listened to their guides after the scene. The whole incident had only lasted a matter of minutes, but Ezra was still pumping with adrenaline. They had done nothing while Tanya was accused and taken away. Ezra knew in the pit of his stomach that the case was not yet complete. Something else didnât make sense.
âDid you hear what Tanya said just before she was taken away?â Ezra asked.
âI donât remember. What was it?â
âShe said she wouldnât trust Kenji Okazaki,â Ezra repeated.
âSo? We know she never liked him. She was probably trying to find a way to pin it on him the entire time.â
Madison chimed in, âYou saw her. She was trying any story to get out of being arrested.â
âWhen I had detention yesterday I saw a picture in the display case. The caption said that Hatake Okazaki, the descendant of Masamune Okazaki, presented a Masamune Sword to President Truman at the end of World War II.â
âWhat does that have to do with anything?â Mason asked.
âShut up and maybe heâll tell you,â Madison said quickly.
âWhen I first talked to Kenji he said he learned everything he knew about swords from his grandfather, Hatake Okazaki. So, Kenji is a direct descendant of Masamune!â
Madison groaned and said, âI think I need to sit down.â
âThe next time I talked to him he said he just found out the sword was real. It was Tanya who discovered Masamuneâs hidden seal and alerted everyone to it the day before. Once Kenji found out it was real, he would have motive to steal it.â
âWhat do we do? They already took Tanya away! I donât know about you guys, but I donât want to confront a thief whom we know has probably the best sword ever made.â
âDonât be a baby, Mason.â
Ezra stepped between Madison and Mason.
âThereâs no time for this guys.â
At the word âguysâ Madison opened her mouth to object but decided against it once she realized Ezra was in âserious mode.â
âWe need to alert the police but keep Kenji here and keep him from running,â Ezra said.
âHeâs never seen us,â Madison said. âWe could pretend weâre interested in the swords and keep him talking.â
âI can call the police departmentâs direct line and get Detective Reinhart; heâs the one who helped with the last case, the only one that would believe a tip from a fourteen year old.â
âWhat about the museum security? Should we tell them?â Mason asked.
âAre you kidding? Jackson Roy can hardly tie his own shoes, let alone arrest a thief!â Madison said incensed.
âAlright,â Mason said hitting fist to palm. âLetâs go.â
âCareful you two, we donât know what heâs capable of,â Ezra warned.
The twins nodded and took off down the hall to find Kenji. Ezra was left alone at the fork, looking down the hall after them. He took out his cell phone and dialed the police departmentâs direct line, which he made himself memorize after last yearâs fiasco. The call went directly to Detective Reinhartâs desk.
âDetective Reinhart.â
âDetective, itâs Ezra Thorne.â
âEzra! I had hoped I would never have to hear that name again. Trouble always seems to follow you.â
âThe way I see it, you made detective because of last yearâs debacle.â
âLook, itâs not that I donât appreciate that, itâs just Iâm busy down at the station and I donât have time to chat. We just got a suspect in questioning and I need to get going.â
âWait. Tanya Brand wasnât behind the museum heist and I can prove it.â
âTanya Brand? How did youâ?â
âJust trust me. Get down to the museum as fast as you can, weâre stalling him now. The real thief is Kenji Okazaki. Heâs a Japanese man in
Dick;Felix Francis Francis