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Authors: Robert Goddard
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Does that ring any bells? 1947?'
'The Roswell incident.' Umber's heart sank. This was worse than he had first thought. Far worse.
'July's been a busy month over the years. Roswell. Apollo Eleven. Voyager One. And our own strange experience.'
Alien abduction. That was it, then. Nevinson's theory of choice to explain two men in a white van, one missing girl and one dead one. Umber sighed. 'Do you really believe this, Percy?'
'I've been compelled to. The evidence is overwhelming.'
'So... Tamsin was kidnapped by Martians?'
'Certainly not.' Nevinson frowned pityingly at him. 'Have you taken leave of your senses?'
Umber smiled grimly. 'I'm not sure.'
'Wessex is an encoded landscape, David. That's what you have to understand. Avebury. Silbury. Stonehenge. Woodhenge. The long barrows. The linking avenues. There're repositories of information -- of ancient secrets. But not everybody wants those secrets to be uncovered.' Nevinson's voice dropped to a whisper. 'By the summer of 1981, I'd gone a long way towards cracking the code. I notified the authorities of my preliminary conclusions. I thought it my duty to do so. That was a mistake. Sadly, I fear Tamsin and Miranda Hall paid the penalty for my mistake.'
'How do you figure that out?'
'I believe the incident was staged to demonstrate to me that innocent people would suffer if I continued with my researches. Of course, no-one was intended to die. The driver of the van simply panicked. But Miranda's death complicated matters. I believe it's the reason why Tamsin was never returned.'
'What became of her, then?'
'I don't know. I imagine she's alive and well somewhere, with no conscious memory of what occurred that day. She was only two years old, after all.'
'Did you tell Sharp any of this at the time?'
'I hinted at it. But I was left in no doubt that he'd been warned off by the powers that be. Hence the need for us to meet... a deux.'
'I see.'
'I suspect you've been manoeuvred into accepting his assistance. His role is to ensure you don't find what you're looking for. And, before you ask, I'm afraid I can't disclose what I've learned from my study of the henges. Naturally, I've continued to work on the subject since 1981. But to share my findings with others would only be to endanger them.'
'Of course.'
'I strongly advise you to abandon your investigation. If you must persist, do so alone. But be aware of the risks you'll be running. They're considerable. Although...'
Nevinson's voice trailed off into a silence Umber felt no inclination to break. The man was mad. That was clear. Not barking. But mad nonetheless. Yet his madness at least ruled him out as Sharp's correspondent. His obsession left no room for Junian diversions. Even Percy Nevinson could not suppose that Junius was a Martian.
'I don't really need to tell you, do I?' Nevinson appeared disappointed that some prompting was required. 'Your wife's sad example is a salutary one.'
'What do you mean?'
'Neither of us believes she died accidentally, do we? Or by her own hand. She must have strayed too close to the truth. How close, I assume you don't know, otherwise you wouldn't be here. The desire to avenge her is doubtless considerable, but --'
Umber stood up suddenly, pushing his chair back against the vacant table behind him with a thump. It stopped Nevinson in mid-sentence. He goggled up at Umber in surprise.
'What's wrong?'
'Nothing's wrong. I'm leaving. That's all.' Umber plucked a fiver out of his wallet and tossed it onto the table. 'Not sure that'll stretch to the cake, but I'll have to leave you to settle up, I'm afraid.'
'But... we haven't finished.'
'Oh yes, we have.' Umber smiled stiffly. 'I've heard enough.'
* * *
Umber needed a walk to calm himself before reporting back to Sharp. In the course of it, he began to suspect that Sharp would criticize him for failing to confine Nevinson to practical issues. But there it was. The man was impossible. He was also, Umber felt sure, irrelevant.
As it
'The Roswell incident.' Umber's heart sank. This was worse than he had first thought. Far worse.
'July's been a busy month over the years. Roswell. Apollo Eleven. Voyager One. And our own strange experience.'
Alien abduction. That was it, then. Nevinson's theory of choice to explain two men in a white van, one missing girl and one dead one. Umber sighed. 'Do you really believe this, Percy?'
'I've been compelled to. The evidence is overwhelming.'
'So... Tamsin was kidnapped by Martians?'
'Certainly not.' Nevinson frowned pityingly at him. 'Have you taken leave of your senses?'
Umber smiled grimly. 'I'm not sure.'
'Wessex is an encoded landscape, David. That's what you have to understand. Avebury. Silbury. Stonehenge. Woodhenge. The long barrows. The linking avenues. There're repositories of information -- of ancient secrets. But not everybody wants those secrets to be uncovered.' Nevinson's voice dropped to a whisper. 'By the summer of 1981, I'd gone a long way towards cracking the code. I notified the authorities of my preliminary conclusions. I thought it my duty to do so. That was a mistake. Sadly, I fear Tamsin and Miranda Hall paid the penalty for my mistake.'
'How do you figure that out?'
'I believe the incident was staged to demonstrate to me that innocent people would suffer if I continued with my researches. Of course, no-one was intended to die. The driver of the van simply panicked. But Miranda's death complicated matters. I believe it's the reason why Tamsin was never returned.'
'What became of her, then?'
'I don't know. I imagine she's alive and well somewhere, with no conscious memory of what occurred that day. She was only two years old, after all.'
'Did you tell Sharp any of this at the time?'
'I hinted at it. But I was left in no doubt that he'd been warned off by the powers that be. Hence the need for us to meet... a deux.'
'I see.'
'I suspect you've been manoeuvred into accepting his assistance. His role is to ensure you don't find what you're looking for. And, before you ask, I'm afraid I can't disclose what I've learned from my study of the henges. Naturally, I've continued to work on the subject since 1981. But to share my findings with others would only be to endanger them.'
'Of course.'
'I strongly advise you to abandon your investigation. If you must persist, do so alone. But be aware of the risks you'll be running. They're considerable. Although...'
Nevinson's voice trailed off into a silence Umber felt no inclination to break. The man was mad. That was clear. Not barking. But mad nonetheless. Yet his madness at least ruled him out as Sharp's correspondent. His obsession left no room for Junian diversions. Even Percy Nevinson could not suppose that Junius was a Martian.
'I don't really need to tell you, do I?' Nevinson appeared disappointed that some prompting was required. 'Your wife's sad example is a salutary one.'
'What do you mean?'
'Neither of us believes she died accidentally, do we? Or by her own hand. She must have strayed too close to the truth. How close, I assume you don't know, otherwise you wouldn't be here. The desire to avenge her is doubtless considerable, but --'
Umber stood up suddenly, pushing his chair back against the vacant table behind him with a thump. It stopped Nevinson in mid-sentence. He goggled up at Umber in surprise.
'What's wrong?'
'Nothing's wrong. I'm leaving. That's all.' Umber plucked a fiver out of his wallet and tossed it onto the table. 'Not sure that'll stretch to the cake, but I'll have to leave you to settle up, I'm afraid.'
'But... we haven't finished.'
'Oh yes, we have.' Umber smiled stiffly. 'I've heard enough.'
* * *
Umber needed a walk to calm himself before reporting back to Sharp. In the course of it, he began to suspect that Sharp would criticize him for failing to confine Nevinson to practical issues. But there it was. The man was impossible. He was also, Umber felt sure, irrelevant.
As it
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