It was just her and the bones set in stone.
Two
“As far as success in my work is concerned, I could not ask for more. For years I have wanted to get nearly complete skeletons. I had found much that was scientifically interesting but felt I had not found such complete things as I wanted to and others were ahead of me in that respect and there is no skeleton in the museum set up that I have collected. Now I have suddenly most of the skeleton of a large dinosaur, apparently the most complete that has been found, and now there is the prospect of a little fellow which is probably new.”
~Earl Douglass
FRIDAY, APRIL5, 1889•DENVER
Gripping her lucky coin in her gloved fist, Martha Jankowski stared up at the double doors of the museum and chewed on the inside of her cheek.
She could do this. What was there to be worried about?
Nerves hadn’t unsettled her on her first day of university. They hadn’t given her grief when she’d told her society friendswhat she intended to spend her life pursuing. So why should they bother her now?
The sun warmed her face, and she smiled. Her dream of studying paleontology had come true. Every moment of learning fanned the desire to return to her home state and dig. To unearth the majesty of dinosaurs. The thrill of brushing back layers of rock and sand and finding bones—large or small—was like oxygen to her lungs. And worth the days, the weeks of finding nothing.
If she could brave the disappointment of cracked bones, empty quarries, and the ever-changing weather, surely she could face a museum director. At some point a woman would have the honor of being the first to display a full dinosaur skeleton. Why not her?
She was as worthy as any man to have her name on an exhibit in the museum. A nervous thrill shot through her. The latest bone uncovered in her quarry proved it.
Martha dropped the coin in her pocket and squared her shoulders. Enough dawdling. The museum doors wouldn’t open by themselves. Lifting her chin, she stomped her way up the stairs and refused to look back. The museum director was waiting for her.
She tugged on the massive door with a bit more gusto than necessary and it opened in a swoosh of air. The interior of the building was dim compared to the bright sunshine on a cloudless day.
“Good morning, Miss Jankowski.” Mr. Spalding greeted her as she stepped inside the lobby. “How lovely to see you today.”
“Good morning.” The words barely made it past the lump in her throat. She swallowed against the dryness that threatened to overtake her mouth. “Have you had an opportunity to look over my proposal?”
He held out an arm toward a door behind them. “Why don’t we go into my office to discuss the particulars?”
Was that a positive or negative tone? And he hadn’t answered her question. Not a great way to start out. With a nod, she followed him to his office.
He opened the door for her, and she entered.
“Please, have a seat.” He pointed to the plush burgundy chair.
The door closed behind her with a resounding click. His slow, soft footfalls on the carpet made the seconds longer.
Oh, for heaven’s sake. Why couldn’t she simply sit and wait like a lady who didn’t have a care in the world?
He walked around his desk. Touched a paper or two and finally took his seat. “Since this is of utmost secrecy, I’m hoping it is agreeable with you to meet in private?”
As if she cared about propriety at this moment. She was about to burst at the seams. But she kept her calm façade in place. “It is perfectly acceptable. Thank you.”
“All right then”—he steepled his fingers and leaned back in his chair with a smile—“I’m excited to hear what you’ve found.”
“I believe it is an intactApatosaurusskeleton. Quite beautiful.”
His eyebrows shot up. “That’s splendid.”
Encouraged by his clear excitement, she drew in a steadying breath and straightened her shoulders. “Yes, it is.”
“Intact, you say? Are you certain?”
“From what we can tell at this time, it appears to be complete. Of course, we won’t know for sure until we have every single bone out of the quarry.” She had a hard time keeping her lips from curving into a smile. The more she worked at keeping a serious expression, the more difficult it became to not allow her leg to bounce up and down. Bother with sitting still. She plunked her reticule over her knees and willed every bit of her body to cooperate.
“Am I allowed to know the location?”
