Bones (7 page)

“Greg?” Dr. Bob and I say together.

“Not intentionally,” Annabel says, “but remember his daily blog? He posted photos of every stage of the process. With those and the details Darren had from hanging around, plus what Beetlebrow knows of fossil casts, they could make copies. The exchange on the coulee wouldn't have taken long. Then they loaded the real fossils into Darren's truck.”

“So the fossils will be in Darren's barn,” I say.

“Not necessarily,” Annabel says. “Remember Battleford's alibi for last night?”

“Dinner with someone,” I say.

“A woman in the valuable-fossil business, you said,” says Annabel.

“The woman from Precious Fossils and Gems,” I say.

“It seems like a fair bet,” Annabel agrees. “Battleford must have seen her at some point after they took the fossil, if only to get his alibi straight, and I bet he'd rather leave something valuable with her than with Darren and Beetlebrow.”

“Luela Harmsworth-Lewis,” Dr. Bob informs us. “She would know where to send the fossils for preparation. Probably even which courier company to use. I've often had suspicions about her. She has too many high-quality specimens. We need to call the police.”

“Yes,” Annabel agrees, “but that might not be enough. It'll take time to get a search warrant for Precious Fossils and Gems.”

“You think Battleford will take the fossils away as soon as he gets the Hummer back?” I ask.

“Possibly, but he likes to distance himself from the shadier dealings of his associates. I doubt he'd want stolen fossils in the back of his vehicle, especially if he has to cross the border.”

“So they'll be in the back room of Luela's shop,” I say.

Annabel is not listening. She's clumping toward the open overhead loading door at the back of the storage area.

“I doubt Luela will want stolen property on her premises for long,” she says over her shoulder. “She'll want to get rid of them as soon as possible, probably using a courier service.”

Annabel stops on the edge of the loading dock and points at the panel van parked to one side. The dark red with gold lettering on the side reads
Paterson
Scientific Courier Service—Nothing Too
Big or Too Small
.

“Beetlebrow's van!” I exclaim.

“I'll bet you a supersized full-meal deal the fossils are in there,” Annabel says.

“Then let's go and see.” Dr. Bob jumps down and hauls on the van's back door. It's not locked, and it doesn't take us long to find the three plaster casts, complete with Pilish writing.

“How quickly can the police get here?” I ask.

“I don't think we need the police,” Annabel says. We both stare at her. “Battleford has expensive lawyers. We know that,” she says to me. “No one went to prison for stealing the
Loch Ard
peacock. No one will go to prison for this. There isn't enough hard evidence.” Annabel turns to Dr. Bob. “Remember Sue?”

“Yes,” Dr. Bob says thoughtfully. “That case dragged through the courts for years. Different situation, but good lawyers can make simple matters complicated.”

“If we don't go to the police,” I say, “Battleford gets away with it.”

“Not if we switch the casts back,” Annabel says with a smile.

“Perfect,” Dr. Bob says. “We get the important fossil back, Battleford gets nothing and Beetlebrow ends up looking for another job. We'd better hurry. I'll get some help.” He runs off to round up a few summer students.

It only takes minutes for a sheepish Greg and a couple of others to make the exchange and close up the van. Moments later, Beetlebrow shows up, looks around sullenly and drives off.

“I'd love to be a fly on the wall when the lab cuts off the plaster to find only boulders inside,” Dr. Bob says as we watch. “Come on, I'll buy you two lunch.”

Chapter Thirteen

“
And she's buying a stairway to Heaven.”
The last chords of “Stairway to Heaven” drift off into the warm prairie evening.

“It's not Led Zeppelin,” Annabel says, “but a very decent cover.” Tomorrow we drive into Calgary for the long flight back to Australia. Dr. Bob has organized this farewell barbecue on the banks of the Red Deer River.

“Dr. Bob is certainly a man of many talents,” I agree. “Have you enjoyed the holiday?” After the first frantic days, our two weeks in Alberta have been calm. With a few day's rest, Annabel's ankle has improved dramatically. Not enough to hike in the Rocky Mountains, but Dr. Bob took us to the incredible Dinosaur Provincial Park at Brooks. Mom took us to renew our psychic energy at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. With trips to see the sights of Calgary, we have had a full time.

“It's been great,” Annabel says. “I love your Mom, and I learned a lot at all the places we've been. There's only one regret.”

“What's that?” I ask, concerned at the sad expression she's suddenly wearing.

“Well,” she says, close to tears. “I really would have liked to spend more time with Greg.”

I dig her playfully in the ribs and we both laugh. Greg has kept a low profile since he discovered that his blog had helped the attempted theft. “One thing bothers me,” I say. “Back in the Museum store room, if Battleford had written the Pilish on the cast, what would you have done?”

“Smashed it open,” Annabel says matter-of-factly.

“You were that certain?”

“Yeah,” she says. “Never underestimate Battleford.”

Dr. Bob strolls over and sits beside us.

“Awesome,” Annabel says.

“Thank you,” Dr. Bob says with a smile. “Compliment indeed from someone your age. I do think I shall move away from classic rock and check out some of the indie rock bands around”

“Any news on the police investigation?” I ask.

“They've questioned Beetlebrow, and he's leading them to a ring that illegally sells valuable fossils. I think Luela will be in serious trouble.”

“Nothing that leads back to Battleford?” Annabel asks.

Dr. Bob shakes his head. “He's Teflon-coated, nothing sticks to him. That reminds me, this arrived for you at the museum this afternoon.”

Dr. Bob produces a gift-wrapped box from his bag and hands it over. It feels heavy for its size, but there's nothing written on it. Annabel unwraps it. Nestled in tissue paper is a beautiful coiled fossil shell, its polished surface gleaming in the firelight.

“That's a lovely ammonite,” Dr. Bob says. “Jurassic in age, I would guess. Who's it from?”

Annabel lifts a gold-edged embossed card from the box. “
For my two young
friends. Thank you for the entertainment
and the scratches behind the ear. All the
best, Percy
.”

“It's from Battleford,” I say. “He's taunting us.”

“I think he enjoys almost getting caught,” Annabel comments, turning the fossil over in her hands. “Life must get boring when you're rich enough to have anything you want. I wonder if we've seen the last of him.”

Author's Note

The Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Alberta, has one of the best collections of fossils in the world, and it
is
possible to look into a
T. rex
's jaws. It is also possible to climb inside the world's biggest
T. rex
and look down on the rest of the town. The badlands also exist, and at places like Dinosaur Provincial Park near Brooks, Alberta, it is sometimes difficult to walk around without stepping on a dinosaur bone washed down from the surrounding slopes.

I in no way mean to suggest that the fossils you can find in any rock shop are stolen. The vast majority are collected perfectly legally from sites that have been well researched by scientists and prepared by people who love making these incredible remnants of the past visible and available for people to see and own. Unfortunately, however, there is also a thriving underground business in rare and exotic fossils, and some wonderful specimens only exist in the basements and houses of people like Humphrey Battleford.

The characters in
Bones
are fictional, as are some of the locations, such as the back rooms of the Tyrrell Museum and the coulee on Sam's mom's farm. But who knows? Maybe one day a storm will wash out the strange bones of a smart dinosaur from the walls of a coulee somewhere.

John Wilson is the author of numerous stories for young people, including
Stolen,
the first Sam and Annabel adventure in the Orca Currents series. He travels the country extensively, telling stories from his books and getting young readers (particularly but not exclusively boys) energized and wanting to read and find out more about the past. For more information, visit
www.johnwilsonauthor.com
. For more information on all the books in the Orca Currents series, please visit
www.orcabook.com
.

O
RCA
CURRENTS
For more information on all the books
in the Orca Currents series, please visit
www.orcabook.com
.