The Doc Justice Files - Three Card Monty part 4
by Direwolf

Chapter 4- "But that doesn't make any sense!"

Lieutenant Warwick knew he was in trouble though the situation could still be salvaged. All it required was a bit of luck and the proper application of force.

Warwick was seated beside the driver of the somewhat battered roadster. They were parked five blocks south of the ambush site that had turned into more of a skirmish than expected. Roberts was in the back seat nursing a bullet wound in his right arm as well as some monumental bruises from the taxies fender. Warwick had a few scrapes from his leap to avoid the on-coming taxi. There were no other injuries among them. That was the good news he could tell his commanding officer.

"So, the crate hijacked from the Japanese archeological dig in Northern Chosen appears to be in the hands of Doctor Justin Collins", he finished. There was a radio clipped under the roadster's wood paneled dashboard. The radio was far smaller then anything available commercially. The US government would have eagerly snapped up something so compact with such great range for their own use if the devices were made available. There weren't.

For a few minutes, only the hiss of static came from the speaker. Warwick fiddled with the microphone and tried not to think of what punishment the Colonel might inflict for this disaster. This mission was considered so important that he was reporting this high up the chain of command within the Imperium. For better or worse, this effectively assured he would gain the notice of the upper command. And now he had to report bad news to a senior officer.

The silence stretched. Warwick felt beads of sweat break out on his face despite the cold February air. Surely he wouldn't be subjected to ‘the wrath of Jove', not without a chance to fix things?

"Interesting, we have quite a file on young Doctor Collins, " a dry, educated voice said at last from the radio. "His genius with electromagnetism rivals that of our own scientists and he has displayed a range of other remarkable talents. He could be a valued asset or a serious obstacle to the Grand Plan. Some have suggested attempting to bring him into the Imperium. Others suspect he is politically unreliable. The decision is pending. In either case, that cannot concern you. He must not be allowed to retain possession of the tablets. But you must achieve this without alerting the civic authorities. We are not ready to act in the open, not yet. If necessary, destroy the tablets rather then lose them. Act quickly; I expect a resolution before dawn. Semper Imperium."

"Semper Imperium!" all four men in the car said. Crackling static was the only answer.

Warwick rubbed his knuckles and considered the tactical situation. He could not get too close to the ambush site or the police would be sure to notice. But it was a safe bet Doc Collins' car wouldn't be drivable. It was just a matter of watching the most likely exit route for at least two taxis. And the route would be back to Post Street.

"You heard the colonel," Warwick said, "let's move.

"...That's all I can tell you, officer," Justin said. "After Go-on, Lord Gawaine, showed up with Miss Gregory, the assailants got into their car and sped off."

The police detective looked over his notes of Justin's statement. It corresponded with what His Lordship, the Russian woman and Doc Collins' driver told him.

"Damned fog," the police officer said, "this city's too wet for my taste. Well, thanks for your time Doc, it sounds like this was another kidnapping attempt rather then a hit. We'll get on it and see what we turn up but..."

"I understand, " Justin said, "I have faith in you and your department."

The Detective smiled broadly. "Thanks, that means a lot. By the way, the whole department was as impressed as all get out by the help you gave us on the Bannister case. Without your expertise, we never would have figured the kid electrocuted his old man for the dough. Jeeze, who'd have thought to look for a capacitor in a walking stick? One zap, and the old man falls in front of a cable car. Everyone else thought it was an accident. Funny the way things worked out, the kid's in for murder one and should get the chair. Well, if you want some police protection for the next few weeks, just say the word."

Justin shook his head. "No thanks, you have plenty to do without babysitting me. I'll keep my eyes open and my head down. If there isn't anything else, can my friends and I leave?"

"Yeah, sure thing, Doc, not like I don't know where to find you if I have any questions. By the way, the precinct sent a couple of taxis over, on the house."

"Thank you, Detective, that was very kind." Justin walked over to Go-on and the rest, noticing that Go-on was using the mysterious crate as a seat.

"Well, I take it they are going to haul us in for disturbing the peace, then?" Go-on asked. "Bit of let down to you, eh, sis? You're used to a wilder end to your evenings!"

Lucas laughed and Alex shook her head. Britt bristled in indignation.

"Well, the night's not over yet, brother dear!" she countered, voice sharp.

"We should get back to the hotel, I have a number of meetings to attend in the morning, contracts to sign, prospecti to review, things of that sort," Alex announced. "Justin, if you have no objections, I'll come by in the afternoon to discuss that compass. And I need to upgrade the power system on the ranch in South Africa. My brother keeps asking for more money to repair the old one. Come along, Britt. Good evening all."

Somehow, Alex bundled the still protesting Britt into one of the waiting taxies. The three men waved as it vanished into the fog.

"Now, let's get out of here ourselves," Justin suggested. He'd decided not to mention his belief the men were after the crate until he'd had a crack at solving the mystery himself.

The three men clambered into the waiting taxi and rode away. Behind them, the San Francisco police continued to sift the scene for evidence. Justin drummed his fingers on the mysterious crate with its load of seemingly unremarkable bricks. Beside him, Go-on whistled something from a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. In the front set, Lucas looked out the window as if intent on the fog-shrouded buildings. None of them noticed the roadster with one missing taillight and a crumpled front bumper that swung into position behind them.

The cab dropped them off in front of Justin's offices and rattled into the night. Lucas shouldered the crate and the three of them walked in past the security desk.

"Evening, Doctor Collins," the uniformed guard said.

"Good evening, Ed," Justin answered. "Some one took a few shots at me on the way home and I don't think it was an accident. Can you spread the word?"

"Sure thing." Ed reached for the notebook to write up Justin's warning then made sure his police special .38 was on the desk. Mr. Collins always hired retired police officers for security.

"I'm assuming your cousin, Spiffy, didn't send you a crate of bricks as some sort of inside joke," Justin said as the elevator carried them up. This late at night, the operators were off duty so Justin manned the controls.

"No, Spiffy's a bit of an odd bean, but I don't think he'd do something like that, not without a letter of explanation at least to clench the laugh. Empty gin bottles maybe, or even a repainted lawn jockey perhaps. Nothing in there but bricks you say?"

Justin shook his head. "Not that I could see. It's possible there's something under the bricks."

Lucas shrugged. "Well know more when we can look inside with better light. What's the writing on the top say?"

Before Justin could answer, the elevator reached the 12th floor. Justin stopped the lift and opened the door. The scent of Jasmine tea greeted them. Fu Lee stood in the entry hall, a lacquered tray with three steaming cups in hand.

Fu Lee stood slightly over five and a half feet tall. His face had an ageless quality, he could have been only thirty, or far older. His long black hair was touched with feathers of gray at the temples and he worn it braided down to the center of his back. His eyes were brilliant cat-like green, often lit with dry humor. And he had a thin mustache that drooped to below his chin. Fu Lee wore a pair of black slippers, black cotton pants, and a long, high collared tunic of sea green silk embroidered with black dragons disporting in banks of swirling clouds. The dragons had five clawed digits on each paw.

Justin eagerly took a steaming cup from the offered tray. He sipped the fragment tea as he ran a hand through his tousled roan-brown hair. Somehow during the night's adventure, he'd managed to lose his hat.

"Right-o. Wouldn't have some brandy for that, old boy? I know better then to ask for milk and lemon."

Fu Lee had been in Doc Collins' employ for several years, coming back with the young man from a trip to Hong Kong. In that time, Justin had never seen the seemingly unflappable Chinese gentleman ever loose his temper, except once. Lee took his tea very seriously. The first time Go-on added a dash of milk and a squeeze of lemon to what Fu Lee had lovingly described as some of the finest Oolong tea from the Sochen district, Justin was sure that Fu Lee was going to cheerfully strangle the dapper Englishman. That incident passed without bloodshed but was still a bit of a sore point with the Chinese butler.

Fu merely cocked an eyebrow at Gawaine's request." If you wish to brutalize perfectly good tea with spirits then I suggest..."

He moved with a fluid grace, his hand snaking out to Go-on's elegant vest and tapped the slight bulge in the watch pocket.

"...You employ your supply since you are well equipped."

"Go-on!" Gawaine exclaimed. "How do you do that?"

Fu Lee bowed slightly, offering the final teacup to Lucas. "It hardly takes supernatural powers to deduce you would have a flask on your person and I have seen you use that oval one before, the shape is quite distinctive."

"Ah hah! But how did you know that we would be coming right in time to enjoy your piping hot tea if not by some insidious oriental magic?" Go-on assumed a triumphant stance.

"I believe your taste in literature is showing, your lordship. The police phoned ahead, informing me of the altercation by the docks. I saw your taxi arrive through the window. As to the hot tea," Fu Lee gestured to a low table by the elevator door where a beautiful blue and white teapot sat beside a quilted tea cozy. "I made it ahead, and then simply waited, knowing the indicator lights on the elevator would show me when your arrival was eminent."

"That's inscrutable butler one and loud mouthed college buddy, zero," Lucas offered.

Go-on snorted. "You mark my words, sooner or later I'm going to prove your butler is far more than a gentleman's gentleman, four star cook, expert in arcane languages and instructor in those weird forms of oriental boxing you seem interested in. Excellent tea by the way, Lee. Adding anything would be a travesty deserving imprisonment."

"Glad you approve, sir."

"Let's take a look at the box in better light, shall we?" Justin led the way to the library where Lucas set the box on a writing desk.

The library occupied nearly a quarter of the 12th floor. The walls were lined with oak shelves all of which were packed with Justin's extensive book collection. The subjects ranged from all the sciences, to linguistics, copies of classic works, and a fine collection of both current and vintage maps and atlases. A few eclectic decorations such as a Persian rug on the floor, a dire wolf skull on a top shelf, and Justin's first crystal radio vied for space with the books.

"Now, we'll take a real look." Justin swung a light on the desk into position and all four of them gathered around. Justin lifted the lid, exposing the layer of bricks.

On the street below, Warwick examined the front of the building. There was only one guard visible but there might well be more out of sight. And here at the edge of the financial district, any sort of gunplay was apt to garner attention much quicker than a battle down by the docks. If there were one sure way to gain the harshest punishment from his commanding officer, it would be to fail the mission and bring too much public attention. He needed more information.

"Elliot, use the Janus device. Looks like that's the main trunk line." He pointed to a nearby telephone pole.

"Yes, sir."

Warwick watched while one of his solders took a three-foot square box from among the equipment in the roadster's trunk and climbed the telephone pole. Warwick was right. The pole held the main phone line for Number One Post Street. Elliot rigged a quick sling around his waist to secure himself to the pole then opened up the box. Inside was a mass of electronic equipment. He switched it on and the arrays of miniature vacuum tubes began to glow. Elliot set a pair of earphones on his head and then attached two wires to the phone line. He tested one connection for a moment, and then tried another.

The Janus device was a creation of the Imperium. It sent a signal through a phone line to tell the receiver on the other end to switch on then allowed the user of the box to listen. Any room with a telephone could be reached, so long as the phone was equipped with an internal magnetic switch. And Justin Collins kept up with advancing technology.

Inside, one by one, the phones switched on while Elliot sought the sound of voices.

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Gawaine protested.

"See for yourself," Justin insisted, "these are just plain fired clay bricks unless something was baked into them. And there is no letter. Just two dozen bricks."

"We could break one of ‘em apart," Lucas offered.

"Go ahead," Justin said, handing one to Lucas. "Tools are in the lab."

Lucas left, brick in hand. Fu Lee was examining the box's lid.

"This writing certainly looks official," he said setting the plank lid down.

"Yes, it's from an official Japanese archeological expedition in the Kin Li valley in Northern Chosen. It's supposed to go to a Doctor Kamikana in the Japanese Science Ministry. Those are army markings as well, so the Japanese army is supposed to be handling this thing." Justin turned one of the bricks over in his hand. As far as he could tell, it was simple red baked clay, identical to countless others here in the city.

"Chosen?" Gawaine asked. "Where the deuce is that?"

"It used to be an independent nation called Korea until Japan fully annexed it in 1910. There have been some rather disturbing reports coming out of there ever since then, though most of the world seems content to turn a blind eye." Justin shook his head and tossed the brick back into the box.

Fu Lee observed the rising anger in Justin's voice as he spoke of the occupation of Chosen. His face revealed no emotion though his eyes seemed to mist over for an instant.

"Best I can tell, it's just brick," Lucas announced. He set the handful of fragments back with the other whole bricks.

"So why would Spiffy send me a lot of bricks in an official Japanese Government box?"

"He wouldn't," Justin announced. "This must not be your box. And whoever came after it tonight wants what's supposed to be inside this crate. And I'll wager that it's not supposed to hold a load of bricks, unless someone really wants to finish a chimney right now."

"Three card Monty, or the shell game," Lucas said, dusting his hands off. "All that makes sense right about now."

"Yes, and the questions are, where is the pea and just what is it?" Justin stood back and rubbed his chin, feeling the slight rasp of the beginnings of a beard.

"Well, as to where, the logical place to start was where the crate came from," Fu Lee observed.

"Right-o! Back we go into the fog. Need to find my crate and see what Spiffy really sent me, not building materials, I assume."

"May as well take this with us," Justin said.

"One moment, sir." Fu Lee took a bronze paperweight from the desk and used it to secure the lid back on the crate. Then Justin lifted the box onto his shoulder.

"Right, the coup's in the garage," Lucas offered.

"Away we go, don't wait up Fu! We still have a date at the 17 Club after all. If I know my sister, she's on her way there even as we speak, unless she's managed to get herself in another police raid!"

"Good fortune, sir," Fu Lee said as the library door shut, effectively assuring himself the last word. Then he focused his gaze on the phone sitting on a low stand by the door.

Out on the street, Warwick turned up his collar in a vain attempt to ward of the wet chill in the air. He was standing guard below the phone pole while Elliot worked the Janus device. It was late enough that no one seemed to have noticed them. The few cars that passed in the fog did so without slowing.

"Done!" Elliot suddenly announced. He quickly packed up the equipment and climbed down.

"Report!" Warwick snapped as they loaded the gear and climbed into the car.

"It was a poor connection, sir, possibly due to the fog. Moisture makes the lines crackle. I was able to locate them within the building and they were talking about the box and it's origins. It is the shipment our agents hijacked. For some reason, they are taking it back to the West Coast Freight offices."

Warwick considered his tactical options. They could attempt another interception, but that would be dicey now that Justin had been attacked once. It made more sense to proceed to the wharf. Besides, he was starting to have his suspicions as to the contents of the crate. If the tablets were there, why would Doc Collins be taking them back to the warehouse? Constanza might have been double dealing after all. Something was up and he intended to find out what.

"Let's go, back to the warehouse."

The roadster sped off into the night. A few minutes latter, a black coup pulled out of the underground garage at Number One Post Street.

To be continued...