Hexed

by Michael Alan Nelson

  Or maybe not.

  Lucifer could see him blush with embarrassment even in the morning dark. It was impossibly cute.

  Dammit, girl, focus.

  They passed through another alley behind several restaurants and down the street until they reached the edge of the gallery grounds. Lucifer pulled David under an overhang of thick tree branches looming over the sidewalk. The tree itself was behind the tall wrought iron fence that surrounded the grounds, but its branches stretched out almost to the street. The fence was thick with vines, but they were too weak to support Lucifer’s weight, let alone David’s. They’d have to go over another way.

  Lucifer opened her trick bag and pulled out a rope with a stout metal cylinder about four inches long attached to the end. She pressed a button on top of the cylinder, and three short tines fanned out, creating a small grappling hook. After a quick toss, Lucifer had the rope secured to a branch overhead and climbed into the tree.

  Without a word, David scrambled up the rope behind her. She watched him pull himself up with his powerful arms so quickly and quietly she honestly wondered if he had ever done this before. Of course, what should she have expected from the school’s star athlete?

  Headlights broke through the fog as a car rolled along the street toward them. Lucifer quickly coiled the rope and tossed it back into her trick bag. Lucifer put her hand on David’s knee, bidding stillness as they let the car move past. Between the cover of the leaves and fog, she knew they were practically invisible.

  It was a taxi, aimlessly trolling for fares. Once it passed, Lucifer and David climbed down the tree and kneeled in the wet grass. “Now you can sneak,” Lucifer whispered.

  David smiled in the dark.

  They made their way along the fence until they reached the back of the gallery’s labyrinth. Lucifer found the small opening of a rabbit trail at the bottom of the hedges and climbed through. Here, David didn’t fare as well as he did with the rope. He was almost too broad, and his dozens of pockets caught on the hedge’s branches. Eventually, Lucifer helped pull him through.

  The high walls of the labyrinth provided the cover they needed to get close to the gallery itself without being seen by the cameras. The labyrinth wasn’t terribly difficult to figure out. It was really more decoration than brainteaser. Still, it took longer than she would have liked.

  When they reached the entrance, Lucifer stopped and motioned David next to her. She pulled a small silver case from her trick bag and opened it with a soft click. Inside were three almond-shaped crystals.

  “Hold out your hand, palm up,” she whispered. David did as instructed, and Lucifer placed one of the crystals in his hand. “Don’t move.”

  She tapped the fingers of her right hand to the fingers of her left hand in an odd but deliberate pattern. Right ring finger to left index, right middle to left thumb, twist, right thumb to left pinky, tap tap. She repeated the pattern but this time started with her left ring finger. When she finished, she touched the crystal with her index finger. The crystal cracked down the center of its length. The two halves separated and unfolded themselves into diaphanous glass wings paired to a small sphere. The wings fluttered and rose from David’s hand. The crystal butterfly flapped its way toward the gallery, where it landed on a camera and wrapped its wings around the lens, filtering any person from view.

  David sat motionless, his palm still upturned and his mouth agape. Lucifer lifted his chin, closing his mouth with her fingertips, then gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. “Stay directly behind me. C’mon.”

  The window directly beneath the magicked camera was tall and narrow, divided into three equal panes of glass, one on top of the other. It wasn’t designed to open, which made it perfect. Most thieves who work windows recommended finding one that opens or cutting through the ones that don’t. But Lucifer found that if you completely remove the pane, a curious glance won’t raise suspicions where a hole in the glass or an ajar window would.

  It took Lucifer less than thirty seconds to disable the pressure sensors, remove the lowest pane, and get both her and David inside.

  The gallery was quiet and dark, with only the dull blue glow of the auxiliary lighting system overhead making it possible to see. Lucifer took out another crystal almond from the silver case. This one fluttered into several smaller pairs of wings that each moved off into separate directions.

  “Motion sensors,” she said.

  David nodded. Lucifer was impressed. She could tell he had a million questions, but he was keeping true to his word and staying silent. No, he shouldn’t be here, but Lucifer liked that he was. She was enjoying his presence and, if she was being honest with herself, loved showing off for him.

  She bit her lip in an attempt to focus on the task at hand. “Follow me.”

  The exhibits looked different in the dark. Everything became more ominous, more haunting in the dim blue light. Still, she would have loved to sit down and enjoy the empty gallery’s still beauty.

  As they approached the Swan Room, Lucifer stopped and crouched low. Across the main vestibule, a security guard sat behind a desk, the harsh light of monitors reflecting off his shiny bald head. Lucifer quietly pointed him out to David and put a finger to her lips. David winked, but Lucifer could see the vein in his neck pulsing rapidly. His heart was racing. That was both good and bad. Good because it meant he was nervous and had a proper appreciation for what they were doing. Bad because nervous people made mistakes.

  Lucifer crept toward the Swan Room with David in tow. She froze when the security guard suddenly laughed. She turned to see he was watching an old sitcom on one of his monitors. Quickly, she and David moved through the archway and into the room.

  The Swan Room was completely empty.

  All of the paintings that had been on display earlier that day were gone. The only evidence of the earlier celebration were several bare tables and a single plastic champagne flute sitting on a window sill. Beyond that, the painting she wanted was nowhere to be found.

  This was a problem. Lucifer had a feeling they were still somewhere in the gallery, but where? “Upstairs,” she said.

  The upper floor of the gallery was mostly office space that overlooked the open expanse of the Swan Room. There were no official exhibits, but a few paintings and sculptures were on display much like one would find in any office. Lucifer scanned the rooms, peering into their windows until she came to the large corner office. This was no doubt Ms. Brisendine’s. Lucifer could see the paintings through the frosted glass, each carefully leaning against the far wall.

  Lucifer examined the lock then reached into her trick bag. She pulled out a screwdriver, but instead of having a typical standard or Phillips tip, the screwdriver had a key welded to the end. The notches along the length of the key were filed down so they were now nothing more than dull nubs.

  She held it up for David to see. “Bump key. It’s a pretty basic tool that can open most simple locks. All you have to do is slide it in and . . .”

  Lucifer put the bump key into the lock and slammed the back of the handle with the palm of her hand. There was a dull thud followed by a click. She handed the bump key to David and then swung open the door.

  Val’s office was large but minimalist. Her desk was organized, and the shelves that lined the back wall held as many masks and figurines as they did books. For Lucifer, the hardest part of the job was fighting the urge to explore. But wasting time by looking around was a good way to get caught. So she made a beeline for the paintings. There, at the back of the stack, was Night on 47th. Lucifer really did find it to be beautiful.

  Such a shame she was going to destroy it.

  There was a desperate tap on her shoulder. When she turned, David was pointing to the doorway. Outside in the hall, Lucifer could see the unmistakable beam of light coming from the security guard’s flashlight as he walked toward them.

  Lucifer pulled a knife and a telescoping poster tube from her trick bag. She quickly cut the painting from the frame, relyi
ng on experience to guide her hand while she watched the approaching light. Once it was free of the frame, she extended the tube with a flick of her wrist, rolled the canvas and shoved it inside.

  The light flashed across the open door but then swung back and held.

  “Oh my God,” David murmured. His eyes were wide as he stared at the light searching out in the hallway. “I can’t get caught, I just can’t. I’ll lose my scholarships. We have to run—”

  “Listen,” she whispered as she slung the tube’s shoulder strap over her head. “Hide behind the desk, count to thirty, then head for the window. I’ll meet you by the tree. Go back exactly the way we came. If I’m not there in three minutes, leave without me.”

  “But—”

  Lucifer shot him such a withering stare that he blanched. “They’re going to know something’s been stolen,” her whisper sounding more like a snake’s hiss, “but I want them looking for one thief, not two, now hide.”

  David hesitated, his mouth twisted in nervous frustration. But as the security guard’s footsteps came closer, he ducked behind the desk in a crouch and waited.

  Lucifer didn’t.

  She raced toward the door and, without skipping a step, burst into the hallway, up over the railing and out into the open air. It was fifteen feet to the floor of the Swan Room below. As gravity pulled her down in what seemed an interminably slow arc, Lucifer heard the security guard yelp in surprise then follow it with a string of quite colorful curses. She tucked the tube and her trick bag under her chest while in midair. Finally, she slammed into the floor. She used her momentum to propel herself into a roll and minimize the inertial impact on her feet. There was a split second of dizziness before her roll brought her back to her feet and she was racing toward the archway.

  Lucifer was slight enough that, in the dark and with her hair tucked into her hood, she would most likely be suspected of being a small man. Ask anyone to describe a thief, and the first thing they’d say is he. Lucifer liked to use that prejudice to her advantage.

  She needed to draw the security guard away from the open window to give David a way to escape without detection. Instead of running left back toward the way they entered, Lucifer pivoted right. She slowed down when she noticed the labored steps of the security guard trying to chase after her. She could have easily outrun him, but she didn’t want to get too far ahead of him. Lucifer wanted to stay in his sights. The more he was focused on her, the less likely he’d see David.

  When she heard the guard’s plodding steps round the corner, she picked up her pace. “Stop!” the man yelled, but she kept going. Lucifer ran past several glass cases housing a dozen pieces of ancient pottery and into a small room at the end of the hallway. A center wall bisected the room, allowing more display space for paintings, but there were no exits. The only way in or out was the way she just came in, and the guard was getting closer.

  She slid into the corner of the room, hoping the shadows would hide her long enough. The guard stopped in the room’s entrance. He flashed his light around in erratic arcs. “I know you’re in here. There’s no way out. Cops are on their way so just make it easy on yourself and come out. If I come in here and find you, I’m not going easy on you. So get out here, now!”

  Lucifer carefully reached into her trick bag and pulled out the final crystal almond. She whispered the small activation incantation then huddled tight into a ball in the corner.

  Though she had her head down, completely hidden under her hood, she knew the guard’s light was on her.

  “Stand up,” he said. “Slowly and let me see your hands.”

  There was the recognizable snap of a buttoned leather strap. Mace. Lucifer began to shake. Though she was fully recovered from her attack a few days earlier, she was in no hurry to experience the horror of being maced again.

  “Hiding your face isn’t going to help. Okay, you asked for it—”

  Lucifer looked up into the blinding beam of his flashlight. The guard gasped when he saw her, dropping his mace can and nearly dropping his flashlight as well. The crystal had formed into a horrific mask of jagged fangs that covered Lucifer’s face. Before the guard could recover, she whispered another word, and crystal wings sprouted where the ears should have been. The mask flew from her face and straight toward the guard, its terrible jaws wide and snapping.

  The guard fell over backward, struggling to get his billy club free. Lucifer jumped over him as the mask nibbled at his ineffectual attempts to fight it off. The only damage it could really inflict were a few paper cuts, but no one in the mundane world would know that. As far as the guard was concerned, a winged shark-face demon was trying to eat his face off.

  Lucifer was at the window when she heard the guard smash the crystal mask into a thousand pieces. The crystals were only one-use since they lasted no more than an hour before dissolving into pretty sand, but she was hoping the guard would have struggled with it a bit longer.

  She was through the window and running toward the labyrinth when she saw flashing red and blue lights reflected off the side of the gallery. The cops were there. She didn’t bother to use the Labyrinth as cover. She raced straight toward the tree at the back of the grounds.

  David was there, crouched behind the trunk of the tree and watching with eyes so wide Lucifer feared they were going to fall out of his head. “Climb,” she said. They were up in the tree when two cops came barreling toward the labyrinth. David dropped to the sidewalk, but before Lucifer could follow, a cop’s flashlight trained on her.

  “Freeze!”

  There was a short pop of gunfire. The turning leaves above Lucifer’s head rustled as the bullet screamed past. She fell from the tree more gracefully than she was expecting.

  “The cops are shooting at us!”

  “I know, David. That’s what they do,” she growled as she grabbed his sleeve and pulled him into a run.

  The two ran down the sidewalk. David started to cut left when Lucifer shouted, “No! This way!”

  “But the car’s this way!”

  “Not yet. C’mon!”

  David ran after her. Lucifer heard the sirens of a police car one block over. When she looked back, she saw one of the cops still on foot and gaining ground. The police car was moving ahead to block their path. Lucifer knew that more cops would be on their way. She might be able to hide in the shadows or get to the rooftops and wait them out. But not with David with her. They had to get to safety. Now. But she knew this might be a possibility. And every good thief knows to come prepared.

  Lucifer pushed David into the alley behind the row of restaurants. The air was filled with the smells of their kitchens preparing for breakfast. A single lamppost filled the alley with harsh light and deep shadows. Lucifer pulled David to a stop.

  “Take off your jacket. Hurry.”

  “But—”

  “No questions!”

  David yanked off his jacket like it was on fire. Lucifer took it and tossed it along with the painting tube behind a nearby Dumpster. She grabbed a handful of items from her trick bag and handed them to David: a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, and a hairnet. “Put that on and light two cigarettes.”

  As David did what he was told, Lucifer pulled off her hoodie and turned it inside out. The inside was a bright, incandescent red, and when she wore it reversed, it looked like a cardigan. She quickly rolled her jean cuffs to give the vague appearance that she was wearing capri pants. Lucifer could hear the cop’s thundering steps on the sidewalk getting closer.

  Lucifer hid her trick bag with the other items behind the Dumpster then fluffed her hair as much as possible. She took one of the lit cigarettes from David and said, “Relax, lean back against the wall, and look that way.” She pointed to the far end of the alley in the opposite direction the cop was coming from. “Don’t turn to look at the cop until he comes into view. We need him to think we saw someone run that way.”

  David nodded, his black hair mashed against his skull by the hairnet.

  The
two were staring at the far end of the alley when the cop ran up. Lucifer and David turned to see the cop, gun drawn. The cop froze for a second, quickly scanning Lucifer and David. Lucifer just raised her hand and pointed to the far end of the alley.

  “Suspect heading east down the alley behind Culver,” he barked into his radio. Without another word the cop started running again. After a moment, he disappeared in the dark. The cops were looking for a man in dark jeans and a black hoodie, not a bus boy taking a smoke break with his garishly dressed girlfriend.

  Lucifer retrieved their things from behind the Dumpster. “Let’s get back to the car before they realize they’re looking in the wrong place.”

  Sunlight was creeping over the horizon by the time they were safely far enough away from the crime scene. David hadn’t said a word since the alley. “Are you all right?” Lucifer asked.

  David slowly turned to her with a look of such amused shock, she almost laughed. “I don’t know. That was the most exciting thing I’ve ever done. And you . . . just, wow. With the magic and the window and then jumping over the railing! It was like watching an action movie.”

  “So you had fun.” Lucifer knew she shouldn’t be encouraging him, but she liked entertaining him.

  “Fun? Yeah, until the cops started shooting at us. With guns. And bullets.”

  “Technically, it was one gun with one bullet.”

  “Sorry, I can’t be as cavalier about it as you. I’ve never been shot at before.”

  “And you still haven’t been. The shot was at me. Not you.”

  “True. Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine.” It’s not the first time someone tried to shoot me. She patted David on the arm and said, “You did well, David. You didn’t get arrested.”

  “That will look great on a college application. ‘Never arrested.’” They both chuckled. “Now that we’ve got the painting, what happens next?”

  Lucifer watched the blood-red streak of sunrise creep over the horizon. “Next comes the hard part.”

  CHAPTER 18