Act. I., Sc. 5: The call

Charlie: The desk clerk said that he had a phone call while he was paying his bill, and got really angry at whoever was on the other end. 

Chan: Did the clerk remember anything specific?

Charlie: I asked him that. He said he heard Stan say something like “Let me talk to her! I need to talk to her.”

Pedro: The clerk couldn’t remember a name?

Charlie: No, he couldn’t. All he could tell me was that Stan asked for the quickest way to the highway. Then he drove off.

Pedro: This makes no sense. Why would he take off like that, without calling you?

Act.I., Sc. 5: Out

Charlie comes back to Pedro and Chan. She looks worried.

Pedro: Charlie, what’s wrong?

Charlie: I’ve been trying to get a hold of Stan. They tell me he left the inn.

Pedro: He’s probably on his way to meet us.

Charlie: I’m not sure. 

Pedro: Why not?

Act. I, Sc. 5: The dig

Chan: He was pulled abruptly from his last dig, without any warnings, any reason, and told he would be working in the classification department from now on.

Pedro: That’s strange. What dig was he working on at the time?

Chan: I’m not sure. He never told me exactly. He said it was classified.

Pedro: Classified? An archeaological dig? Where was it?

Act. I, Sc. 5: Office

Chan: Yes. He now works in the offices of the Shanghai Museum.

Pedro: Why does that change his title? He’s still in the field, is he not?

Chan: Well, yes and no…

Pedro: What do you mean?

Act. I., Sc. 5: Like father…

Chan: My mother. Her bloodline is Nordic. 

Pedro: I see. And how did you get into the cultural artifact field?

Chan: That, was my father. He was an archaelogist. Until recently.

Pedro: Until recently? 

Act. I., Sc. 5: Stereotypical

Chan:…Yes. 

Pedro:  Hum… Forgive me if I’m stereotyping you… but you don’t seem the Nordic type.

Chan (smiling): You’re right, I’m not. My background is Asian. 

Pedro (smiling): That’s what I gathered. How did you become an expert in Norse culture?

 

Act. I. Sc. 5: The expert

Chan: An anonymous buyer contacted the Norwegian authorities, looking for some information on a specific piece. The government thought it had the real artifact in the museum. Turned out not to be the case.

Pedro: How did they find out?

Chan: They sent a call to various experts in this field. Most did not recognize the fake, that is…

Pedro: That is… until you?… 

Act. I., Sc. 5: Artifacts

Chan: Yes. A few years ago, the Norwegian government started to track down some of its lost cultural artifacts.

Pedro: Why?

Chan: Counterfeit.

Pedro: Counterfeit?

Chan: Yes. They became aware that many supposedly  authentic artifacts in museums around the world were, in fact, copies.

Pedro: How did they find that out? 

Act. I., SC. 5: The collection

Chan: The Norse Institute. Department of Folklore.

Pedro: Is that a school? Do you teach there?

Chan: Sort of. I look after a collection of artifacts.

Pedro: A collection?

Act. I., Sc. 5: Where you from?

Pedro: Maybe we should wait for Stan to join us before we go any further?

Charlie: I’ll give him a call.

She takes a few steps away while Pedro and Chan start walking down the alley.

Pedro: So, which Institute are you with, again?