She had found this area almost by accident through a footnote in a little read book borrowed from the University library. Some searches on old maps confirmed her suspicions and then she searched the university databases and the Internet for details of any other research projects undertaken in the area. Her French was good enough to trawl through the abstracts of the S.H.D. (Societe Historique Departmental) as well as the international listings and she had found that although the site was known, no one had ever properly investigated it. There had not been a clumsy nineteenth century archaeological excavation. There were no infra red aerial photos available which would have helped with the plotting. Perhaps they did exist in the files of the French military but they wouldn't release them to foreign researchers. She saw this as her chance to complete one really big piece of original research. As she parked her car in almost the same place as she had used the day before, she was surprised to see the actual spot occupied by a battered rusty Citroen.
