A Study in Revenge by Kieran Shields Page B

pleased to see you working alongside an authorized representative of the law.” A glint of humor had appeared in Holmes’s eyes.
    Lean’s own eyes lit up as he extended his hand. “A pleasure, Your Honor. I’m a firm admirer of your father’s literary works.”
    “Thank you, Deputy. Most kind. Well, gentlemen, I for one have something of a timetable that must be met. So let us forgo further pleasantries and direct our attention toward that very item which conspicuously demands it.”
    Justice Holmes turned and took a step in the direction of the tall bronze statue that dominated the mall near the intersection. “The renowned Viking explorer Leif Eriksson.”
    The statue was not the barbaric seafaring raider that Lean would have expected. Instead a classical figure rose before them, an athletic, clean-shaven Viking with flowing locks, calling to mind some Nordic version of Apollo. One hand cupped a horn behind his back while he held the other to his forehead, shielding his eyes as he scanned the western horizon. An inscription of Nordic runes appeared on the broad stone pedestal that at its base was carved to resemble a Viking longship complete with dragon-headed prow.
    Justice Holmes cleared his throat. “I must apologize for making you come this far out just to see this statue for yourself, Grey. But then you did ask me what I knew about Eben Horsford, his recent work on the Norsemen, and the purchase of his papers by the Athenaeum. After a little thought, it became clear to me that even a brief vision of the statue would provide the required moment of insight. It would impart the true essence of the matter, the nature and extent of Eben Horsford’s preoccupation with the Norse explorers, his obsession with convincing the world that they actually landed here. That’s something which, even after hours of effort, I might not be capable of conveying to you in words.”
    “Brings one word to my mind.” Lean paused to light a cigarette. “Preposterous. A city full of sculptures dedicated to statesmen, generals, and Founding Fathers—and then this. Leif Eriksson certainly looks out of place on the banks of the Charles River.”
    “As much today as he would have been nine hundred years ago, if he’d ever actually made it this far,” Justice Holmes said.
    “Can we assume that the statue’s presence here has some connection to Professor Horsford?” Grey asked.
    “The idea of erecting a monument to Leif Eriksson in the city was first suggested in the seventies. The inspiration came from Ole Bull, the great Norwegian violinist and ambassador of Scandinavian culture. He settled for some time in Cambridge and became close friends with Longfellow. Bull had heard the theory that the ancient Vinland of the Viking sagas was located in New England. If that were true, Leif Eriksson would have been the first European to land on our shores, in 1000 A.D . Longfellow also came to put his faith in this theory. Even wrote some poems about it, as I recall.”
    “ ‘The Skeleton in Armor,’ ” Lean interjected.
    Grey gave him cautioning look and said, “Let’s not interrupt the tale now.”
    “In any event,” Justice Holmes continued, “Longfellow, my father, and their circle grew quite enthused with the subject and came up with the idea to commemorate the supposed event with a statue. They recruited a committee stacked with prominent citizens, including the mayor, the governor, the president of Harvard, along with, of course, Professor Eben Horsford. The project wasn’t brought to fruition at the time due to resistance from saner organizations, which argued that there was no firm evidence to support the claim of the Norse discovery of America. Then, with the deaths of Bull and Longfellow in the next few years, the project floundered.”
    “And yet …” Lean rolled his eyes at the statue that loomed over them.
    “The effort returned to life years later under Horsford’s sponsorship. He’d become enraptured with