“I heard the Bridewell curiosities had been discovered in the museum,” Dillon said. “My family was connected to Arcane back on the Old World. I knew the story of the clockwork toys. Knew they might be a problem if someone figured out how to replicate the power source. Planned to reverse engineer them.”
“I doubt your team would have been successful,” Gabriel said. “No one managed to do it in the old days back on Earth. The Arcane Museum staff has concluded that only someone with the same talent as the woman who crafted the toys could create one.”
Dillon glared at him. “I want a lawyer.”
Aiden aimed the camera at him. “Photos first. Everyone loves the perp walk. Okay, so, you’re not exactly walking, but you get the idea. Smile.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Lucy put a bowl of scrambled eggs on top of the refrigerator for Otis, arranged two plates of eggs and toast on the dining counter, and sat down beside Gabriel.
She opened the morning edition of the Curtain and smiled when she saw the headlines and the photos.
“Aiden will be very happy,” she said.
“Yeah?” Gabriel swallowed a bite of scrambled eggs and looked up from his phone. “Let’s see.”
She handed him the paper. He glanced at it and smiled.
“He’ll be ecstatic,” he said.
The headline read, Local Police and Illusion Town Guild Create Joint Task Force to Take Down Illegal Weapons Lab. Beneath that was a smaller headline: Owner of Westover Outfitters Arrested.
The front-page photo showed Gabriel and Chief Hopton standing shoulder to shoulder to announce the closure of the case. On page two there were several more shots of police officers and the small Guild team securing Dillon and the others in the old casino.
None of the pictures showed Mrs. Bridewell’s deadly curiosities.
“Looks like Aiden and the crew from the museum did a nice job of keeping the artifacts out of the story,” Lucy said, scanning the story and the photos. She looked up. “All in all, an excellent launch for your new Guild here in Illusion Town.”
“Never forget the importance of good public relations,” Gabriel said.
He went back to his phone, frowning.
Lucy sighed. “Something wrong with your phone?”
“Looks like it. There are usually a lot more emails and messages first thing in the morning. The only ones I’m seeing now are those that have been forwarded by—” Gabriel stopped. “Well, damn. He did it.”
“Who did what?” Lucy asked.
“Aiden.” Gabriel shook his head and smiled a little. “He told me he was going to take over my business account. He said he would forward only the stuff that he thought I really needed to see.”
“That’s what a good administrative assistant does.”
“It’s like magic.”
“Welcome to upper management,” Lucy said. “Speaking of work, I’m going to give my boss at Storm Zone Adventure Tours my two weeks’ notice today.”
“Why two weeks? If you ask me, Luxton doesn’t deserve even a day’s notice. You never got a salary. You had to depend on tips and commissions from the sale of toy dust bunnies to make the rent. There were no benefits. Any way you look at it, Luxton took advantage of you.”
“He was kind enough to hire me when I desperately needed a job.”
“He wasn’t being kind, Lucy. You and Otis were real moneymakers for him. He used both of you for marketing purposes. He charged extra for your tours because you guaranteed a storm event, but he didn’t give you a cut.”
“Yeah, well, I prefer to stage a professional exit.”
“Twenty bucks says he gets so mad when you tell him you’re leaving that he fires you on the spot.”
Lucy shrugged. “His choice.”
“Whatever. I’ll drop you off at the Storm Zone on my way into the office.” Gabriel tucked his phone into his pocket and started to get to his feet.
“Sit down,” Lucy said.
He paused, brows lifted. “Why?”
“Aiden is handling your inbox. That means you have time for a second cup of coffee.”
“Huh.” Gabriel gave that a few seconds of thoughtful consideration, and then he sat down. His eyes heated. “I do have some time, don’t I?”
“Yep. Get a life, Mr. Guild Boss.”
“Excellent idea.”
He set the phone and the coffee down on the counter, got to his feet, and scooped her off the dining counter stool.
“I’m not sure I have time for this,” she warned.