“We’ll see about that. As you know, Moncha retains the right to record any and all conversations overheard by the bakus.”

I pale.

“I’m going to ask your bakus to play back the conversations you’ve had since Miss Chu was discharged from the hospital.”

Oh no. I told Mom everything about Jinx—which means Petal heard everything too.

And then I realize something else. Slick was there when I was chasing Jinx—he likely has information about where Jinx went that I don’t remember. I wish I’d been clearheaded enough to think about that before the guards showed up.

It’s all going to be over before it’s even begun.

But then the strangest thing happens. They play back the recordings on the cloud for both Petal and Slick, but throughout our conversation about Jinx, there is fuzz and distortion. It’s not obvious, because there are enough audible words to make it sound natural. It’s as if the bakus had been recording during a loud traffic jam. The conversation is meaningless. I glance over at Mom, but her face is neutral. I wonder what she makes of it all. Even stranger, Slick’s memories of running after Jinx are the same as mine. We’re darting through the hallways of Moncha HQ and then… It’s like he goes dead. As if he ran out of battery midway through the chase. I’m both happy he can’t give information about Jinx’s whereabouts to the security team and disappointed he can’t fill in more of the gaps in my memory.

The head guard frowns, but he has no more reason to hold us. As far as they know, there’s nothing we could have done to alter the recordings. As far as we know, there’s nothing we could have done. It’s a mystery.

“We’re adding a directive to these bakus,” he gestures at Slick and Petal, “that if the stolen property is seen or talked about by you two, then we will be the first to know. But things will be much easier if you simply cooperate with us and disclose any new information as soon as you know it.”

I resist the urge to scoff, disguising it instead as a cough.

“Understood?”

“We understand,” Mom says, through gritted teeth. “Will you go now?”

The man fixes her with a disapproving glare, but thankfully he nods.

We breathe a sigh of relief once the door is firmly shut on the security guards. I feel like I’m standing right on the edge of the line between wired and exhausted.

“Eric doesn’t have Jinx,” I whisper.