“To be fair,” Seb said, “I’ve gone to jail for a lot less. Theyreallydon’t like me at the sheriff’s station.”
Jazmine was right. This was only a hunch. But the fact remained that someone put that locket inside Wyrd Jack’s ship—the same person who’d put the skeleton key in the flooded cavern. If it really was Mabel who’d done that, was it so inconceivable to imagine she might hide another clue inside her own place of business?
We were on the brink of something—I could feel the shifting current in the air. The anticipation for something big. “Might as well call Benny,” I said. “He can tell us if we’ve all gone off the deep end.”
“Yeah, and if hacking into a commercial security system is above his pay grade,” Seb said.
When he put it that way, it really did sound ridiculous. “Okay, fine. Maybe Benny’s got better ideas about exploring that building.”
Jazmine put a hand on Seb’s shoulder. “Make that call, Jansen. I think we can all handle a little Lulu if it means we’re finally on our way to finding that golden statue.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he murmured.
The way the two of them smiled at each other, like everything wrong in the past had been forgiven, and all that remained was friendship and an unwavering trust... Nothing made me happier.
Pulling out his phone, Seb toggled on speakerphone and dialed. While we all waited for Benny to answer, blue eyes flipped up to meet mine, practically crackling with electricity.
They seemed to say,We’re not finished.
Or perhaps that was just my imagination. But my stomach fluttered wildly, regardless. It fluttered, flipped, and dropped like it anticipated big thrills... and big danger. As if my entire being was warning me,Look up, you fool! Look up at the sky!
A malfunctioning jet could fall down at any moment.
Maybe even the sky itself.
Chapter 14
Turns out that hacking into a brewery’s security wasn’t impossible. Just not ideal.
“If we get caught, we’re all going to jail,” Benny pointed out. “Probably not the best thing for you, when you’re already battling the financial aid office. Don’t think Harvard brags about making special accommodations for felons.”
I didn’t think so, either.
But even if I was just lost in the excitement when I formulated that plan, Benny and his cool, rational mind devised a better one that involved less jail time.
“Remember the Kumaras, who live across the street from me? The mom’s an attorney; they have two boys?”
“The Sri Lankan family with the pool in their backyard?” Seb asked. “The younger brother was in the class ahead of us. What was his name, Amal?”
“Yep,” Benny confirmed. “And the older brother is training to be a Cicerone at High Spirits’ taproom,” he reported over the speaker on Seb’s phone.
Jazmine squinted. “What the hell is a... ?”
“Beer sommelier.”
“Whelp, I’ve heard it all now,” Seb said. “Maybe I’ve missed my calling.”
“I’ll talk to Amal and see what I can do,” Benny told us before hanging up.
We didn’t know how long it would take. Half an hour later, we’d repacked all the totes with Nana’s things and hauled them back to the basement. As we headed back upstairs, Seb’s phone buzzed with an incoming call from Benny.
“What’s everyone doing around midnight?” his deep voice asked, a hint of victory and excitement beneath the monotone. “Our boy can give us a little tour before closing time, if you’re game.”
Oh, we were game, all right. Most definitely game...
“You’re a genius, Ichabod,” Seb told Benny. “A certified genius.”
Boom, just like that, everything was forgotten but the treasure hunt. Jaz and Seb both had to work in the morning, but they were willing to sacrifice sleep for this chance.
