‘‘Get the one that was taped just now with the two of us,’’ said Diane.
‘‘Is everything okay?’’ asked Mike. ‘‘I just let my class out.’’
‘‘Everything’s great,’’ said Diane.
‘‘Did you rip him up?’’ said Andie.
‘‘He wouldn’t budge,’’ said Emily. ‘‘I can’t believe the nerve.’’
Diane smiled, walked behind her desk, and reached for the phone. She called Lloyd Bryce’s home.
‘‘Yes.’’ His voice sounded irritated.
‘‘You have another out-of-control employee, the night guard at the museum entrance to the crime lab. He’s at the dinosaur overlook and is threatening my visitors and employees. You rein him in now,’’ said Diane in her most undiplomatic tone of voice.
‘‘Go to hell,’’ he said loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. ‘‘You never knew how to keep the crime lab safe. That’s why you had so many people breaking into it. Well, I do.’’ He slammed down the phone.
‘‘Wow,’’ said Mike. ‘‘The guy has anger issues.’’
Emily and Andie were wide-eyed.
Blake shook his head. ‘‘You want me to take some security up there?’’ he said.
Diane smiled. ‘‘I don’t want to risk a shoot-out at the dino overlook. What I want is for you to call and tell me what the monitors show he is doing.’’
Blake called security and talked to the person watching the monitors. ‘‘He is? Thanks, Leeanne.’’
‘‘He put a chair on the overlook and sat down fac ing the museum approach. What’s the guy think he’s doing?’’ Blake asked.
‘‘He’s doing what he was told to do. Thumbing his nose at me,’’ said Diane, smiling.
‘‘You seem awfully happy about this,’’ said Mike.
‘‘I am,’’ said Diane. She picked up the phone and made another call.
Chapter 12
‘‘Colin, this is Diane Fallon. I’m sorry to call you at home so late.’’
Colin was a workaholic. Diane wasn’t completely sure he ever slept. He was well-known for staying all night in his office. Diane imagined his office furniture to be as comfortable as hers. She had been known to stay all night at the museum a time or two herself.
‘‘That’s all right, Diane. What can I do for you? Peeks isn’t bothering you, is he?’’ He sounded like he was eating, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t also working.
‘‘No, not yet. I just had an unfortunate situation at the museum.’’
Diane explained about the incident with seven-year old Ethan McConnel, the docent, and the crime lab’s night security guard.
‘‘I explained things to him, and he was equally threatening to me. I called his supervisor, Lloyd Bryce, who not only refused to rectify the dangerous situation but, I fear, encouraged the confrontation. The guard is now sitting in a chair on the overlook. I have tapes of each incident. The father of the seven-year-old is threatening to sue. Is this something we can use?’’
‘‘Yes, it is. It absolutely breaks the terms of the contract, makes it null and void. You know Rosewood is short a judge for the moment, so this will take a little longer, but it won’t be too long. In the meantime, what are you going to do about the guard?’’
‘‘Tonight I’m going to evacuate the third floor. To morrow I’ll tell Bryce the guard cannot return. If I can’t get any satisfaction from him, I’ll call the chief of police—Peeks will be piqued by that. Oh, and a couple of other things happened lately too.’’
She related the stories about Jin’s job applicant at the DNA lab and the incident with Goldilocks, the new forensic anthropologist. She left out the conversa tion in the closet and the lost bones.
‘‘This guy Bryce is out of control. Lucky for us. I’ll start on the paperwork.’’
He said that the same way Diane would say she was going caving. He loved his work. Diane smiled.
‘‘Thanks. Again, I’m sorry to disturb you,’’ she said.
‘‘Not a problem.’’
‘‘Wow,’’ said Andie when Diane had hung up. ‘‘Are you really going to kick them out? What’s wrong with Bryce?’’
‘‘I don’t know,’’ said Diane. ‘‘But right now I have to go upstairs and ask the people working on the third floor to go home.’’
‘‘I think the archivist is working late too,’’ said Emily.
The third floor was mainly offices and work space. The docents’ offices were there, so were Exhibit Prep arations, the Library and Archives, and Education.
‘‘I’ll make sure everyone is out,’’ said Diane.
Emily’s hazel eyes clouded. ‘‘Do you really think he is dangerous?’’ she asked.
Diane smiled. ‘‘Can’t take a chance, can we?’’ she said.
Emily still looked worried, and Diane felt guilty. Part of her did feel that Bryce and some of his people were out of control, but she didn’t really think the guard would shoot anyone. She was just taking advan tage of the
