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‘Have you ridden around these parts much?’ she asked.
‘Oh, yeah, I’ve covered a fair bit of ground.’
‘Is there anything significant about the land I should know?’
‘Not that I’m aware of, besides it being beautiful and a special part of the world. But as I said, I’ve only ever lived out here part-time, so I’m not always around or up to date with the latest news. What do you mean exactly?’
‘Did you know the previous owner?’
‘No, he died before I took over my place. A few years before, so we never met. The entire time I’ve been coming to Bellethorpe your property has been vacant.’ Clive turned sheepish then. ‘That’s sort of why I’ve ridden these trails, had free reign and no one cared whether I was trespassing or not. So, I must apologise, I’m used to taking the shortcut through your land to reach mine.’
Ava was grateful. ‘No need to apologise, you’re very welcome. You’ve been so kind letting us ride your horses.’
‘It’s a mutually satisfying arrangement.’
‘Clive, what do you teach at the university?’
‘Anthropology. I’m into the linguistics side of it myself.’
Anthropology, the study of people and cultures. It had to be a sign. Deep in her gut, Ava thought she could trust Clive. And, let’s face it, she needed help.
‘Is there an archaeology department at your uni?’
‘Oh yeah, of course. It’s popular and there is some exciting research coming out of there. An interesting field.’
He was looking at her oddly, wondering where this line of conversation was heading but he was placating her, and she appreciated that.
‘Clive, I’ve found a few things and it’s outside my scope of knowledge, but I’m convinced it’s important, significant, but I don’t know enough.’
He murmured for her to go on.
‘What do you think of these?’ Ava knelt and uncovered her finds. Clive hopped off Marmalade and sat next to her. With a gentle touch, he collected one rock and held it up for examination and did the same with three pieces. Ava respected that he didn’t rush in with an opinion straight away; he seemed to be a man who carefully considered things.
‘This is definitely outside my scope but what do you think? With this colour, is it opal? Is there more to it?’
‘Yeah, I think so. I reckon it’s opal. And look around you, someone has searched for something. These seem to be tailings, don’t they?’ Clive relinquished the gems and covered the surrounds, investigating each pile. He found the lean-to; Ava didn’t intervene with her views, simply let him observe.
‘It’s not a professional set up, so maybe a hobbyist? Or did they start and get interrupted? It’s hard to tell. I need to talk to someone with knowledge…’
‘Whoa, hang on. We don’t know what we’re dealing with yet.’ Ava stood and guarded her territory. It was her find, her land. What had she done? She was getting nervous now at the prospect of involving other people and having strangers nosing around. But she needed help and that is exactly why she’d asked.
Clive regarded her intently. ‘I know people in the archaeology department, people of integrity, whom I can trust. If I ask them to keep it to themselves, they will. What about I ask them to do a reconnaissance visit? Simply check things out? I might need to take an example. Otherwise, it’s a big ask.’
The archaeologist in Ava knew that was the best approach. But her chest tightened, her breath went shallow. Involving other people scared her. For many reasons—what if she was wrong? No, that didn’t worry her. What if it was something, something significant and she had uncovered it? What then? And what would that mean? The idyllic and quiet life she’d been building in Bellethorpe could shatter. But, of course, she was getting ahead of herself. The excitement of a potential find could do that. There wasn’t a choice, was there? She had to know. There was only so far her limited knowledge could advance the investigation.
She nodded, slowly, reluctantly. ‘Promise me, Clive, for the moment, you’ll keep this quiet. Until we at least know what we’re dealing with.’
The man agreed and stared once more at the piece of dazzling rock in his hand.
Chapter Thirteen
Ava laid her shirt flat on the outdoor table and rubbed her hands together. They were dirty; her fingernails lined black and particles of dirt clung to each crease of her knuckles. Filth from the dig and horse riding; it was gross but made her feel like she’d done some real work.
Without bothering to wash her hands, she carefully considered her specimens; it was a beautiful time—the discovery, the unknown, the possibilities. Thoughts spiralled through her mind; one idea rolling over into another. What had she found?
Ah, the excitement! A semblance of her former self crept in.
Until she heard a car pull up. Her heart beat double time until she remembered she’d left the gate unlocked for Ish’s return. When would she stop having a physical reaction to unexpected events?
