That department was secured. Owen usually anticipated my arrival and opened the door for me, but the point of this visit was that Owen wasn’t there, so that wouldn’t work.I settled for the tried-and-true strategy of hanging around and waiting for someone else to either come or go and open the door. Anyone who worked in that department would have seen me around often enough to be willing to let me in. After all, I rationalized, if I told Merlin I needed to get something from Owen’s office, he’d surely give me access. I just didn’t want to disturb Merlin when he was sick or get him involved in this yet.I didn’t have to wait too long. Soon, the door opened and someone in a lab coat came out, carrying a couple of shopping bags. He stopped to sneeze halfway through the doorway, and I jumped to catch the door for him while he groped for a handkerchief. “Thanks,” he croaked.“Bless you,” I said, meaning it quite sincerely. Once he left, I headed into the department and hurried to Owen’s lab.
