Beware the implements of travel, for they oft be deadly.
The thought played itself through my mind and I had a moment of clear understanding. Implements of travel, a.k.a. a travel agency.
Gulp!
I grabbed the deadbolt and tried to unlock it, but it wouldn’t budge.
“You really should have minded your own business,” a darkly pleasant voice said from behind me. I whipped around, pressing my back against the door.
He stood near the desk, though I hadn’t heard him enter the room. He was pleasant enough looking, as well as familiar. I remembered his slicked-back black hair and angular features from Croakies. It was the man who’d created the vortex to retrieve the suitcase.
My eyes felt like they were in danger of bulging out of my head. “You’re the wizard.”
He nodded in agreement, though it hadn’t been a question. “I’m afraid so. And you’re a nobody with nose issues.”
My fingers frantically trying to unlock the deadbolt behind me, I made an effort to look unconcerned. I was pretty sure I failed. “You did murder someone. It’s kind of a big deal.”
The wizard shrugged, his black eyes sparking with humor. “Those gnomes are becoming a nuisance.”
“Why’d you kill Gido? Was he trying to shake you down for protection?” I asked.
The wizard stared at me for a long moment, and I thought he wasn’t going to respond. But then he crossed his arms over his chest and dropped onto the edge of the desk, extending his long legs in front of him as if we were going to have a long chat. “Nah. The little guy knew better than to try that with me. I had some business with his boss.”
I nodded. “Mr. Gnomish. Unfortunately, I met him.”
The wizard’s smile eased slowly across his face, making him look almost handsome. “I know. I saw. That didn’t work out so well for you, did it?”
My lips curled in a sneer before I could stop them. I really didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d hit the mark. Reforming the sneer into a smile, I said, “We came out of it all right.”
He shrugged, ceding me the point. “Gnomish tried to undercut me on our deal. I don’t like to be double-crossed.”
“So, you stuffed his guy into the suitcase?”
The wizard actually looked insulted. “Please, give me credit for more finesse than that.” He laughed. “The little gnish wanted the suitcase. So I gave it to him.”
My pulse picked up at the thought of what the gnome must have gone through, dying alone and helpless inside that artifact. “That’s a horrible way to die,” I murmured before I could stop myself.
“Don’t waste your sympathies on Gido, Keeper. He was a miserable creature. Besides, his death was quick. Gnomes heads look hard, but they are actually fragile. It seems that falling the distance of the ceiling to the floor was enough to kill the little guy.” He shrugged. “I’d actually hoped to get him to admit who sent him to shake me down before I killed him. He put a crimp in my plan.”
“Who sent him? You don’t know?”
“Oh, I know. I just wanted to get it on tape so I could take it to the cops if the gnome didn’t back down. Gnomish isn’t nearly as smart as he thinks he is. If he wants to undercut me, he needs to be much cleverer than sending one of his thugs in to try to steal the goods.”
“What kind of deal did you make,” I asked, my hands still working the lock. I needed to find another way out of there because I was quickly losing hope I’d get out through the front door.
“You’ve experienced the suitcase’s magic?”
I thought about the trip from Gnomish, Inc. to Croakies and shuddered before I could stop myself. “It’s some kind of portal.” Giving up on the lock, I shoved my hands into my pockets instead.
“Some kind, yes,” he agreed. “It’s designed to take you to the destination of your choice and back again. The destination is entered at the time of embarking and then disappears immediately after delivery so nobody can follow.” He gave me a mean smile. “If you try really hard, I’m sure even you can see why a criminal enterprise like Gnomish, Inc. might want such a treasure.”
“The robberies,” I murmured.
The wizard nodded. “Just a few test runs to show the client the value of the artifact I was offering him. Gnomish was supposed to give me ten million dollars for that suitcase.” His face darkened with anger. “But he tried to bypass that part of our deal.”
He’d sent Gido to steal the suitcase from the wizard. Bad gnome. Bad, bad gnome. I shook my head. “So, you killed him, stuffed him into the suitcase, and then what?”
His brows arched in obvious surprise. “You can’t fit the rest of the pieces into the puzzle? I have given you the edges and most of the middle.”
Despite his reference to jigsaw puzzles, which I have absolutely zero talent for, I felt compelled to play our little tableau out to its climax. “You dropped the artifact where Alice…erm…the Keeper would be sure to discover it.”
He nodded. “It was a perfect plan. I got rid of the body and kept the suitcase out of Gnomish’s greasy clutches.”
“Then why did you break into the library and steal it back?”
The wizard’s lips turned up in a mean smile. “Well, I’d always planned to grab it back anyway. That suitcase is much too valuable to leave to you derfs. But then Gnomish made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I had to move up my timetable.”
I shook my head. “How much?”
“Twenty million.” He frowned. “Imagine my surprise when we discovered that you busybodies had put a hex on the suitcase so it wouldn’t work. I had my hands full keeping the big guy from going to war with me on that.” The wizard fixed me with a glare that
