Honor Code Read Online Free PDF

right now. But go ahead with your story.”
    “At first, I thought the young man might be a relative, perhaps a grandson. He appeared solicitous, keeping a grip on the older man’s arm. Given the older man’s infirmity, it seemed helpful, but then later, the younger man became angry with him.” The director paused. “I’m telling you events out of order.”
    “Let’s start at the beginning. I want to record this. You okay with that?”
    “That will be fine.”
    Robbins set up the equipment with the speed of long practice, went through the identification process, then waded back into the discussion. “Why did you find the men’s presence unusual?”
    There was a brief silence, as if Koga were considering how to answer. “Are you familiar with the Nippon Center?”
    “I’ve heard of it.” Robbins vaguely remembered a write-up in the newspaper a few years back. What did the Center have to do with Beason?
    “The Nippon Center is gift from the Japanese people. A cultural exchange. The Center blends 14 th century Japanese antiquity with modern design. In addition to the tea house, we feature a large dry garden. You may refer to it as a Zen garden. Most people who visit the Center come for contemplation or meditation. As I said, not many Negros come here.”
    Robbins had spent most of his military tour in Okinawa. He’d found some Japanese could be disdainful of races they considered inferior. He’d also noticed the Chinese and most people of color—any color—fit into that category. He left the director’s assessment alone for the moment. “You said several events occurred.”
    “When the men arrived, they walked through the garden and the parts of the Center which are open to the public. The younger man asked where the seals were.”
    “The seals?” What the hell? Robbins had a flash of Sea World and performing animals jumping out of the water.
    “My associate at first thought perhaps they’d confused the center with the Greenville park, which contains a zoo, but he meant cylinder seals.”
    Cylinder seals? Engine components? Why would Beason ask about car parts at the Nippon Center? Had he been confused and thought the place was connected with Nissan? “Why would he look for them at your cultural center?”
    “My reaction was the same. I tried to explain that we do not maintain a collection of ancient artifacts and that even if we did, seals such as they described are not part of Japanese cultural history.”
    What were they talking about here? “But they’re important to others…”
    “Yes, the seals are important to other cultures. They’ve been used for approximately five thousand years to authenticate records—similar to a modern notary seal—or in the earliest, pre-written language days, for bestowing authority. I was not aware they were an element in African cultural history.”
    “I wasn’t either.” Robbins shifted the phone and freed his writing hand. “In the most typical version, what would these seals look like?”
    A faint sigh sounded through the speaker.
    Okay, so he didn’t have a fuckin’ clue what these seal things were.
    “If I were seeking the most typical version, I would look for a seal from Mesopotamia. Those cylinders were intricately carved, more so as the seals became ornaments as well as a notary system. Sometimes they were carved from semi-precious stones, but their function and place in history is what makes them valuable. When rolled across soft clay, leather or wax, they produce a scene or series of images.”
    “Mr. Beason and a younger man came to the Center and asked about these cylinder seals,” Robbins restated.
    “The younger man was most insistent the seals were present at the Center. When I finally assured him they were not here, he became angry. I gathered the older man had told him the seals could be seen here. I started to intercede, but the young man pulled Mr. Beason, as you called him, toward the door. A second incident occurred at that