Sacred Ground. Alex Archer

the real work.”

      Derek leaned forward. “Annja, please make no mistake—while we’re committed to helping the Inuit preserve whatever sacred ground they have in this location, our primary emphasis is on profit. We’re a private corporation and as such, driven by the ever-present bottom line.”

      “Hence my original statement about private and public interests not intersecting.”

      Derek leaned back. “We can help each other.”

      “How so?”

      “By you agreeing to come on board and assist the Inuit elders with their research, we gain a certain degree of sympathy for our corporation. Our public image looks better than if we simply steamrolled in and took what we wanted from the land with little regard to its history.”

      “Even though that’s exactly what you want to do anyway?”

      “You don’t strike me as being naive, Annja.”

      “I’m not.”

      “So you understand the function of our meeting and your employment with us on this matter.”

      “I’m coming in as a contractor.”

      “But you work for us.”

      Annja smiled. “I gathered as much.”

      “For which you’ll be paid quite handsomely. Far more than you make hosting that little show on television.”

      “Actually, Chasing History’s Monsters does pretty well in the ratings.”

      Derek grinned. “Only when your cohost manages to have a well-timed wardrobe malfunction.”

      “Granted.”

      “I don’t think we’d see such a thing from you, now, would we?”

      Annja shot him a look. “I wouldn’t hold out any hope.”

      “Noted.”

      Annja folded up the map. “How long has this land belonged to this tribe of Inuit?”

      “Almost one thousand years.”

      “You were able to trace it back that far?”

      Derek sighed. “It was part of what we had to do in order to make sure that the government was satisfied we did as much as possible to benefit the tribe instead of our own rather money-oriented motives.”

      “And what have you paid the Inuit?”

      “Far more than the land is worth. But I’m not exactly at liberty to disclose the exact number we eventually settled upon.”

      “Still,” Annja said. “You’ll inevitably extract far more than that if your estimates are correct, right?”

      “Of course. It wouldn’t have been a good investment otherwise. And we most certainly are not in the business of throwing money away.”

      Annja nodded. “This dig site was a condition of the purchase?”

      “The elders insisted on it. They claim a portion of the land—which happens to be exactly where our scientists tell us that the richest veins of kimberlite lie—is an ancient burial site. It has to be moved to a new area that has been consecrated through a variety of rituals and sacred events.”

      “Kimberlite indicates the presence of diamonds, right?”

      Derek grinned. “Yes. It’s a type of potassic volcanic rock. It occurs naturally in ‘pipes,’ or long vertical structures that have the potential to contain diamonds. Our scientists tell me that kimberlite is formed deep within the Earth’s mantle, probably between ninety and three hundred miles deep.”

      “Journey to the Center of the Earth.”

      “All for a girl’s best friend, yes.”

      “So, why bring me in?”

      “We need you to confirm when the land is free of relics and assorted Inuit history. If we didn’t have you in there, the Inuit could hold things up indefinitely and claim there was still any number of items that had to be extracted or moved. It could delay our operations for years. And we are definitely in the realm of time is money.”

      “I see.”

      “Your job is to get in there, get friendly with the Inuit elders and help them do what they need to do. Move their burial site. Make sure there aren’t any relics that need to be dug up and preserved. Do whatever it takes, but within four weeks we want that land free of any Inuit association. Because at the first sign of a thaw—as much as we get up in these parts—we’re coming in with the drills.”

      “And at that point there won’t be any second chance for the Inuit.”

      “None. Once you give us the word or if the four weeks expire first, we’re coming in. I don’t think anyone could argue we haven’t been more than patient.”

      “I’m sure someone could.”

      Derek sighed. “True. People are always able to complain when they’re not spending one billion dollars of their own money.”

      “This is a billion-dollar operation?”

      Derek smiled. “I never said that if anyone asks.”

      “All right, then.”

      Derek finished his coffee and set the empty mug back down on the table. “Do you have any other questions?”

      “My payment?”

      He nodded. “We wired the first installment directly into your bank account this morning, prior to this meeting.”

      Annja smiled. “You’re awfully confident that I’d take the assignment.”

      Derek shrugged. “We make a habit of knowing as much as possible about who we deal with ahead of time. I’ve read all of your files and information. I’ve watched you for a while on television even. I know you can’t resist the pull of a new dig. It’s too deeply ingrained in your spirit.”

      “You calling me an addict?”

      Derek smiled. “Are you?”

      Annja took a deep breath. “Sure feels that way sometimes.”

      “You say that with a degree of…sadness?”

      Annja shook her head. “Not really. I tend to live a lot of my life locked in the past. Memories of what I’ve done overlapped with the memories I dig through on an almost daily basis. Sometimes it’s impossible to see the future.”

      “Well,” Derek said, “I guess I can understand that to some extent.”

      “Only some?”

      “I’ve never been on an archaeological excursion.”

      “Make some time,” Annja said. “Come and join me on this one.”

      “I hate the cold,” Derek said.

      Annja smiled. “You’re kidding.”

      “I wish. It’s the one part of this job that I struggle with on a constant basis. If there was any way to do this from the warm beaches of Fiji, I’d be a much happier man.”

      “I guess not, though, huh?”

      “No.”

      “The rest of my payment will be transferred in four weeks?”

      “Or upon completion of the job, whichever comes first. If you finish in two weeks, you get a fifty percent bonus.”

      Annja leaned back. “Mighty generous of you.”

      “Not my decision, actually, but I’ll pass it on. Remember what I told you, that we’re in the time-is-money realm. My bosses want this thing to move ahead quickly. I hope we can count on