The Sword Maker's Seal (8 page)

“What do we do? They already took Tanya away! I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to confront a thief whom we know has probably the best sword ever made.”

“Don't be a baby, Mason.”

Ezra stepped between Madison and Mason.

“There's no time for this guys.”

At the word “guys” Madison opened her mouth to object but decided against it once she realized Ezra was in ‘serious mode.'

“We need to alert the police but keep Kenji here and keep him from running,” Ezra said.

“He's never seen us,” Madison said. “We could pretend we're interested in the swords and keep him talking.”

“I can call the police department's direct line and get Detective Reinhart; he's the one who helped with the last case, the only one that would believe a tip from a fourteen year old.”

“What about the museum security? Should we tell them?” Mason asked.

“Are you kidding? Jackson Roy can hardly tie his own shoes, let alone arrest a thief!” Madison said incensed.

“Alright,” Mason said hitting fist to palm. “Let's go.”

“Careful you two, we don't know what he's capable of,” Ezra warned.

The twins nodded and took off down the hall to find Kenji. Ezra was left alone at the fork, looking down the hall after them. He took out his cell phone and dialed the police department's direct line, which he made himself memorize after last year's fiasco. The call went directly to Detective Reinhart's desk.

“Detective Reinhart.”

“Detective, it's Ezra Thorne.”

“Ezra! I had hoped I would never have to hear that name again. Trouble always seems to follow you.”

“The way I see it, you made detective because of last year's debacle.”

“Look, it's not that I don't appreciate that, it's just I'm busy down at the station and I don't have time to chat. We just got a suspect in questioning and I need to get going.”

“Wait. Tanya Brand wasn't behind the museum heist and I can prove it.”

“Tanya Brand? How did you—?”

“Just trust me. Get down to the museum as fast as you can, we're stalling him now. The real thief is Kenji Okazaki. He's a Japanese man in his late 20's, about five foot seven and could be armed.”

“You're not pulling my leg are you?”

“This is serious detective!”

“Okay, I'm on my way. Don't engage him yourself and don't spook him.”

“Right. And bring Tanya, she'll be of some help.”

Detective Reinhart agreed and hung up.

Ezra slipped his phone into his back pocket and started toward the Japanese Sword Exhibit. As he turned he saw something that made him double take. Addie rounded the corner, smiled, and waved jovially. She walked up to Ezra and put her gloved hands on her hips, scolding him like a worried mother.

“I've been looking everywhere for you!”

“What are you doing here Addie?” Ezra asked, shocked at her presence but somehow, secretly, glad she was there.

“I heard you guys talking at the bus stop and again in Mr. Casey's class. I came to see what the big deal with this place was.”

Addie flipped her wavy blonde hair and waited for Ezra to offer an explanation.

“Look, I don't know what you heard, but, the police are about to show up and it might get dangerous here.”

“Please,” she said mockingly, “I was born for this kind of thing.”

Ezra thought for a moment and nodded reluctantly. If she followed him all the way to the museum there wasn't much point in stopping her now.

“Stay behind me. I'm going to the exhibit and talking to a man named Kenji. Just, please don't say anything to spook him. We're only going to occupy him until the police get here.”

“Got it.”

Ezra had a bad feeling, but he shook it off, thinking it was only nerves. They entered the Exhibit and saw Madison and Mason checking out a display and conversing with Kenji. Ezra approached them slowly, eyes always focused on Kenji, watching to make sure he didn't make a sudden move. From Ezra's angle Kenji seemed like his normal, happy self. But, Ezra knew now that it was only a disguise.

The air was thick with the scent of danger. Addie must have felt it too because she grabbed Ezra's arm and held on tight. Her hands were cold on his arm and he felt even more anxiety creep up his spine; if his knees weren't locked in place they would have collapsed in a pile of jelly. He broke his gaze with Kenji and looked into Addie's eyes. She was clearly frightened. He interlocked his hand with hers and held on tight.

“Wait here. It'll be okay, I promise.”

Ezra walked up behind Kenji as quietly as he could. Madison and Mason saw him coming but focused their attention on Kenji, who was telling them the story of Masamune.

“You wouldn't want to tell them that story, Kenji.”

Kenji jumped slightly and turned to face Ezra.

“You. Enjoying the exhibit one last time?” Kenji said and smiled.

“I suppose you've heard by now that Tanya has been taken into custody.”

“The curator told me only minutes ago. That really is most unfortunate.”

“I'm just glad they caught the thief,” Ezra said. “For a while I was worried they would get away with one of Japan's National Treasures.”

“It truly is a beauty and I'm thrilled that when it is found it will be returned safely,” Kenji said as earnestly as he could.

Kenji's mouth curled upward into a smile, as if to taunt Ezra.

“Do you know how the thief did it?” Ezra asked.

“I can only assume she had a key to the display and knew the security system well. Maybe she used some hairspray to see the exhibit's lasers, but not being there I wouldn't know for sure.”

“Remember when we first met? You told me a story about your grandfather and the Masamune swords.”

“I have a lot of stories, refresh my memory.”

“Your grandfather, Hatake Okazaki, taught you everything he knew about Masamune the Sword Maker and his swords. You must know quite a bit, huh?”

“I know more than anyone else on the subject, yes.”

“Do you? That sword in the case is a fake Masamune, tell me why.”

“The seal is a forgery. Tanya told everyone that.”

“I want you to tell me. After all, you're the resident sword expert now.”

Kenji's smile faded and he was at a loss for words.

“That sword,” Kenji pointed at the sword that replaced the Masamune, “That sword came as a part of the exhibit, it was probably one of Masamune's students or imitators that made it. It's still a very ancient and respectable sword.”

“But it isn't a Masamune.”

Kenji's face turned red with anger. “No,” he said through his teeth.

Kenji turned his gaze up and behind Ezra then cursed. Reinhart ran into view with Detective Hayden and Tanya closely behind, still cuffed and looking sour as ever. Detective Reinhart not a tall man, but he made up for his stocky build with a chiseled face that intimidated even his own partner. His short raven hair was accented with a five o'clock shadow; making his face even darker.

Detective Reinhart's partner was named Hayden. The man wasn't extraordinarily tall, nor was he extraordinarily strong. Hayden actually wasn't a bit extraordinary. He was in the middle of his class at the academy, he had an average IQ, in fact, the only thing that made him above average at all was how ludicrously average he was. Hayden was still a rookie, though he tried not to let it show. Ezra turned his gaze back to Kenji and smiled.

“Let me tell you how you did it,” Ezra said with his arms folded—all jitters ceasing abruptly and an air of confidence surrounding him.

Madison and Mason took a few steps back then ran to join Addie.

“The afternoon before the robbery you joined Mr. Roy and Tanya in the back security station to celebrate Jackson's birthday. While they were distracted you switched the security tape for the Japanese Sword Exhibit to a prerecorded tape that didn't show any activity at all. You switched it to play instead of record. Jackson Roy wouldn't know the difference, he was busy watching TV, only glancing occasionally at the security screens.”

Kenji interrupted, “I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Without any cameras watching, you waited for the other guard to do rounds, then used a bottle of hairspray to get past the lasers, used the copy of Tanya's key you made earlier that day and took the sword.”

Ezra paused for a deep breath.

“What I didn't get for a long time was that you weren't the one to put a sword back in the case. It happened the next morning, when Tanya came in to work and the Masamune was nowhere to be found. Tanya put a sword in its place, waited until Mr. Roy came in, then told him the sword was a fake and that the real one had been stolen.”

Kenji clenched his fists.

“Why would she do that?” Mason asked. “Why not just set off the alarm or call the police?”

“Let's ask her,” Ezra said then turned to Tanya. “Tell him why.”

“I guess there's no point in hiding it now,” Tanya said. “I took the real sword for safe keeping just hours after the museum closed. I heard that Kenji was the descendant of Masamune and I couldn't figure out why he would donate a sword to the Tokyo Sword Museum that was worth so much. Then I realized that Kenji never believed or never knew it was real. He must have thought his grandfather was a crock and his stories were all made up. When I saw the sword I knew otherwise. I called the Japanese Embassy and told them the sword was real. They in turn informed the Japanese Government. But, then I thought if Kenji knew what a big mistake he made he would want the sword back.”

“What he didn't know was that he was stealing a fake. I wouldn't let him steal the most valuable sword in the world.”

Mason stopped her. “So Kenji stole the fake sword, thinking it was real, and tried to frame you for stealing it by planting the hairspray?”

“Not just that,” Ezra said. “Kenji was the one to make the key. You see Tanya another sword, a third sword, in its place so she wouldn't be suspected of the theft when she reported it stolen. If she was the only one who knew the difference between the swords, why would she want to bring attention to the theft?”

“So everyone would think HE did it!” Tanya screamed.

“We know why Kenji would want the sword back if it was his family's legacy, but what motivated you Tanya? Just another sword on your wall?” Madison said.

“No, she had other motivation,” Ezra said. “Does Edmund Dillinger ring any bells?”

Mr. Roy let out a gasp.

“The British Millionaire? He was here the day before the robbery.”

“Just enough time to hammer out a deal with Tanya,” Ezra said.

“How did you figure it out, Ezra?” Mr. Roy asked.

“It was actually thanks to you, Mr. Roy. In our meeting you mentioned the British Millionaire coming to town to see the exhibit. I went home and looked up Mr. Dillinger and found a reference to him in a very familiar place.”

Ezra took off his backpack and rifled through it for his copy of Feudal Japan and the Way of the Samurai. He opened to a marked page and read.

“Perhaps the greatest concentrations of Masamune's swords are held in private collections, the largest known lying with Edmund Dillinger of Great Britain.”

“Tanya was well aware of Edmund Dillinger's fascination with Masamune's swords. In fact, she called him and made him an offer. He flew all the way out to Portland, Oregon to verify the authenticity of the sword. Tanya's job was to steal the sword, frame Kenji, and bring the sword to England. She wouldn't be able to return to the United States any time soon, so she needed a large sum of money to live on. Who better to give her that than one of the richest men on the planet?”

Tanya cried, “No! I was only holding it for safe keeping, that way when Kenji stole it the real sword could be returned to Japan and be declared a national treasure.”

Ezra thought hard, then replied, “If the sword was a national treasure of Japan, the security would at least triple; Kenji would have no way of retrieving the real sword when he realized his mistake.”

“Yes! Don't you see?” Tanya shrieked in a desperate tone, “I was only trying to help!”

“That's a nice story,” said Ezra, reaching the pinnacle of his stride and growing in confidence, “But that's not how it actually happened. You let Kenji steal your keys. You were setting him up from the very beginning, and unfortunately for him, he fell for it, and you'll both go down.

Tanya closed her eyes tight as though trying to snap herself out of a horrifying nightmare.

“How much was he going to pay you Tanya?” Mr. Roy asked.

She hesitated, then caved and replied, “Ten Million Dollars.”

Mason whistled in awe.

Kenji's jaw dropped. Detective Hayden read Kenji his rights. He was still considered a rookie, which became apparent when he read Kenji's rights from a small laminated card instead of from memory. Tanya was still standing facing Kenji; Detective Reinhart behind her with his hand firmly on her shoulder.

 Kenji screamed, “I didn't steal the real Masamune so let me go! She's the real crook! It was mine to begin with!”

“Even if the sword you stole wasn't real, you still stole museum property,” Ezra said.

“No, Tanya replaced the sword. I didn't steal the real Masamune!”

“Then you stole the property of Tanya Brand and you're still under arrest,” Detective Hayden told him. “As for you Ms. Brand, you're going back to the station.”

Detective Hayden made to slap cuffs on Kenji's dangling wrists, but before he could close them the rookie was caught off guard by something inconceivable. Kenji moved deftly backward and used his head to smash the rookie on his nose, making a crunching sound and surely breaking it. Kenji slipped Hayden's gun from the holster in Hayden's inside coat pocket and put it to the wailing detective's head.