be active. He had chosen a profession that by its very nature required activity. Even his hobbies were physical.
“I feel great. I’m planning to bust out of here soon.” He paused, looking behind her. “Hi, Frank.”
Frank grinned at him. “Hi. Sorry to hear about your attack.”
“Lots of nuts out there, and they seem to be able to find me real easily-Doc here, too.” He turned his head back to Diane and motioned toward her arm with a question on his face.
“Sore,” she said in response.
“I’ll bet. You don’t know how much you use that tricep muscle until it’s all stove up,” Mike said.
Diane curled her arm up and back as if lifting a weight. “It’ll be a while before either of us can go caving.”
“Damn, don’t I know it,” said Mike. “I was looking forward to following that water sound.”
Diane looked at the flowers that lined his room, walked over and smelled one of the roses. “You have lots of admirers.”
He laughed. “Looks like it, doesn’t it? Lots of them are from people at the museum. That huge vase full over there is from Dr. Mercer. That was nice. I hardly know her.”
Diane sighed heavily, and then went over to his bed so she could see his face. “When the doctor gives you the okay, you can report to work at the museum.”
It took a fraction of a second for Mike to catch on, but when he did, his face broke into a wide smile. “You accepted my proposal.” He turned to Frank. “Work proposal.”
Frank chuckled. “I gathered.”
“It’s part-time,” said Diane. She handed him an envelope. “This is your salary. It’s the best I can do. I hope it’s acceptable.”
Mike tore open the envelope and looked at the slip of paper. Diane watched his mouth spread into a broad grin. “This is great. Look, thanks. Really. I appreciate this.”
“You are now the new curator of the geology exhibit.”
His mouth dropped. “Curator? But Dr. Lymon-”
“Dr. Lymon was made head of the Geology Department at Bartram.” Mike frowned. “She severed the relationship between the Geology Department and the museum. She said it wasn’t working for them. That left me with an opening for a curator. Fortunately, you had that great proposal. Kendel really liked your ideas,” she added.
“I don’t know what to say. Thanks for trusting me with the responsibility. I wasn’t expecting this.”
“According to the collection manager, you’ve been doing all the work.”
“Wow-curator.”
Diane paused. “There’s something else I need to talk to you about.” She turned to Neva and Frank. “Do you two mind letting me speak with Mike alone?”
Mike face wore a puzzled expression as he watched Frank and Neva dutifully file out of the room.
“Dr. Sylvia Mercer came to me last night and told me a disturbing story of something she witnessed.”
Mike glanced over at the vase of flowers and back at Diane. “Dr. Mercer?”
“Yes. This is likely to be very uncomfortable for you, and I’m sorry, but it happened in my museum and I have to deal with it.”
Mike looked startled, almost as if he were about to be fired just after he had been hired. “What?” he asked.
Diane related almost verbatim the story that Dr. Mercer had told her. She stopped and stared at Mike, waiting for him to respond.
Mike was quiet for a moment. “Well, that explains the big bouquet of flowers and the card saying she was sorry.”
“She was very sorry. Like I said, she was ashamed to tell me.”
Mike shook his head. “She needn’t feel bad.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It was between me and Dr. Lymon. That wasn’t why you decided to hire me, was it?” He looked down at the envelope as if it weren’t a prize after all.
Diane shook her head. “You should know me better than that. I made the decision before I talked with Sylvia. I can afford to hire a groundskeeper for a favor, but I have to have curators who are qualified.” She gestured toward the paper and winced when the back of her arm stung from the quick movement. “Everyone you’ve worked with has given you glowing recommendations. I know your work. The Journey to the Center of the Earth exhibit is terrific. I passed your proposal by my assistant director and she’s enthusiastic. No, Mike, you earned the position. I only wish it could be full-time.”
His frown turned to a grin. “This will work out better. I’ll have time to work on my dissertation.”
“Good. Okay, now, David will probably come to interview you.”
Mike rearranged himself in his bed, as if to get more comfortable. “David? Your crime scene guy? About the stabbing? I thought the police were handling that.”
“They are. This is a discreet investigation that I hope can stay that way. But it has to be done. You understand that upon hearing about Dr. Lymon’s actions, I had to put her on the list of suspects.”
“Dr. Lymon?”
“She has motive-at least in your case.”
Mike was quiet for several moments, looking out the window. “Perhaps in yours too,” he said, looking back at her.
“What do you mean?”
“Something she said to me after the. .” He paused, leaned his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes for just a moment. “After the episode. She thought you and I were. . well, you know.”
“I see.” Diane wondered if anyone else in the museum thought that she and Mike were having an affair.
“I don’t know why she thought that, really. I told her she had it all wrong. That we just do caving. But. . ” He shook his head. “I know she had a hard time when her husband left her, and she’s always been kind of mean, but I really can’t see her going postal on me.”
“Frankly, neither can I. That’s why I hope the investigation can stay discreet. David won’t go to the detectives unless he finds something.”
“You’re being very nice to her.” He stretched out his hand for his water on the stand beside his bed, but it was just out of his reach. Diane handed it to him and he took a sip.
“Too nice, perhaps,” she said. “Do you know if you’re the only one she has approached in that way?”
Mike shrugged and set the water down. “I haven’t heard anything. It came as a surprise to me. I don’t know what came over her. I never got a hint that she had any kind of feelings for me at all, much less sexual ones.”
Mike’s room phone rang and Diane went to get Neva and Frank as he answered it.
“It’s for you,” said Mike, when Diane came back in. “It’s David.”
Diane took the phone. “David, what’s up?”
“A nasty situation. Jin’s on his way over to pick up Neva,” he said.
Chapter 19
“You have a crime scene?” asked Diane.
“Yes, we do. Unfortunately, it’s Neva’s house. The police couldn’t get in touch with her so they called here. Jin is coming to help me process it. I want Neva to see what’s missing. I’m at her house now and I’m a little concerned. It’s tossed and ripped up pretty bad, and they spray-painted some pretty vile things on her walls-
Diane was stunned. “I’ll give her the news. Did anyone see or hear anything?”
“No witnesses so far. The police are canvassing the neighborhood right now.”
Diane hung up and turned to Neva. “Jin’s coming to pick you up.”
