“No! It’s more like ‘cuddle on the sofa’ talk,” Nai corrects him. “And you’re right. My bad.”

Shawn and I exchange looks of relief. These two are so not ready for that step yet.

“Yo—my dad just texted me. They’re putting the whole city on lockdown in one hour! We gotta get going if we want to find this key,” Devonte says. We quickly get down to business, the final set of clues:

Note:

This third and final key is long overdue.

You were ready to know.

I wasn’t.

I am now.

Key #3

This ends where it started.

Take time to turn things over.

Follow Mr. Hathaway.

Seems simple, but “This ends where it started” could mean many things. It could mean start back at my house, which is where we first received the package. It could also mean that we have to go back to Dance Theatre of Harlem. There is also the possibility that the first clue is referring to the very first hunt my mom put together for me. Since there are so many possible outcomes, we decide to skip to the second part and see if we get lucky.

Take time to turn things over.

“Does she mean take time to think about things? Like turn things over in your head?” Shawn asks.

“No, I think it’s more direct than that,” I reply, looking over the note. I turn it over, and there’s nothing written on the other side. I turn over the two other keys, and there’s nothing engraved on them either.

“Yo, check it!” Devonte says. “Two clues that point to the same thing: the box. It’s where this whole hunt started, and it’s something you can turn over. If I’m right, there should be something on the bottom of it. Do you have it with you?”

I take the box out.

“Go ahead, Ayo. Turn it over,” Nai says, placing her hand on my shoulder.

I turn the box over, and there’s nothing carved on the bottom. There’s no song lyric or poem to follow. There’s just a little sticker with the label of the place my mom brought it from—

That’s it!

“This is where I need to go,” I tell the group. They lean in closer and read the small words printed on the tiny sticker: Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market.

“Yes, but where in the market?” Shawn says.

“I don’t know, but I’ll find it somehow.”

“What about the last clue, ‘Follow Mr. Hathaway’?” Nai asks.

“I’m not sure about that. Maybe I have to go there and see first. I’ll call you guys if I get there and can’t find the last clue,” I reply as I motion toward the door.