Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris-Theo 2 by R. L. Lafevers, Yoko Tanaka

first time that morning, I felt hopeful. Sopcoate always had a calming effect on people. Perhaps he could prevent Father from being hauled off or fired after all.
    Inspector Turnbull nodded in deference to the admiral. "But sir, surely you aren't saying he had nothing to do with this."
    Sopcoate put one arm on Turnbull's back and the other on
Chudleigh's. "What I'm saying is, we don't want to be arguing out here on the stoop where every news reporter and passerby can hear us, now, do we? Think of the scandal," he said to Chudleigh. Then to Turnbull: "Think of how that could compromise your investigation!"
    Turnbull scowled at the truth of Sopcoate's words. "Don't let anyone else through that door until I get back," Turnbull instructed his constables.
    "Of course not, sir!"
    Turnbull nodded, then followed the admiral and the others toward Father's office, where they could have some privacy.
    "Oh no you don't, boy-o!" A constable's raised voice caught my attention. "You heard the man. No one gets in here."
    "But it's Open Visitation Day, guvnor, me only chance to see the museum!" a paperboy whined as he tried to push past Biggs. "Ye don't want me to have to wait an entire month, do ye?" Even though he was talking to the constable, the paperboy was looking straight at me.
    Only, it wasn't a paperboy at all—it was Will!
    I tilted my head to indicate he should go round to the side.
    "I don't give a horse's hind end how long you have to wait. Now, off wi' you!" As I watched Will scramble away, I caught sight of an elegant woman standing toward the back of the
crowd. It was Miss Sharpe, and she was attempting to work her way to the front door. She tried to catch my eye, but I ignored her and hurried to the side entrance instead.
    By the time I got there, Will was waiting for me. "Wot took you so long?" he huffed, looking over his shoulder.
    "I came right away," I huffed back, wishing he wouldn't get so put out just because of a few constables around. Although I supposed if I were in his trade, I would feel the same.
    I heard a loud, wet sniffing sound. "Quiet," I warned Will.
    He immediately froze. "Wot is it?"
    "I don't know, but I think someone is skulking in the bushes." I squinted, having a hard time making out what exactly I was seeing.
    "Oo is it?" Will asked, his voice tense.
    "I'm not sure," I said. "But it looks like a bowler hat with ears. And a much-too-large morning coat."
    Will relaxed. "Oh, don't worry 'bout 'im. That's me brother, Snuffles."
    "Snuffles?" I echoed.
    Will nodded. "On account of 'is nose always runnin' and 'im always snuffling it back up."
    Another thick, wet sniff emerged from the bushes. "Right. Snuffles," I said. "But he doesn't have to hide in the bushes, does he?"
    "'E's practicing, miss."
    "Practicing what?"
    "Why, 'is skills, of course. He's got to practice moving quiet-like and tailing people or he'll never make it in our family line of work." Will leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "Frankly, I think 'e's a bit 'opeless. Everyone can hear him sucking up that snot o' his from a mile away."
    "We don't have time to discuss this right now. Come on." I grabbed Will's arm. "We need to go somewhere where we won't be overheard."
    I thought about the reading room, but with nothing else to do until the inspector gave the curators marching orders, there was too big a chance they'd wander down there to do some work. Besides, Fagenbush seemed to be hanging around there a lot lately, and I most certainly didn't want to run into him.
    Instead, I dragged Will into my small closet, the one small piece of the museum that I claimed as my own. When I pulled him inside and lit the oil lamp, his eyes went immediately to the sarcophagus next to the wall. "Wot is this place, anyway?"
    I didn't think he'd understand about my need to sleep in the sarcophagus when I got stuck spending the night at the museum. It was the only thing I trusted to protect me
against all the curses and restless spirits that roamed the