CHAPTER 35
Gary held the velociraptor skull at eye level. The thing that intrigued him most is that it was not a fossil but rather actual bone. The novelty of it was almost as awe striking as the living specimens themselves. "How much do you think I could get for this on the black market?" Gary turned the skull over in his palm. The remains were small, clearly belonging to an animal not more than a month in age.
"Don't even think about it." Dr. Conners chuckled. "That skull is the property of INGEN. Where Mr. Hammond may be forgiving, he's got a nephew mooching his way up the corporate ladder who's a royal jackass. That sleazy little prick would sue you for all you're worth, and then some."
Gary frowned and handed the skull to Dr. Conners. "Well, what do you make of it?"
Dr. Conners examined the skull, running his fingers along the tooth gouges and claw markings imbedded within the bone. "It was likely the runt of the litter." He shrugged. "It wouldn't be the first time we've seen these suckers tear each other to pieces."
Dr. Conners set the skull on the ground next to him with care and peered back into the small drainage pipe with a flashlight. "There could be six to eight eggs here, but it's tough to say, with how much the shells have been trampled on." He panned the flashlight over the nest. There were fragments of eggshell everywhere, and they were mixed all throughout a tangle of dry foliage, mud, and raptor down. Dr. Conners picked through the nest with his fingers and found more bones. He studied them for a while until he heard a pair of footsteps approach behind him. From his hands and knees he looked up to see Dr. Johnson coming their way.
"You shouldn't speak ill of Mr. Ludlow. It'll come back to haunt you when he's CEO." Dianna squatted next to Bryce.
Doctor Conners let out a boisterous laugh. "That will never happen. Mr. Hammond is just playing nice for the family. He can't actually favor that twit. He certainly isn't foolish enough to let a no talent narcissist like Peter run his company."
"Tell me how you really feel about him." Dianna smiled and held up a fragment of eggshell. "There's a nest for every female in here, and you can bet the babies have been using the drainage pipes to escape into the wild."
"Well that all seems very straightforward." Bryce handed Dr. Johnson the young raptor skull to look at. "The real question remains. How did three male velociraptors slip passed us when there where only eight raptors to begin with?"
Dianna balanced the skull on her fingertips, holding it up to the light to peer through all its holes and hollows. "I don't think we're going to find the answer here, and I'm not sure where to look next." She shifted her eyes over to the cluster of velociraptors sleeping in the corner. "We should pack our things. I don't want us overstaying our welcome." She opened a plastic specimen bag and slipped the skull inside. After zipping the top seal she handed it off to Gary.
Dr. Conners nodded. "I agree. We should leave. We'll sort the rest of this out in a safer environment."
Gary had already begun to shoulder bags and collect loose items. "You don't have to tell me twice."