“We’ll need to clean the outside of the suitcase,” Jenny suggested, lifting the open lid with her pen.
Travis scraped a shard of the goldshot off the suitcase with one of his tools. “I can color match this. We can pack the suitcase with fake bricks and one real one.”
“Almost real,” Chef corrected.
“What if he grabs the wrong brick to inspect?” Laura asked.
There was a moment of silence, then Wrench, standing in the back with his big arms crossed, suggested, “Take the right one out and put it on top of the suitcase when you open the negotiations.”
There was a chorus of approval for the idea.
Wrench gave a dry laugh. “It’s like you’ve never been in on a drug deal before.”
“This is a fascinating conversation to walk in on.”
Scarlet stood in the doorway; none of them had even heard her open the door.
The staff froze in a tableau of guilt.
“I’m sure this proposed drug deal has everything to do with the fact that only my lifeguard is on duty right now, in the middle of a busy afternoon,” she said mildly, looking straight at Saina.
Saina cleared her throat to formulate an explanation, but Chef beat her to the punch.
“We’re all helping Miss Saina get her grandmother out of a bit of a pinch,” he explained simply.
“And it’s not really a drug,” Travis added. “Most of it will be gypsum.”
“And technically, she isn’t even dealing for the false drug,” Jenny added. “It’s a really just a standard contract negotiation with a red herring. It might not hold up in a real court, but it doesn’t actually have to.”
“And it’s her grandmother,” Laura insisted.
Breck joked, “We’ve got to get her voice back from the sea witch before the sun sets on the third day!”
Tex elbowed Breck.
“Well, she got her true love’s kiss already and that didn’t work,” Breck protested.
Saina, still locking gazes with Scarlet, shut her mouth. She wasn’t even sure how the others had gleaned so much of the story from her, but she was touched by their quick protection, if not the Disney references.
“I have something that may help you,” Scarlet said mildly.
In her hand was a syringe.
Chapter 36
Bastian back-winged into the familiar courtyard carefully. It had been a week since his last visit here, and he was significantly healed from his last encounter with Keylor, but he wasn’t entirely sure he was ready for this. Saina’s gentle hand on his neck reminded him of his purpose and he opened his mouth and roared a dragon challenge.
The courtyard still had some of the damage from his last visit, he was rather glad to realize; if it had been entirely repaired, he would have felt less effective.
Keylor did not keep them waiting long.
I am surprised to see you alive, he said derisively. But I should have known the ocean wouldn’t finish you off as it would have a real dragon.
Bastian lowered his neck to the ground and let Saina hop off, dragging her heavy pink suitcase behind her.
Ah. You are only here as the siren’s lackey. Keylor snorted a trail of dark smoke in derision and ignored Bastian to look greedily at Saina.
I have something you want, Saina said, her audible voice humming lightly in counterpart. She unzipped the suitcase and put a single, plastic-wrapped gray brick on the top of it.