Dead Guilty Part 12

Velociraptors were the speedy, vicious villains of Jura.s.sic Park Jura.s.sic Park. Everyone who came to the museum wanted to see one. They were not nearly as large as the Albertosaurus Albertosaurus or brachiosaur, but the movie gave them a long-lived reputation. Diane wrote on Kendel's note to tell the paleontologist to purchase the skele tons. When they were a.s.sembled, it would mean an other round of good publicity for the museum. or brachiosaur, but the movie gave them a long-lived reputation. Diane wrote on Kendel's note to tell the paleontologist to purchase the skele tons. When they were a.s.sembled, it would mean an other round of good publicity for the museum.

The next item was another memo from Kendel. She discovered that members of the family who gave them the mummy had amulets that had come from the mummy's wrapping. She thought she could negotiate a good deal on them. Diane agreed with that too. As long as they had a mummy and a case, it would be good to have everything that went with it. They cer tainly couldn't afford an entire Egyptian collection.

The last item was from Korey. He had X-rayed the mummy, and she could come up to the conservation lab at any time and take a look. He had also scheduled an MRI for next week.

Things seemed to be going along nicely at the mu seum. So far, working two jobs hadn't been too much of a problem-and she really didn't need that much sleep. She wrapped up the museum business and left her office, walking directly into the Pleistocene room.

She liked the museum at night. The cavernous rooms were dark except for a few low-level lights fixed close to the floor so that one could navigate through the museum at night without running into the exhibits. Museum lighting was its own problem, light being a destructive force, yet completely necessary. The light ing of a museum must take into consideration angle, distance, strength and type of light, and requires more mathematics than one might think possible for what for most people is a commonplace matter. The light must have destructive UV rays filtered from it, but it also must render accurate representations of color. Diane had staff whose only job was to take care of the lighting.

Her footfalls echoed a hollow sound on the granite floor. Walking though the Pleistocene hall was like being in the twilight area of a cave-that place where only a small amount of light filters in from the en trance and gradually diminishes to total darkness. Here she could see only the silhouettes of the skele tons of the mammoth, the giant sloth, the huge shortfaced bear.

Caves are places of dramatic opposites. Some rooms and pa.s.sages are so small you have to suck in your breath just to get through. Others, Diane could have fit her entire museum inside. The big rooms of mapped caves have glorious names-the Chandelier Ballroom, Pellucidar, Cathedral Hall, Grand Ball room, Throne Room, or sometimes simply Big Room. Diane had the same love of the museum as she did for caves. It was calming to her, which was why she always took the museum route out of her crime lab.

She opened the huge doors to the Pleistocene room and entered the main lobby again. Chanell wasn't at the front desk. Probably making her rounds. Diane unlocked the outside doors and walked out into the hot night air. Her car was parked almost alone in the middle of the lot. As she walked toward it, an uneasy feeling crept over her.

She looked around, wondering what might be caus ing the feeling. The lights from the high poles illumi nated the entire parking lot. Beyond the lights was darkness. It never bothered her before. She scanned the dark border, looking for something that she might have subconsciously seen from the corner of her eye. Nothing. Silly, Silly, she thought, as she clicked the b.u.t.ton that unlocked the driver's side door of her Taurus. she thought, as she clicked the b.u.t.ton that unlocked the driver's side door of her Taurus.

Chapter 15.

When the car door unlocked, the dome light illuminated the interior. As she reached out to open the door, she saw a bouquet of red roses lying on the backseat. Diane smiled. Frank must be back. She looked around the lot but didn't see his car. Why hadn't he come into the museum? She took the flowers into her arms and smelled one of the roses, a bud just barely open. Nice Nice. The card was slipped between the flowers and the tis sue wrapping-no name, simply two words printed in a script font that read: TO JUSTICE.

Frank's side must have won the case, she thought. Diane slid onto her car seat and put the flowers on the pa.s.senger's seat. The aroma of the bouquet filled the car. It was odd, though, not like Frank to just leave flowers. Perhaps Star, his adopted daughter, put him up to it. Diane started the engine and drove home. she thought. Diane slid onto her car seat and put the flowers on the pa.s.senger's seat. The aroma of the bouquet filled the car. It was odd, though, not like Frank to just leave flowers. Perhaps Star, his adopted daughter, put him up to it. Diane started the engine and drove home.

She lived in a huge old Greek revival house con verted into apartments. It had a good feel to it. Once inside, she put the flowers in a vase of water, kicked off her shoes and headed for the shower. The cool water felt good, a relief from the heat. The landlady still had not fixed the air-conditioning.

Out of the shower, Diane turned on the ceiling fan, slipped into a nightgown and started to set her radio alarm for the morning when she noticed the red blink ing light on her answering machine. She crawled in bed, hit the replay b.u.t.ton and lay back to listen to the messages. The first was from Frank.

"Hi. Since you're not there, you're probably work ing yourself to the bone, so I won't try your cell phone. I'm still in San Francisco, but I'm catching a plane tomorrow. I'll call. Get some sleep."

If he was still in San Francisco, who sent the flowers? Diane wondered as she listened to the next message play nothing but road noise. She deleted it, and the machine cycled to the third message. A deep male voice she didn't recognize spoke. Diane wondered as she listened to the next message play nothing but road noise. She deleted it, and the machine cycled to the third message. A deep male voice she didn't recognize spoke.

"Why won't you talk to me? I've tried your cell phone, your E-mail and your home. I need to talk to you."

Wrong number? She checked the caller ID. One call came from San Francisco; that was Frank. The next two were from Denver, Colorado, and Omaha, Nebraska. She checked the caller ID. One call came from San Francisco; that was Frank. The next two were from Denver, Colorado, and Omaha, Nebraska.

Denver. "I wonder if that's the same number as the cell phone call earlier at the lab," she said aloud. "Who do I know in Denver?"

Couldn't be a wrong number; he had tried both phone numbers and her E-mail. She didn't know any one in Omaha either.

She shrugged, deleted the message and lay back in bed, thinking that perhaps Frank had the flowers de livered. But who put them in her locked car? Andie? Made sense. Had she given Andie a key? She drifted off to sleep.

Diane awakened abruptly at the sound of the ring ing telephone. She looked at the clock-6:00 A.M. Her radio came on as soon as she reached for the phone. She shut it off as she picked up the receiver.

"Yes?"

"Diane, this is Lynn Webber. I hope I didn't wake you."

Lynn's voice sounded strained, and Diane was sud denly wide awake, wondering if something else had happened.

"No, you didn't. Have they found another body?"

"I had a very disturbing conversation with Sheriff Braden yesterday."

Diane waited.

"He told me you contradicted my time of death in the Cobber's Wood murders. That was very in appropriate."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Those bodies were not far enough advanced to have been out in the woods more than a week."

"Why are you calling?" said Diane.

"My reputation is important to me. I am very con scientious in my work. To have someone who's not even an expert go to the sheriff and contradict me is unacceptable."

Diane was so surprised at the outburst, she didn't quite know what to say.

"I didn't go to the sheriff. The chief of detectives brought him by the crime lab to discuss the two cases. I simply brought him up to date on what we had dis covered so far."

"Now Sheriff Braden doesn't know what to think."

Then I made progress with him, thought Diane, but figured it would not be a good idea to voice that thought. thought Diane, but figured it would not be a good idea to voice that thought.

"I'm sure he'll read both reports and come to his own conclusion." Diane wondered if she should be biting her tongue so hard.

"You're simply wrong about the time of death. This isn't even your field of expertise."

Time to quit biting.

"I'm not wrong, and yes, it is in my purview of knowledge and authority. If you like, I'll send you some research on the r.e.t.a.r.ding of decay in hanging victims."

"Sarcasm and insults are unnecessary. I'm just tell ing you, when it comes to matters of time of death on bodies that lie on my autopsy table, my conclusion takes precedence and you are to fall in line."

Dr. Webber hung up before Diane could respond.

"Great," said Diane to the dead phone. "She's in a snit and will probably call Garnett, upset him, he'll call me and worry me to death about how we can't make any mistakes and definitely cannot offend any one of importance."

While Diane had the phone in her hand, she checked caller ID for the number Frank had called from, dialed his hotel and asked for his room. When she heard his sleepy voice, she remembered the threehour time difference. s.h.i.+t s.h.i.+t.

"I'm sorry. I forgot about the three time zones."

"Diane. You sound good-anytime."

"I got your message. Did you by any chance send me flowers?"

"Flowers? Was I supposed to? Did I miss an anni versary, birthday-no, not birthday. Okay, what was it?"

Diane felt the laughter rising up through her body until it reached her face and made her smile. How that must sound-calling him at three o'clock in the morning all the way across the country, asking if he sent flowers. She scooted back into the pillows of her bed and crossed her legs.

"No. You didn't miss anything. Someone left flow ers in my car yesterday. I found them in the backseat. I a.s.sumed they were from you."

"Was there a card with them?"

"All it said was 'To Justice.' "

"To Justice? I'm not much of a romantic, but I could do better than that." Diane laughed again. The whole thing was silly, and silly felt good.

"Must be from a secret admirer. Do you have one?" he said.

Secret admirer. "No . . ." She thought of Mike. Of course, Mike Seger must have left them.

"You do, don't you? I'll bet it's that guy-the one with the hair. What's his name?"

"The one with the hair?"

"You know. That modern, just-got-out-of-bed, cool kind of style. I think he's a geologist."

"Mike? Why do you think it's him?"

"That challenging-the-alpha-male look he gives me. Admittedly, I haven't gotten the look for a while, now that I've been an adult for a number of years, but I remember that provoking stare with a touch of amuse ment behind it. You and he go caving, don't you?"

"Well, yes."

"Yes. It was him, though I figure he could also do better than 'To Justice.' Don't you keep your car locked?"

"It was locked. Someone must have borrowed my key from my office, or opened the door with one of those things.... What do you call them?" "A slim jim?"

"Yeah, one of those. Oh, maybe I forgot to lock it. I've had a lot on my mind."

"That's interesting."

"How are things in San Francisco?"

"Nice. Good weather. Looks like they'll convict our guy, unless the jury's just nuts. I'm looking forward to getting home. I hear you've been busy."

"We've had a few murders."

"Scuttleb.u.t.t says you have a serial killer."

"Too early to tell, but it doesn't feel like it. But I didn't wake you up in the middle of the night to talk about murder."

"Really. Phone s.e.x?"

"Funny. So, you're coming home tomorrow?"

"I hope. I like it by the ocean here, but it'll be good to get back home."

Diane didn't talk long. Guilt for waking him up gnawed at her throughout the conversation, but he'd made her laugh and she liked to start the day laughing.

Andie was already in the office when she arrived. She wore a tailored denim suit and had her abundant curls pulled up on top of her head, and they shook and jiggled as she zipped about in quick little movements.

"Andie, do you know anything about a delivery of flowers to me yesterday?"

"Nope. Somebody send you flowers?"

"Yes. The card wasn't signed. I thought maybe you were here when they came."

"I was here, but I didn't see them."

"Doesn't matter. Someone will ask about them sooner or later."

"Wasn't Frank, was it?"

"No, I talked to him this morning."

"Wasn't Mike, was it?" she said, with a wink and a teasing grin.

"That's what Frank said. Why does everyone think it was Mike?"

"Oh, nothing. You know, just the way he's ga-ga around you."

"That's ridiculous. There is nothing there. He's just a kid."

"All right. I believe you," said Andie. "He's too young for you anyway."

"Now, wait a minute."

"Just teasing," said Andie, laughing.

She handed Diane a cup of coffee with chocolate, the way she liked it. Diane took a sip and sat down behind her desk.

"I saw you approved the velociraptor casts. That's exciting. I like those guys," said Andie.

"It's a good price. The shopkeepers tell me the velo ciraptor is the best-selling model after T. Rex T. Rex in the museum gift shop, so maybe having some on display will generate more visitors." Diane turned on her computer. "Call Kendel and Jonas. I'd like them to go up with me to take a look at the X-rays of the mummy." in the museum gift shop, so maybe having some on display will generate more visitors." Diane turned on her computer. "Call Kendel and Jonas. I'd like them to go up with me to take a look at the X-rays of the mummy."

"A lot of stuff is happening about the mummy. You're getting a ton of mail. I've sorted it and put it on your desk."

"How is that possible? We just got it."

"I think there must be some kind of mummy grape vine out there."

"What are they writing about?" Diane said, mainly to herself.