Chapter 30

At 11 am Lara and Bryce arrived at the museum.
"I hope we don't run into Downey." Lara said. "I wouldn't want to explain to him why I'm here and where the crystal is."
"So do you believe he knows about the fake?"
"Maybe. I think that someone from the museum has taken the real stone. Then the fake got stolen - if planned or not is uncertain - so they hired me to create a distraction." Meanwhile they let the real crystal disappear. But who would do that and why? Maybe a third party is willing to pay a lot. And the big question is, is Downey a part of it. I don't know the answer to that question yet. But I intend to find out. I think it's really annoying, that Heihachi is now after me, for something that isn't even real."
"Maybe he will give up if you make it clear to him, that it was a fake."
"No. Kazuya has hinted that his father will be after me anyway."

They entered the museum and bought the tickets. Then they wandered through the exhibition halls, searching for the place where the stone was supposed to be. Finally they found the glass cabinet, but to their surprise it was not empty. Lara's yaw dropped.
"Bryce, do you see what I see? That is the real stone, I think. This looks realer than the one I took from Heihachi. What is going on here?" she whispered.
Bryce took a closer look at the stone.
"You really think this is the real thing?"
"At least it's a better fake than the other one."
They spent a while in the exhibition hall with the stone.
"It's beautiful." Lara said.
"It is, isn't it?" said a young man who had come towards them.
He was wearing a guard's uniform; apparently he was working for the museum. The guy's accent and appearance hinted that he was an American student. Lara saw her chance and smiled at him in a sweet and innocent way. The guy turned slightly red around the ears.
"I have read that it has special powers." Lara said, flirting with the guy.
"Yes, that's what they say..." the guy replied.
"Do you believe that? I mean, wouldn't someone try to steal the stone?"
"It's not the real stone out on display." the guy whispered.
"What? Why?" Lara asked him, trying to sound surprised.
"The real stone has indeed been stolen. And till we get it back we will display the copy."
"But that's a really good copy. How did you get it so quickly?"
"I don't know. Professor Downey, my boss, has gotten the copy somewhere. He knows so much about this stone..."
"I see." she replied.
"If you want to know more, you should ask him. I have to get back to work now."
"Thank you." she said smiling at him.
He walked away and Lara returned to Bryce.
"That's what I call 'using a guy to get some information'. Men are easy to manipulate. You don't have to sleep with them to get what you want."
"What?" Bryce asked.
"Oh, nothing... Guess what! Downey was responsible for the replacement of the stone. I am not yet sure what to make of it. But it seems that he has a hidden agenda. He wants the real stone for his own purposes. It seems he needs the fake back to get the real stone out of the museum. I don't understand which role Kazuya's father is playing. Was it a coincidence that he stole the stone - and that he got the fake for that matter? Ok. I'd say let's leave it here. Let's get back to the hotel."