The doctor said, “You have outdone yourself this time. Though it looks like a carnival fun house, it is impressive nonetheless.”
Patrick said, “The credit goes to Randy, as always, but thanks.”
Patrick looked unsettled at seeing Henry in tow.
They walked through a lengthy set of mirrored halls and arrived in a circular room with the three boxes set in a triangle. The Eye of God sat atop the smallest of the three.
Dr. Schaeffer looked at the professor, and waved his arm. “Please, Professor Brookert, and take your time.”
The professor pulled out a magnifying glass. “May I touch it?”, he asked, looking at Patrick.
“You may touch the boxes, but please not the device.”
The larger of the boxes was faded and pretty rough, the sea had been hard on it. The professor ran his finger over the carvings and carefully looked at each face of the box, finding the symbol he was looking for on the side. The second box was an entirely different style, but the symbol was there, just as Bobby’s friend had said it would be. The third box looked brand new, and on the top in the center, was the design he was looking for, and he turned his attention to the device.
“This is remarkable, completely amazing. I am awestruck.”
“So it is your opinion that it is genuine?”
“There is little which is known about this mysterious machine, but I would have to say I don’t see any indications that it isn’t from the time period suggested. Beyond that, I can’t offer much more.”
“I appreciate your evaluation. I am satisfied.”
Dr. Schaeffer and Henry then took about fifteen minutes to look it over. When they were finished, they walked out of the mirrored room.
The sound of a small bang made them all turn around. The little room had filled with smoke, and when it cleared a few moments later, the boxes and the device were nowhere to be seen.
Patrick simply explained, “Randy is quite a showman.”
The ride back to the Flatiron building was full of chatter about the Eye of God. Hans had a lot of questions, and Professor Brookert was happy to share all of the finer points he had noticed. There were symbols, beyond the ones he was looking for, which also helped him determine the age. “I was looking for anything which might be known to be more recent; it all looked authentic.”
When they returned to the office, the stories were told again for Celine's and Bobby’s benefit. They had talked for almost an hour when Celine suddenly asked about Mike. He was long overdue.
Henry was concerned - it showed on his face - and the room became quiet. Now everyone was worried.
Chapter Fifty-One
Patrick was anxious. He was always in control of his emotions. When he got the polite decline of his invitation from Garneau, after having been caught by the church, he was angry. It had been with him all day. The only thing which calmed him down was the meeting with Dr. Schaeffer and his people. He was glad they were gone now. He wasn’t sure how the detective was connected to his client, but he couldn’t dwell on that now.
The more he thought about the meeting, the more bothered he became, though. Henry hadn’t seemed the least bit surprised at seeing him. Had Henry seen through his priest cover? Could it have been Henry who called the bishop with the accusations? But why would he do that? It didn’t make sense. If he was working for Dr. Schaeffer, then he wouldn’t want to do something to risk the sale.
Henry was polite when they shook hands. Damn, he had a good poker face.
Maybe Dr. Schaeffer had told him what was up?
That seemed like the most logical conclusion.
He hadn’t heard back about the funeral. If Henry knew that his being a priest was a cover, he may have made other arrangements.
These thoughts continued to swirl around in his head, making him more uncomfortable, and he was on the cusp of paranoia. He looked at his watch; there was still fifteen minutes before he was to meet the Falcon.
Patrick started to think about who might have called the bishop. He hadn’t seen Stan and his friends in a while; they were supposed to be keeping tabs on Henry. They were just kids though, probably off drinking. He went through the checklist of every person he had in his employ, and none of them seemed likely to have done it. They were all paid very well...what was the upside, what could their angle have been? No, it wasn’t one of his people.
He looked around to see if there was anyone watching him. Patrick didn’t expect to see anyone, but then again, he was starting to lose it.
Across the street, looking out of a stairway window on the second floor was a large man, keeping an eye on him. Patrick couldn’t see him: it was getting dark and there weren’t any lights in the hallway. Patrick saw the van pull out of the loading bay and pull up next to him.