12

Examination

Professor Stein made a point of searching around the bin, perhaps more thoroughly than he needed to, more to minimize contact with the dead body than anything else, leaving that job to Agent Hessman. Meanwhile Captain Beck and Dr. Weiss cleaned up any sign that might even suggest the presence of someone from another time.

Claire, however, was only too eager to be observing Agent Hessman’s examination. “An actual dead body to examine,” she remarked with obvious enthusiasm. “That’s always great for the story. I mean, I’m sorry that a man was killed and all, but the story‍—which has me wondering exactly what sort of story this all is leading to. What could be so important that this man was willing to die for it?”

“We’ll know in a minute,” Agent Hessman muttered.

Captain Beck glanced over and saw the reporter bending in closer as Agent Hessman searched the body, and knew his cue. He hurried over and gently pulled Claire away with a quiet word. “Why don’t you leave Lou to his work and help out Ben, will you? There’s a lot of area around that bin to search.”

“What? Think a woman is too delicate to be around a dead body? I’m here for my story, and that body is the story. Now I will not‍—‍”

“Miss Hill, I do not think you are too delicate in the least; far from it, in fact. And you will have your story as soon as we figure out what’s going on.”

“Then why—”

In a rush to appease Miss Hill’s curiosity but keep her away from anything she shouldn’t see, Captain Beck used the first story that came to mind.

“Because our companion Ben is too delicate to be around dead bodies.”

“What? How is that possible? The war—”

“Ben wasn’t in the war,” Captain Beck answered truthfully. “He was . . . teaching at a university the entire time.”

“A man of letters? I figured him as a consultant of some sort, but . . . so he’s never been outside the university before?”

“This would be his first . . . mission in the field, yes. Now, if you wouldn’t mind . . .”

“Oh, sure,” she said, with a brief cough. “But if you find anything—”

“We’ll let you know, Miss Hill.”

Captain Beck watched as Claire walked over to where Professor Stein was searching; then he gave a brief sigh of relief and squatted down beside Agent Hessman. “I got our reporter occupied with something else,” the captain whispered to him, “in case this guy has some items on him that no one in this time should see.”

“Good,” the agent answered, “because I’ve already found one suspiciously modern-looking device that could be their equivalent of one of our beacons. As for what else I’ve found . . .”

While the pair conversed in low tones, Professor Stein emerged from the backside of the bin to nearly bump straight into Claire’s knees as he was bent over searching the ground. Looking up, he saw what might be described as a stern beauty; her pretty facial features were twisted into the sort of look a school matron might give a disobedient student caught in the act. Seeing her with her hands on her hips and elbows akimbo, he wasn’t sure whether to admire her or swallow that lump he felt suddenly form in his throat.

“You’re a strange one, Ben. Robert just told me how you’d never been in the war.”

“Well, yes, that’s true, but it’s not because I was—”

“You could have just said you were an academic. I’d have understood.”

“Well, I guess I couldn’t be sure if—I mean . . .”

He had straightened up to face her, unsure which way to take this story, when Claire gave her opinion. “As much as some might have wanted to pitch in, academics and intellectuals have no place on the battlefield. Just get themselves killed.”

“That was . . . much what I was thinking, yes,” he admitted hesitantly.

“Which is why it’s so puzzling. Why then are you out here now on what could be a very dangerous mission? One man’s already been killed.”

“I . . . that is . . . this mission is simply too important.”

“More important than the Great War?”

“You have no idea. Listen, I can’t talk about it‍—that would be up to Lou‍—but just know that I’m not a coward. At least I don’t think so. It’s just that the circumstances of my life never led me into war. Beyond that, I’m afraid I can’t say anything more.”

She looked at him for a moment longer, studying him as if perhaps he might be the story she sought more so than the dead body. “You’re not lying,” she said. “I’d know it if you were. But you’re not telling the full truth either. There’s something more.”

Her ruminations were interrupted by two things—a cough escaping her lips and a call from Agent Hessman. “Ben, I need you to look at this.”

Only too grateful for the interruption, he hurried over to where Agent Hessman was standing up holding something, Captain Beck beside him, and now Dr. Weiss coming over to join them as well.

“What’d you find?” Professor Stein asked quietly once he had joined the group.

Agent Hessman held up a picture, but one out of step with the current time. The old picture was printed on paper far more modern than anything the year 1919 had. It was a picture of a Japanese gentleman in uniform, and on the back were printed the words “General Hideki Tojo.”

“Their mission would seem to involve this man,” Agent Hessman stated while Professor Stein examined the photo. “What do you know of such a person?”

“Wow,” was all Professor Stein said at first. “Tojo himself. They certainly aim big.”

“You know of him?” Dr. Weiss asked.

“Any hist—anyone in my field would. He’s the one who ordered the bombing of Pearl Harbor and was responsible for the campaign of horrors the Japanese instigated on their prisoners of war. Or at least he will be in a few years. You think he’s their target?”

“Got to be,” Agent Hessman stated. “But the problem is, what would they want with him?”

“Wait, what bombing of Pearl Harbor? I would have heard of something like that. What do you guys know?”

That’s when they all remembered that not only was Miss Claire Hill still present but she apparently now stood within hearing range and was not afraid to remind them of that fact. Professor Stein looked over to discover that she had followed along behind him and was not much farther than an arm’s length away. For a moment he was flustered, trying to think of what to say. Then Agent Hessman spoke up and flashed the picture in her direction. “Tell me what you know, Miss Hill. What have you heard about a Japanese man named Tojo? This is important.”

She took the photo, studying it for a moment before replying. “I’d love to know what photographic paper you guys used for this. Tojo, hmm . . . some sort of dignitary from Japan. Not a general, but‍—‍”

“So he’s here? In America?” Agent Hessman asked.

“Yes, but I couldn’t say why. Something all hush-hush.” She handed the photo back and continued thinking aloud. “But it’s something to do with a meeting of some sort, not a Japanese cultural house.”

“That may be something the Japanese team didn’t know,” Dr. Weiss suggested.

“Agreed,” Agent Hessman said. “This was their first best guess as to where to find him. Well done, Claire.”

“Thanks, but this brings up a few questions,” she shot back. “Like, why would a team from Japan not know where their own dignitary is staying? Are they assassins or something? What is it that you guys aren’t telling me?”

“Easy there, Claire,” Professor Stein said, interposing himself between her and the others. “You know about as much of this as we do right now. We said before that we don’t really know what their mission is, only that it’s not good.”

“Again, while you’re not lying, you’re still leaving something out. What is it you aren’t telling me?”

For a moment their gazes met, hers a look of determination rare for anyone of this century or even his own, his a curious mix of emotions he wasn’t sure of himself. Their moment, however, was interrupted by Harris and Phelps jogging back into the courtyard from the alley.

“We lost them at Times Square,” Agent Harris announced as they rejoined the others. “They split up, so we thought it best to just come back. You find anything on the body?”

“A clue.” Agent Hessman held up the photo. “They’re after this man. He’ll be at a meeting somewhere.”

“That doesn’t narrow it down much,” Agent Harris noted.

“Doesn’t it?” Agent Hessman pocketed the photo as he explained. “We know that meeting’s in New York City, or the Japanese team wouldn’t be here. And if he’s an important dignitary, the meeting he’ll be at will be one with other important dignitaries. Something with quite a bit of security around it.”

“Then what do we do next?” Dr. Weiss asked.

“Next?” Claire put in. “There’s a body here. We’re going to have to call in the police.”

“Sue,” Agent Hessman said, ignoring Claire’s small outburst, “you lost them at Times Square, so that’s where we go next.”

Agent Harris nodded in acknowledgement. Then, as Claire was saying, “But the body‍—‍” Agent Hessman shot a glance to Professor Stein, who made a point of drawing her away by the shoulders to talk to her a few feet away, maneuvering her so that her back was to the body.

“Claire, we’ll need your help on this. You’re a native of New York City, we aren’t, and Times Square can be a very confusing and crowded place . . .”

Meanwhile Agent Hessman bent down and ran a hand inside the dead man’s coat, producing what he had found earlier, the device he had determined to be their beacon, fashioned to look like some decorative medallion with a large red stone in the center. Working quickly while Professor Stein talked to Claire, he placed it directly on the body’s chest, slapped a hand to the red stone, and jumped back.

A dim glow rose up from within the body, quickly eating away from within it, the body falling away into glowing embers that were sucked into the red stone until all that was left was the beacon itself, hovering for a moment inches above the ground. Then a final flash and the beacon folded in on itself, gone into a point of light, then nothing.

“As much as I know a meeting with the police will slow things down,” Claire was saying as she turned around to face the others, “we can’t just leave‍—where’d it go?”

“Where’d what go, Claire?” Dr. Weiss asked.

“The body, of course.”

“Gone,” was all Agent Hessman would say. “Now let’s get moving.”

“But to where?” she asked. “And will anyone find it? And how’d you move it so quickly? My back was turned for just a moment.”

But no matter how determined her questions or how much she glared at Professor Stein, no answer would be forthcoming. They left with Agent Harris in the lead to guide them along the route to Times Square, none of them speaking another word about the body.