Page 34 of Boxed In

“Luke called us to say he was going over to fix a computer problem at Olivia’s office,” Decorah said. He gave Beth a direct look. “But we also know her office received a shipment of antiques from France.”

“Yes, she told me. She wanted help identifying a strange looking wooden box.”

Frank sat forward. “Did you know what it was?”

“She sent me a picture.”

The man’s eyes lit up. “You have the picture?”

“Yes. But why is this so important?”

“We went to the Peterbalm offices before we came here. They were in a shambles. We think someone came to steal the box. It’s not there, and we’re hoping Luke and your friend escaped with it.”

“Yes. Olivia said armed men came in and tried to take the box. And I do think your guy and Olivia escaped with it.”

“Can I see the picture?” Decorah asked.

Beth got her phone, called up her photos, and handed it over. When the Decorah guy saw it, he caught his breath. The other agent leaned over and looked too.

“That’s it?”

“Yeah.”

“What is it, exactly?” Beth asked.

“An ancient object of power. We’ve known for weeks that it was going to arrive at Peterbalm—and that whoever received it was in grave danger. That’s why we had Luke keeping an eye on the offices.”

“And he didn’t tell Olivia anything about that.”

“On my orders,” Frank said.

“Why?”

“Because the logical thing to do would have been to call the police, but in this case, that would be a mistake. The box must be returned to its rightful owners, and the authorities would have wanted to impound it.”

Beth nodded. Now she had a better idea how much trouble her friend was in.

She cleared her throat. “You withheld information from Olivia. But I think there’s something I’d better tell you. She called me about an hour ago.”

“We know. That’s why we’re here.”

“She told me something that’s going to sound pretty weird.”

The younger agent and Decorah exchanged glances before the older man turned back to her. “We’re used to weird.”

“Okay.” Beth swallowed hard and braced herself for ridicule. “From my research, I think the box is . . . magic.”

“That’s a valid assessment,” Decorah replied.

“Why do you think so?”

“Because I also know something about the box.”

His positive reception made her able to say, “Olivia told me Luke opened the box and a mist came out. He was knocked unconscious. And when he came to, the spirit of an ancient warrior was inside him—in his mind, I guess.”

She waited for the two men to laugh at her, but their expressions had turned grim.

“Christ,” Marshall muttered. “It’s worse than you thought.”

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