“Perhaps not as far as you think.” Harry stood up. “Benny, can I take this one with me?”
“Sure.” Benny shrugged. “Take them all, if you want. Nothing I need them for.”
“One will be enough,” Harry said. “I’d like to show it to someone in the archaeology department, over at the University.”
“Them fellows know all about old bones and things, don’t they?”
“Yes, they do,” said Harry, “and these could be pretty old. It may take a couple of days but, as soon as I hear from them, I’ll be in touch.”
“That’s fine with me, and if Marvel brings home any more, I’ll just add them to the collection.”
“You do that,” Harry said. He and Bertie said goodbye and walked back to the truck, wrapped the bone in a newspaper and laid it on the dash.
“I’d like you to see what you can find out about the history of this place and any former owners,” Harry said, as he pulled out of Benny’s driveway and onto the street.
“No problem,” Bertie agreed.
When they reached the office, Harry pulled into the driveway. “Can you get started on researching Benny’s place now?”
“Sure. Where… never mind, you’re going to the University.”
He nodded. “No time like the present. You can lock up if I’m not back when you’re ready to leave.”
“Okay. If I find anything, I’ll leave a printed copy on your desk. We can compare notes in the morning.”
“If we’re lucky, we’ll have enough to report to Benny in the afternoon.”
“That would be great.” She got out of the truck, slammed the door shut behind her, and ran up the steps.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Harry smiled when he opened his front door the next morning. He wasn’t at all surprised to see Bertie’s battered little SUV already parked in the driveway. Considering the information she had found the day before, he knew she was anxious to find out what he had come up with.
“Good morning,” she said, as he walked in.
“Good morning.” He got a cup of coffee and sat down at his desk, turning on the computer as he did so.
“Okay, out with it,” she said. “What did you find out at the University? Does your information fit with what I found?”
Harry laughed. “Fits perfectly.” He gave her the details and she couldn’t keep from smiling.
“This is great,” she said. “When are we going to tell Mr. Stack?”
“After lunch.” He saw her frown and added, “Professor Jones won’t be available until then.”
“Why is he going? I thought all we had to do was pass on what we’ve learned.”
“The University has a proposal for Benny.”
“But, we don’t even know the exact location of the site yet. We don’t know if it’s actually on Mr. Stack’s property. It could be outside his fence.”
