“The biggest surprise,” she said, “was that he was carrying an item of great value.” She flipped to the page containing photographs of the cross, and the general peered at it with interest.

“It appears to be from the early Spanish colonial period, before 1680. It was being examined at the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute by Dr. Kelly here, until we realized its radioactivity.”

“An old cross,” the general said. “Any idea why it was on his person?”

“No idea,” said Corrie. “Not yet, anyway. It doesn’t appear to have been stolen.”

The general nodded.

“So that’s basically the briefing,” said Corrie. She glanced at Nora. “Dr. Kelly, do you have anything to add?”

“Yes, thank you. We’re trying to identify some unusual hallmarks on the cross, to see if we can’t trace its manufacture. It’s solid gold and of high craftsmanship. We’re fairly sure it was made in Mexico City in the early 1600s and brought up the Camino Real into New Mexico.”

The general smiled. “Well, I wish you luck. Meanwhile, have you identified the individual? And, for us on the base anyway, perhaps more to the point: Do you know who he was and what he was doing in the desert on the morning of July 16, 1945?”

“The man’s name was James Doolin Gower,” Corrie said. “His family owned a ranch where he grew up in the foothills of the San Andres Mountains. They were evicted when it was taken over by the government in 1942. While we don’t know what he might have been doing, exactly, he was not all that far from the area of his family’s old ranch when the bomb was tested.”

As she spoke, a flash of recognition went over the general’s face. “Gower? You mean this fellow was from the family that owned the old ranch house not far from the Trinity site? We call it the Gower Ranch.”

“One and the same,” said Morwood.

The general shook his head. “I’ll be damned. That place has some history to it, you know. The Manhattan Project personnel used it as a workshop in the days leading up to Trinity. In fact, Dr. Oppenheimer and a few others slept there the night before the test.” He paused a moment, thinking. “I’m pretty familiar with the history of the Trinity test, and there’s no mention of trespassers or others who had to be escorted off. Of course, that’s pretty wide, empty country. Do you think Gower was on his way back to his family’s ranch when the bomb went off ?”

“Good question. We know he was upset about the government taking the land.”

“Can’t exactly blame him for that,” said McGurk. “Most of the ranchers who had their land taken weren’t happy. And to be honest, the government didn’t compensate them fairly at the time. That wrong was eventually corrected, but it took far too long.”

“General, do WSMR archives contain any information about the taking of the Gower Ranch?”

“I can’t say with certainty, but the government kept good records. I’ll get you what we have as quickly as possible.”

“And you say there were no trespassers on the range during the time of the test? No one else caught in the blast?”

The general shook his head. “There were a number of lawsuits from people living just outside the range who later got cancer. Those were settled years ago. Beyond that, nothing that stands out.”

“Were any members of the Gower family involved in those lawsuits?”

“I can certainly check.” McGurk turned to Woodbridge, who had been taking notes. “Please put a high priority on these requests.”

“Yes, sir.”

“My final question,” Corrie said, “is this: Could a visit to the Gower Ranch house be arranged?”

Morwood shot her a glance—she had intentionally not mentioned the request ahead of time, in case her boss shot it down—but the general merely nodded. “I don’t see why not. To the best of my knowledge, it’s been kept more or less intact—same furniture and so forth. Not for any particular reason; I assume at the time, moving things out was considered an unnecessary inconvenience. None of our personnel have much reason to enter that section of the base at present. The roof has been replaced once or twice, I believe, but essentially it’s the same place.”

“When would be convenient?” Corrie pressed.

“Why not right now?” The general turned. “Lieutenant, call for two jeeps and drivers from the vehicle pool.” He glanced back at Corrie. “It’s a bit of a drive, thirty miles each way, but we’ll pass through a good portion of the range, including the beautiful San Andres Mountains. This is a place not many get to see.”

25

THEY SET OFF in two jeeps. Corrie rode in the front of one with the general driving, with Watts and Nora sitting in the back, while Woodbridge and Morwood rode in the other.

They rode northward on a good gravel road along the base of the mountains, through scenery that was not only spectacular but pristine as well.

“Where are all the bomb craters?” she asked.

The general laughed over the rush of air. “This is the largest military installation in the United States—the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined. The areas used for testing comprise less than one-tenth of one percent. Basically, this is one of the best-preserved landscapes in all of the Southwest.”