“We need to get arrested,” Dex said, putting his phone away. He and Nora had managed to get out of the synagogue in one piece, though barely. They were in the parking lot now. It was even hotter. The sky was one sweeping blur.
“Daphna says the Masons want to talk to us,” Dex sighed. “She and Quinn might know where the Golden book is—in some kind of realm. I’m sure it’s incredibly dangerous, and I don’t even want to think about it.”
Nora didn’t seem to have heard any of this. She was doing that praying thing again. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were moving rapidly as she inhaled and exhaled deeply. Finally, she opened her eyes.
“That helps, you, huh?” Dex asked.
“When I feel pain or fear coming up,” Nora explained. “Or anger. I wanted to smash things just now, like everyone else.”
“And that makes it go away?”
“Yes—Did you say we need to get arrested?”
Dex nodded. “The Secret Keeper, the guy from the Pope—he told your dad that some leaders rejected the two o’clock threat to disappear them—”
“Yes—”
“That’s probably because they don’t believe the Masons can do it. Why would they? I wouldn’t.”
“I guess I wouldn’t either,” Nora said.
“Well, maybe this theory is dumb, but in the movies, the bad guys always show they mean business when they’re making a big threat.”
“You mean with some kind of demonstration?”
“Exactly. They’ve had the book all day. They’ve made the threat. If they really wanted the world to take them seriously, wouldn’t it make sense to make someone disappear already? Someone really big, probably.”
Nora contemplated this a moment.
“They don’t know how?” she guessed.
“Exactly. They must not know they have to scrape the names off, or exactly how. Or they’re just being cautious until they know exactly what they’re doing. Daphna says they’re looking for us. I’m betting they want to know what we know about it.”
“But getting arrested won’t keep us safe from them. Some cops are Masons, too.”
“That’s what I’m counting on,” Dex replied. “We’re going to get that book back.”
Nora looked afraid, but resolved.
“Okay,” she said. “So, how do you get arrested? What do we have to do?”
“Let’s find out.”
A police car was just coming up into the lot, no doubt responding to the near riot of people still fleeing the synagogue. Dex jumped up and down and waved his arms at it.
The cruiser wound its way through what was left of the crowd and pulled right up alongside them.
A window rolled down.
“Greeting Officers Richards and Madden,” Dex said, leaning in.
The two cops looked at each other.
“How’d you know our names?” Madden asked. He had a bandage on his head, and his arm was in a sling.
“We go way back,” Dex told him. “Anyway, we know all about that book you guys finally found. So take us to your leader.”