“Arrowheads?” Liam said, pointing.

“A bunch of them. If I can get them dated I might be able to work up a decent timeline, but you can see the evolution of the technology, stone to iron to stainless steel.” He grinned. “I admit the metal ones don’t exactly help prove my thesis, but it does show that the locals have been using this cave for a long time. These are axe heads.”

“What’s that groove?”

“Where they tied it on to a handle. See where the twine or rope or whatever crossed over?” Erik was practically glowing with excitement and appeared delighted to share his expertise, and Liam warmed to him. People who liked their jobs were the luckiest people in the world, and by far the most fun to talk to. “Those shaved areas are where they shaped the striking edge with another tool.”

Even Liam could recognize a fish hook when he saw one, but Erik had discovered one carved from wood that was as big as his hand, flat with wicked-looking barbs.

“For halibut,” Erik said. “You’ll see stainless steel hooks almost exactly like that on a halibut boat today.”

“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”

“Exactly.” Pleased, Erik nodded his head. “This is that snare I told you about.”

To Liam it looked like a jumble of old bones, although he could see in places where they had been shaped by human hands. For what purpose, he had no clue.

He turned to look at the Bay. The rock outcropping extended out at least a hundred feet and was almost exactly perpendicular to the bluff that edged the beach. Nothing but sand on either side. Good bottom for landing a boat. The location was halfway between the head and the mouth of the Bay, so reasonably accessible to anyone living on the other side, especially experienced seamen like the Aleuts. He looked at Erik. “How did you find this cave?”

The archeologist’s smile faded, but he said readily, “A friend and I were beachcombing around here when I was a kid. I remembered the outcropping, and since it’s such an anomaly on this side of the Bay, I thought I’d take a look.”

“Lucky guess.”

“No kidding.” Erik’s voice was flat. He dropped one of the snare parts and shoved his hands in his pockets. “It would be something.”

He spoke in such a low voice that Liam was not sure he was meant to hear. “What would be?” he said.

“If I pull this off. If I find proof. It would be something to give. Something to leave behind. Do you have kids, Liam?”

“Two,” Liam said. Charlie might have died but he was never gone to Liam. “You?”

“I’m told it makes you think differently about things.”

“It does.” Liam pointed. “Is that a rock hammer?”

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

“Shawshank.”

Erik laughed. “Good movie.”

“Any movie with Morgan Freeman in it is a good movie. I would have thought the last thing an archeologist would need is a hammer. You’re all about the not breaking of stuff.”