Kate and the Wyoming Fossil Fiasco

by Janice Hanna

  “How sad,” Kate whispered.

  “Because of that, this area is rich in fish fossils,” Conner said. “That’s good news for us, since that’s what we’re searching for today.” He gestured to his right. “Layers of mud covered up the dead fish of course, but then volcanic activity occurred.”

  “Volcanoes?” McKenzie looked very, very nervous. Her eyes grew big.

  “That happened a long time ago,” Conner explained. “Not any more.”

  “Whew.” McKenzie looked relieved.

  “Anyway, the volcanic activity exposed the fish fossils. And thousands upon thousands of them are still here, waiting to be discovered … by you!”

  “Wow.” Kate could hardly believe it. Would she really find a fossil? If so, would she get to keep it, or would they put itin a box and hang it on a wall in the museum? Suddenly she could hardly wait to get started.

  “I know you kids are anxious,” Conner said. “But there are a few things we need to cover before we actually start digging.” He held up something small. Kate took a couple of steps toward him to see what it was.

  “This is a Mioplosus specimen. They are very common in this region. I’m going to explain how it became a fossil, so pay close attention.”

  Kate drew near, more excited than ever.

  “There are five phases to fossilization,” Conner explained. “You might need your notepads for this one. You’ll want to remember all of this for later on.”

  Kate leaned over to Megan and whispered, “Can I use my digital recorder?”

  “Of course,” Megan nodded. “He’ll cover a lot of material, so taking notes would be tough anyway.”

  Kate reached inside her backpack and came out with the tiny black digital recorder and turned it on.

  Conner held up the fossil and explained. “The first phase of fossilization is death,” he said. “Let’s say, for example, that a fish dies, then drifts to the bottom of the lake. After scavengers get a hold of it, the skeleton is the only thing that remains.”

  “Gross,” McKenzie whispered. “Doesn’t sound very appetizing.”

  “Oh, but that’s the most important part,” Joel said softly.

  “Sometimes bad things have to happen in order for good things to come out of them.”

  “Hmm.” Kate thought about his words. Sometimes life was like that. Bad things happened … then good things came out of the bad.

  “After death comes the deposition stage,” Conner explained. “During this phase, the sand and silt cover up the shell over a period of time, building several layers.”

  “Those layers protect the shell from damage,” Kate whispered. “I read all about it online.”

  “Yeah, I saw a video in my science class about this,” McKenzie whispered back. “After hundreds of years, the shell is way below the surface. No one even knows it’s there.”

  “Right.” Kate nodded. “Sometimes for thousands of years. Can you imagine?”

  McKenzie shook her head.

  Kate was lost in her thoughts when Conner started talking once again.

  “After the deposition comes the third phase,” he explained. “We call this permineralisation.”

  “Per-mineralisation?” Little Patti shook her head. “I hope I don’t have to spell that word later. I’ll never get it right.”

  Megan offered a smile. “Break the word down into parts. Per-mineral-is-a-tion. It just means the shell goes through a bunch of changes over time. Before long, the original shell becomes hard, like a rock.”

  “Why didn’t he just say that?” Patti mumbled.

  Conner went on to talk about that process, but Kate was distracted, watching Joel, who was scribbling notes in his notebook. He really was taking this seriously. She felt bad for him, knowing his fossils were missing. On the other hand, maybe they really had just been loaned to another museum. She hoped so, anyway.

  Conner continued explaining how fossils were made, and Kate tried to pay attention, even though some of what he said didn’t make much sense.

  “The fourth phase is erosion,” Conner said. “Wind, ice, sun, and rain begin to take their toll on the fossil, changing it.”

  “Everything changes over time,” Joel whispered, still scribbling in his notebook.

  Kate looked over at McKenzie, who had changed so much over the past year, and nodded. “Yep. It’s true,” she whispered.

  Conner continued to talk. “Finally, the last phase. Exposure. Exposure comes when a paleontologist locates the fossil. It is removed from the ground and is cleaned up.”

  “That’s what I do,” Joel said, squaring his shoulders. “Finding them is the best part!”

  Kate tried to pay attention, but every time she thought about someone cleaning the fossils, she remembered Grumpy Gus. What did he do behind closed doors besides cleaning and packing fossils? Did he have a mold and several bags of brown sugar, perhaps? Did he take the real fossil plates and sell them illegally and pocket the money?

  Was he the one who had stolen Joel’s fossils? Was he the one responsible for what happened to poor Mrs. Smith?

  Kate’s imagination began to work overtime as she thought about it.

  “After a fossil is exposed, we look at it under a magnifying lens,” Megan said. “Examine every square inch of it.”

  “That’s the fun part,” Joel whispered. “Seeing everything close up. Have you ever looked at a fossil through a magnifying lens? It’s really cool.”

  “Yes, actually, I …” she started to tell him about that day at the museum with her teacher, but stopped. No, she couldn’t give away too much information just yet. After all, she still wasn’t sure who she could trust. Joel might look like a good guy, but he could be faking it. She needed to be on the lookout for fakes … no doubt about that.

  “How big are fossils, anyway?” McKenzie asked.

  “Oh, they come in all shapes and sizes,” Conner explained. “Some are so tiny you can only see them with a magnifying lens, and some are huge. Some of the bigger ones include bones belonging to dinosaurs.”

  “Wow.” The girl’s eyes grew wide at this news. “Really?”

  Conner nodded.

  Kate raised her hand. “Excuse me, but can I ask a question?”

  “Sure,” Conner said.

  “What happens to the fossils when they leave the quarry? Do you sell them?”

  Conner appeared to be thinking about his answer. “As

  we’ve discussed, many of the fossils are quite valuable. Those stay here at the museum but are often loaned to other museums around the country. People all over the country enjoy looking at Stone’s Throw fossils. They’re quite popular.”

  When they’re real, Kate thought.

  “You’d be very surprised at just how valuable some of these fossils are,” he added. “And how rare.”

  “So valuable and rare that someone wants to steal them and keep the money for themselves!” McKenzie whispered.

  Kate nodded, then looked at Joel. She couldn’t stop thinking about the missing stingray. Was Joel the victim? Or was he somehow involved in all of this? Only time would tell.

  “Okay, kids!” Megan clapped her hands to get their attention. “It’s time to get suited up! We’re going to start our first dig. So grab those hard hats! Put on those safety goggles! Let’s get digging!”

  Kate scrambled into her bright orange jacket, put on her yellow hard hat, and grabbed her goggles. After securing them, she reached for her backpack and pulled out the larger chisel.

  “I’m ready!” she said with a giggle.

  The next hour was spent digging. At first, it seemed easy. But after a while, Kate’s arms got really tired. “I don’t think I could be a paleontologist,” she whispered to McKenzie. “My arms aren’t strong enough!”

  “What would Elizabeth say to that?” McKenzie whispered back.

  “I know, I know.” Kate laughed. “She would say, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ “

  “And she’s
right,” McKenzie said. “Besides …” She flexed the muscles in her upper arm. “We’re getting stronger every day.”

  “Getting stronger every day. I like that.” Kate nodded, and then slowly began to dig again.

  Before long, one of the girls hollered, and Kate turned around, curious.

  “I found one!” Lauren said with a joyous look. “I really, really found one! Look everyone!”

  They all drew near and examined the fossil.

  “It’s broken, but it’s still really cool.” She held it out for Conner to examine.

  “Yes, that’s a Knightia,” he said. “They are very common here in Wyoming. Nicely done, Lauren. You’re the first to unearth a fossil, so you’ll get the privilege of leading one of the teams in the treasure hunt tomorrow morning.”

  “Aw man.” Kate shrugged. “Wish I’d been the first.”

  “What would Elizabeth say?” McKenzie asked her again.

  Kate grinned. “She would quote the scripture ‘But many who are first will be last, and the last first.’ “

  “Exactly.” McKenzie nodded. “So let’s remember that. And just because we’re not the first to discover a fossil doesn’t mean we won’t figure out who forged the ones at

  your teacher’s museum. We’re here for a reason, Kate, and I truly believe the Lord will do something very exciting!”

  Kate was starting to nod when something—or rather, someone—in the distance caught her eye. “Look, McKenzie!” She pointed as an older man disappeared behind the trees to their left. “Was that Grumpy Gus?”

  “No idea. I didn’t get a good look.”

  Kate reached into her bag and came up with her teensy-tiny binoculars. She pulled off her safety glasses and peered into the binoculars, trying to see into the forest. Yes, sure enough, a man was running, hiding from tree to tree. She couldn’t tell for sure, but it looked like Gus. He was wearing the same color shirt, anyway.

  “Something is very suspicious here, McKenzie,” she whispered. “Very suspicious, indeed!”

  Camp Club Girls to the Rescue!

  Later that evening, the campers headed into the dining hall. Something smelled really good!

  “What’s for dinner?” Kate asked as they sat down at the table.

  “Just as I predicted.” Joel held up a chicken leg. “Dinosaur bones. Tyrannosaurus rex!”

  McKenzie shook her head as she picked up the piece of chicken. “Doesn’t look like any Tyrannosaurus rex I’ve ever seen!”

  “Exactly.” Joel slapped himself in the head and Kate laughed.

  “Well, the cook has a great sense of humor, anyway!” she said.

  She got into the line to get her food but something caught her eye. “McKenzie!” She elbowed her friend.

  “Ouch!” McKenzie rubbed her side. “What is it, Kate?”

  “Look.” She pointed at Gus, who carried a large bag of brown sugar.

  “Ooo.” McKenzie nodded. “And look, Kate … he’s headed away from the kitchen, not toward it. Isn’t that strange?”

  “Very.”

  “What are you girls talking about?” Lauren stepped into line behind them and started chatting about the fossil she had found. Before long, as they talked, Kate almost forgot about Gus. Almost.

  When she got back to the table with her food, Kate joined a fun conversation with Joel and the other campers, laughing and talking about their adventures at the camp. Someone in the room started clapping, so she looked up, curious.

  “We have a wonderful treat for you kids tonight,” Megan said, getting everyone’s attention. “I want to introduce someone very special to me.”

  An older man entered the room. He had soft white hair and wore blue jeans and a button-up cowboy shirt. His long white moustache and beard reminded Kate of someone from an old movie. And his leathery, tanned skin surely proved that he spent a lot of time in the sun.

  “This is my father, Gerald Jenkins,” Megan said proudly. “He is the owner of Stone’s Throw Quarry.”

  “Wow.” So this was Megan’s dad.

  Mr. Jenkins joined the campers, answering many of their questions. Kate finally worked up the courage to ask her question, but waited until the others were distracted, so they wouldn’t hear her.

  “Mr. Jenkins?” She spoke softly and he looked her way. “My name is Kate Oliver. I live in Philadelphia and my teacher works for the Museum of Natural Science as a curator.”

  “Ah.” He nodded. “I can guess what you’re about to ask.”

  Kate bit her lip, trying to decide how much to share. Finally she could take it no longer and blurted out her question. “Do you know about the fake fossils that my teacher and I found? If so, do you have any idea who forged them?”

  “Yes, I know all about it,” he said, keeping his voice low. “Your teacher called last week. I contacted the police and they’ve been out to take a report. But I can’t figure out who is doing this to us. We’ve been sabotaged, for sure.”

  “You haven’t seen anyone with brown sugar? Or anyone acting strangely?” Like Grumpy Gus, for instance?

  “Not on the property. And I’ve looked, trust me.” He shook his head. “I’m here all day every day and haven’t seen anything suspicious.”

  She thought about telling Mr. Jenkins that she and McKenzie had just seen Gus carrying a large bag of brown sugar, but didn’t. Not yet, anyway. She had to be sure she could trust him first.

  He shook his head and his eyes grew misty. “I feel terrible about what happened,” Mr. Jenkins said. “But I feel even worse when I think about the fact that someone stole the original fossil plates from us. They’re worth a lot of money.”

  “What would a person do with stolen fossils, anyway?” Kate asked.

  “Oh, all sorts of things. They’re valued all over the world, so maybe they sold them to an underground ring of fossil thieves.”

  “Ooo, sounds scary.”

  “Another theory is that they are holding them for ransom. Maybe to try to bribe me in some way.”

  “Why would someone do that?” Kate asked.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I can only tell you that I’ve been praying about this all week, ever since I got the call from your teacher.” He smiled at Kate. “We’ll figure out who did this … with the Lord’s help. Those fossils will return home to Stone’s Throw, and I’ll send them to your teacher for the exhibit. You just wait and see.”

  “I hope you’re right.” She paused a moment, then looked into his kind eyes. “Can I ask you one more question?”

  “Sure.”

  “Joel is a great camper and he knows so much.”

  “Oh yes, he’s one of the best,” Mr. Jenkins agreed.

  Kate bit her lip as she tried to decide how much to say next. “He’s worried he won’t get the internship because his stingray fossil is gone.”

  “What?” Mr. Jenkins looked stunned. “The stingray is missing, too?”

  Kate nodded. “We don’t know that it’s officially missing. I was hoping you loaned it to another museum.”

  “No.” He shook his head. “We often loan out fossils, as you know, but everything is written on a schedule. I don’t remember anything about the stingray being loaned out. Very strange.”

  “Well if you go into the museum, you’ll see that it’s missing,” Kate said.

  “I’ll do that right now,” he said. He nodded. “Thank you for the information, Kate.”

  “You’re welcome, sir. Thanks for letting us come to your great quarry!”

  After she finished eating, Kate headed back to the cabin with McKenzie at her side.

  “So what did Mr. Jenkins say?” McKenzie asked.

  “He knows all about the fake fossils,” she said. “And he says he’s praying about it.” She paused a moment. “He didn’t seem to know anything about the missing stingray though.”

  “Odd, isn’t it?” McKenzie observed. “People who work right here don’t seem to notice much, do they?”

  “Wow.” Kate paused to th
ink about that. “You might be on to something there, McKenzie. We saw Grumpy Gus walking across the dining hall with a bag of brown sugar, and yet Mr. Jenkins says he’s been watching, but hasn’t seen anything suspicious. What’s up with that?”

  “Right.” McKenzie paused. “What if Mr. Jenkins is only pretending to be concerned? What if he’s really the one who did all of this?”

  “Why would he sabotage his own quarry?” Kate asked.

  “Doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Sure it does.” McKenzie nodded. “It’s a great scam. He makes money by selling the real fossils to the bad guys and makes money by selling the fakes to legitimate businesses. That’s a lot of money!”

  “I don’t know, McKenzie.” Kate shook her head as they entered the cabin, then paused to give her a serious look. “It would break Megan’s heart to find out that her dad was doing something illegal.”

  “True.” McKenzie sighed.

  Kate walked over to her bunk and sat down, whispering so the other girls wouldn’t hear. “I’m not really accusing Mr. Jenkins. I’m just thinking out loud. Trying to figure out who did this.”

  “I know. And the suspects are piling up.” McKenzie reached for a rubber band and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. “But that’s why we’re meeting with the other Camp Club Girls tonight in the chat room, right?” She paused. “I can’t wait to tell them what we found out today.”

  “Before we talk to them, can I ask you a question?” Kate asked.

  “Sure.”

  “Remember you said there was something suspicious about Gus? What did you mean?”

  “Oh …” McKenzie’s brow wrinkled. “I just noticed his clothes were really wrinkled, like maybe he slept in them or something.”

  “I noticed that, too!” Kate said. “It was a little strange, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes. What kind of a person is so busy that he can’t even change into pajamas to sleep?” McKenzie said. “It makes me think he’s up to something in the middle of the night.”

  “Ooo, I see.” Kate nodded.

  “Maybe.” McKenzie nodded. “The wrinkles in his clothes make me wonder.”

  “Well, we can ask the other girls their opinion.”

  “What other girls?” Patti asked, plopping on Kate’s bed. “What are you girls whispering about, anyway?”