The sun was already lying low in the sky. Exhausted as I was, I knew I wouldn抰 be sleeping.
揗o gave me Dr. Kent抯 phone number,?Circe said. 揑 gave her a call.?
揂nd??I asked. 揂re you hoping she has something else we can use??
Circe looked thoughtful. 揇on抰 you find it coincidental that you came here to Rhinebeck, found out you抮e related to Medea, and then you find my document telling the true story of Medea, which just so happened to be something this Dr. Kent is familiar with? Do you know how obscure the document is? It抯 a one-in-a-million chance that you just happen to know someone who would even be familiar with what you抮e talking about.?
揇r. Kent has known my parents since before I was born,?I said.
揈ven stranger still,?Circe said. 揥as it fate that brought Dr. Kent into your circle before you even knew how useful her knowledge would be??
揧ou believe in fate??Marie asked as the arch of her brow shot toward her hairline. 揑抦 not saying I disagree. I抦 just saying you don抰 really seem like the type.?
揑 believe in a kind of fate,?Circe said. 揂nd I have a theory about ours, but in order to test it we抣l need to pay Dr. Kent a visit.?
揜oad trip??Marie asked, looping her arm around my shoulder.
揥ait,?I said. 揥hat抯 your theory? Do we even have time to make a trip back to Brooklyn? I feel like we抮e wasting time.?
Marie pulled me close. 揑抦 already trying to pull some flights together, but it抯 important to keep things as quiet as possible, so it might take a minute.?
揥e don抰 know where this boy Karter is or who he抯 been in contact with, and we don抰 know who those people were that were after the pottery shard,?Circe said. 揥e have to assume they抮e trying to get their hands on the last piece of the Heart. While Marie is arranging things I think we have some time to follow up with Dr. Kent.?
揧ou抮e not going to tell me why??I asked.
揑f I抦 wrong, I抣l tell you what I was thinking and we can laugh about it,?Circe said. 揃ut if I抦 right, you抣l see for yourself.?
揥hen do we leave??I asked.
揘ow,?said Circe.
CHAPTER 7
Persephone stayed behind while Mo slept and Nyx took off with Roscoe the rabbit-eating griffin in tow. Marie piled into the front seat of the car next to me, and Circe drove. We made the trip in a little over two hours and pulled up to the Brooklyn Museum right before midnight.
I抎 been there on a few different field trips but never in the dead of night. As we crossed the plaza in front of the glass pavilion that now framed the original portico, Circe steered us to a path that ran along the eastern side of the giant marble building.
揝he said the front doors wouldn抰 be open to the public this late,?said Circe. 揥e have to go around.?
Marie huffed.
揂re we gonna have a problem??Circe asked as she glanced back at Marie.
揥hat抯 wrong??I asked.
Marie gazed up at the glass awning that curved around the Brooklyn Museum抯 facade. 揘othing,?she said.
I took her hand and pulled her toward the side entrance as Circe turned her face up to a small security camera mounted above the door. She gave a little wave, and the outer door clicked open. Circe ushered us inside, and we found ourselves in a long corridor draped in shadow.
Circe led the way, and I followed close behind as Marie trailed me. The smell of floor cleaner and recycled air was thick. The hallway ended at the side of a large rectangular courtyard, the floor of which was inlaid with squares of blue glass. Above, the glass ceiling made the starry night sky look as if it were laid on top of the building itself. It was silent except for the steady flush of the AC.
揑t抯 beautiful,?I said, taking it all in.
Marie and Circe paused and looked up.
揑t is,?said Circe.
揑t was designed to frame the night sky,?a familiar voice said.
I spun around. A figure stood in the shadows just off the courtyard. Marie grabbed my hand. I strained to see into the dark.
I knew that voice.
揇r. Kent??I asked.
揌ello, Briseis,?Dr. Kent said.
I抎 spoken to Dr. Kent on the phone. We exchanged emails. But I抎 never actually seen her. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as she swept into the open space. She was tall, like Persephone. She had a mass of wavy dark hair that went down to her waist, and her dark brown skin shone in the dim starlight.
揑抦 glad you could come,?Dr. Kent said. She stuck out her hand, and Circe took it. 揑抦 Madeline Kent.?
Something梐 feeling I couldn抰 put my head around梤aised goose bumps on my arms.
Dr. Kent turned to Marie and then looked away. 揥ould you follow me, please??
She stepped between us and crossed the courtyard. We followed along behind her as she took us down another series of hallways. The wide legs of her linen pants obscured her feet and made it look as if she were floating. I couldn抰 hear her footsteps. The sense of unease I抎 had as she spoke to us in the glass atrium had crept up to something much more like fear.