Truth Decay

by R J Dent

The two doctors walked slowly along the hospital corridor, deep in conversation.

          “What on earth makes you think it’s not him?” Joseph Mordecai asked.

          “The teeth, Joseph. The teeth,” Joshua Levy stated.

          “But the dental plates match exactly!” Mordecai said with exasperation. “What further proof do you need?”

          “That is the only proof that I have that it isn’t him,” Levy supplied, as they reached his office.

          “You’re not suggesting that those plates aren’t genuine – that they are fakes of some kind, are you?” Mordecai asked, his tone of voice and his facial expression revealing his amazement. When Levy made no response, Mordecai continued. “They must be genuine – we got them from Mossad and they never make mistakes, especially not where Nazi war criminals are concerned. You know that, Joshua.”

          Levy sat down behind his desk and sighed.

          “Yes, I know it,” he said tersely. “I also know that the plates Mossad sent us are genuine. It’s not the plates that are at fault.”

          “Then what – the body?”

          Levy nodded.

          “Yes. The body is a fake – a forgery.”

          Modecai paced the length of the room, absorbing this new information.

          “I don’t see how you can be so certain. I know that the Nazi’s have tried to dupe us with fake bodies before, but the teeth have always revealed the subterfuge. This time we have a perfect match and yet you insist it’s not him. How do you know?”

          “I am a little surprised you didn’t notice it yourself, Joseph,” Levy said patiently.

          “Didn’t notice what, exactly?”

          “Didn’t notice that the plates and the teeth were a perfect match, of course.”