Loch

Chapter 9

The National Museum of Scotland was comprised of two buildings set on a busy street in the heart of Edinburgh. Like the city itself, old met new in the architecture of the two main structures. The Museum of Scotland, which housed exhibits and artifacts relating to Scottish antiquities, culture, and history, featured modern architecture. By contrast, the Royal Museum, founded in the 1800s, boasted a more classical look, with a Victorian Romanesque Revival facade. This branch of the museum hosted collections covering science and technology, natural history, and world cultures. It was this half of the museum that Maddock and Bones planned to visit.

Inside, they passed through the Natural World section, featuring fauna from throughout history. Maddock took time to examine the T-Rex skeleton, while Bones paused to admire a triceratops skull.

“Let me guess,” Maddock said. “You’re trying to come up with a ‘horny’ joke.”

Bones shook his head. “Nah, I was just thinking how awesome it would be to ride one of these things. Besides, a horny joke? That’s low-hanging fruit. I expected better from you.”

“When have you ever passed up low-hanging fruit?”

Bones held up a big hand. “Hold on. Are we talking chicks or humor?”

“Either one,” Maddock said, examining a fully-reconstructed stegosaurus skeleton. “And before you tried riding a dinosaur, you might want to consider how you did on that mechanical bull in Austin.”

“Screw you, Maddock. That had more to do with my level of sobriety than my riding abilities.”

Maddock looked around and spotted a young man in a suit, one whom he recognized from photos on the web. As they drew closer, Maddock could read the man’s museum ID badge, which named him Colin Jeong. This was the guy. They introduced themselves, and Jeong ushered them into his office.

“Colin Jeong,” Bones said. “Those names don’t usually go together.”

“About as incongruous as a six-and-a-half foot tall Cherokee?” Jeong said, grinning. “My father is Korean, my mother Scottish. I inherited my dad’s genes, but Mom passed along her love of Scotch whiskey.”

“In that case, you and I are going to get along just fine,” Bones said, squeezing into a small chair in front of Jeong’s desk.

“I understand you've got a fossil you want identified and dated,” Jeong said.

“Not exactly.” Maddock had considered and discarded a dozen different ways to approach this conversation. He hoped Jeong would hear him out. “We have something we would like for you to identify, but it’s not a fossil. As far as the date, we know it’s from 1918.”

Jeong frowned. “If that’s the case, you don’t need a paleontologist. Perhaps one of my colleagues in biological sciences would be better equipped to help you.”

“Just show him, Maddock,” Bones said.

Maddock reached inside his jacket pocket and removed a glass vial containing the tooth Bones had recovered from the wreckage of the U-boat. He handed it to Jeong.

The paleontologist’s eyes went wide as he saw what he held in his hands. His jaw dropped, and he gaped as he slowly turned the vial, examining the tooth from every possible angle. And then he barked a laugh.

“Who put you up to this? Was it Joanna? I’ll get back at her for this.” His smile melted away as Bones stood, rising to his full height.

The big man leaned down, rested his hands on the desk, and locked eyes with Jeong.

“Listen to me, bro. This is no joke. That thing is real, and we don’t have time to mess around.”

Jeong sat rigid. “But, it can’t be.” He held the tooth up between them. “Look at it. I’ll admit, it’s the most expertly done fake I’ve ever seen, but it’s too fresh to be a prehistoric creature.” He set the vial down on the desk. “Where did you get it?”

“We took it from the hull of a sunken German U-boat,” Maddock said.

Jeong pushed back from his desk. “Gentlemen, I appreciate the laugh, but I’m busy. Please see yourselves out.”

“You’re starting to piss me off,” Bones growled.

“Sit down, Bones,” Maddock ordered, seeing the alarm in Jeong’s eyes. “We’re all friends here. Mister Jeong, I’m not going to waste time trying to convince you of anything. To speed things up, let’s pretend you believe this item is genuine. If it were, what creature would you say it came from?”

Jeong’s eyes flitted to his desk phone. He looked as though he was contemplating calling security to have the two treasure hunters kicked out of his office. But then he glanced at Bones, who sat glowering at him. He blanched.

Maddock could see the gears turning in Jeong’s mind. How much damage could Bones do in the time it took security to get there, and would they be able to subdue him?

Jeong took a deep breath and nodded. “Fair enough. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can get back to work.” He donned a pair of gloves, removed the tooth, and examined it at length with a magnifying glass. Finally, he replaced it in the vial and turned to his computer.

“Would you agree this is a match?” He turned his monitor around so Maddock and Bones could see a high-resolution image of a fossilized tooth.

“Looks like it to me,” Bones said.

Jeong clicked through a series of images, all of which resembled the tooth they’d recovered.

“Now you see why I say it’s impossible that this item is genuine. It appears to be from a plesiosaur.”

From the corner of his eye, Maddock saw Bones smiling and nodding.

“What can you tell us about plesiosaurs?” Maddock asked. “Aside from their association with the Loch Ness legend.” He already had some knowledge on the subject but hoped to set the scientist at ease with a softball question.

“The plesiosaur is a marine reptile from the Early Jurassic period. Long neck, thick body, powerful tail, four large flippers. They grew as large as fourteen meters long and four hundred fifty kilograms. Carnivorous. Needless to say, they are long extinct.” Jeong kept his eyes locked on the tooth as he spoke, his voice trailing away. His resolve was clearly fading. “Would you permit me to study this tooth further? I could give you a definitive answer as to its authenticity, and perhaps learn more.”

Maddock and Bones were more than happy to agree. It was, in fact, more than they had hoped for. After providing Jeong with their contact information, they excused themselves, hiding their triumphant smiles until they were well away from his office.

“We’ve got him,” Bones said. “He’s pretending he thinks it’s a fake, but he knows the truth. I could see it in his eyes.”

“I think you’re right,” Maddock said. “He’s taken the bait. A little study and he’ll be hooked.”

As they once again passed through the dinosaur exhibit, Bones cast a longing glance at the triceratops skeleton.

“Remember what I was saying about how it would be awesome to ride one of those?”

“Yes?”

“They should make a sport out of it. You know, bring them back, Jurassic Park-style and then have a game where people ride them.”

“Like polo?”

Bones pursed his lips, eyes narrowed, and tugged on his ponytail as he often did when thinking particularly hard. “Maybe, but more badass, hardcore.”

Maddock’s shoulders sagged. “Bones, that’s the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.”

As they approached the exit, they passed a dark-haired man and an attractive woman with long, auburn hair. As usual, Bones managed to make eye contact with the woman and gave her a sly wink. She returned a tight-lipped smile and then they were gone.

“Not bad,” Bones said.

“Did that guy she was with look familiar to you?” Maddock was sure he had seen the man before.

“She was with a guy? Sorry, I didn’t notice.”

“Of course you didn’t.”

Bones glanced back over his shoulder, searching the crowd. “She was really hot. I think I should go back and get her number.”

“No time for that.” Maddock opened the door and strode out into the bright, humid day. “We’ve got another stop to make.”