'Let me ask you about something else, Doc. Maybe we can whittle down our suspects a little. Would a woman have been able to pull Tremaine's body into position like that? Actually lift him up off the floor and tie the thongs to the hook?'
Gideon leaned back in his chair, considering. “Well, those are two pretty hefty women you're thinking about. Anna Henckel must weigh a hundred and sixty; Shirley more. Tremaine was only a hundred and thirty-five or so. You'd get a lot of leverage from pulling the thongs over the top of the partition and then wrapping them around the hook as you went. And the body wouldn't have been hanging free, it would've been propped against the partition. That would have helped.'
'So you're saying yeah?'
'I'm saying yeah.'
John rocked slowly back and forth on the rear legs of his chair. “You know, it's sad. A few years ago we could have ruled the ladies out right off. Women didn't strangle people. Poison, sure. Guns, you better believe it. But no strangling, no knives, no torture, no mutilation. Boy,” he said with a world-weary sigh, “times have changed. Well, what about Fisk? He's not exactly hefty. Would he be able to lift Tremaine?'
'I think so, John. It looks as if we'll have to stay with five suspects for the moment.'
'What's with this ‘we,’ Doc? We're just having a conversation, that's all. This is
'Of course it's your job. You're the one who started talking about ‘we.’ What do I know about solving murders?'
'Yeah, sure, you're just a simple bone man, right?” John looked at him doubtfully. “Doc, I want your word that you're gonna concentrate on the bones. You solve that murder, I'll solve this murder. That'll make us both happy. My boss too.'
'Fine.'
'I mean it. And I want to know what you're doing every step of the way. I'm in charge, understand?'
'I said fine.'
'That doesn't include going around doing your own little interviews with Judd or Henckel, or anyone else. Or messing around with—'
'John, I'm not a complete idiot.'
John's feet came off the chair. “Yeah, you are! When it comes to this, you are! Look, I know you. You think you know everything about everything. You stick your nose into things, you get involved where you don't have any business, you make life hard for everybody. My goddamn boss was right about you.” He was chopping at the air with both hands, more like the John that Gideon knew. “Well, do me a favor and stay out of this one, dammit!” There was a long pulsing silence while he stared angrily at Gideon.
Gideon studied his friend in return. “On the other hand,” he said judiciously, “it could be that you haven't mellowed.'
John's irritation hung on a second longer, then wavered and slid away like shards of glass from a broken mirror. He blew out his pent-up breath, leaned back in his chair again, and laughed. “Doc, Doc, somebody here is a killer. “I don't want you making him mad, I don't—ah, hell, I don't want to see you get hurt, that's all I'm worried about.'
Gideon clapped him on the forearm. “I know it, John. I never thought anything else. I'll concentrate on the bones, I promise. What do you mean, your boss was right about me?'
'Never mind, you don't want to know.” He looked at his watch and stood up. “Things to do. Meet you and Julie for dinner?'
'Uh, I don't think we'll be here.'
'You're not gonna be in Glacier Bay?'
'No, I was planning to catch the six o'clock plane into Juneau. If I can convince Julie to play hooky for a day, I'll take her with me. We'll be back on tomorrow's flight.'
'What's in Juneau?” John asked suspiciously.
'The anthropologist who worked on those bones in 1964. I want to compare notes with him.'
'Mm,” John said. “I guess that makes sense.'
'Would there be any problem with my taking the fragments along with me? That'd be a help.'
John sat down again. “I don't know, Doc, that could be a problem. That's evidentiary material, especially that piece of skull. Tell you the truth, I'm not even too keen about it just being in the Park Service safe up here. I'd be happier if it was in an FBI evidence room somewhere.'
'Well, isn't there an FBI office in Juneau? I could drop it off for you.'
'That's not exactly kosher.'
'I know, but we're not exactly in Seattle, with agents and couriers all over the place.'
John paused, then made a decision. “Okay. Take it with you and leave it at the resident agency office. Federal building, ninth floor. I'll let ‘em know you're coming.'
'Good, I will.'
John stood up again and stretched, then leveled a finger at Gideon. “Lose it, you die.'
'Thanks for your confidence,” Gideon said.
'Just don't screw up. Hey, are you planning to eat that brownie or not?'
