Turnbridge pointed toward the body. "But what could this man have to do with our interests or the State Treaty, for that matter?" Huetzing nodded again, apparently his way of acknowledging the question. "Hopefully nothing. But there is the matter of his jacket, which suggests an affiliation with the previous regime and its military forces. We also hope to identify him shortly, which should help us determine if there will indeed be complications. His jacket suggests he may have just made his way back here from the Soviet Union, and we naturally want to ensure that his departure and travels were all above board, as you say." The Austrian sighed and glanced up and down the riverbank. "Moreover, until we know the exact circumstances of his death, it is probably best that we all keep an open mind.

" Baier and Turnbridge glanced at each other, then Baier studied the French and the Soviet officers. Both wore blank expressions, as though they had understood nothing and cared even less. Baier stepped closer to the body and found a face that appeared to be too old for active military service, although an extended period in Soviet captivity would age any man quickly. Still, Baier guessed his age as no younger than fifty. There were no other clues as to his background. The pants were made of a light-gray wool, and the shoes were of a well-worn black leather that looked as though they might have cost a fair bit when they were new. Of course, Baier had no way of knowing when that was, or if they originally belonged to this individual. The hands were rough and weathered, not surprising in one who'd performed years of hard labor in the USSR.

Of course they didn't know if the man had indeed just returned from Soviet captivity or even been a prisoner there at all. Baier sighed, wondering just what they were supposed to know this early on. Or why they should even bother. The loose cotton shirt gave even less indication of the man's history, covered as it was with a large bloodstain over the chest. "Oh, one other thing, gentlemen," the Austrian Huetzing announced. "This man was not shot here. He appears to have been killed somewhere else, and then whoever committed the crime dumped the body here." He pointed at the ground and circled the area with his index finger.

"You see, there is no blood around here, and no sign of a struggle." "Would you be able to determine that so soon and in this light?" the Frenchman asked. Baier grinned. So, the guy did speak English. Huetzing nodded again. "Oh, quite." He looked upward. "The sun is already coming out, so we have been able to see well enough.

And I think you will find that we are not so primitive in our investigations here. It may not be Paris, but we have done this sort of thing before.".