Chapter 30

Daddy looked like he’d just found the Holy Grail. He became ‘extremely’ careful of the boulder with the spread chips. His highpowered military flashlight came up and he said he was going to use it.

He carried it in his shirt-pocket protector pouch along with his pens, pencils and old fashioned slide-rule. After the first time, ever since he bought it he was always careful to announce that he was ‘going to light up the night’ with his 300000 LM XHP90.2 Most Powerful LED Flashlight USB Rechargeable LED Torch Hand Lamp 18650 Tactical Flashlight.

After the first time he hit the switch and I couldn’t see anything but the spots one used to get when some damn reporter fired off one of those Zirconium flashbulbs they used to use, I learned to close my eyes AND look away. That damn flashlight would produce those spots right through my eye lids.

“Selene? Did you bring your digital?”

“Always, Daddy.” I produced.

“Without disturbing any chips ... take several pictures of the whole area.”

I did.

“Without going behind the boulder, get a video movie of the impression in the sand between the cave wall and the boulder.

He shined that damn light on the sand and the tanned deer hide where the knapper had sat. Properly lighted ... and that damn flashlight did the job ... I could see where the chips had fallen around his legs. There is only one way to get that shape ... yoga style.

“Let’s go,” daddy said.

Alarmed, I asked, “Daddy ... what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to call the expert ... you are going to confess your part in this mess.”

“Confess? Confess what mess?”

“You moved the point.”

“Ooo ... I did, didn’t I.” Statement of bald facts ... not a question.

“Bring it with ... you moved it and it has lost it’s locational provenience ... to wit ... the boulder. We know it’s generalized provenience ... cave on the banks of the Colorado.”

“Ooo.”

“Yeah.”

“About calling.”

“Yes?”

“Are you sure you want our peace and tranquility disturbed for a piece of rock?”

“Selene Susan Dent ... some things are more important than comfort and safety.”

“To some people,” I said. “And not all that many in comparative terms.”

“How many people viewed King Tut?”

“Ah ... I see.”

The King Tut display drew millions. Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh and the display of his tomb furnishings was extremely popular.

This was going to put our names in the books.

“Doctor Waters, please.”

<”Dr. Waters is pretty busy ... whom shall I say is calling?”>(I am surmising the convo.)

“Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies at University of Texas, Austin, Doctor Adam Dent calling.”

<”I’ll connect you, sir.”>

<”Hello?”>

“Hey ‘Muddy.’”

Laughter and an appellate... <”A Dent.”>

“Yup ... ol’ Body filler himself. You real busy?”

<”Deep in the shit, Doc. New doin’s.”>

“Got something related to that.”

<”Friedkin?”>

“Yeah ... are you where you can sit down?”

“Hold on ... my daughter is uploading a pic.”

“Sent.”

<”Holy Shit!”>

“I thought you said you were where you could sit down.”

<”A warning would have been nice.”>

“Want some more?”

<”Sure ... I’m already in the mud.”>

I sent the series followed by the movie.

<”Don’t touch anything.”>

I said, “Too late ... I already moved the point.”

<”Selene? Selene Susan?”>

“Yes ... to my everlasting chagrin ... I picked it up to show Daddy.”

<”Tell your dad we’re on our way.”>

“They’re coming, Daddy.”

“Daddy? Why call him Muddy?”

McKinley Morganfield, known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the “father of modern Chicago blues”

“Mike plays a great blues guitar.”