20

Another Body, Another Puzzle

Captain Beck and Dr. Weiss stayed out of the way as Agent Hessman knelt down to examine the two bodies. Lieutenant Phelps stayed to his post at the entry into the alley, while the only reason Professor Stein was near the body was that he couldn’t pull a curious Claire away from it. Agent Hessman pulled out a pocketknife and started digging for the bullets, an act that actually got Claire to flinch a bit.

“Okay, so maybe this part I don’t need to see,” she said. She averted her gaze while he went to work, operating first on Eiji’s body then the German’s.

“Okay, messy part’s over with,” he soon announced.

Claire went back to standing over the scene, her eyes absorbing every detail she could, while Professor Stein was ready to pull her away from anything she shouldn’t be seeing.

“They both look like the same type of bullet,” Agent Hessman noted. “Sue, what do you make of these?”

Agent Harris carefully took them both in hand and looked them over, mulling to herself some of the details. “Same type of ammo all right, and from the looks of it, same gun. The problem is . . .” She paused, looking back to Claire without saying a word.

“Okay, I know my cue,” Claire said with a roll of her eyes. “Just let me know when there’s something I’m allowed to hear.” She turned away but grabbed hold of Professor Stein’s hand in the process and jerked him along with her.

Agent Harris waited until they were far enough away before continuing. “The problem is that these bullets came from a forty-caliber Smith & Wesson.”

“Which means what, exactly?” Agent Hessman asked.

“Smith & Wesson didn’t start manufacturing this bullet until 1989. These two men were killed with a modern weapon.”

“Hmm . . . so we have someone working against both the Japanese and the Germans that brought back with him a piece of modern weaponry. One wonders what other types of artillery this unknown assailant brought back.”

“Sir,” she said, “this complicates our problems considerably. For instance, if they’re after President Wilson‍—‍”

“Then who needs to get near him when you can just use some plastic explosive or rocket rifle or something,” he said, completing the thought. “But who would be working against both Japan and Germany?”

“And us, I might add. They haven’t shot at us yet, but since no one’s come forward announcing themselves as allies‍—‍”

“Then we have to assume the worst. But there are only three installations running: us, Japan, and Germany. There is no one left it could be.”

“Well, it’s gotta be someone.”

Agent Hessman thought for a moment, then, taking the pair of bullets back from Agent Harris, carefully placed one on top of the exact center of each body’s chest. “A message for our counterparts back in the present,” he told her. “This should kick-start their own investigations on their ends. Now make sure that Miss Hill’s back is turned while I search for their beacons.”

Agent Harris jumped to her feet and quickly stepped over to where Professor Stein was keeping Claire busy by evading her small talk, which consisted mainly of trying to find out more about his personal history.

“Exactly what sort of a consultant are you, anyway?” she was asking. “What’s your field?”

“History,” he replied innocently. “I like studying the past.”

“Interesting for a mission like this to have a history consultant on board. What period of history do you specialize in?”

For a moment he simply looked at her, catching a glint of cunning behind her pretty blue eyes. He’d not thought that the answer he gave could lead to such a suddenly uncomfortable position. “Uh . . . modern history,” he ventured.

Fortunately, that was when Agent Harris came stepping over. She briskly grabbed Claire’s shoulders to spin her around while talking in a level tone. “Why look, such an interesting pattern on this alley wall. What do you think it might be?”

“Oh, come on,” Claire said. “There is nothing here to see. Now what is it you don’t want me to see this time?”

“Just thought you’d want a good view of that wall there,” Agent Harris stated flatly. “Now why don’t you just keep looking at it for a bit longer.”

“Claire, trust me,” Professor Stein urged her. “For the security of this nation‍—for your own sanity‍—you do not want to look back.”

“Yes, sir,” Agent Harris said, with a firm hand still on Claire’s shoulder. “Really interesting wall there. None better.”

While Claire rolled her eyes at how she was being treated, Agent Harris kept an eye on Agent Hessman as he pulled out the beacons for each of the bodies, placed them on their respective chests, and activated them. Moments later the task was done.

“Okay, enough of that,” Agent Harris said, pulling Claire back and releasing her. “It’s only a wall.”

As she spun around, Claire looked ready to voice any of several comments, but then saw where Agent Hessman was now standing and what he was not standing over. “The bodies‍—where’d they go? And if you say, ‘What bodies?’ I swear I’m going to go all unladylike on you. They were there a few seconds ago.”

“And now they’re not,” Agent Hessman said simply as he walked over. “Sue, we need to track where this guy went. He can’t be that far ahead of us.”

“On it.” She started by standing directly where the bodies had been found, then looked around, scanning the ground, the alley walls, and the rooftops above.

“Do you think she can actually do it?” Claire asked.

“This is the sort of thing she trained for,” Agent Hessman replied.

“Even in a city this size?”

“I’m wondering that myself,” Professor Stein added. “Our only leads just got murdered.”

“Just wait for it,” Agent Hessman assured them. “She’s already realized that whoever it was didn’t leave by way of our end of the alley or risk being seen by us, which leaves only one direction unless he was on a rooftop somewhere.”

“He’d have to be a pretty good shot,” Claire said, looking up the side of the left-hand building.

Neither man said a thing. Meanwhile, Agent Harris had decided to continue down the alley, at which point Agent Hessman motioned to Captain Beck and the others to join in following her. When she came to the far end of the alley, Agent Harris stopped. The alley came out into another busy street. She saw something down at one end that filled her with a new sense of confidence. When the rest joined her, she indicated the direction with a gesture of her arm. “He went that way.”

“I’m curious as to how you arrived at that conclusion what with so many directions to choose from and all the traffic in the way,” Dr. Weiss remarked. “Might I ask how you did so?”

She merely indicated a sign with an arrow pointing down the street. “I can’t think of a better place where the killer would choose to hide,” she replied.

“Good job,” Agent Hessman told her. “Let’s get going before he gets much farther ahead of us.”

When the others saw the sign that Agent Harris had found, no dissenting voice questioned her judgment as to its being the perfect place for a runner to hide. For the sign read, “Coney Island.”