“Except they’re not common in dinosaurs—at least not in meat eaters,” I said. “A few sauropods have been found with them, if I recall, but only ever herbivores.”
Horner clapped his hands together. “You do know your stuff! Ready for another? Put these on and follow me.” Horner handed me a spare pair of leather gloves. They were several sizes too large, but I pulled them on. He trotted a few yards down to the feet of the beast. Its claws were as vicious as its teeth. Horner stopped in front of a leg bone taller than he was. I followed, and he leaned down to the base of the massive fossil.
“I take it that’s the femur Brisbee pulled out with his horses,” I said.
Horner nodded. “Now watch this.” He took hold of the tremendous bone with both hands and lifted it upright like a strong man at the circus. It was a rather shameless display, but his strength was impressive nonetheless. Upright, it looked like the great menhirs, massive standing stones that my father had once studied in France.
“Very impressive, Mr. Horner,” I said.
He laughed and set down the specimen. “The fact is, either one of you could perform that stunt just as well. Would you care to give it a try, miss?”
The femur was half again my height and as wide across as my shoulders. Skeptically, I leaned down and positioned my fingers beneath it. As I pulled, to my own amazement, it tilted up, rising several feet off the ground. “My word,” I exclaimed. My grip within the oversized gloves slipped, and the priceless artifact thudded gracelessly to the ground.
“Careful,” Owen Horner and Charlie said at once. The scientist caught hold of the fossil, shifting it carefully back into place, and at the same moment Charlie caught hold of my arm to steady me, but he let go almost as quickly and stepped shyly aside.
“It’s as though it’s hollow,” I said.
“The medullary cavity,” Horner replied smartly. “It’s a space in which bone marrow and adipose tissue were stored when the creature lived.”
“No, that can’t be it.” I shook my head. “I watched my father and his team articulate a skeleton at the museum, and it took three grown men to support a bone smaller than this. Could it be structured more like a pterosaur’s?”
“Possibly,” he said. “Pterosaurs did have bones like birds, sturdy and lightweight, but that’s because they were designed for flight. I would wager what we’re looking at here is an especially large relative of the Allosaurus.”
My head swam as the reality of the discovery washed over me again. It was as if the childish dreams that had lured me away from home had all come true. “May I help?” I asked. “I do have some experience.”
“So I gather. What about the missing piece?”
“The more thoroughly we understand what’s missing, the more thorough our investigation will be. I could be an invaluable member of the team.”
Horner leaned in close. “My dear, of that I have no doubt. So long as I’m running the show here, your assistance is more than welcome. You’ve already proven you’re as clever as you are lovely.” He gave me a wink.
The man was a ridiculous flatterer, but my heart leapt with excitement to be back on a real dig. It was almost enough to forget that he would be running the show only as long as it took Lewis Lamb to arrive, at which point he’d likely be run out of town. I took a deep breath, looking over the bones. I would enjoy it while I could.