“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
After David, she dialed Frank’s cell phone and was relieved when he answered immediately. She really wanted to hear his voice. “Hey, babe. You back?”
“Yes. And I’m so glad to be here.”
“How were things in Alabama?”
“Interesting.”
“That sounds like that Chinese curse-‘May you live in interesting times.’ ”
“It was something like that. Mother’s home and safe. You had a lot to do with her release, and I wanted to thank you. I’ll fill you in on the details later.”
“I didn’t do anything but look up a few things, but I’ll accept your gratitude,” he said. Diane smiled into the phone.
“Guess you heard about the breakin while I was gone. Looks like it’s going to be a busy day. Maybe we can get together for something restful.”
“I think I can come by tonight. Not doing anything urgent right now. How’s your arm?”
Diane flexed her arm. “It’s healing. Not quite as sore. You, Star and Neva get along?”
“We had a good time. Neva and Star played Monopoly and watched DVDs. Can you believe it? Mike’s leaving the hospital today, and Neva’s going to stay with him. There’s been no news on who trashed her place.”
When Diane hung up the phone she had the sudden feeling she was late for something. It had been just three days, but it felt as though she’d been gone a month, and there were going to be too many things for her to catch up on. She headed out the door. In the hallway she met Mrs. Odell. The woman must have video surveillance, thought Diane.
Veda Odell was a pencil-thin woman with a long, dour face. The color of her hair and eyes matched and were sort of a gray-brown, almost the color one got when mixing all the colors together. Her skin was milky white and paper thin, showing blue veins. The Odells were a retired couple who had a love of funerals and an allergy to cats.
“That boy David Goldstein came to see us. He said he works for you. He’s a nice boy. Very interested in our opinion of the Egan rites. Not many young people care about funerals these days.”
“No, I don’t imagine they do.”
“He asked us what we thought of the funeral.”
“I told him that you and your husband are experts,” said Diane.
Mrs. Odell had a smile as thin as her body, but satisfaction shined in her gray-brown eyes. “Marvin and I gave him quite an education, I can tell you. Told him what a proper funeral should be like. Showed him our collections. Not many people get to see them.”
“Thank you for giving your expert opinion. It should be a great help in our investigation.”
Diane made her escape down the stairs and out to her car. As she drove to the museum, she couldn’t get the Odells out of her mind.
The beautiful Gothic nineteenth-century three-story granite structure that was the RiverTrail Museum of Natural History came into view as she turned off the street onto its main drive. The sight made her smile every time she saw it. She hoped it was the same for everyone who visited it. The parking lot was full, including several tour buses-another sight she quite enjoyed.
Diane went to her museum office first to make a call she dreaded.
“Good to have you back, Dr. Fallon,” said Andie. “The place is exciting, as usual. David has Detective Garnett-I think that’s his name-at the crime lab.” Andie’s usual excited demeanor was ratcheted up a notch.
“Thank you, Andie. I’m going over there in a minute, but I need to make a call first. Do you have the file on the Moonhater witch bones?”
“Sure. I guess you hate telling the guy his bones were stolen.” Andie handed her the file.
“More than you know.”
Diane looked at her watch and figured out the time difference. He should be there and awake, she thought. She dialed John Rose’s museum number.
“Mr. Rose, this is Diane Fallon.”
“Dear Dr. Fallon. I’m so glad we have been able to connect. I’ve been out of town, and I understand that you have too.”
“Yes, I have. Mr. Rose, I am so sorry to have to tell you this, but someone broke in here and stole your bones the night before last. We are doing everything we can to recover them. I can’t tell you how sorry-”
“No, dear lady, it is you who are owed an apology. And I sincerely do apologize.”
Diane was taken aback.
“I don’t understand,” she said.
“The bones are safe. I wanted to tell you before they arrived that the bones I sent were those of a roe. I suspected something like this would happen. I heard Charlotte Hawkins was traveling to the United States, and I just knew she would try to steal my bones, or that Dean Denning would. He is the owner of Moonhater Cave.”
Diane was speechless. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or angry. “Well, Mr. Rose, I don’t quite know what to say.”
“I can well imagine. And I am very sorry to have played such a trick on you. I well intended to talk to you sooner, but I had to be out unexpectedly. I do want you to look at the genuine bones, please. Sir Gregory says you are the best. The real ones will be arriving at your door within the week by special courier.”
“All right. At least I now have some possible suspects. We had some other things taken as well.”
“Oh, dear. I’ve let you in for a spot of trouble indeed, haven’t I? Please forgive me.”
“That’s all right. I’m just glad they aren’t missing. I’ll let you know when your bones arrive.” Diane paused a moment. “Did I hear you say Sir Gregory?”
“Yes. He was knighted just last week.”
“He didn’t tell me, but he was never one to talk about his own achievements.” Nevertheless, Diane felt a little hurt that he didn’t share his news with her.
“That’s him. Very nice fellow. Wonderful family.”
Diane cradled the phone and sat a moment, shaking her head. At least she should be grateful that the witch bones had not been stolen. She pulled a card with Charlotte Hawkins’s local address on it out of her desk drawer and slipped it into her pocket.
“Andie, I’ll be in the crime lab. Call me if you need me.”
“Will do,” said Andie as Diane went out the door.
The crime lab was on the third floor of the west wing of the building. The room was a warren of glassed-in workspaces outfitted with all the modern forensic equipment for various kinds of microscopic analysis, gas chromatography, spectral analysis, electrostatic detection and computer analysis. The computers held national and international databases for fingerprint and DNA identification, as well as databases for fibers, shoe prints, bullet casings, tire treads, paint, hair, cigarette butts and several others that David had added. In addition, the computers had software that matched, categorized, imaged, mapped and correlated all manner of data. The lab also had bug- rearing chambers. The crime lab was a separate entity from the museum, though Diane often consulted with the museum when she needed an expert on such things as pollen analysis, soil analysis or animal identification.
David, Chief Garnett and Lane Emery, head of security for the crime lab, sat at the round metal table in a corner of the lab.
“I was beginning to wonder where you were,” said Garnett, looking at his watch. He slid his hand over his salt-and-pepper hair.
Diane ignored Garnett’s cross tone. She was rather cross herself. “Tell me what happened,” she asked Emery.
The head of crime lab security looked to Garnett as if for permission. Diane hadn’t hired him-the Rosewood police had-and he looked to Garnett as his boss. Diane didn’t like that, but so far it hadn’t been a battle she wanted to fight. She suspected that that would now change.
