Page 47 of Unruly
Anthony hops to his feet and takes off.
“It’s my pleasure,” Farnsworth says. “He was very happy to be able to reach out.”
“This is so amazing. Borja said the underworld isn’t like heaven and hell at all. Is that right?”
Farnsworth scrunches his nose and I realize my mistake. Mortals are on a need-to-know basis and she didn’t need to know that. He doesn’t answer her, instead waiting as she scoops the watch off the desk and hands it to Farnsworth. He tucks it back into the box and puts the lid on. The activity immediately dies down.
“We’ll get out of your way,” Farnsworth says, collecting himself and smoothing his suit out. “Thank you for letting us in so we could help.”
“We’re happy you came. We were going to keep that awful thing and hopefully figure out how to use it, but we wouldn’t have been successful, would we?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Mom!” Anthony barrels into the room, holding a shoebox. “I found it in your closet. Look.”
Catherine lifts the lid to find several stacks of cash, a few pieces of paper that look like deeds or stock certificates, and several coins.
“Oh my god,” Catherine murmurs. “It’s money and investments. This is so helpful.”
Farnsworth puts one hand on Catherine’s shoulder and the other on Anthony’s. He mumbles something softly, then actually smiles. The smile looks damn good on him. “We’ll be going.”
He grips my arm and we let ourselves out. On the sidewalk, Farnsworth continues holding my arm, squeezing slightly.
“I fucked up. Sorry,” I say.
“It’s fine. I made them forget that bit, just be mindful going forward.”
“I will.”
“I found out a little more while I was down there. About the Horror.”
“Yes?”
“Apparently, unbeknownst to me during our original interaction, Mr. Wolcott sought the services of a black magic user and very intentionally left pieces of his soul in the Above, so he’d always be able to come back. In order to banish this Horror, we have to find all the objects and get them back together. This is a category X.”
My jaw drops. “Why would they assign me the hardest kind straight out of the gate?”
“I told you it’s random.”
Something about his tone and neutral expression lead me to believe there’s more to it than that, but I don’t push.
“Yeah, okay. So, what now?”
“We go to the Samuel Brent Hotel and look for a hummingbird brooch.”
Chapter 13
Farnsworth
According to Borja, the Samuel Brent Hotel is located in the heart of Boston and has been around for over two hundred years. Hopefully the Horror left true clues and this mission will lead us somewhere productive.
I glance at Borja, sitting beside me watching the scenery pass from the back seat of a car he apparently ordered. The world is so convenient now. Whatever you want seems to be at your fingertips. I knew about advancements in certain technologies, but I didn’t understand the extent of it all before experiencing it firsthand.
The drive to the hotel is riddled with sudden stops and starts, honking car horns, throngs of pedestrians passing by, and talking. So much talking. Borja and the driver are having an animated conversation about some sort of sport. Baseball, I think.
When we finally make it to our destination, we thank the driver and exit the car directly in front of the hotel. Its stone facade is impressive, squeezed between two modern buildings. A doorman stands out front, ready to attend to us.
I nod as we pass through the door he opens and glance around the lobby. It looks as I would expect—wallpapered, withheavy molding, dark walnut antique furniture, and elaborate chandeliers.
