Chapter 4 of 8

In his office deep within Cheyenne Mountain, Daniel logged onto the Internet. Instead of searching for his elusive netsuke he now turned his quest toward an expert in either netsuke or Japanese mythology, preferably a combination of the two. Sixteen pages later he found reference to a Professor of Ancient Civilisations currently touring the USA. Daniel eagerly scanned the schedule and cursed. The man had been in the area just two days before on the last stop in his lecture tour. The online flyer gave details of Doctor Bryant's background, interests and the fact that he would be returning to England to take up his post at Oxford University as head of the History department. Much as Daniel liked the idea of travelling to England, he doubted Hammond would be quite so accommodating as to let him leave the country on such short notice. There again, perhaps the professor had not left the US just yet?

Twenty minutes later, after calling in favours and talking very nicely to Sergeant Amanda McCabe, Daniel had a phone number.

Sun shone down on the museum steps where Daniel waited impatiently for Doctor Bryant to arrive. The voice at the other end of the phone had sounded younger than Daniel had expected from someone about to take up such a high profile post. Overnight he had taken the unknown netsuke and stood it on the bedside cabinet. It was the last thing he saw when he finally fell asleep and the first thing he had seen when he opened his eyes that morning.

The figure had not moved in the night.

No voice had called his name.

Doubt had then begun to set in, and on his journey into the city he had wondered if he were being a fool. Now, in the bright light of day, he was about to lay himself open to a total stranger.

"Doctor Jackson?"

The cultured voice emanated from a tall, thin man, who was eyeing him curiously. Dark eyes were set under almost white eyebrows, a startling combination along with the almost bald pate that shone in the sunlight. The man had to be sixty if he were a day, and yet the jeans and plain tee shirt did not look wrong. There was something eminently vibrant about the man that attracted Daniel. Long ago, when he had first discovered his love of the past, it had been a man just like this who had nurtured that need within him. He smiled warmly and held out his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Bryant. I appreciate your taking time out of your holiday to help."

Bryant's smile was as engaging as the rest of him. "My dear boy, you could not have been more welcome. I love a good mystery, don't you? It's why history is so much fun. And please, call me Peter. Now, tell me all about your lovely lady."

They made their way to a nearby coffee shop and were lucky enough to find a table near the back of the room, away from the crowds. Out of habit, Daniel had scanned the faces of the people around him, noting the eclectic mix. Backpackers and museum staff rubbed shoulders with the locals in a hubbub of muted conversations. He sometimes missed the diversity of his student days.

Taking a sip of his coffee, Bryant raised an expectant brow in Daniel's direction. Slowly Daniel pulled out the netsuke and carefully unwrapped it. Now that it came to it, he found it difficult to let the ivory pass from his hand. It fit in his palm as thought made for him, its subtle warmth a tangible link between them.

He opened his hand and let Doctor Bryant pick up the object.

"Beautiful. Exquisite carving. And old, very old," Bryant murmured as he turned the female carving with sensitive fingers.

Daniel had a mad urge to snatch it back, but instead he linked his fingers on the table in front of him, the better to control them.

"I've not seen this particular deity before - if she is a deity of course. There's something about this netsuke…" Bryant's voice trailed off as he closed his eyes. Watching closely, Daniel saw frown lines appear on the old man's brow, the lips purse as though in deep thought. When the professor's eyes finally opened there was a puzzled look in them that made Daniel's heart beat a little faster.

Gently, Bryant placed the netsuke back in Daniel's now outstretched hand. For a moment there was silence between them, Bryant's finger tapped lightly against the table top as he eyed the man opposite him.

"Are you a very modern young man, Daniel? What is your background, your speciality? How open are you to beliefs, legends?"

Daniel's grip on the netsuke tightened for a brief moment as adrenalin surged through his system. "I'm pretty open to most things, Peter. My love of the past started with Ancient Egypt and expanded from there."

"So you're familiar with the Book of the Dead, the journey between worlds," he stated. "And the belief that there is a life after death. Good."

Daniel waited, keeping his impatience at bay. Peter's eyes roamed the crowded room then came to rest on Daniel. "Let's take a walk."

With the netsuke carefully re-wrapped, Daniel dropped it back into his pocket, his fingers lingering for just a moment before releasing it.

Across from the museum was a park that, although busy in the warm sunshine, offered more privacy than the coffee house. As they strolled along the meandering pathway Doctor Bryant made a strange confession.

"In my youth, a long time ago now," he began quietly, "I was fascinated by the thought that the dead were somehow still with us. I was considered eccentric at the time, still am on occasions, though really it is an advantage when taking up a Chair!" Peter grinned at Daniel, then continued. "But my interest did not wane over the years. I became involved with a group of other likeminded individuals who tried to touch the other side. From there my interest in other psychic phenomena grew –it's what made my study of ancient history all the more interesting."

Daniel nodded encouragingly.

"Well at least you're not laughing – yet." Bryant took a breath then continued. "I have some small ability. Not one that I can control in any way, though I've tried, believe me. On occasion, when I least expect it, I can pick up a sense of events and personalities from an object. Your netsuke, it has something about it. I could be wrong, but I feel it might have been, or possibly still is, a Shintai."

Daniel scoured his mental filing system and came up empty. "It's not a term I've heard before, Peter."

"No reason why you should, my boy. Japanese mythology is not your forte."

A quirk of the lips was all Daniel would allow himself in response to being called a boy. At his age, with his history, he hardly considered himself young any more. Still, the appellation was charming and acceptable from the man walking at his side. Daniel felt very much the pupil at that moment and found it somehow soothing to relinquish his 'fount of all knowledge' role for a brief spell.

"Shintai, hum, not an easy concept I suppose, though one that is prevalent in most cultures. I only use the word now because your lady is most definitely Japanese. It's a general term for a vessel that holds an invisible deity. A connection between deity and believer. For instance sticks are used in the phallic cults in that the stick is the Shintai of phallicism, and of roads."

Daniel held up his hand for a moment. "What do you think this has to do with my netsuke, professor?"

"Ah, sorry, did I launch into lecture mode? My friends find me a sad trial; the least thing sets me off. I can't help it though, I find it all so fascinating."

Archaeologist, linguist, scholar, all that made Daniel who and what he was, found himself in total agreement. "I understand - occupational hazard."

The two men shared a knowing smile.

"Now then, back to your lady. I'd say she's at least two hundred years old. The quality is superb. She is certainly not a well known deity, I don't recognise her at all, though there are millions of them so that's not really surprising. She could be someone's household goddess, or an ancestor of great standing. All I can say is that I felt something from it. A mere hint of a female spirit. Not evil in any way that I could tell." Peter stopped in his tracks, forcing Daniel to do the same. "If you are serious about discovering if this is a Shintai then there is someone I could put you in touch with. Her abilities far outstrip my own. And if there is a soul trapped in that netsuke, well, it's about time they were freed, don't you think?"

Daniel found himself thinking hard as he parted company from the professor, a name and contact number scrawled on the back of his receipt from the coffee shop. He had shaken hands with the Englishman and was headed back to his car when Jack slipped into step beside him.

"What the hell! What are you doing here, Jack?" Torn between anger and exasperation Daniel kept up his swift stride.

"So who was the old guy?" Jack ignored Daniel's question as he easily kept pace with the younger man.

"You mean you don't know?"

"I recognise that, that's sarcasm, right? So who is he?"

What the hell, Daniel thought.

"He's Doctor Peter Bryant, Professor of Ancient History, soon to be of Oxford University and an expert on Japanese mythology."

"And…?"

"And he thinks that maybe there's a spirit trapped inside the netsuke." Daniel replied reluctantly. He liked the professor and did not look forward to him being the butt of the inevitable scorn Jack would pour on his theory.

"Right," Jack drawled. "So you told him about hearing voices and things going bump in the night and he told you what you wanted to hear."

"No, actually, Jack, I didn't."

By now they had arrived at Daniel's car. "I'll see you back at the facility," Daniel said tersely, slamming his door and driving away before Jack could add any further comment.

On his drive back, Daniel gave a lot of thought to the conversation between himself and Peter. He had not, in any way, indicated that he had thought there was any kind of supernatural element to the carving. As far as the historian had been aware, Daniel had found an unusual netsuke and was asking for clarification, something the academic world did every single day. So, where did that leave him? He pulled up at a set of lights and, while he waited, he took out the contact details Peter had given him. Sophia Brightman, and a phone number and address that put her some two hours drive away.