Cradle of Solitude

Satisfied, he sent the image as part of a text message, dropped his phone into his pocket and started walking down the street.

He hadn’t gone more than a few blocks before the phone rang in response.

“Michaels,” he said, answering it.

The voice on the other end was younger, full of cockiness. “Next time give me something difficult, will ya? Her name’s A

American? Interesting, Michaels thought.

“What’s she doing in Paris?”

“She’s the host of a cable television show that features monsters, myths and legends entitled, appropriately enough, Chasing History’s Monsters.”

Myths and legends. Michaels didn’t like the sound of that. Their contact in the police department had tipped them off that Reinhardt had been called in to examine something discovered during the excavation of the new Metro line. That had brought Michaels down there this morning. His organization had protected certain secrets for generations and any new find, particularly in this area, raised the possibility that some of those secrets might be exposed. He couldn’t allow that to happen.

He hadn’t been concerned at first. They received tips like this at least a handful of times per month and the majority of them led to nothing. Normally he would have sent one of his men to check it out, but he’d been in the area when the call had come in and had decided to deal with it personally. If nothing else, it gave him a chance to stretch his legs and enjoy the change in the weather.

But then he’d seen the crowd that had gathered and watched as the crew removed a large specimen case from the tu

The presence of the American television host certainly had the potential for complicating matters.

“Is she here representing the network?” he asked the man on the other end of the phone.

There was a pause. “I’m not sure yet.”

Michaels didn’t like uncertainties; they tended to create problems later on down the line. His silence must have adequately conveyed his displeasure, for the other man quickly amended his statement.

“I’m working on it, though. I should have an answer shortly.”

“Good. And her relationship with Reinhardt?”

“I’ll have that for you shortly, as well.”

“Next time, call me when you actually know something.”

Ending the call, Michaels slipped the phone back in his pocket and continued down the street to where a black Mercedes waited for him at the curb. As the driver started to get out to open the door for him, Michaels waved him off, climbed in the backseat on his own and then instructed the other man to take him back to the office.

Without a word the driver slid the big car into traffic smoothly and headed off. As they cruised past the van from the museum, Michaels could see the Creed woman sitting in the front seat, seemingly lost in thought while waiting for the rest of the team to finish loading the equipment in the back.

It would be a shame to have to mess up that pretty face, he thought as they drove away.

6

After unloading the specimen case from the van, Dr. Reinhardt had his students carry it downstairs to one of the basement labs. There, he and A

They transferred the foam-wrapped skeleton to the top of the long examination table in the center of the lab. Because the skeleton had been in a seated position when it was encased in the foam, they placed a board behind its back for support. Next it was photographed and filmed, just as it had been down in the tu

“Ready?” he asked, his fingers poised over the lamp’s power switch.

A

She thought about the captain. That’s how she was thinking of him now. She didn’t know who he was yet, but she hoped to uncover his identity in the process of their investigation. She wanted to put a name and maybe even a face to the remains. In the meantime, the title would remind everyone that this had once been a living, breathing person and therefore deserved their respect.

Bernard hit the switch on the lamp and it began humming slightly.

For a few minutes the sound was the only outward evidence that the device was even working. The light it emitted was not visible to the human eye, but eventually the foam began to bubble and break down. It reminded A

As the foam broke down, Bernard gently lowered the inclined backboard, inch by inch, until the skeleton rested flat on the examination table, the bones still arranged mostly in the same position in which they’d been discovered.

That’s pretty damn slick, A

Bernard was obviously thinking the same thing, for he threw a huge grin in her direction. It was as if the foam had never existed.

Very carefully, they began separating the bones from the clothing. Each one was carefully measured and then photographed from multiple angles before being placed on another lab table for Bernard to examine more carefully. While he did that, A

She started with the heavy jacket that had been worn over the uniform. Known as a regimental sack coat, it had a stand-up collar and six CSA buttons ru

The blood from the chest wound that had killed their subject had stained the inside of the coat and sealed the lip of the interior pocket closed. When she carefully pried it open, she discovered an envelope inside.

A

Picking up a pair of rubber-tipped tweezers from the selection of tools on the table beside her, she gently inched the envelope out and placed it on a nearby light box where she could examine it in more detail.

“I’ve got something here, Bernard,” she said, and waited for her partner to join her before continuing.

They took multiple photographs to document the specimen. Then, with Bernard’s help, A

The paper was yellow and brittle with age. Worried that even the slightest pressure might cause an unwanted tear, A

With the protective cover in place, A

When illuminated from below, the ink appeared in sharp contrast to the faded surface of the paper, making it easier to see.