Scattered Graves

Diane ignored her. ‘‘In a show of good faith, I’ll get the guards to back away,’’ said Diane.

She told Chanell to back her people up. It was obvi ous Chanell didn’t want to do it.

‘‘Reduce the tension,’’ said Diane. ‘‘Give him fifty feet of space so he will calm down.’’

‘‘No tricks,’’ he said. ‘‘No tricks, damn you.’’

‘‘No tricks,’’ said Diane.

Chanell and her guards backed off, leaving Diane facing the perp holding Mickey’s wife.

‘‘Listen to me,’’ said Diane. ‘‘I think you are after the computer, aren’t you?’’

He said nothing.

‘‘It’s not in the crime lab. Even if you could get in there, you wouldn’t find what you want. I have it somewhere else. The advantage to exchanging the young woman for me is that I know where the com puter is. She doesn’t.’’

He was quiet for several moments.

Where are the other two guards we sent through the building? Didn’t they get the instructions right?

‘‘Come over here slowly,’’ he said. ‘‘Don’t try any thing, or I’ll take out you and the woman before I go down.’’

‘‘No one has to die,’’ said Diane. ‘‘We all want to get out of this alive.’’

Diane stepped forward slowly. When she was di rectly in front of him, he told her to turn around, facing away from him. She did what he said. He shoved the girl to the ground and grabbed Diane from behind.

Okay, thought Diane, so far the plan is working beautifully.

She was suddenly knocked off her feet as the man yelled and fell down, kicking at something.

‘‘What the—?’’ said Diane; then she saw that Mick ey’s wife had him by the leg and was biting him.

Diane was lying on his gun arm. She wrestled him for the weapon, and was joined in the effort by Mick ey’s wife, who held his hand down and bit his thumb. He screamed and released the gun, and Mickey’s wife picked it up.

The man pushed himself unsteadily to his feet and backed up wildly, with Diane close after him. Mickey’s wife stood aiming the gun at the man. Unfortunately, the way she was aiming, she could just as easily hit Diane, who stood between them, and it didn’t appear that she was skilled with firearms.

Chanell and the guards were running toward them, and Chanell deflected the gun before Mickey’s wife could shoot the wrong person. The man took advan tage of the fact that Diane was standing in the line of fire and started running toward the woods. Diane ran after him, followed closely by Chanell.

His truck was parked on the access road, just as Diane had suspected. The driver’s door was open. Ready for a fast getaway, thought Diane. She was just a few feet from him, but he jumped in the truck and slammed the door before she could tackle him. Diane ran up and grabbed at him through the open window, trying to rip his mask off. He held on to her and started the truck’s engine.

Oh, hell, thought Diane.

Chapter 37

The man held her wrist tight with his left hand as he turned the key in the ignition. Diane grabbed his thumb in a panic and pulled. He yelled and tried to tighten his grip. Diane felt the nails of his fingers dig ging into her flesh. The truck didn’t start immediately, but on the second turn of the key, the engine came to life and the truck started forward.

Diane pulled harder on his thumb. She ran along side the truck, struggling to wrestle her arm from his grasp as the truck gained speed. He yelped as she broke his thumb back. She fell backward into the ditch on the side of the road, rolling, and scraping her face on the gravel.

She lay there for a second, too stunned to get up. She suddenly realized that the sound of the truck wasn’t fading, but getting louder. She rose to her hands and knees and looked in the direction of the sound. The truck was backing up toward her. She leaped into the nearby bushes just before the truck’s left rear tire hit the ditch where she had lain. The truck bounced and the rear slammed into the embankment; then, its tires spinning, it sped off, spraying gravel over Diane.

Diane stood and watched the truck fishtail down the access road and out of sight. She noted that it didn’t have a tag. It was hard to see the color in the dark, but she thought it was either black, or navy blue, or perhaps dark green. She also noted that it was a Ford Ranger, around the year 2000, give or take.

Chanell came running up the road along with one of the security guards.

‘‘Are you all right?’’ she said. ‘‘Dr. Fallon, you don’t have enough excitement hanging off the side of a cliff; you have to go off trying to run down a maniac in a truck?’’

‘‘Apparently not,’’ muttered Diane, dusting herself off. She shook out her hair, running her hands through it. She put a hand to her face and came away with blood on her fingers. Chanell gave her a tissue.

‘‘How’s Mickey?’’ said Diane. ‘‘Is he all right?’’

‘‘I don’t know,’’ said Chanell. ‘‘I hurried after you when we got the gun away from Shara—Mickey’s wife.’’

‘‘Did his wife say why she tried to shoot me?’’ said Diane.

Chanell gave a short, mirthless laugh. ‘‘She was scared and angry,’’ said Chanell. ‘‘The woman has a temper. She was fighting us trying to get the gun out of her hand. I think she just panicked. You know how some people go all crazy when they’re scared.’’

They hurried back to the museum. The other two security guards, the ones who were supposed to go through the building and out the back, were there looking sheepish.

‘‘What in the hell did the two of you do?’’ said Chanell. ‘‘Stop for coffee?’’