“Yes, sir, I’ll keep them elsewhere.”

“Why were you interested in them, anyhow?  And the sand?” Radnor asked.

“Never seen sand like that.  And there were patches everywhere. Besides the pretty rocks on the ground, the ones in the bottle, there were several stuck into what was left of the house’s concrete wall.  Only the south side of the house.  And the concrete looked spalled where the stones were imbedded. Had to be going at a good clip when they hit the wall.”

“Sensible.  And here we are at the Trinity, and I see the special is all sold out.  You like prime rib?” Radnor asked.

* * * * *

Much later in the evening, Winston returned to the Sheriff’s office. 

“Evening, Hugh,” he called to the Sergeant on duty.

‘Evening, Winston…been quiet since you two left.  Two familiar drunks now in the tank. One fistfight, settled before our man got there, with apologies all around.  Phone calls, now from the Eastern press.  Chicago. New York.  Washington.  Boston.  All want to know about  south of here.  Someone’s calling it the  ‘blasted heath’.  I told each of them.  I’m the night desk.  No one told me anything.  That aeroplane that flew in today.  They saw things, told the Phoenix Rising Sun about it.  Sun ran a big extra.  Those newspapers heard wild rumors from the Sun.  Rail tracks gone.  Trains destroyed.  Railmaster called. Figure a two day delay in mail from Phoenix, so we see that newspaper last.”

Winston’s mail was waiting, locked in his desk.   The envelope was from the Physical Review.  “…apologies for the delay…took paper to Europe to ask an opinion…Einstein says yes…Bohr is furious…I am pleased to accept your paper ‘A Proposed Experimental Test of the Photon Hypothesis’…”  The paper was surely good news.  It meant that his stay in Prescott would not destroy his career.  The letter from Einstein discussed photons.  Winston decided that he was honored to be included in the small circle of men to whom Einstein thought it worthwhile to write. A reply would need careful consideration.

The phone rang. Winston dutifully picked up the receiver.  Polite back-and-forth revealed that the caller was from the Los Angeles Times.  He wanted to know who had caused the blasted heath, and how it could be prevented from forming again elsewhere.  Winston alternated ‘we don’t comment on ongoing investigations’ with ‘no comment’ and ‘a hitherto unnoticed volcanic fissure that erupts burning sand’, not that it stopped the reporter.

The Times reporter finally hung up.  Winston remarked to Hugh “A few more days, and these reporters will all be here.  It will be a complete circus.”