The Sword Maker's Seal by Trevor Schmidt Read Free Book Online Page A

hear him too,” Madison said and giggled at her own joke.
    â€œLet them hear. Look, we should check into some things at the museum.”
    â€œWithout Ezra?”
    â€œHe doesn’t have to know unless we find something. It’s half my fault he’s in detention as it is, I’d like to find a clue to make it up to him.”
    Madison bit her lip guiltily, agreed, and the twins left promptly for the MAX station.
    On the MAX the twins stayed huddled close together in the handicapped seats, due to their close proximity to the exit. The train was filled with more transients than they had ever seen in one place before. A light drizzle began soaking the windows and fogging up the glass; an average autumn afternoon in Portland.
    Mason tried to avoid the gaze of a man dressed all in black with spiked cuffs around his wrists and eyeliner caked in excess around his eyes. When their eyes met, the dark man squinted and cracked his knuckles menacingly. Mason quickly looked away and didn’t chance to gaze up again until their stop was announced over the loudspeaker.
    When the MAX stopped near the museum the twins hopped off the train gratefully; Mason felt as though a large weight had been lifted mercifully off his shoulders. They hurried through the sprinkling rain and up the hoary museum steps to the Japanese Sword Exhibit. Mason leaned in close to the glass and admired the fake Masamune Sword.
    â€œWould have fooled me.”
    â€œI’m sure it would have,” Madison said and gave Mason a playful shove.
    The exhibit was fairly empty, but a tour came through every so often to break the silence. While the twins were checking around the exhibit for clues, Tanya stepped silently from the shadows.
    She wore her light blonde hair pulled back tight into a bun. Her pantsuit was charcoal gray and taut over her slim body. It would have been easy to sneak up on the twins if not for her fancy black heels, which echoed an enormous click-clacking sound as she walked. Her many silver bracelets lined her slender wrists like chaotic and cold armor. Tanya seemed even more callous than her previous encounter with Madison and Mason.
    â€œYou two again?” her snakelike voice hissed with disdain. “Keep in mind if you badger me about the theft again I’ll call security to remove you from the premises. I have little time to spend humoring children.”
    â€œYou know the security guys pretty well then?” Mason asked.
    â€œWell enough. Now if you’ll excuse me.”
    She slid slowly past the twins giving each of them an icy sneer and returned to her office, the sound of her heels echoing off the chilly museum walls and her bracelets clinking together like a great rattle.
    â€œI think she needs to go on a date,” Mason said. “Badly.”
    â€œTell me about it.”
    â€œOh yeah,” Mason said. “Ezra and I were talking about interviewing the security guards earlier. I think we should go talk to them.”
    â€œYou’re probably right, it’s not like we’ll get anything out of Tanya.”
    The twins retraced their steps to the entrance of the museum where a semi-circular security station stood. Behind the big round desk sat a blonde security guard with gelled up hair. Mason guessed he was in his mid-twenties. He remained spaced out until Madison rang the bell and cleared her throat, in the way that especially annoyed Mason.
    â€œOh, hey. Sorry about that.” He said. “What can I do you for?”
    â€œWe were just looking at the Japanese Sword Exhibit and admiring the swords. We heard about the heist that happened here a few days ago, how horrible.”
    The guard frowned and said, “I know. We don’t usually get exhibits as cool as that one. I guess that’s why someone wanted the artifact for themselves.”
    â€œWere you here the night of the heist?”
    â€œYeah, but I was working the back room.” He motioned to a large door