Bronze Gods Read Online Free PDF Page A

spectacles.
    “What can I do for you?” he asked cheerfully.
    Ritsuko greeted him with an answering smile, as many inspectors didn’t bother to do. They also waited a lot longer for their lab results. She’d learned that she was better off entrusting her requests to Higgins anyway, as the older scientists disapproved of her on principle, and therefore, they dragged their heels on her work, perhaps thinking that if they delayed enough, her cases would become impossible to close, thus causing her to be discharged for incompetence. She walked a constant line, and sometimes the effort to remain in balance was dizzying.
    “I need you to analyze this sample, please. See if you can figure out what it is.” She slid him the evidence packet, along with a properly annotated request form. “Whenever it’s convenient.”
    By his appreciative look, he rarely received such courtesy. Ritsuko was sure other inspectors couched their requests in the form of demands for immediate information, mostly because she had worked as an assistant in the Dungeon, early in her career, and the men had barked at her as if she were both deaf and mentally defective. There would be less traffic at this hour, but she didn’t imagine the late hour offered any improvement in a boor’s manners.
    “As it happens, I can set aside what I’m working on and tackle this immediately.” He offered a conspiratorial grin, inviting her to share this quiet revenge, the only kind people like them ever enjoyed.
    “I appreciate that tremendously. Do you need anything, Mr. Higgins? I could fetch you a cup of tea or coffee before I go.”
    “Tea would be lovely, if you don’t mind. One sugar and milk.”
    “I’ll be right back. I remember where the lounge is.”
    The room where specialists took their rest didn’t offer a lot more warmth than the Dungeon, as it was just down the hall. In an attempt at comfort, someone had put down a rug, and there were some armchairs, but mostly it was a dank, depressing room. She put the kettle on the gas cooker and waited for it to whistle, then she found the requested milk and sugar to prepare the cup. In a moment of inspiration, she added a few biscuits to make it a snack as well. All told, it was an endeavor of five minutes, but the delight on Mr. Higgins’s face made it obvious it had been time well spent. Ritsuko was not, by nature, a nurturer, but she had found that small kindnesses often delivered excellent results when provided to people who did not generally receive them.
    Higgins set the cup and saucer aside to let the tea cool. “If you’d care to wait, there’s a simple test I can run to determine basic chemical composition.”
    “It would be my pleasure.” Wistfully, she considered the comfort of her empty bed, but if ten minutes meant a head start on the investigation the following day, it made sense to keep Higgins company.
    The scientist had a number of odd mannerisms as he went about his work, but some of them were endearing, such as the way he bounced on the balls of his feet. Sleepy, she made polite conversation, asking about his family as a matter of course, but he seemed to take it as a profound gesture. Higgins paused, one hand flattened on the counter, as some strong emotion stirred in him.
    “I . . . That is, thank you. I didn’t realize you knew my mother was ill.”
    Ritsuko hadn’t had a clue, but she said, “I hope she is improved?”
    “I’ve taken her to the best physicians, and I do hope for a successful treatment soon.”
    “You have all my best wishes for a speedy recovery.”
    Five minutes more of this, and Higgins glanced up from his microscope with an excited air. “It is as I suspected from the aroma and texture. This is a cosmetic, greasepaint. It’s much thicker than you’d usually see, though. Perhaps something a theater or a performing troupe might use.”
    She recalled the sewing kit, the intricate fashionable design sketches. “That’s a valuable clue, Mr. Higgins.