Murder in the Queen's Armes by Aaron Elkins Read Free Book Online Page A

said. "Wait till that damn inquisition convenes. What a kick in the ass they’re going to get—what a surprise!"
    "Would that be the human skeletal remains the paper mentioned?" Gideon asked.
    "Right." He grinned wolfishly. "Jealous?"
    "Interested. Do you have any physical anthropologists working with you?"
    "No, and if what you mean is that, being an ignorant archaeologist, I might be misinterpreting the skeletal evidence, then come back in two weeks and see for yourself."
    "I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t I look at what you have right now?"
    "Uh-uh, I want it to be a surprise for Horizon."
    "I’ll keep it a surprise; it’s your baby, whatever it is. I promise not to tell anybody what I’ve seen. Look, for one thing, I really am damn curious to see what you have. For another, maybe I could point out some things you missed— it’s my business, you know."
And for still another,
Gideon thought,
maybe I can show you you’re heading for a hell of a debacle, and maybe you’ll listen.
For whatever Nate had unearthed—and if he said it was sensational, it probably was—it could hardly confirm a theory that was untenable to begin with.
    Nate had been shaking his head all the time Gideon was speaking. "Nope," he said firmly. "I think we’ll just go ahead and have the official unveiling at the Grand Inquisition."
    It was said with finality, and at that point Gideon gave up. He’d tried to help and been rebuffed. And when it came down to it, it wasn’t his affair. Nate was a grown man, chairman of a department and director of an excavation, and he had more than once shown himself capable of getting out of his own difficulties as well as into them. Besides, Gideon told himself (only a little after the fact), he’d promised Julie to stay out of academic fracases on his honeymoon, and that was a promise he meant to keep—no matter how curious he was about Nate’s mysterious find. He had no idea what sort of game Frawley was playing, but that, too, was Nate’s problem.
    He took his first sip of the tasteless, now-cold coffee and put the mug down. "Okay, Nate, do it the way you want. I wish you well; you know that."
    "Hey, don’t go ‘way mad." Nate, more relaxed now, picked up a piece of pottery, rubbing it thoughtfully with his thumb. "Where are you going to be in two weeks? Still in Charmouth?"
    "No, I’m leaving tomorrow. We thought we’d drive west, spend some time in Wales, see some of Ireland, and then head back to London in a couple of weeks."
    "Well, couldn’t you work it out to stop in Charmouth again on the way back? The inquiry’s November twenty-ninth."
    "I don’t think—"
    "Wait, don’t say no. I’m in trouble, Gid. That inquiry board is dead set against me. They’ve already made up their minds. They’ll find some way to twist—"
    "I don’t buy that, Nate. Horizon and the WAS are objective, knowledgeable—"
    His protest was waved away. "They’re archaeologists, like I am. What do they know about skeletons? Look, man, we could use a good physical anthropologist there; somebody without an ax to grind, someone we all trust— because we sure as hell don’t trust each other."
    Gideon shook his head. "Forget it. The last thing I need is to be on a board of inquiry—into
your
conduct, no less. No, thanks."
    "Listen, all I’m asking you to do is be there, maybe for an hour, when I show them what I have. You know, just be an expert resource; do your thing, give us your opinion.
    Call it the way you see it."
    "Nate, I’m on my honeymoon."
    "Okay, let me put it this way." He looked soberly at Gideon. "I know you think I’m kidding myself, and maybe I am. But I’m not crazy, you know. And what if I’m right? What if the most important Bronze Age find of the century, maybe of any century, is about to pop? I’m asking you to be the first physical anthropologist to look at it. You’d be right there at the grand opening; you’d be the one to do the initial analysis…."
    Gideon sighed, then