Artifact

Chapter One

Deep inside the tomb they barely heard the snarl of an approaching vehicle.

"That'll be Kontos," George said, putting down his calipers.

"It doesn't sound like his car." Claire carefully punched her computer inventory on HOLD.

"Who else would come out here? That union moron?"

"Possibly."

"Come on, I'll bet you it's Kontos."

"Wait a sec."

Claire shut down the inventory program. She was checking the last catalog numbers of potsherds against the printout manifest, a tedious job. The computerized field inventory was a marvel, neatly organizing six months of archeological data. It could be hypertexted and correlated with a single keystroke. Scarcely the size of a water glass, it carried six months' worth of archeological data.

She brushed off her hands and walked out under the lintel of the huge stone doorway, into the midmorning sun. Every day was slightly cooler now and she thought fondly of the green bowers along the Charles River, the silent glassy water and crisp red brick. She was tired of the colors of Greece, however sharp and exotic. Wand, young cypress trees speared th ... read full excerpt from Artifact ebook