Matterpunk (Twinmaker)

The Missing Metatarsals

"So I was led to understand," said the inspector. "Something about a stolen fossil . . . ?"

"Not just any fossil, man. The find of the century!"

"Perhaps you could explain the significance of the theft in more detail."

"Yes, of course." Bayazati walked as he talked, circumnavigating around the room as though looking for a way out. "There are three official species of Stegosaurus: armatus, homheni and mjosi. Two years ago, I discovered a perfectly articulated skeleton of a fourth species, S. ungulatus, in the Lourinhã Formation in Portugal. The specimen has been in my collection ever since--or so I believed until yesterday, when I discovered that part of it was missing."

"How?" I asked.

"I wished to view the metatarsals of the rear feet, one of the features that distinguish this species from its predecessors. When I opened the case I found it to be empty. A preliminary search in neighboring boxes turned up no sign of them, so I called in Diana--Doctor Scullen, here. We conducted an emergency audit and discovered only more absences from the catalogue, all from the same skeleton. Fully fifteen percent of my S. ungulatus is missing. It must be recovered at once!"

"Surely you can recover its pattern from the Air and--"

"Never!" He rounded on me with a feverish gleam in his eye. "My specimens are completely authentic, right down to the last molecule."

"Mister Bayazati is an Abstainer," Diana Scullen elaborated. "All of his archeological samples are freighted by rail to avoid using any form of matter transmission."

"I have no use for shabby counterfeits," he blustered.

"But you have a d-mat booth in your foyer," noted the inspector.

"People can do what they like as long as they leave me and my collection alone."

"So none of the missing exhibits were scanned?" I asked, still not quite able to believe it. "Not even for insurance against damage or, well, loss?"

Mister Bayazati raised his chin and both thumbs went into his waistcoat. I took that as a no, since scanning inevitably requires the deconstruction of the object being scanned.

"Tell me about your fellow dinophiliacs." Now it was the inspector's turn to pace while Bayazati stood still. It was like watching Ganymede orbit Jupiter. "Could one of them could be responsible for the theft--perhaps one jealous of your extensive collection?"

Bayazati nodded. "The thought had occurred to me, PK Forest, but I accompany them at all times. They couldn't take so much as a fingernail scraping without me noticing."

I believed him. "What about other visitors? Family, friends . . .?"

"We've compiled the names of everyone who came through the collection in the relevant period," said Scullen. "There was some repair work performed by artisans on one of the display wings--a carpenter and an electrician. They might be worth looking into."

"PK Sargent and I will study that information in a moment." The inspector was still pacing, which meant he was still thinking. "You have a booth, Mister Bayazati, that you do not ever use. That means there is at least one other exit from the building."

"There are three," Diana Scullen answered for her boss again. "All are watched around the clock, as are the display wings. I have the security files for you, and somewhere private for you to work."

"One last question, then," said the inspector. "Stegosaurus was a large beast, yes? It would be difficult to smuggle it from the collection without breaking it into pieces."