spoke to him, and the temptation to cut such a stone is more than anyone can resist. See that stone?’’ He pointed to the photograph of the diamond that hung on the wall. ‘‘That is the Arctic Star. It’s my stone.’’ He shrugged. ‘‘Some Japanese businessman has it in a vault somewhere, but it will always be mine. I studied it, I cut it. Fifty-five carats. Stunning stone. Kurt isn’t in any trouble, is he?’’
‘‘I would not think so.’’
‘‘Where did the diamond come from? It was not a blood diamond, I hope.’’
‘‘From Canada, I believe.’’
‘‘Oh, the Ekati mine. Beautiful diamonds. Very white.’’
‘‘Thank you for your time.’’
‘‘My pleasure. You know, you could use some nicer stones in your gem collection at the museum.’’
‘‘We’re working on it.’’
Chapter 43
It was four in the morning, and in thirty minutes Diane would be getting up to go caving with Mike, Neva and Mike’s friend who had gotten them access to the cave. She had her backpack ready and had checked her batteries and ropes.
‘‘Would you like to go caving with me?’’ she said, giving Frank a kiss.
‘‘No, nor do I want to go skydiving, bungee jump ing, or solo climbing.’’
‘‘You don’t know what you’re missing. There’s no peace like the depth of a cave.’’
‘‘You have a little bit of insanity running in your family, don’t you?’’
‘‘Possibly. What are you going to be doing this weekend?’’
‘‘I’m taking Kevin and Star to the Atlanta Raceway.’’
‘‘Now, see, that’s crazy. Is Star looking forward to that?’’
‘‘Sure, she loves it. Star knows quite a bit about cars.’’
Diane got out of bed and put on her clothes. She was lacing up her boots when Frank put his arms around her waist and kissed her on her jaw. ‘‘Watch where you’re going.’’
‘‘Always.’’
She loaded her gear in the SUV and drove to pick up Neva. The two of them were dressed similarly— jeans, tee-shirts and flannel shirts over them, lace-up boots. Neva stored her gear in the back and got in the front with Diane.
‘‘Excited?’’ said Diane.
‘‘Very nervous. My parents think I’m crazy.’’
‘‘Funny, I was just told that too. You’ll do fine. Didn’t I hear that you’re into tai chi?’’
Neva nodded. ‘‘I like it a lot. Very relaxing exercise.’’
‘‘As I understand it, one of the objectives of tai chi is to develop a tranquil mind and become aware of your surroundings.’’
‘‘A lot of people think you learn to zone things out. It’s really just the opposite.’’
‘‘That will really help you caving. You have to be constantly aware of your surroundings, notice where you’ve been and watch for hazards. Once you’ve had enough practice, it’s second nature.’’
‘‘In some of the caver meetings we discussed differ ent methods of walking in caves so you don’t get tired out,’’ said Neva.
‘‘It’s good that you’ve done that. Fatigue is a major enemy. Remember to keep your head as high as you can as you walk. There’s a natural tendency to want to stoop over inside a cave.’’
‘‘Mike said we’re going to start meeting at the museum.’’
‘‘I thought it was a good idea. Up in the rock room, probably.’’
After a pause, Neva asked, ‘‘Who killed the man in the hospital? Everett Littleton, right?’’
‘‘It’s still open. The nurse on duty has a vague mem ory of an orderly coming into the critical care unit. That’s about all. Garnett likes Steven Mayberry for it.’’
‘‘And you?’’
‘‘I don’t know. It was someone who was bold and proficient, or reckless.’’
‘‘Everett Littleton killed the three in the woods?’’
‘‘That’s what it looks like. I think he tried to tell me he executed them, but with him dead, we may never know the whole story.’’
‘‘Did he kill Chris, Kacie and Raymond too?’’
‘‘I don’t know. Chief Garnett thinks either Everett Littleton or Steven Mayberry killed them.’’
‘‘So Steven Mayberry went from forestry student to super ninja serial killer?’’ said Neva. ‘‘A lot of this just isn’t tracking for me.’’
‘‘Obviously, there are a lot of loose ends. But our part is over now. We’ve analyzed the crime scene evi dence and turned in our reports. It’s up to the police and the D.A. to figure it out and make a case, if there’s anyone left to make a case against.’’
