Chapter 49

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, United States

From the rooftop, Gen's eagle vision, enhanced by the chi of the dragon, made it so that she could see everything on the ground with pristine crispness. Even in the dark of the night, she easily made out the various unmarked vehicles that were lined up outside the backside of the western loading docks of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The men stationed around and charging into the open doors were clear in her vision. Not just them, but also the weapons they held and wore.

"Why do those men need those guns to move ancient medieval artifacts?" Gen asked, watching as the men on the ground looked around like they were moving something very sinister, rather than museum items.

"Maybe they are afraid they are going to conjure the spirits of a medieval warrior with a bad attitude who tries to chop their head off for talking out of turn," Emperor offered, looking down at her from his perch beside her on the rooftop.

"I feel like you're referring to me," she said with a growl.

"Maybe I am," the dragon said coyly, referencing a time in a bar in the 1400s when Gen got herself in a little trouble. Emperor had access to all of Gen's memories once they magnetized to each other in 1420. Since then, nothing had been a secret from the dragon and he often used it as evidence against her.

"That was one time and that guy deserved it for not having manners," Gen refuted. "And I didn't chop any heads off. Just with my words and maybe I threw some fists, but he totally deserved it."

"Did all of his mates as well?" Emperor countered, playfully.

"Well, they tried to defend him," she argued.

"Against a girl, no less," Emperor scoffed. "And when they thought they could simply hold you back and you turned it into a brawl, well things got out of hand didn't they?"

"Sort of…" she replied, cutting her eyes to the side.

"Well, so these guys below must have brought weapons, afraid the ghost of that girl was coming back for her belongings. Can you blame them?" he asked slyly.

"That's not why they have weapons," Gen sneered. "They are up to something and I'm going to figure it out." She watched, taking in every move of every man below and the cargo of medieval artifacts they were moving.

Gen stiffened when she caught sight of a man below who she recognized. "That's the Director of Security."

Emperor nodded. "Hamilton Dixon, the one you suspected of lying."

"He definitely was," Gen said. "So what did you pick up in his head or about the events going on in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art?"

"I can't say entirely since some of it is flashes of the future," Emperor answered. "But I can tell you that this Director of Security, Hamilton Dixon, is a new hire. He was recently put into place by the new Commissioner for Los Angeles and he has been making a lot of changes to security protocol at LACMA."

Gen cut her eyes to the purple dragon. "Why? And why is that what you're willing to share?"

He sighed. "I can read minds and see the future. If I told you everything I hear and see, then it would be like reading the end of a book without having read the previous chapters. You would know how things end but not how things got there. That would be very confusing for you and probably mess everything up. Also, most of what I read in people's minds is just noise and telling you everything would be a waste of your time."

"So why is it relevant that the Director of Security, this Hamilton Dixon, is new, then?" Gen questioned, watching as the man in question gave orders to the various men on the ground below.

"Because I get the impression that he works for the new Commissioner and not the City of Los Angeles," Emperor answered.

Gen's eyes widened as she rotated to look directly at Emperor. "You believe that the new Commissioner is corrupt…"

"I think so," Emperor stated. "Based on what I've read from Hamilton Dixon's thoughts."

"Which means that whoever murdered the old Commissioner for Los Angeles was behind all this," Gen said, narrowing her eyes on the scene below. "But why? What's going on in the City of Los Angeles behind the scenes? If this place is the stronghold for keeping crime at bay, then what's really happening?"

"That's what we have to figure out," Emperor said, his glowing gold eyes full of wisdom. "But I think the leads start here. I sense something about to happen in the museum that needs our attention."

Gen leaned forward, watching as the armed men loaded a crate of medieval artifacts into the back of a van. "If they are moving the exhibit down to the eastern side, then why do they need transportation?"

"And why is the van driving away?" Emperor questioned.

Gen nearly tumbled over the side of the building, leaning over the edge to keep an eye on one of the vans as it drove off the property, speeding away. "What the hell? Why are they going that way?"

"Because they are stealing the artifacts," Emperor stated, stationed beside her. "I'd felt in their minds that they were thieves, but I needed you to get on the ground before and find more information. Now this all confirms what I suspected. They aren't moving the medieval artifacts as the Director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art believes. This is a heist."