”
A smile broke across Gwen’s face as she took a tart from the box. “Finally. Well, I, for one, am glad to hear it, and to know my meddling wasn’t for naught.”
Oliver’s cheeks heated at the look Gwen leveled at him as she took a bite. “I know they aren’t the cakes from the bakery on Sixth, but I hoped you would like them.”
“I do, thank you. You know how much I love lemon. Do you mind if I save one for Reynard? I can buy his silence with sweets.”
As Oliver nodded and settled onto the couch, he found he didn’t hate the room. The three arrow slit windows remained; the room had just expanded to accommodate their needs. He sighed, wishing he could shrug off the jarring change like Gwen and Felipe did.
“Did you ever figure out what Newman and Monroe were after?” Gwen asked between bites.
Oliver opened his mouth to speak when Felipe replied, “The heart I brought Oliver from California.”
“You never told me.”
“You were asleep when I got back, and I was a little distracted this morning.”
Lowering the tart from her lips, Gwen frowned thoughtfully. “Was there anything different about the heart?”
“No. I mean, the jar was a little heavy, but it was just a human heart, or I assumed it was. I didn’t get to examine it.”
“This might sound odd, but did it feel different to you?”
“I never touched it. It was in a jar with a stopper, sealed with lead. I had planned to put fresh preservative in it since it looked quite old and cloudy but never got around to it.” Oliver could picture how it looked in its thick, amber solution. How, of all the specimens in the box, his attention was continually drawn to the desiccated heart. “Why would they want it?”
Gwen polished off her tart and brushed the crumbs from her skirts. “So I’ve been thinking about theClausum Librumand how all of this fits together. The copy your friend had focused on magical spaces and relics. What if they were after relics?”
“Relics, as in mummified saints?” Felipe asked before popping an entire lemon tart in his mouth.
“Sort of. The theory, as I understand it, is that people with magic will retain some of that magic after death in their tissues and bones, much like supposed saints would retain their holiness and could perform miracles after their deaths. If you’re able to get a piece of someone with strong magical abilities, under the right circumstances, you could reawaken that latent magic and use it.”
“For what?” Oliver replied.
“I don’t know. I guess it depends on the ability the person had in life.”
Felipe blenched and sucked in a breath as if he had been punched. “The rosary. That’s why Newman stole the rosary from Sister Mary Agnes when he killed her.”
“What?”
“Remember, the sisters were talking about St. Catherine. How she was a mystic who had visions like Sister Mary Agnes; that’s why she had the St. Catherine medal in her pocket. What if the rosary contained a piece of St. Catherine or another person who was a seer, and that’s how she was able to go from seeing new nuns arriving to having supposedly divine visions?”
Oliver shook his head. “But what would they want it for?”
“Who knows, but if the priest has the rosary, it can’t be good.” His eyes went distant as he whispered, “Today’s Thursday.”
After a tense beat, Felipe scrambled out from behind the low table and made for the hatch. “Oliver, we need to wake Jed up. We don’t have time to wait. My apologies, Miss Jones, but we have to go.”
Felipe threw open the hatch and clomped down the metal stairs while Oliver sat frozen on the sofa.
He turned to Gwen with wide eyes. “What just happened?”
“I think this is how he is normally. I’m sure you’ll get used to it. Go! I’ll come to you if I find more information on the relics.” As Oliver walked in front of her, Gwen caught his arm. “Hey, Ol, thank you. I’m glad you’re all right and that you and Felipe are trying to make this work. You seem happy.”
“I am. I—”
“Oliver!”
