“Then I will apologize profusely and we’ll have at least searched the museum for incendiary devices.”
David laughed. “I’ll talk to Garnett and take care of the details,” he said.
“Thanks. I need to tell Vanessa Van Ross what’s up.”
David raised his eyebrows. “Why?”
“I always keep her apprised of anything that affects the museum. People think that I don’t answer to anyone, but I do answer to her.”
Diane walked with David back to the museum. He sneezed all the way. Diane felt as though a weight had been lifted from her just to be able to express her suspicions.
Diane drove to Vanessa Van Ross’s home. Vanessa lived in the oldest section of Rosewood, where many of the trees were even older than her 114-year-old grandmother had been. Her huge house was at the end of a long, tree-lined, winding drive.
Diane pushed the doorbell and waited. The house was so well insulated she didn’t hear footfalls until the door was opened by the housekeeper, Mrs. Hartefeld, a fixture who had been with Vanessa for years. She was a tall, straight-backed woman in a dark gray pantsuit that matched her hair and eyes. Diane always thought she looked out of place in modern apparel-she should be wearing Victorian clothes to match her physical appearance. Despite her dour face, Mrs. Hartefeld was a friendly, happy person with a good sense of humor. She led Diane into the parlor, a white and gold French Provencal room that made her feel like she was waiting for the queen. Perhaps she was.
“Dr. Fallon, I wanted to thank you for giving my grand-daughters a personal tour of the museum. They felt so special. They are still talking about it.”
“I was happy to do it. I’m glad they enjoyed themselves.”
“I’ll get Mrs. Van Ross. She’ll be delighted to see you. May I get you something to drink-coffee, tea, soda?”
“No, thank you, Mrs. Hartefeld.”
Diane stood by the fireplace looking up at a portrait of Milo Lorenzo staring down at her. His hand was on a Greek Ionic column pedestal. She sensed his disapproval and she felt guilty.
“Diane, dear. What a surprise,” Vanessa Van Ross said.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call, but I’m afraid my phones might be tapped.”
Vanessa raised her eyebrows. “Sit down and tell me about it.”
Diane sat on a white silk chair, hoping that the seat of her pants wasn’t soiled from the basement. She told Vanessa about the kidnapping, the threats, what happened to her mother, and how the two thugs claimed responsibility-including what they wanted. She thought Vanessa would give her the now-familiar openmouthed stare of surprise, then chastise her for letting things get so out of control.
Vanessa did neither. She sat very still in her white and gold French sitting room, looking at the portrait of Milo.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
Diane outlined her suspicions of Emery and her plan. Vanessa looked thoughtful as she spoke. When she finished, Diane blurted out, “If you want me to resign, I will. . or I’ll resign from the crime lab.” She suddenly felt like a child in the principal’s office.
“Don’t be silly, girl.” Vanessa did look cross now. She glanced up at Milo again. “We can’t have people making threats and controlling what we do, and we certainly can’t have them threatening the museum. Milo would have hated that. They must be found, rooted out and taken to task. They can’t be allowed to get away with it.”
“I’ll do everything in my power to see that they are arrested.”
“What both Milo and I liked about you is that we sensed that you would care for the museum more than for your career. We were right. That’s what we want for the museum-someone who sees it as their job to take care of it, not just themselves.”
Diane was relieved. “Right now, I feel like I’ve put it in danger.”
“No. It’s being held hostage.”
“The board is going to be very angry-about the closing in particular,” said Diane.
Vanessa smiled thinly. “Probably so. You will just have to handle that.”
Diane didn’t look forward to it. “I must ask you not to tell anyone about this until it’s over.”
“Of course.”
“I don’t quite know how to say this.”
“Say what, my dear?”
“The indications are that something very large is at stake here. Perhaps a great deal of wealth or power. Maybe an organization or a family. Someone had to pay these guys to do what they did. They hurt my family just so I’d leave town and they could steal the bones before I got a chance to identify them. Then they kidnapped me when that didn’t work.”
“What are you trying to tell me?”
“I don’t yet know who may be involved. I can’t anticipate the direction the investigation may take. There are not that many rich and powerful people in the area whom you don’t know.”
Vanessa’s face became stern. “Put yourself at ease, Diane. If anyone I know is responsible for this, then I would regard their actions as a betrayal and a threat to all those things I hold dearest to me. I would expect that every effort within your power be made to apprehend and punish them in the most severe way allowed under the law. Anyone who threatens Milo’s museum is not a friend of mine.”
“Thank you for that. And thank you for seeing me unannounced.”
“Did you think I was going to have Hattie kick you out? I think you’re feeling a little sorry for yourself. It’s not like you.”
“I know.” Diane rubbed her temples. “I’m getting pathetic.”
“It looks like you’ve been crying.”
Diane looked over at an ornate mirror hanging on the wall. Her eyes did look puffy. “I had to tell my parents why someone wrecked their lives, destroyed their tranquillity and ruined their reputation. They are very angry with me. My mother blames me for what happened to her.”
“Oh, my dear, I see.”
“She has suffered a lot.”
“No doubt. It was a cruel thing that was done to her. But her blame is misplaced. I know family relationships can be difficult-Lord knows, mine are complicated enough. But you have to keep yourself anchored in reality. The reality is that there are some very bad people out there who are trying to get their way.”
Diane liked talking to Vanessa-she was good at putting things in perspective. She wished she had the same relationship with her family.
“I know that, deep inside. It’s just hard to put into practice sometimes.” Diane looked at her watch. “I need to ask another favor. I couldn’t call Frank on my phone at the museum or my cell phone. May I use yours? It’s long-distance, to Atlanta.”
Vanessa nodded. “Of course, dear. You can use the phone on the desk.”
She pointed to a white French Provencal desk with a glass-covered top. The phone matched the decor-white and gold.
“Would you like me to leave you alone?”
“That’s not necessary.” Diane sat down at the desk and called Frank’s cell. “Frank, it’s me,” she said when he answered.
“Hey, Diane. How are you? I understand you called your parents and they blame you for your mom’s arrest. Did you find out what happened?”
Frank caught Diane completely by surprise. “How did you know?”
“Mike called.”
“Mike called? He shouldn’t have.” Diane felt a little annoyed.
“He called about Neva,” said Frank. “He wants her to stay at my house again.”
Diane’s annoyance evaporated. “Why?” she asked.
“There’s some nut who’s been calling him-says something about being the top of the food chain and Mike
