Free LC 02 - Questionable Remains by Beverly Connor

jumping up.
    "Now," he said, "or you're all gone." He looked at the three Native Americans in turn. "You took my father's
property. By God, you'll not set foot on mine." He turned
and stomped toward his truck.

    "Damn," said Brian, running after him.
    Lindsay watched as Brian caught up with him, but couldn't hear what was being said. George West looked genuinely sad; John looked angry. Emily stared at the ground, then
rose and started over toward Royce and Brian. Her brother
grabbed her arm, but she threw it off. When she reached
them, she sent Brian away and talked to the landowner
alone. At first his manner was belligerent. Lindsay saw
Emily gesturing at him with her hands; it was obviously an
emotional conversation. In the end Royce got in his truck
and drove off. Emily came back to the tree.
    "I can stay and observe. The two of you have to leave."
    "Damn him," said John. "He can't-"
    "He can," said George. "It's his land, and there's been
enough hard feelings. This is a compromise. We will take it."
    "What about our ancestors?" said John.
    "This is a compromise," the elder repeated. "We'll work
with the law. It's slow, but it's starting to work for us."
    "Tell me this," asked Gerri. "Why the heck did you wait
until now, when we had half the burials up, to make an
appearance and protest?"
    "We've been busy with other pressing matters," said
George, gazing down the road at Walter Royce's retreating
truck. "Come," he said to John, then turned to Brian. "See
that Emily gets home safely."
    "Sure," said Brian. "I will. And thanks."
    While Brian showed Emily West around the site, Lindsay
turned to Gerri. Dropping any pretense at respecting turf,
she spoke plainly.
    "Look, Gerri, I know you disagree with these people, but
these are their ancestors."
    "You don't really know that," said Gerri.
    "They are more closely related to them than we are. They feel very strongly about this. You know their worldview is
very different about archaeological research from ours, and
we have to respect that, even if we disagree with it."

    "Exactly why are you telling me all this?" Gerri asked
defiantly.
    "Because I can see you are angry about their protest over
the excavation of the burials. But if you let your anger manifest itself in some way that insults them, you'll hurt yourself as well as Brian and the others."
    "I do know how to act."
    "Good."
    "Tell me this," said Gerri. "Who the heck are you to be
laying all this on me? You are, after all, only a visitor here."
Despite her words, there was really no malice in Gerri's
voice. Only curiosity.
    "According to some, I'm simply arrogant and manipulative."
    "Well, if you can be arrogant and manipulative, I can be
sugar and spice," said Gerri. "You'll see. Emily will be my
best friend by the end of the week."
    Emily was at the site the next morning at the same time
the crew was removing the protective black plastic from the
ongoing excavations, getting ready for the day's work.
    "That was a good story you told," Emily told Lindsay.
    Lindsay looked up from her work, excavating another
refuse pit. Emily squatted down to her level.
    "It fits so far with what we've found," replied Lindsay.
    "I wasn't insulting you."
    "I know. But I wanted you to understand that I was being
as truthful as the data allow."
    "You're very straightforward. My father likes you," said
Emily.
    "He's a good man. Not many people see the value in
compromise," Lindsay said.
    "There are many people in the world with divergent viewpoints, he always says. We must get along. My brother,
however, doesn't like you. I think perhaps for the same reasons. My brother and my father are very different." She hesitated a moment, then asked, "Why do you do this?"

    Lindsay stopped what she was doing and looked into
Emily's dark eyes. "I want to know about these people. The
history of this land is my history, too. My ancestry is Welsh,
Irish, French, English and, I've been told, some northern
Italian. If you