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"There is, but it's been begrudgingly accepted I' about transatlantic contact hundreds of years before the Vikings The problem has been the lack of any scientifically proven artifact The Olmec head would have been that artifact"

Austin lifted an eyebrow "Well, so what?"

"Pardon me?" she said, almost affronted

"Say this figure does conclusively prove pre-Colu, and certainly controversial But how iists, historians, and the Knights of Colu to kill for, in other words?"

"Oh, I see your point," she said, somewhat mollified, "but I can't answer you, other than to say I think my discovery precipitated the attack in some way"

"No one in the camp knew about your find"

"No They would have known about it in time: Ethically, I should have told Dr Knox and Fisel the ht away that it was Mexican Olmec, but it seemed so fantastic, I wanted corroboration before I stuck my neck out That's when I contacted Sandy"

"Except for you, your colleague back at the university was the only other person who had seen evidence of the find?"

"Yes, but Sandy would never tell anybody Thank goodness the preliet home as soon as possible"

"We're heading to the Yucatan peninsula to check out the impact area of the asteroid that ot another day of survey here before we leave," Austin said "We'd love you to be our guest for that time, then we can drop you off at Marrakech, where you can catch a plane to New York It would give you sohts"

"Thank you," Nina said "I'm still pretty jittery, but I feel safe here"

"You'll be more than safe, you'll be well fed"

"There is one thing I've got to notify the university about the expedition and Dr Knox The anthropology department will be devastated Dr: Knox was an institution Everybody loved him"

"No problem," Zavala said "I'll take you to the radio room"

Austin got a glass of iced coffee and brought it back to the table He poured in a dollop of half-and-half and stared at the dark liquid as if the answer to Nina's puzzle lay in the swirling curlicues None of the story htenment when Zavala returned with Nina a few minutes later