Bradley was working in the shop office
when the phone started to ring. From the pattern,
he knew that it was a business call. Tapping the
microphone key, he said, "Smith and Son, Farrier
and Leatherwork. How may I help you?"
"I am Helmut Von Seidel." Bradley cringed
inwardly- Mr. Von Seidel is an Emeritus
Committee member from Austria, and a real
cantankerous pain. "I wish to commission some
leather work. I have some leather that I was gifted
with, and I would like to have some boots and
shoes made."
"That can be arranged, sir. You are aware
of our rates and policies, are you not?"
"Ja. I have had work done from you before.
I appreciate quality, and you people are worth the
price. When can you come here for
measurements? I would like to have at least the
boots made within three days."
"That will cost more, but it can be done.
You are at home?" Brad asked.
"I am. I will be awaiting you." He then hung
up.
Brad gathered up the tools he needed to
make the measurements, then he flicked over to
Mr. Von Seidel's home. There, he took the
necessary measurements, then he examined the
pieces of leather. One good-sized piece was
proper for boots, another fine for a pair of dress
shoes, and a third was just right for slippers. All
the pieces were tanned properly, and had been
enchanted to make the leather durable and
comfortable.
"This is exceptionally fine leather, sir.
Where did you get this?" Brad asked politely.
"A business associate in Argentina. He
knows I appreciate fine leather. If I like the shoes,
he will send me a large enough piece to make a
leather coat. Naturally, when he does, I will call
upon you. Can I have the boots in three days?" he
asked.
"I think it will be done. In fact, I think I can
have all the pieces done in that time."
"Good! If you do, I will give you a sizable
bonus." Bradley collected half the fee for the work
up front, then headed back to the workshop.
Bradley had all the shoes finished in only
two days, saving the odd pieces. That was a habit
of both him and his father, in case some small odd
jobs presented themselves. Old Mr. Von Seidel
was so pleased with the shoes and boots that he
returned a week later with enough of the same
exquisitely-treated leather to have a coat made. He
paid extra for the coat without being asked, which
came as a surprise to both Brad and Ethan, since
they knew that Mr. Von Seidel was not wealthy.
But, he insisted.
Several weeks later, Bradley was
rummaging through the scraps to find enough to
make some baby moccasins, when he came
across the scraps from the Von Seidel job. He
remembered the spells on that batch, so he pulled
them out.
As he was measuring before he cut the
leather, Brad noticed that the spells felt a little
different. While he could feel that the comfort and
appearance spells were still active, he detected
another spell, one that he didn't notice before. This
spell felt odd, dark and ominous. So, he dug out all
the Von Seidel scraps and brought them to
Arcadia, the home of his Aunt Raya, who is a
powerful wild mage. Her magic is general-
purpose, and different from the usual types of
magic.
As she checked the scraps, she looked up
in alarm. "Brad, there is a slow-kill assassination
spell on all the pieces here. It was masked, so it
couldn't be seen, but the masking spell has worn
off! Where did you get these?" she asked.
Brad told her the story of where he got the
leather, who it was for, and what he did. When he
was done, he asked, "What can I do about the
spell?"
"At your level of ability, nothing. I can
remove the death spell, if I had the garments. The
spell is a slow one, with lethal effects showing up
probably next year. I can tell you now that he won't
want to part with them, because of the other
spells. They feel so good, he won't want to part
with them."
"But, what can I do to help him? I might not
like him, but, he's still a customer of mine." Brad
said, confusion evident in his voice.
"That, Brad, is up to you. I can remove the
spell from these pieces today, and you can pick
them up tomorrow." Raya told him. Leaving the
pieces with her, Brad went back home.
Deciding that he wanted time to think, Brad
shifted into wolf form and began to jog home,
instead of using the transfer booth.
Brad thought about what he wanted to do,
and what needed to be done. He has a notable
distaste for the 'family business'- espionage and
government service. He knew all about it, of
course, but he chose to stay out, preferring to do
craft work with his father. He didn't mind helping
out, but preferred to leave the skull sweat to those
who liked it.
"Who can I ask to help me?" Brad thought
as he jogged. "Shawn and Mahree are on a state
trip, Dad's doing the shoeing in Jotunheim,
Grandma, Jade, Allison, Harry, and the twins are
helping the Grimps, Grandpa has his businesses
to run, and Sophie's getting too pregnant to help.
"Looks like I've got to do this myself. I may
not like Mr. Von Seidel, but I can't let him die."
Coming to a decision, Brad changed
course, heading up and around Mt. Dodge,
heading toward Klammerhavn, and Mr. Von
Seidel's home. He shifted from wolf form to
human a little distance away, then walked to the
door.
When Mr. Von Seidel answered, Brad
asked where he had obtained the leather. When
asked why, Brad explained that he wanted to talk
to the people who made the leather, and who had
enchanted it, because the enchanter was better
than he was, and he wanted to learn from him.
"I will find out, and let you know. These
shoes are the most comfortable I have ever worn."
Mr. Von Seidel said genially, which surprised
Brad, because he had never seen him in such a
good mood. Brad went home then, to await the
news.
Several hours later, Mr. Von Seidel phoned
with the information Brad requested. "If you can
get to Argentina, I can get you an appointment at
ten tomorrow." he said.
Saying that he could get there, Brad agreed
to the meeting. The next day, Brad transported
there an hour early, so he could look around in
wolf form.
The meeting was instructive, with Brad
learning the spells that treated the leather for
comfort and appearance, which were different, yet
more effective, than the spells he knew. After the
lessons, Brad went back to his Aunt Raya's place
to pick up the pieces.
"One question. Did the same person cast
all the spells on the leather, or did different
magicians do it?" Brad asked his aunt.
"Just one person, and he is a very
competent magician, educated in a good school. If
I'm right, in South America. The spell did not have
an emotional content to it. It was as if the person
was paid to put the spell on, without knowing who
it was for." was her answer.
"So that means he was hired to do this by
someone else?"
"Feels like it to me. The poison spell is off,
but I left the rest on."
"Good. Now I can make the shoes for
Brianne, like I promised." Brad said, taking the bag
of scraps.
Back at home, while he was making the
baby shoes, Brad considered what to do next. He
wanted some advice, but he didn't know where to
turn. When he had finished, he had come to a
decision. Then, there was a knock on the shop
door.
When he answered it, Brad was surprised
to see Roxanne Harper waiting. "Roxy, what are
you doing here? I thought you were with
Grandmother helping the Grimps!" he exclaimed.
"Down time rotation, Brad." she said. "Two
things- first, I want to have a vest made for Riley.
Second, I hear you have a little mystery on your
hands. Want a little help?"
"How do you know about that?"
"I have my ways of knowing." she said with
an impish smile. "Tell me about it, and I'll see what
I can do."
As they selected what pieces of leather that
the vest was going to be made of, Brad told the
story to Roxy. With careful questioning, she
managed to get all the information he had.
"So you know who put the spell on, but not
who ordered it, right?" she asked.
"All he said was that it was a gift from a
business associate in Argentina. He didn't say
who, and I didn't think to ask." Brad said.
"Let me think about it." While Brad started
putting the vest together, Roxy thought. After a
moment, she said, "Got it! His only contact in
Argentina is an Antonio Vega-Giron. He is an
attorney, detailed to manage some land Mr. Von
Seidel owns in northern Argentina."
"How much land?"
"Fifteen square kilometers. Here's
something interesting- Senor Vega-Giron has
offered to buy that land three times in the past two
years, but Mr. Von Seidel has refused to sell."
"How much is he offering?"
"Ten million dollars Saganian for it. But, Mr.
Von Seidel doesn't want to sell."
"What's so interesting about it?"
"Don't know for sure- it's just some
wilderness up by the border with the Inca
Republic. He's owned that land for almost sixty
years."
"Something to look into, when I have a little
time."
"I can have some orbital scans downloaded
to you tonight. Maybe that will tell you something."
"Sounds good." Bradley spent the next hour
putting the vest together, then another hour
enchanting it properly. When it was done, Roxy
not only paid cash, she gave Brad a rather racy
hug and kiss, which embarrassed him greatly, but
he was used to it from her- it was just her way of
showing appreciation.
"I'll make sure Riley does a low-orbit pass
over that spot when we leave tonight. I'll call before
we start." she promised.
Three hours later, Bradley was looking at
high-resolution views of Mr. Von Seidel's property
in Argentina. It is a valley, densely overgrown, with
streams flowing through it. He could see some
wildlife, and the plant life was unfamiliar to him.
Mineral scans showed nothing exceptional, and
there are some caves as well. That evening,
without telling anyone, he transported to the valley
for a look around, trying to figure out why someone
would want to kill to own the place. He searched
all night, in wolf form, but he couldn't find anything
exceptional. He went home after sunrise, as
confused as when he arrived.
There matters sat for a week. Brad didn't
know how to proceed in the matter, and the people
he felt comfortable asking were all out of town, or
off-world completely. Then, he had a visitor- his
cousin Ramon, better known as Colonel Ramon
Perez Trujillo, President of the Inca Republic.
"Bradley, it has come to my attention that
you have a mystery on your hands about a piece of
land very close to the border of my country. Tell
me about it, and I will be happy to help you." he
said.
"How did you find out about this, Ramon? I
haven't told anyone, except Roxy Harper, and
she's with the Grimps!" Brad literally squeaked
with surprise.
"Bradley, you have been doing a lot of
research into that particular area, have you not?"
Ramon asked. At Brad's nod, he continued. "I
have an arrangement with your governmental
masterframe. If there is unusual interest in or
within one hundred kilometers of my country, I will
be informed.
"Carl has also told me about Mrs. Harper's
unusual orbital insertion path, and the download to
you. Since I am concerned about the interest, I
look into it. So, again I offer help. Please tell me
about the problem."
Brad told Ramon about the whole Von
Seidel affair. When he finished, Ramon said, "So
you want to find out why this attorney wants this
land so much, he's willing to kill for it, right?"
After Brad nodded yes, Ramon then said,
"Now, we need to do a little investigation. We need
to find out when and how Mr. Von Seidel acquired
the property, why he won't sell, what's there that's
so interesting to this attorney, and who will inherit
the land when Mr. Von Seidel dies.
"Right now, through your and Raya's
testimony, you can convict the mage on attempted
murder. However, we need to find out who hired
the mage to put the spells on in the first place."
Ramon paused, then looked piercingly at
Bradley. "Sit down, cousin!" he commanded.
Surprised by Ramon's tone of voice,
Bradley sat. Ramon stood and stared at Brad.
"I think I know what's wrong with you- you
just don't want to get involved, do you?" Without
pausing to let Brad answer, he went on. "You want
to pass this on to someone else, then get on with
your happy little life, don't you?
"Well, Aunt Raven's not here to help you
out. She won't be happy to hear that you're trying
to duck out on your responsibility! So, clear your
calendar, and let's get to work! I've got two days to
help you, and hopefully by then you'll find out what
to do, and have the guts to do what needs to be
done!" Ramon roared, using the tones that a drill
sergeant would use on a particularly poor recruit.
Brad wilted under the barrage. "You're right.
I don't want to get involved. But, I don't want to
disappoint Grandma Raven. Let's get started."
Brad said quietly.
Together, they accessed the governmental
master files. They found that Mr. Von Seidel won
that land in a poker game when he was assigned
to the Austrian Embassy in Buenos Aires almost
sixty years before. He had contracted a law firm to
look after the estate, and had essentially left it
alone. There was no record that he had ever
visited the land at all the whole time he had owned
it. Mr. Vega-Giron had been assigned to become
the caretaker three years ago, and had visited the
place. Shortly after, he made the first offer to buy
for himself. Other people had offered to buy the
land during the years, but all offers had been
refused.
Mr. Von Seidel's will has an interesting
provision: That, when he dies, he is to be
cremated and his ashes scattered in the valley. It
is then to be left alone for five years before any
offers to buy would be entertained by the executor
of his modest estate- a person who is currently the
Austrian Ambassador to Sagania, Count Foehn.
Checking deeper, they found records that
Mr. Vega-Giron had contacted Count Foehn once,
shortly before the first offer to buy. The contact
was short and blunt, lasting just over a minute,
and ending when the Count hung up the phone.
Hard.
"Obviously, the attorney had found
something there, something valuable. Whatever it
is, I didn't see it." Brad said.
"Probably because you don't know what to
look for. Let's go and look again." Together, they
transported to the valley.
As they walked, Ramon called Brad's
attention to some of the plants that grew in
profusion there. "Do you know what these plants
are?" he asked.
"No. I haven't seen them before, except for
the last time I was here. What about them?"
"These plants are part of the ancient Inca
pharmacopeia. Used properly, they can cure many
ailments. I know about them, but they are difficult
to grow. I've never seen so many in one place
before!" Ramon exclaimed.
"Is it possible that the attorney knows about
these plants?"
"It is possible. Let us research the
background of Mr. Vega-Giron, shall we?" Ramon
said, activating his wristcomp.
Using Bradley's authorization codes with
Carl, they managed to track Mr. Vega-Giron's
history. [Both Argentina and the Inca Republic do
not use masterframes.] They discovered, through
financial records, that he frequents an apothecary
shop in Buenos Aires. This shop deals in herbal
remedies.
"I think we have our connection, Bradley."
said Ramon.
"So, what do we do now?" Brad asked.
"We will do nothing. The question should
be, what will you do?" Seeing Brad's shocked
expression, Ramon continued in soothing tones,
"Bradley, I know you're torn. This problem landed
in your lap, and you don't feel confident enough to
resolve it yourself.
"What I suggest is that you look within
yourself, and do what you feel is right. Aunt Raven
will only be disappointed if you do nothing. Doing
something, even if you're wrong, will count in her
eyes.
"Don't be afraid to make mistakes. You can
learn from them. I did, like the time I made war
with Sagania." At Brad's confused look, Ramon
continued. "Sorry. That happened before you were
born.
"I do have one question. What is it that
frightens you so much about pursuing this case?"
Bradley sighed, then decided to tell Ramon
the one secret that he has never told anyone.
"Ramon, you know that I can regenerate any
physical damage, right?" When Ramon nodded,
he continued. "When I regenerate, the process is
agonizingly painful. Knife cuts and dye burns don't
hurt too much, but major trauma, like when I got
shot at DeRuyter's compound, is almost too much
to bear. What happens is that it causes vast
amounts of pain, but I can't scream to let it out. I
just have to live with it.
"That's what I'm afraid of. Getting hurt
again."
Ramon sat quietly, assimilating what he
had just been told. "So that's why you never joined
the Velvet Shadows." he said.
"Yes. That's also why I don't practice
fighting too much. I'm afraid that I'll hurt myself."
"Now, I understand.
"However, if you play this right, there
shouldn't be any gunfire. Just ask questions, find
out things, and when you have as much evidence
as you can gather, then go tell someone in
authority. That way, you're helping the authorities
do their job. Can you handle that?" Ramon asked.
"I'll try. I'm just worried that I'll botch it."
"Even your grandmother makes mistakes.
Don't let that fear stop you. Now, you go home and
think about your next move. Remember, follow
your heart, and you won't be too wrong."
Back at home, Bradley thought about what
to do. Coming to a decision, he called his Aunt
Raya.
"If I brought the clothes and shoes I made
for Mr. Von Seidel to you, could you remove the
poison spell?" he asked.
"Of course I can! In fact, since I removed
the spell from the leather pieces, it will go much
faster now." was her answer.
"Good. I'll try to get them to you as soon as
I can." Brad said, then hung up. He then dialed
Mr. Von Seidel, found that he was home, then
went there.
At Mr. Von Seidel's, he told the old man
everything he had found out. The old man was
incredulous at first, but was soon convinced of the
validity of Bradley's claims.
"You say that you can remove the poison
spells on these shoes and coat, right?" he asked.
"I can't, but I know of one who can. She has
agreed to remove the spells, if we go to her now."
"So, let's go." He gathered up everything,
and they walked to the nearest transfer booth, a
block away.
Aunt Raya was good to her word- she had
the poison spell removed in less than an hour,
while leaving the comfort and appearance spells
intact. When that was done, they flicked back to
Klammerhavn, because Helmut wanted to talk.
Count Foehn was asked to come over, then Brad
called Ramon, setting up a videcon link. The
discussions lasted well into the night.
The next morning, Brad and Helmut
transported to the valley. Ramon was waiting there
for them. After several hours of show and tell with
the plants, Helmut asked for transport to Buenos
Aires. Brad obliged, with Ramon heading back to
Lima.
In Buenos Aires, they went to the Justice
Ministry, where Helmut talked with the Chief
Prosecutor. Apparently, Helmut had phoned
ahead, because the Chief Prosecutor was
awaiting them. She gave Helmut some papers,
then they talked for a moment or so in German, a
language Brad didn't understand.
As they left, Brad noticed that Helmut
seemed very happy. When he asked about it,
Helmut just told him that she was an old friend.
Not quite believing it, but too shy to ask further,
Brad just shrugged his shoulders and walked next
to Helmut in silence.
Their next stop was Mr. Vega-Giron's
office. Once there, Helmut asked for all the
paperwork he had on the valley. Confused,
because they had just reviewed everything at his
last visit, the attorney complied.
When he had the paperwork, Helmut then
handed Antonio the papers from the Justice
Ministry. "These say that you are no longer
handling the affairs of my land. Also, you are going
to be investigated by the government on charges
of defrauding me, as well as attempted murder
charges."
"Attempted murder? How so?"
"The spells on the leather you gave me.
The leather worker I gave them to found the
poison spell, and it took the senior magician at the
lead magic college in Sagania to remove them.
Since you gave me the leather, you are
responsible.
"The officers from the Justice Ministry will
be here shortly to place you under arrest." Helmut
said.
"Not if I'm not here to be arrested!" Antonio
snarled. He reached into an open drawer in his
desk and pulled out a handgun.
Bradley didn't hesitate a second. Shifting to
battle form, he moved. Before Antonio was able to
point the gun at Helmut, Brad had already picked
him up with one arm, and squeezed the wrist of
the hand that held the gun, which clattered to the
floor.
As Antonio struggled vainly to free himself
from Brad's grasp, Helmut said calmly, "Well.
Looks like we can add several more charges to the
list. It is a good thing that I brought my young
friend with me. As you can see, he has some
valuable talents."
Within moments, the police had arrived.
Brad let Antonio fall into the waiting arms of the
law. Literally. Once the criminal lawyer was in
custody, he reverted to human form.
While they were giving statements to the
police, Brad noticed that Helmut was giving a very
detailed description of the events in the office.
Very detailed indeed.
Once the police were done with them,
Helmut asked to be transported home, because
the excitement had tired him out. When that was
done, and Helmut was comfortably in his recliner,
Brad asked about the descriptions he had given to
the police.
"Oh, that. Well, my primary talent is that of
being a living recorder. What I see, if I choose to
remember it, I will remember it in extreme detail,
for later reporting." he explained.
"One more question. What did you say to
the Chief Prosecutor? I never did learn German."
Brad asked.
"I told her that she was just as beautiful as
she was when she was a baby. I must swear you
to secrecy before I tell you any more. Do you
promise never to tell anyone what I'm going to tell
you now?" Helmut asked sternly.
"I do promise, Mr. Von Seidel." Brad said
solemnly.
"All right. Evita is my illegitimate daughter. I
have been checking on her all her life. I was never
so proud as when she achieved the post she has
in her government."
"I understand, sir. Do you need me here
any further?"
"Not today. Keep in touch, Mr. Smith. I'm
sure you have orders piling up." Helmut said,
rapidly dozing off.
Back at home, Ethan asked his son,
"Where have you been? There's a stack of
messages here of customers wanting work done!"
"Helping another customer with some
problems. Let me look at the stack." he said,
reaching across the table. Brad went to work with
a happy heart, knowing he had managed to help
someone who needed it, without getting hurt in the
process. Yes, he got some help from his family,
but he did a lot of it himself.
'Maybe I should apply to the Velvet
Shadows, as a tea rose, of course.' Brad mused
as he worked the leather.