by Ellie Mack
The journal closed and placed back inside the nightstand, the lights turned off, he slipped under the covers and sighed a great sigh of relaxation as he let the music lull him to sleep.
Chapter 8: Fresh Blood
A better burden
no man bears on the way
than much good sense;
that is thought better than riches
in a strange place;
such is the recourse of the indigent.
-- Hávamál
Scott opened the letter from Dr. Simpkins.
Mr. Scott Thompson,
An earthquake of 5.6 magnitude has occurred at an epicenter located at the nearby town of Cusco, Peru. All archaeological expeditions to Macchu Picchu have been postponed until further investigations and clearance has been issued.
You have been reassigned to the Roskilde Excavation in Denmark. Enclosed you will find your new itinerary and detailed instructions for testing of new equipment. Full reports are due by September 15.
Please contact my secretary, Mrs. Anna Gronenger to change travel arrangements.
R. L Simpkins, PhD
Scott stared at the letter. On one hand, he was disappointed but on the other, he was going to Roskilde! Not only was he going to Roskilde, but he would still get to test the equipment. This would make winning the fellowship more difficult as he’d be pitted against Helena directly.
Lena was in charge of Roskilde as the project manager. He would have to be ten times more clever than working with Dr. Simpkins. Dr. Simpkins would easily approve anything he suggested. He wasn’t so sure about Lena.
He contemplated for a few minutes, wavering back and forth between being upset and being excited. On the one hand, he’d spend the summer with Lena and Bryce wouldn’t be there. This was a win-win as far as he was concerned.
Scott punched in the number for the department secretary to get his flights changed and so she could make the arrangements necessary. His mind raced with a long list of things he’d need to do before going to Denmark.
He had to get started right away.
Things were indeed looking up!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The day had gone as planned, so far. The grid lines were laid, the site taped on the perimeter with three posts holding copies of their permits by the guard station just before entering their camp, and duplicates posted three hundred yards from the excavation site. Team assignments had been made and Helena had more energy than she knew what to do with. Everything was in place for excavation to begin. She made her way to the mess tent smelling the delightful aromas well before she reached the doorway.
“Oh my god, Andre! I don’t know what you’re cooking but that smells amazing.” She walked briskly towards the blonde Adonis working at the grill.
He turned, smiling. “ Glad you approve Helena. Care for a sample?”
“Yes!” She responded eagerly as her stomach growled in anticipation.
He stirred the concoction that he was working on in the large skillet and scooped out half a spoonful for her, putting it on one of the Styrofoam plates. He then went to the grill and scooped out a bit of the meat, plopping it on half of a bun that had been squished. A dollop of the fruit mixture, and a small sliver of dessert were added before he turned beaming, to present her with her samples.
Each item was no more than a bite or two. “Mmmmm. You are a master! “ She savored the vegetable medley while eyeing the morsel of sandwich. Once she bit into the sandwich, another groan of delight escaped. “This has got to be the absolute best thing I have eaten. Like ever. Mom’s Thanksgiving feast is exempted.”
He crossed his arms pleased with his creations. “You approve, yeah?”
She licked her fingers to get the last little bit. “ NO, I don’t approve. Transfer it all to my tent right now. Dare I ask what it is?”
He made an odd expression then shrugged. “Caribou. I prepared as if it were pork rump roast. Used my special marinade, then a bit of rub, garlic, and then soaked it in beer overnight. “ He grinned. “Your friend in the US, LeRoy said pulled pork was your favorite. I thought to make your ground breaking special for you, kjære.”
“Oh you have! Thank you so much.” She tasted the small sliver of carrot cake and groaned. “I’m serious about transferring this to my tent. Either that or you have to promise to marry me and cook for me forever.”
“Such a tempting offer. If you still feel that way at the end of summer, I may consider.” He winked at her then turned back to his preparations. “If you want a full plate, I’ll be happy to put it together for you.”
She debated for a few seconds contemplating about taking her plate to her tent so she could get a jump on making her report or hanging out for another twenty minutes and eat with the crew. “Tell you what. If you slip me a sandwich and wrap it up I’ll be discreet and go make my report then be back when the crew is here.”
“Deal” He scooped a generous amount onto the bun then wrapped it in a piece of waxed paper and put it inside one of the paper lunch sacks. By the time she had returned with the bottled tea, her sandwich was ready. “See you back in a bit, elskede.”
“Thank you Andre.” She blew him a kiss. He acted like he felt it hit his cheek sighing, then winked at her again smiling, watching her as she ducked out of the tent.
Back in her tent she set out her clipboard, opened her laptop and started filling out the first report to send to the board and to Leroy. In between bites she typed in the readings, coordinates, and other data collected. As she worked she noticed her messaging flashing on the bottom ribbon.
Curious of who was messaging her she clicked it open. Three messages waited for her. The first was Bryce, wanting a second chance. The second was from her sister, so she didn’t bother looking at the third. She opened the message and seeing that she was online asked if she wanted to video chat while she worked. Gabby quickly responded ‘Yes!’
“Hey sis. So how’s the dig going? Have you broke ground yet or have they tied you in red tape?”
Lena typed away in her small half screen window, while her sister appeared in the other half. “Hey! We break ground this afternoon. The board meeting was a grueling ordeal. Ugh.” She made a mock anguished face then smiled. “How’s things back home? Getting ready to come over?”
“Yeah, I’m getting my stuff packed. A little nervous and excited. Anything you forgot that you want me to bring?”
“Mmm, can’t think of anything. Don’t forget a jacket, it gets chilly when the sun sets. Wait, scratch that. Pack lots of M&Ms. Oh! This one guy, Erik, he’s like second in command from Copenhagen University here. He’s really a great guy. He’s been my taxi or rather chauffer and my personal assistant. Yesterday, I had this really weird thing happen.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“Not exactly sure. I think I ate some bad food or something. It was like I was drugged. I passed out on the ride back here, then again later when I was heading back to my tent. Then, I had this really bizarre dream. But today I feel amazing. Ravenous, but amazing.”
“Are you ok? Was it food poisoning? Are you pregnant? Do you need to go to a doctor?”
Lena focused her attention on her sister. “I’m fine. If it was food poisoning I’d still be feeling it. Remember that time all of us got food poisoning down in Florida? We felt sick for days. It was kind of like that feeling, but more along the lines of feeling drugged. No! I am not pregnant. No way.” She nervously clutched her biceps hugging herself. Shaking the possibility from her mind.
“If it was food poisoning it was a very mild case. I feel fine now.” To prove the point she took a bite of the sandwich.
“Is that pulled pork? How in the world did you get pulled pork?”
“Andre.”
“Who is Andre?”
“Only the most amazing man ever. He transformed caribou into a lean pulled pork-alike. I asked him to marry me.”
“For pulled pork? Or pork-alike? Who is this guy?”
“Hang on. I’ll s
end you his picture.” She clicked open her files and sent a couple shots from the party with Andre in them. “The guy in the dark blue oxford.”
“He looks like he’s mid-thirties and former military. Nice guns though.”
“I know. Today he’s wearing a snug army green tee and cargoes.” She waggled her brow taking another bite. “Really nice guns and he can cook. So he’s already miles ahead of Bryce.”
“Ugh. Bryce is a loser. You’re better off without that leach. He was wasting no time, saw him at a party with you know who. So you’re already hooking up with this Andre?”
“No! I’m trying to seduce him with my brain and nerdy wiles. By the end of the summer he’ll be mine and cook for me forever.“ She giggled as she licked a trail of barbecue sauce from her forearm.
“Oh. Sounds like true love indeed. As long as he can cook.” Gabby laughed.
“Well, at least we have something in common. He likes to cook, I like to eat. A match made in heaven.” Lena smiled. “Just remember, when you get here, hands off he’s mine!”
“He doesn’t look like my type so no worries. You sure you’re ok? I mean with this food poisoning deal?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I didn’t tell you to worry you. It was just weird. If it happens again I’ll talk to the medic.”
“That would be a good idea sis.”
“Alright. Well, I hate to rush but I need to get moving. We’re going to break ground after lunch and Andre made me carrot cake along with the pulled pork-alike. See ya soon sis.”
“No, no, no, no, no! See, now the real truth comes out. It’s not just the pulled pork-alike, he made you carrot cake? With cream cheese frosting? And you haven’t had sex with him yet?” Gabby leaned in to the camera.
Lena laughed. “No yet, but I’m going to mind fuck him as I eat the cake. Bye Gabs!” Gabby waved to her sister on the screen as it closed out.
~~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The ground breaking went as planned. Several photographs were taken for the local newspaper and university articles. Lena was thrilled to get hands on at this point, her main focus was the place that she was certain were the city gates between a stone wall that surrounded the village.
Archeology was a slow process. Nothing ever happened fast. She had to curtail her excitement down to a low simmer as she moved into her position and using the hand trowel, she cut through the sod, then skimmed thin layers of soil away from the exposed stone.
The sky changed from clear blue to orange hues as the team worked diligently. She had exposed three layers of rock on her side of the entryway which was more progress than she had expected. Lena closed her tackle box of tools, and headed for the showers. When she stood up, brushing the dirt from her cargos, she noticed Jacob, one of the photographers walking along the line of workers. “Jacob! Come down here and get some pictures for me.”
He jogged the short distance and snapped several shots, some with her in them.
“Perfect! Thanks.” She stretched, rolling her neck then headed towards the showers.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Two weeks had passed, diligently working, excavating painstakingly detailed work as the remains of an outer wall emerged from the earth. The southwest part of the wall came within ten feet of their perimeter tape. Lena would share this information with the board and see if they would extend the site. So far, there were no artifacts to speak of but these were preliminary steps. One of the teams had exposed the remains of the main gathering lodge. She hoped that there would be many finds there. Hopefully some of the wealth of these Vikings would be shared with the university and national museum. There was always more attention paid to sites that produced treasure.
By the end of the first two weeks, it was time to meet with the board again and make a presentation of what they’ve found to date. The videography team had put together an amazing presentation for her. She only hoped it would be enough to keep their funding.
Hopefully, this was the last time she would have to depend on Erik to drive her. Not that Erik’s company was bad or that she didn’t appreciate him. She wasn’t in the habit of having to wait on someone else and be on their timetable. She hoped as they drove along the rutted road that they would get back to camp before the second wave of recruits arrived. As project manager, she felt it was her job to greet them and her sister would be on the bus. She couldn’t wait to see Gabby.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Scott felt ill as the bus bounced down the rutted road. He expected this in Peru, but not in Denmark. He glanced at the two seats that his equipment occupied and prayed that it survived the trip. One thing he hadn’t figured on was if he had to recalibrate the gear before he started. He swallowed hard as the bus lurched forward bouncing over the ruts.
He tried to take in the scenery around them, but it only made him feel more nauseous. Moreover, he stared straight ahead, focusing on not throwing up. He was never so grateful as when the bus came to a stop at tent city, otherwise known as Roskilde dig site.
It took him three trips to offload all of his equipment from the bus. How he would get this to his tent he didn’t know. He glanced around looking for Lena. If he figured correctly, she’d be elbows deep in the dig, probably at the central meeting hall. That’s where he guessed was the best chance for treasures. He had studied her report thoroughly on the flight over.
He followed the group to the large tent at the center. Inside there was a man at a table with a roster and a group of students assigned to direct the new crews.
“Can you hold onto this for me, as a place marker while I move my gear?” He asked the girl in front of him in line. She reminded him of Lena. As a matter of fact, every time he saw a girl with long blond hair it reminded him of Lena.
“Sure. You got a lot of stuff there. I only have this one bag with my cameras and my computer.” She smiled sweetly.
He carried a few pieces at a time, setting them outside the tent where he could keep an eye on them until they were moved to his tent. The nausea began to subside now that his feet were on the ground. Once he had finished, he moved back to the girl who had barely moved from the previous spot.
“Slow moving. Wonder what’s the holdup.” Scott spoke reaching for his bag and nodding his thanks .
“Dunno. So what’s all that gear you have?” Gabby adjusted her backpack over her shoulder as she moved forward one place in line.
“The largest case is a Helium Vector magnetometer. It contains the main unit and three tripods to triangulate the site and get radar readings, so we can see what’s below the surface. It also has a setting for a metal detector, so if anything reads hot we know to dig here. The next largest case is a Leica TPS total station. I know there is already one here at this site, but given the extent of the site, we can set up two and I kind of need to test it out to make sure it’s working properly. The rest is recording devices, oscilloscope, mobile lab analysis. “ He shrugged.
“So you get to play with all the cool toys on the dig. Lena will be either jealous or your new best bud. Can you cook by any chance?” Gabby grinned knowing that this was just the kind of geeky stuff that her sister would be excited about.
The line advanced several spaces. “Cool toys, yes. Good to know I have some leverage with Lena. Cooking, barely enough to survive. Back home we eat a lot of frozen pizza and carry out. I guess I really should learn. Why?”
“Oh, Lena thinks she’s in love with this guy here that cooks. His name is Andre, he’s an older guy with massive guns. I’ve been keeping in touch with her online and she’s bragged about him several times.” Gabby let her backpack rest on the ground in front of her, her shoulders ached from holding it.
Scott looked puzzled. Last time he saw her in the parking lot she was with Bryce. “I thought she had a boyfriend.” He tried to play it cool
“They broke up the day before she flew out here. I’m glad too. He was a total jerk.”
“So you and her are like bff’s or something?” He stepped a half-step closer.
Gabby smile
d. “She’s my sister.” She extended her hand to shake his. “I’m Gabrielle Eskildson. Most people call me Gabby. She talked me into doing this crazy summer gig to fulfill a photography field credit and, so we could spend some time together.”
He readily accepted her hand. “I’m Scott. Scott Thompson. We’ve been in the same department for three years.”
Gabby stepped to the table for her assignment. Scott saw four of the students talking, waiting for the next person that needed help. One went with Gabby to show her to her new quarters.
“Next. “Erik made notes on Gabby’s assignment and her crew number. He looked up. “Name.”
“Scott Thompson”
“Not seeing it.” Eric flipped through the pages. “Your position?”
“Field tech. I was recently transferred from another site.”
Eric checked the notes from the beginning. “Oh right. You’re the one with the gear. Helena will be thrilled.”
“I hope so. I was wondering if I could get a couple of these guys here to help carry it to my tent.”
“Ze equipment will go to ze man supply tent. Zere is a section towards the front where Helena has set up a central post. The guy over zere is Carl. Nossing leaves ze tent without signing wiss Carl, so your gear is safe.“ Erik motioned two of the guys to help Scott with his things.
“My gear is just outside the door if you want to take that to supply first.” Scott threw his backpack over his shoulder, and hoisted the duffle bag over the opposite one. He followed the student helpers as they pointed out what was where.
He would be sharing a tent with Brad, a guy he’d worked with before. He wasn’t there when Scott arrived, but his stuff was strewn over his cot. Scott began the process of unpacking the necessary things, wondering if Lena would be happy to see him. A grin began to slowly spread as he thought about spending the summer with her.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Paulo Rodrigues” Lena looked around the room, watching for a hand. “Paulo Rodriguez” She waited again. “OK, we’ll come back to him. Alpha Team replacements, Simon Branchard, John Peters, Mark Goldberg, Anna Garcia - go with Dylan”. Dylan waved his hand to signal to them.
