Chapter 5

five

"I am getting where I do not fear, at least as I used to, to go to the greatest depth one can reach in science."

~Earl Douglass

F RIDAY , J UNE 30, 1916 · M EYER R ANCH

"Mr. Meyer, do you have any idea where your brother found the fossils?" Eliza stood in her denims and long shirt outside the barn with Deborah, hoping and praying he would know which direction to send them in after checking his brother's journals.

The older man was wiry and short. He ran his hand through his white hair. "I read what I could of the journals and only know that it was along the creek. But since it flows through the entire ranch from south to north? That's a good deal of acreage to cover."

She was afraid of that. But that was all right. They could do this. "Do you mind if Mrs. Hawkins and I ride the creek bed and see what we can find?"

He shrugged. "Not at all. Just let me know if you find some thing and where. I'll have my hands build a temporary fence so the cattle won't get in there and wreck your work."

"Thank you, sir. This means a great deal."

The man sent them a crinkly smile. His face seemed weathered and wrinkled from hours in the sun every day. "Selfishly, I'm glad you asked. I don't get many visitors out here, and the hands are always busy with the ranch. It's been a mite lonely all these years since I moved here from Dallas. What with all the rumors and all."

Eliza restrained a frown. Rumors? What rumors? She shook her head. No matter. She'd take his permission and run with it. Hopefully, she and Deborah wouldn't give Mr. Meyer any reason to take it back. "We're very grateful, and I'll make sure to check in with you on our arrivals and departures. Whenever that might be. We will have to work around my schedule out at the quarry, mind you, so there might be several late nights."

"Not a problem. I hope you find something. A little excitement and change of pace might be what these old bones need." He tipped his hat to them.

Eliza led Deborah back to their horses. "How long do you think you'll be able to stay today?"

"My husband decided to go visit his father about two hours south of here. So he'll probably be gone until well past dark." Deborah's grin lit up her face under her wide-brimmed straw hat. "I'm all yours for the rest of the day."

Eliza patted her saddle bags. "I've got water and food to last us for a week, so I think we're good to go, then." She laughed. All the excitement of a potential find bubbled up and she shivered, even though it was sweltering outside. "I think our best bet is to journey along the creek together. I'll take one side, you take the other. If there are fossils to be found, they will probably be within a deeper gulley that's been exposed over time. The creek down here by the house is shallow with only a foot or more of ground above the water."

Deborah nodded and they mounted their horses. "I'll keep my eyes open. I'm a fast learner. But you'll have to just keep talking me through what to look for. Maybe by the end of the day, I'll know what I'm doing." Her laughter rang out across the prairie.

"All right, well, let's go before we lose any more daylight." Eliza nudged her horse into a quick trot and headed toward the creek and hopefully ... bones.

Later that night, Eliza made her way up the steps to the porch of the Adams's home. Everything in her body ached. Everything. Even her pinky toe.

She licked her lips and grimaced. All she could taste was dirt and grit from being blasted by the wind all day. Though they'd ridden along the creek for hours on end, they hadn't covered as much ground as she'd hoped. They'd spent a great deal of their time scrambling down the creek's banks to check out formations along the way, but none of it bore fruit. No magnificent fossils found. Yet .

As the old saying went, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Deborah was a quick learner. Still, they had a long way to go before they made it to the other side of the ranch. The Meyer ranch—one of the largest in the state—was made up of thousands upon thousands of acres.

She reached for the door handle, and it slipped out of her grasp as the door swung open.

Louise stood there, her grin wide. "I've been waiting for you to get home so I could hear all about it." Her voice was a low whisper—probably because the younger girls were asleep—but the enthusiasm still couldn't be missed.

Eliza stepped over the threshold and looked down at her clothes. "Gracious, I'm covered in dirt." She stepped back and tried to brush the loose particles off her pants and shirt.

"Don't worry about it." Louise tugged her arms and dragged her into the house. "I'll sweep again as soon as you head to your room." Leading Eliza into the kitchen, the younger girl uncovered a plate of food and tall glass of lemonade. "Here. Eat and tell me all about it. Where were you digging? Mama said it was on a local ranch?"

Eliza sat down and went for the lemonade first. Her throat felt full of grit. After several swallows, she picked up a fork and stared at the plate full of meat and potatoes. Her stomach growled. "The Meyer ranch. Do you know it?"

Louise's eyes went wide.

"What's wrong?"

The young woman's brown eyes glowed in the light as she glanced around the room, even though they were the only two present. Then she leaned closer to Eliza. "That place is haunted."

The words sent chills skittering down Eliza's spine. Haunted? Stuff and nonsense. She sat up straight and shook her head. "Maybe you have it confused with another place. It's a lovely ranch. Well kept up. Prosperous. Mr. Meyer is kind and generous."

"No, I'm not confused. That's the place. Mama wouldn't like me talking about it... but about ten years ago, maybe? I was still a little girl—" she looked toward the sink as if lost in thought—"the whole family disappeared. All of them. Mr. Meyer's parents. His brother and his wife. And all ten of their children. Just vanished into thin air. With food cooking on the stove, fires in the fireplaces, horses saddled and waiting at the hitching post. None of the hands saw anything and they all left because it spooked them so much."

While she'd heard about the family missing, Eliza was certain there must be more to the story. "But that doesn't mean it's haunted."

"Oh, yes, it does." Louise's head bobbed up and down, her eyes as wide as teacup saucers. "It took a good while for the sheriff to get ahold of Mr. Meyer's brother—the one who inherited everything. He was a big-city kind of guy. The black sheep of the family since he didn't like to ranch. Well, he came out and was torn up something awful with losing his family like that. He decided to stay and fulfill his father and brother's wish—to keep the ranch flourishing. But weird things happen all the time out there. The new Mr. Meyer can't keep hands because of it. I think the longest any worker has stayed was just less than a year. Which is unusual for a well-paying ranch like that one."

Eliza leaned back in her seat. It did sound odd. But that didn't mean it was haunted. "There's got to be some explanation."

"There's only one explanation for it. It's haunted. Everyone around here knows it, even if they don't say it out loud. People give the ranch a wide berth. You shouldn't go back there anymore."

M ONDAY , J ULY 3, 1916 · C ARNEGIE I NSTITUTE

Nelson had spent a fortune in telegrams, but he at least felt prepared for the journey ahead. Research was key to accomplishing anything.

He hadn't done enough in the past and look where that got him. With only a few fossilized bones instead of a full skeleton.

Well, this time would be different.

He scanned all the replies.

Miss Mills, that little rich brat, was bringing in more wealthy donors by the week, and everyone raved about her. There was even a hushed rumor of her contacting a local rancher about digging on his vast acreage. On top of that, the quarry work was flourishing and full of fossils.

There were still several key factors that needed to be sorted out if he was going to turn this around in his favor. And without anyone to trust, he'd have to do all the work himself. At least until he arrived out West.

There were plenty of unsavory characters out there willing to do anything for a buck. Or so he'd been told.

If he played his cards right, he could smear Eliza out West whilst doing the same thing here at the institute. Then she could disappear. He didn't care where. As long as she was gone.

Then Mr. Carnegie would see his true value. He'd get sent out to Dinosaur National Monument and could help bring it to its full glory. It wouldn't hurt for him to increase his own recognition with another specimen for the Hall of Dinosaurs either. If his dig in Wyoming didn't pan out, he'd have to simply forge the rest of the bones. As curator, he knew what to do. The paperwork and evidence trail would be a bit more complicated.

A tragic accident could befall the supposed real fossils. After he'd made the plaster replicas.

Yes. That would be simple enough.

Mr. Carnegie was ignorant about what really went on. It wouldn't hurt him one bit. Besides, he'd backed the wrong people.

In the end, he'd pay.

They'd all pay.

M ONDAY , J ULY 3, 1916 · D INOSA UR N ATIONAL M ONUMENT

Looking out at the quarry, Eliza wished for one of her wide-brimmed hats. The sun was drilling down on them. And what she wouldn't give to be in a pair of dungarees and a loose-fitting shirt rather than all these layers.

If only she was back out at the Meyer ranch searching for the legendary fossils. Haunted or not, she couldn't wait to go back.

Sweat trickled down her back as she pushed the thoughts aside and prepared for another set of questions from the twenty or so folks who'd traipsed out to the quarry today.

Perhaps it was time to start dressing the part. This whole immaculate, fashionable, and elegant attire for society folk simply wasn't practical out here in the dust, dirt, and extreme heat. And who cared if anyone thought different of her?

And truth be told, what better way to show people out here the reality of what was going on?

But as soon as she finished her frantic trek to the top of the bluff and turned to see the group behind her, she sighed. It was a vaporous dream to think that she could dress however she wanted. These people would look down their noses at her and not consider donating to the institute, which was the end goal, after all. No matter how practical her desires might have been.

Most of society's elite would never understand her desire to dig in the dirt, nor her comfort in men's clothes.

She restrained a frown. Could this be part of Mr. Carnegie's plan? Her family had quite a reputation among the wealthy families of Pittsburgh, and most of the people she met who knew Carnegie knew her family as well. That gave substance to what the workers were doing out here. Credence to her words. All because they had money.

But giving to the work shouldn't be based on all that.

What should matter was her experience and expertise.

Mr. Douglass's even more so. After a lifetime of digging, giving up everything, doing all he could to continue his studies, he deserved accolades and cheering and great respect for what he'd discovered here.

But the people who visited really didn't care about the sacrifices made.

Sad, but all too true.

The slow and steady progression of the tour group as they made their way toward her discouraged her rather than excited her like normal. Oh, what was wrong with her today?

It wasn't good for her to dwell on such things. Verse eight in Philippians chapter four came to mind. She definitely hadn't been focused on what was pure, true, or of good report.

This was what happened when she didn't get enough sleep because she was imagining herself finding a skeleton of great proportions out on the Meyer ranch.

No. That wasn't true. It was what happened when she didn't take the time to study the Word or to pray.

The enthusiasm she'd held for her work here had waned last weekend. And she wasn't sure why. Other than missing the comforts of home, the city, and her family. Even more than that, she missed Devin. She could discuss anything with him and all would be right with the world.

And then there was that church last Sunday. What a horrid experience. No wonder she'd felt out of place. Without those who supported her, or her and Devin's constant conversations, she hadn't been able to hash out her thoughts.

At least he was coming to visit. That would be wonderful!

The new group assembled closer to her, and a hush fell over them. She put on her best smile.

"Welcome to Dinosaur National Monument. On behalf of the Carnegie Quarry, allow me to share with you our excitement to have you here to see the progress."

She dove into her explanation of the history of the quarry, what kinds of bones they'd found so far, and what they hoped to accomplish.

A man in the rear of the group raised his hand.

"Yes, sir. Do you have a question?"

"I have to admit that this fascinates me. Would you tell us a bit more about how you transport all these fossils?"

She clasped her hands in front of her. "Excellent question. We make crates out of lumber, depending on the size of the fossil, line them with hay, and transport the crates via wagon and then the railroad to their final destination."

"But you must have to prep the bones somehow? Or do they just get cushioned in the crates?"

"Let me give you the basics." She did love it when the sightseers enjoyed the details. She was extremely curious herself. "Once the fossils are clean of debris, we coat them in gum arabic. This makes them stronger—we don't want to break any priceless, fragile fossils in their long journey. That wouldn't be good." She made an exaggerated scared face and some of the crowd laughed.

"Then we paste tissue paper along the bone segments to prevent the next layer of plaster-soaked burlap from sticking. If the bones are extra-long—which, because these are dinosaurs, that happens regularly"—another silly face followed by the audience's laughter—"we essentially make a very large splint for them inside that plaster-soaked burlap layer to help stabilize them for travel."

Another man in the front raised his hand. "How do the people on the other end figure out the puzzle of how to put it together? Or do one of you go with each shipment of bones?"

"Even if we went with the bones, I'm not sure we would remember everything accurately for each skeleton. That's why the bones are sketched and photographed before we even dig them out of the ground. We do a crude bit of assembling here to see what we've got. While every dig team probably has their own way of doing things, most of the time, each piece is numbered on the sketches and then in the crates. It helps to reduce the guessing on the other end, but as you probably know from newspaper articles over the years, mistakes are often made. Sometimes it can't be helped when so many different animals are found at one dig site. We try to do the best we can when we first discover the bones and also do our best to rectify any mistakes as quickly as possible."

"Is there perhaps a better way to do it? Seems like it could get confusing if a lot of fossils are shipped at once." This came from the young, stylishly dressed woman at the front of the crowd.

Several other hands raised. Eliza nodded. "It can be. Especially since it's rare that complete—or I should say, almost complete—skeletons are found. Sometimes it takes many years before we understand the whole beast. For instance, a lot of times, skulls aren't found with the body. It might be a long time before we find another specimen with an intact skull so we know exactly how the animal looked."

Another man, off to the side, lifted his hand. "How do you know it's a fossil and not just a bone-shaped rock or something else?"

Eliza giggled. "You want to hear a fun test?" She pulled a small fossil out of her jacket pocket and leaned down to pick up a rock. "Obviously, we have scientific testing we use on each fossil after it's found to validate what it is, but on first sight, there is something we do that you might find a bit odd."

Everyone's eyes were riveted on her.

"Did you know that if you lick a fossil it will stick to your tongue, but if you lick a rock, it won't stick?" Eliza suppressed a giggle as people drew back in disgust.

"But be warned if she asks you to try it"—a warm voice somewhere behind the group sent tingles up her spine—"getting the fossil off your tongue afterward might be a bit of an issue. Don't ask me how I know." The tall, familiar figure stepped around the sightseers.

"Devin!" She dashed to him and jumped into his arms.