“Only one of the finest minds in the field. I studied his paper on plesiosaurs when I was at university.” Horner and Brisbee both looked to me to confirm or deny the relation.
“That’s my father,” I admitted. “You’re no slouch yourself, though, Mr. Horner. I understand you made quite a name for yourself in . . . Colorado, was it? I know I’ve read something about you in the journals.”
“South Dakota most recently,” he said, “but neither site holds a candle to what we’re digging up here.”
“This is marvelous!” Hugo Brisbee tightened his grip around my shoulders, beginning to sound genuinely excited. “We’ve got Owen Horner, the up-and-coming prodigy, and now we’ve got the daughter of the famous Daniel Rook, and by tomorrow I’ll be meeting Lamb, too! That settles it. I’m sending word to that reporter right away—I bet we could land a picture on the front page of the Chronicle. Maddie would be so proud.”
“Wait a moment—Lamb, as in Lewis Lamb?” I asked.
“That’s right,” Brisbee confirmed happily. Horner nodded without enthusiasm.
“Horner and Lamb . . . ,” I said. “Now I remember what I read about you last! Oh good heavens. And you knew that Lamb was involved?”
Horner cringed but nodded again.
“Fantastic bit of luck, isn’t it?” said Brisbee. “Lamb was the first one to get back to me about the bones. I promised him the site, so I guess he will technically be in charge when he gets here. I’m sure he’ll be happy about the fine work Owen’s been up to already, though.”
“It’s some kind of luck,” I said, “but I wouldn’t call it fantastic.” I stopped in my tracks and faced Horner. Brisbee’s hand slid off my shoulders, and Charlie and Jackaby turned to face us. Now the charming young scientist looked uncomfortable. “Owen Horner and Lewis Lamb have been at each other’s throats for years!” I told Brisbee. “It’s become international news—slander, sabotage, and all manner of skulduggery.”
“I’ve never . . . ,” Horner interjected.
“They’ve destroyed irreplaceable fossil evidence . . .”
“Technically, I only . . .”
“They even stooped to hurling rocks at each other across a quarry!”
“That was just the once,” Horner admitted, “and their guys started it.”
“You knew that this site had been promised to Mr. Lamb?” I asked.
“Well . . . yes. But you have to understand, Lamb is on the decline. He left the Institute of Sciences in shame. I, on the other hand, have just been offered the prestigious—”
“But science shouldn’t be a competition!”
“Right! I couldn’t agree with you more.” Horner held up his hands in a show of defense. “The battle of the bones is over. That’s why I’m here. No funny business. Just science. I’ve set up perimeters and gotten the dig site prepared. I’ve even made some solid progress—with Mr. Brisbee’s invaluable help, of course. This is still Brisbee property, so I suppose the final decision on who takes the lead is still up to him—but I promise I can play nice however it pans out—especially now that I know what we’re digging up. This site is like nothing I have ever worked on. The bones haven’t spread at all, and I’ve found almost no fragmentation. It’s unreal.” Horner’s defensive posturing melted away as genuine enthusiasm took hold. “We uncovered a portion of the rib cage during our preliminary work yesterday, and just this morning I’ve unearthed most of the midsection.”
“You’ve done all that since yesterday?”
“That’s precisely what I mean! I’ve never been a part of an excavation that went this smoothly. The terrain is marvelously amenable, and the bones are impeccable. Wait until you see it! I haven’t even told you the most exciting bit!”
“What’s the most exciting bit?”