Dead Hunt

Diane took a deep breath. She had never been cross with either Laura or Vanessa before, but it felt good at the moment.

‘‘Now, I find not only was I drugged,’’ she continued, ‘‘but the FBI profiler I was with was probably drugged too. And it probably happened in the museum restaurant, because he fell asleep at the wheel of his car and had an accident on his way home from dinner here. Oh, and I can’t move back into my apartment until the crime scene cleaners remove the two quarts of blood on the floor. Yes, Laura, it’s all upsetting to me.’’

While she spoke, both Vanessa and Laura paled, their eyes wide and mouths open, speechless.

‘‘Diane,’’ said Vanessa at last, ‘‘I had no idea—the newspapers...’’

‘‘You can stay at my home,’’ they both said simultaneously.

‘‘Thank you, really. I appreciate your offers, but I’m staying with Frank. Now, Agent Jacobs is somewhere in the museum. I have to go.’’ Her head actually felt clearer. Sometimes venting was a good thing.

Vanessa laid a hand on Diane’s arm. ‘‘What does all this mean?’’ she asked. ‘‘Clymene O’Riley is dead? I can’t say that it makes me unhappy. Archer O’Riley was a good man. I liked him very much.’’

‘‘She’s dead, but we don’t have a body. Someone dragged it out of my apartment and dumped it using my car.’’ She paused again and looked over at the saber-toothed tiger. The long, sharp canine teeth reminded her of the knife found in her car.

‘‘What? Why?’’ said Vanessa.

‘‘I don’t know,’’ said Diane. ‘‘None of it makes any sense, except to cast suspicion on me for some reason. If the attack at the hospital was related to the homicide at my home, why didn’t they just kill me there? I was completely vulnerable. I’m thinking that the hospital attack was related to the artifacts because of something he said. I believe he thought I deal in stolen antiquities, but why, I don’t know. Now I really have to go. Follow me and I’ll let you out the doors into the lobby.’’

After Diane saw Laura and Vanessa off, she headed to her office. The knife, thought Diane. Why clean it, then leave it in my car with other blood? That doesn’t make any sense—nothing did— Clymene’s murder in her apartment or the stolen artifacts. She hurried to her office to see Agent Jacobs.

Chapter 28

When Diane walked into Andie’s office, Agent Jacobs had just finished speaking with Jonas Briggs. Jonas sat down on Andie’s sofa next to Kendel. Diane looked at the two of them. They didn’t look beat up, so she supposed it went well. She smiled at them and went into her office, where Agent Jacobs was gathering his notes. He glanced up at her.

‘‘I appreciate your cooperation, really,’’ he said. ‘‘You don’t know how many times I get stonewalled by museums.’’

If stonewalling would work, I might do it, thought Diane. ‘‘We need this solved,’’ she said. ‘‘Do you have any idea who the artifacts belong to?’’

‘‘Only the girdle is in the database, but I haven’t had a chance to check with my sources for the latest looting,’’ he said.

‘‘Is there any chance we can get the items we purchased? I suppose you don’t know if they were burned in the fire?’’ asked Diane.

‘‘Not all of the building was consumed. The contents are being inventoried. And fortunately a lot of the artifacts are stone, so something will be left. I hate to think of all those antiquities gone forever.’’ He sighed.

Diane could see that he loved his work—saving the world’s historical treasures.

‘‘I didn’t get a chance to look at your books,’’ he said, ‘‘so I’ll be back tomorrow.’’

‘‘Let me know what you need,’’ she said. ‘‘Kingsley will be coming tomorrow also. Perhaps you’ll run into each other.’’

Jacobs made a face. ‘‘Should he be up and about?’’

‘‘Probably not, but this Clymene thing calls like a Siren,’’ said Diane.

Jacobs smiled. ‘‘It must. Maybe the two of you can fill me in over lunch. You’ve gotten my curiosity up.’’

Diane wanted to ask him what he thought about the investigation here so far, but she knew he wouldn’t tell her. She walked him to the door and gave him directions to a good bed-and-breakfast.

She returned to her office to debrief Jonas and Kendel. She pulled up a chair across from them and leaned forward, resting her forearms on her thighs.

‘‘I’m so sorry,’’ said Jonas. ‘‘I’m supposed to be curator of archaeology and I’ve completely fallen down on the job. I just don’t know how this happened.’’

‘‘It’s not your fault,’’ said Diane. She reached over and squeezed his arm. ‘‘Come on, I get enough illogic from my board. Don’t you start.’’

‘‘It just doesn’t make sense,’’ said Kendel. ‘‘I told Agent Jacobs that.’’ She sat with her shoes off, hugging her legs.

‘‘We’ll sort it out,’’ said Diane. ‘‘I promise. There’s some sense to it. We just haven’t found the key yet. Why don’t you go home and relax. Come in late tomorrow if you like.’’

‘‘He’s going to be back tomorrow,’’ said Kendel. ‘‘He said he might have more questions. I don’t want it to seem like I’m avoiding him.’’

‘‘Okay,’’ said Diane. ‘‘If you need to relax tomorrow, you can use my office couch.’’

It occurred to Diane that if she had told Jacobs about the attack on her at the hospital and what the guy said, it might have taken some of the suspicion off Kendel. She hadn’t thought about that angle. She’d have to tell him tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow her mind would be clearer.

‘‘We’ll sort everything out. I have David on it and he’s very good,’’ she told the two of them.

Kendel smiled. ‘‘He did ask more questions than the FBI agent,’’ she said.

‘‘Is this going to hurt the museum?’’ said Jonas, still looking glum.