Bill Ectric

 It arrived today!

This is the August, 1940 issue of National Geographic Magazine that contains the article my fictional young investigators find hidden behind a wooden panel in my novel, Tamper. I’ve read about it, but to actually hold it in my hand is really cool.

The key passage:

“Many subterranean passageways, including ancient catacombs, now are a part of the island’s fortifications and defense system. Supplies are kept in many tunnels; others are bomb shelters. Beneath Valletta some of the underground areas served as homes for the poor. Prehistoric men built temples and chambers in these vaults. In a pit beside one sacrificial altar lie thousands of human skeletons.
“Years ago one could walk underground from one end of Malta to the other. The Government closed the entrances to these tunnels after school children and their teachers became lost in the labyrinth while on a study tour and never returned.”