“It sounds like a lot more fun than I had.”
Jackson’s cryptic words had Sam wondering about his weekend, and early-morning meetings and a million other unexplained details that kept nudging Mr. Lunde to the top of her suspect list. She refocused. “Rose says the snaps will be a nice way to remember part of our summer so she’s putting them on a flash drive for Paige and me. Speaking of remembering the summer…” She reached for more sugar for her tea. “I suppose you’re hoping for a promotion if the South American dino turns out to be the missing link?”
“That’s a long way in the future. Who knows, I may not even be here then. I might be fired for letting the new gopher lose important fossils.” He winked at her and continued stirring his coffee.
Sam knew he was teasing, but his reference to leaving may not have been a joke. “So you admit it was a real fossil I lost, I mean, I saw?” Jackson stilled and it occurred to Sam pushing the matter might be dangerous if he really was her man. Backpedalling, she quickly changed her approach. “Actually, I’m sure you were right and it was only a chunk of plaster. I admit my imagination sometimes runs away with me. Ask anyone, and they’ll tell you I’m a bit of a flake when it comes to weaving a mystery out of thin air.”
She energetically buttered a piece of toast. If Jackson had hidden the fossil at the museum, he’d find out it was gone as soon as he went in today, and she didn’t want to be the first person who came to mind when he searched for it. Changing the subject entirely was the wisest move. “How was your trip to Calgary?”
“How did you know I went to Calgary this weekend?” he asked sharply.
“I don’t know, I guess I heard it somewhere.” She was certainly having trouble saying the right thing. Sam moved back to safer ground. “Things were pretty quiet around here this weekend. You didn’t miss much.”
“Truth be told, I would rather have stayed here and relaxed.”
“You sure spend a lot of time there. Have you got a secret girlfriend in the city?” Sam blurted.
Jackson laughed. “Nope, I only wish it was something so pleasant.” He stood up abruptly. “Got to run, Gopher. I have some things to do at work. See you there.”
He left her wondering about what he did in Calgary that wasn’t very pleasant. Sam’s attention refocused as Danny Flannigan escorted Rose and Paige into the dining room. All three were laughing. “You’re all in a good mood today,” Sam observed as she poured a round of tea.
“It’s because Danny has some really great news” Paige explained. “Fancy-schmancy television people contacted him this weekend. They want to do a documentary about Canada’s entertainment roots and he’s going to be in it. Isn’t it fantastic?”
“Really? Danny, you’re going to be famous – again. That’s so cool.” Sam was genuinely happy to hear this latest news about another of the boarding-house guests.
Danny shook his head. “I don’t know about famous. I will get to do my routine again and it’s going to be a bit of a reunion. All the old-timers those television folks can get hold of will be there. I’m thinking of asking Marie to accompany me to Toronto for the taping.”
“I think she’d love that,” Sam said reassuringly.
“Morning all,” John greeted them as he came into the room.
Hastily, Paige related the good news.
Sam nudged her cousin. “Gee, John, you’re looking particularly dapper this morning. Rose, don’t you think John is dapper?”
Rose sent a silencing message to Sam over her teacup. “Yes, John is very smartly dressed today.”
“In fact,” Paige added, “you could say John is positively handsome. Don’t you agree Rose?”
Rose had turned as pink as the flowers on her teacup. “Yes, I think John is very handsome.” She set her cup down a smidge too hard.
“And John…” Sam’s voice was uber sweet. “Wouldn’t you say Rose is lovely today?”
John was a little lost in the conversation. “Ah, I’ve always thought Rose was pretty. In fact…” His voice trailed off as his eyes locked with Rose’s. “I think she’s very pretty.”
Sam dusted imaginary toast crumbs off her hands. “Well, now that’s settled, I guess we should be heading for work. My dear Paige, shall we leave?”
Sam’s accomplice jumped to her feet. “After you, my dear Samantha.” She bowed and swept her fork in the direction of the kitchen door.
“No, no, my dear cousin, after you.” Sam pushed the door open and ushered Paige through it.
“Why thank you, Samantha…dear.”
They waited till the door had closed before both girls burst into laughter. “Do you think we were too subtle?” Sam asked, once they’d calmed down.
“Totally! In fact, tact is our middle name,” Paige said.
Sam pushed her hair back from her face. “There were so many dears flying around in there, I was starting to think we’d have to call animal control.”
This was too much for Paige and she burst out with a braying laugh any donkey would have been proud of. Both girls were still in high spirits as they left for work
•••
Finalizing details in her mind as she bicycled, Sam decided the time was right to let Paige in on the plan. “I figured out how to implement Operation Dino.”
“Great. I can hardly wait for you to prove Jack’s innocent.” Paige pedalled faster.
Sam sped up beside her cousin. “How about this? When we get the fossil back, I’ll call Professor Caine and tell him I’ve changed my mind about giving him the bone. I’ll say I think the police should be called, and I’ve put it in my locker at work so I can turn it over to Dr. Beech in the morning.”
“Okay.” Paige urged her bicycle harder, her feet flying. “What about Jack?”
“That’s where you come in.” Sam gritted her teeth as she tried to stay up with her record-setting cousin. “I’ll leave with the fossil so you can honestly say you don’t know exactly where it is, and then you tell Jackson I plan to stash it in my locker in order to give it to Dr. Beech. I’ll hide outside the museum and see who shows up to re-steal the old bone.”
“You’re sure there’s no danger?” Paige asked hesitantly, slowing her frantic pace.
“Not with my ingenious plan. You’re the only one who’ll know I’m still at the museum. The real guilty culprit will think I’ve already put the fossil in safe storage and left.” Sam gratefully eased up, her legs burning from the exertion.
“Sounds okay, Sam, as long as you’re sure you’ll be all right.” Paige hiccupped nervously as she coasted into the parking lot at the museum.
“It’ll be a piece of cake. With the positive ID, I’ll be able to go to the police and they can take over.” Sam felt good about her plan. It was a winner. Still she’d better stay clear of both Professor Caine and Jackson to avoid answering too many questions. She hoped Canada Post would hold up their end and she’d have a parcel waiting when she returned to the boarding house after work. If her planets aligned the way she hoped, she’d have all the answers tonight.
•••
At the museum, Sam quietly made her way to the storage area where she could spend the day putting away boxes of sorted bones. Unfortunately, her plan fell through when Professor Caine sent for her to join him in the Fine Preparation Lab.
“Samantha, I have something new for you today,” he explained. “You’re going to learn what happens to the fossils after they’ve been brought in from the field and their jackets and excess matrix have been removed.” Even though the fossil he gave her was still encased in a thin layer of rock, its true shape was easy to see. “You’re going to carefully remove this specimen from its remaining rock matrix using these tools.” He indicated an array of implements.
Sam picked up a small tool. “Is this a dentist’s drill?” She pressed the trigger until it shrilled with a high-pitched whine.
“It’s called an airscribe and it’s similar, although this tool vibrates like a jack hammer and uses pressurized air to func
tion.” Professor Caine indicated an array of small picks. “These will be very familiar also. When the fossil is freed of excess material, the cleaning will be finished using air-abrasion which is ultra-delicate sandblasting.”
“It sounds awfully slow.” Sam thought of all the bones they’d unpacked for a single dinosaur.
“It is, however in this case, you don’t have to remove all the matrix, so there’s no worry about damaging the fossil. This bone is of interest for research and won’t be on display. Lots to do so you’d better get started.” He turned and left her with the fossil and the airscribe.
“Right. Fossil Freeing – A Beginner’s Guide, here I come.” Sam set to work carefully removing the outer rock from the bone, which was obviously some poor creature’s rib. After two hours of painstaking work, she understood what a slow process it really was. Although the job was interesting, having Professor Caine hover over her made her wonder if he was watching out for her, or plain old watching her. He was never far away.
By the end of the day, she could almost feel the tension as the professor packed up the tools and equipment. She wasn’t surprised when he called her over.
“You haven’t mentioned the missing fossil, Samantha. I was wondering if you’ve retrieved it yet.” He put the last of the tools away.
Sam took off her lab coat and hung it on a hook. “Actually, Professor, I’m hoping to get it within the next couple of days. I’ll call as soon as it shows up.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Samantha. If this turns out the way we think and there is a real fossil in the plaster, Jackson will be in a lot of trouble. I would hate to see his career ruined, let alone think about the possibility of his ending up in jail. He’s my shining star and I hope he’ll take over for me in the future.”
He was so genuine in his worry about Jackson, that Sam wondered if he truly was a good guy. Picking up her backpack, she quickly headed for the computer room. Paige was waiting when she arrived.
“Did Professor Caine or Jack act very suspicious today?”
Her tone had a hint of nervousness, or was it excitement? Sam played it cool, knowing that accusing Jackson could set her cousin off. “As a matter of fact, I hardly saw Jackson. I worked with Professor Caine all day. He showed me how to clean the fossilized bones. I’m sure the specimens I work on are not the critically important one-of-a-kind variety. More likely the thousands-of-these-need-to-be-cleaned-by-some-gopher kind.” Her eyes swept the room furtively. “He also asked if I had the you-know-what yet.”
“What did you tell him?” Paige’s voice was hushed and breathless. “You couldn’t very well say the fate of the world hangs on the efficiency of Canada Post.”
“I told him I’d let him know. Speaking of which, let’s get going. I’ve got a feeling there’s a parcel with my name on it waiting at Mrs. O’Reilly’s.”
They hurried back to the boarding house and were barely through the door when Mrs. O’Reilly called from the kitchen. “Is that you girls? Samantha, a package came for you today. Odd thing. It’s on the sideboard in the front hall. Oh! And your mother called. I told her you were both doing fine.”
They ran to the hall. There, innocently sitting on the old wooden cupboard, was the awkwardly taped package. The fossil in its plain brown wrapper. Sam felt relieved; now the plan could proceed. “I’ll hide it in the bottom of my pack and take it with me to the Tyrrell,” she said. “Then when you tell Jackson it’s at the museum, you won’t really be telling a lie. That way, if he’s the one, he won’t tear up the boarding house to find it.”
“He’s so not the one and he’s certainly not going to flip out and go psycho on me.” Paige huffed and folded her arms defensively.
“Okay, chill. One more ‘Health and Safety’ thing – I need you to promise Rose is with you when you tell him. If he does react…” she hesitated, “badly, you might need the help.”
“Gee, thanks,” Paige said sarcastically. “It’s nice to know you’re always thinking of my safety first, or at least second.” She headed for the kitchen to help with supper.
Jackson was strangely quiet during the evening meal, which suited Sam. She didn’t want to make small talk. But did his silence mean he was her man and he’d discovered the fossil was missing? Her stomach tied itself into complicated knots. As soon as they’d finished clearing away the dinner dishes, Sam signalled Paige. Operation Dino was about to commence.
Sam slipped up to her room and changed into her black jeans and turtleneck. If she was going to be hiding in the bushes, she wanted to be dressed for it. The scrap of paper with the phone number Professor Caine had given her was on the table in her room. She grabbed it and headed downstairs. Taking a deep breath, Sam picked up the receiver on the old-fashioned phone. As she dialled, she frowned. Something nagged at the back of her brain.
“Hello?”
Sam cleared her throat. “Professor Caine, this is Samantha Stellar. I called to tell you the fossil came today.”
“That is good news, Samantha.”
His voice was friendly and Sam found herself relaxing slightly.
“Why don’t you bring it over to my house?”
“Actually, Professor, I’ve decided to turn the bone over to Doctor Beech in the morning. I feel there have been too many strange things happening around the fossil.” She held her breath.
“I agree Doctor Beech should be brought in on this. Right now, I’m still hoping we can help Jackson out of this mess. We don’t even know it’s actually a fossil. Once I examine it to make sure it’s authentic, I might be able to convince Jackson to explain why he took it and try to set things right. It would go much easier for him.” He waited for her to say something.
She tried not to think about how much sense this made; instead, Sam gritted her teeth. “No, I’m not going to do that. The fossil is in my locker at the museum. It will be safe there until morning when the authorities can have it. I’ll see you tomorrow, Professor Caine.”
She hung up quickly, not waiting for his reply. Her heart was pounding hard. Back in her room, she dropped the paper onto her night table, noticing her hands were trembling – verging on shaking. Not professional at all. When she went into this spy business full-time, she was going to need a lot of stress management. Grabbing her backpack, Sam quietly left the boarding house.
Paige was waiting for her in the garage. “Sam, I’m kind of scared.” The worry in her voice was genuine. “Before, it was all a game. Nothing ever happened with all your other adventures, but this time it’s different. This is real.”
Sam saw that her cousin was frightened. “Don’t worry. Rose is here so you won’t be alone, and all I’m going to do is watch from the bushes to see who shows up. I’ll be back before you know it.” Sam finished tugging on her pack. “Give me a twenty-minute head start before you tell Jackson about the old bone. It will give me time to set up my stakeout.” She gave Paige the thumbs-up and climbed on her bicycle.
•••
The light was failing rapidly as Sam stashed her bike in a clump of bushes at the far end of the parking lot. There were no cars, and she couldn’t see any lights on in the building. Good, she’d beat the thief here. Settling in behind the cotoneaster hedge, Sam made sure she had a clear view of both the main and staff entrances. She didn’t know how long she’d have to wait and hoped it would all be over soon.
Time crawled painfully by and her legs were cramped from the prolonged stint in the bushes when she thought she heard a noise behind her.
With lightning speed, a black gloved hand clamped tightly over her mouth! Panic seized her as she felt herself being dragged farther back into the bushes.
Sam tried to scream. She clawed at the vice-tight arms holding her. Twisting, she turned to see who’d grabbed her, but the iron grip forced her head down, squeezing her windpipe. Her mind raced as she struggled to take in oxygen.
Suddenly, Sam saw a blinding flash. The dying rays of the sun glinted ominously off a polished steel blade! He had a knife! A k
nife!
The previous summer she’d taken a self-defence course. Frantically, she tried to recall the basic techniques she’d been taught. From the corner of her eye, she spied her assailant’s foot; then, using all her strength, she smashed her heel onto his instep. He cried out in pain and Sam felt the grip loosen. She quickly drove her elbows into his ribs…one, two. The lethal hold faltered.
Seizing her chance, Sam bolted for the building. Ice slid down her spine as she remembered seeing black gloves like those before! With horror, she realized she’d made a fatal mistake. She hadn’t accounted for everyone involved. She hadn’t accounted for the one person who had started this all in the first place. Agent D!
If she could make it into the building, she’d be safe. As far as she knew, Agent D didn’t have a security card to open any of the doors.
Her legs burned from the exertion, and all she could hear was the blood pounding in her ears. Panting, she reached the employee entrance. As she fumbled in her pockets for the magic card, footsteps pounded behind her. Pulling a comb out of her pocket, she dropped it to the ground; a package of gum was next, followed by a wad of scrunched-up bills – the remains of her paycheque.
Her fingers touched the card, and relief flooded through her. With shaking hands, she held the plastic key card up to the scanner, praying the machine would read the code quickly. Mercifully, the lock clicked and Sam pulled the door open. Slamming it closed behind her, she stumbled down the darkened hallway.
Her breath came in raspy gasps. She tried to calm her breathing and told herself she was safe, she was safe, she was safe! The adrenaline in her system started to wear off and she slumped against the wall, then slid wearily down to the floor. She was safe.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to slow her pounding heart. Agent D couldn’t get her in here and – she relaxed as she felt the pack against her back – he couldn’t get the fossil either. How had he found out she was at the museum? Either the professor or Jackson must have called and told him she’d be here. She’d made a foolish, and almost fatal, mistake.
Death by Dinosaur: A Sam Stellar Mystery Page 11