Page 90 of Once a Hero

With that declaration, Jake was happy to take a short break. Beatrice looked worn out. It wasn’t just because her bare face was without any make up. She genuinely looked exhausted.

“Have you had a break in three days?” Jake brushed a strand of hair from her face.

“Break?” Kenichi laughed. “She hasn’t slept in three days.”

Jake’s jaw dropped. No wonder she had forgotten things. “Why?”

“Why? Because she worked, is all. What have you been doing the last three days?”

As Kenichi spoke, Beatrice padded out of the lab. Outside the lab, staffers walked to and fro from the other labs up and down the hallway.

Jake followed her, counting the number of people around them. “Anything I can do for you?”

She waved him off. “I have a bad headache right now.”

Kenichi came out of the lab. “I’m ordering takeout from the Chinese place. The usual?”

“Yeah.” Beatrice kicked off her shoes and climbed on a sofa in a corner sitting area. “Just put mine in the fridge.”

Jake sat across from the coffee table, empty except for someone’s tablet that had been left there.

“What would you like?” Kenichi limped on his crutches toward Jake. “Chinese takeout but they also have sushi.”

“Do they have shrimp and walnut?” Jake wondered how Kenichi was going to drive with a broken leg.

“They all do.”

“That’s what I want then. Plus two egg rolls. No soup. And brown rice instead of white.” He fished for his wallet. “Why don’t I pay for everyone?”

“No need. We’re on company time.”

“Are they delivering?”

“Yeah, I don’t have time to go pick up. Plus I can’t drive for a while.”

“Is it safe to have it delivered?”

Kenichi wagged a finger at him. “You’re even more paranoid than I am.”

“I don’t want people coming here knocking on doors with those two brooches lying around.”

“Speaking of which…” Kenichi turned to Beatrice, who was dozing off. “Bee, you need to take the brooches and put them back in the safe.”

Beatrice groaned.

“I thought we were studying them,” Jake said.

“I’ve been bashing my head against an amber wall. I need a break.” Kenichi hobbled back to the lab, and emerged with the two brooches, which he carried in his shirt pocket. He put the brooches on the coffee table in front of Beatrice.

“Make sure she puts them in the safe.” Kenichi limped away.

The brooches looked ordinary and older than the rustic coffee table. For all they knew, the jewelry might not be worth anything at all.

Perhaps it had been a ruse.

“How do we know they’re even authentic?” Jake asked no one.

“My brother analyzed them.” Beatrice’s eyes opened. “Nineteenth century.”

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