Chapter 2

Summary

• The chapter opens with the continuing examination of the Medici Manuscript. The manuscript supposedly belonged to the Medici family, a powerful and influential family from the Renaissance era noted for their patronage of renowned artists such as Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, and Raphael. The manuscript is coded, with the key seemingly lost.
• The characters discuss the history of the manuscript and its likely origins, including its previous owners. They agree that they'll have to decipher the code and continue their investigation into the manuscript's past.
• The protagonist, Sylvia Ashe, and her colleagues discuss the mystery surrounding the manuscript and the need to decode it. Taking up where their deceased friend and colleague, Oscar, left off, Sylvia decides to continue the investigation.
• Sylvia takes the manuscript home with her and attempts to decode it without success. She discovers some barely visible writing which she believes might be an important clue.
• The next day, Sylvia encounters a journalist, Albert Scarrow, who is seeking information about a friend of Sylvia's, Gabriel (Gabe), who recently escaped a kidnapping attempt. Sylvia is protective of Gabe and dismisses Scarrow, who departs with his photographer.
• Upon arriving at work, Sylvia's colleague, Professor Nash, shows her a newspaper article detailing Gabe's kidnapping attempt. They discuss the unusual nature of the event and speculate why someone might want to kidnap Gabe. Sylvia suggests that Gabe might be a target because of his involvement in society events.
• Professor Nash contacts Gabe to ensure he's alright. Gabe says he's bored and decides to visit the library to speak with Sylvia about her encounter with Scarrow. When Gabe arrives, he's accompanied by his friends Alex and Willie. Sylvia warns Gabe about Scarrow, and Gabe assures her he'll handle the situation.

• The characters are discussing Gabe's safety since he has been in dangerous situations and isn't concerned about his own wellbeing. This may be due to surviving the war and feeling invincible.
• Sylvia suggests that Gabe should stay home to avoid possibly being kidnapped by people who don't know where he lives. Gabe brushes off the concern and says that he will be fine.
• When Willie comes into the conversation and mentions how Gabe complains when they tell him to stay home but thanks Sylvia for expressing the same concern, he dismisses Willie's comments about his tone.
• Willie brings up that Ivy, someone who also cares about Gabe's safety, called before they left and is going to dinner to check on him. She's also told him to stay home, emphasizing that Sylvia isn't the only one concerned about Gabe's wellbeing.
• Gabe then notices a manuscript on the desk called the Medici Manuscript and asks what it's about. Sylvia says the manuscript was found in the attic, has magical clasps, is somehow connected to the Medici family, and no one could decipher it. The magic may have been put into it by an ancestor of Marianne Folgate's, implying that since it's indecipherable it could be magical.
• Gabe suggests getting a clever mathematician he knows to help decipher the book. He and Sylvia identify faintly noticeable letters on the book's second page using a telescope, but Gabe states it can't be the actual key to decoding since it would defeat the purpose of having a code.
• The chapter ends with Gabe being recognized by Mr. Scarrow's photographer, who enters the library with his camera in hand.