‘‘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 Preparations, 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 advantage of the opportunity to use Bryce’s bad judgment against him.

  ‘‘Most of this is just posturing by Bryce,’’ she said. ‘‘But I need to stop it, and I want to make sure no one from the museum has to cross his path until I get it cleared up. No one should be afraid they will face a man with a bad attitude and a gun during the course of their day at the museum.’’

  Emily nodded and gave Diane a faint smile, and Diane patted her on the shoulder.

  ‘‘This guy is the definition of hostile workplace,’’ said Emily. ‘‘It’s just so weird.’’

  ‘‘I’ll say,’’ said Andie. ‘‘But weird is what we do here.’’ She grinned at Diane.

  ‘‘Good night, Andie,’’ said Diane. ‘‘I’ll see you in the morning.’’

  Andie nodded, said good-bye, and started to leave. She lingered at the door momentarily, as if there might yet be fireworks to see. Diane shooed her away.

  ‘‘Mike, you mind coming with me? There’s something I’d like you to help me with,’’ said Diane.

  ‘‘Sure thing, Doc.’’ Mike grinned. ‘‘I love working here. Always something going on.’’

  ‘‘I’ll go too. I need to get my purse,’’ said Emily. ‘‘It’s in the docents’ office.’’

  The three walked out to the elevator and rode up to the third floor. The guard was still there. Diane saw him at the far side of the building as she was about to enter Exhibit Preparations. He was sitting in the chair looking like a troll guarding the bridge, popping something—candy or popcorn—into his mouth and staring down the hallway. Mike looked down the long hallway at him. ‘‘So tell me,’’ he said. ‘‘Which Billy Goat Gruff am I?’’

  ‘‘Well, I know I’m the littlest one,’’ said Emily, ‘‘so I’m out of here.’’ She waved at them and went to the docents’ office.

  Diane went to each department on the third floor and told her employees to go home. That done, she told Mike what she was planning and the two of them walked down toward the west wing overlook. The guard stood up as she approached, expecting, no doubt, another confrontation. He was grinning, ready for it.

  Shipman. That was the name on his uniform. G. Shipman. He was a large, broad-shouldered fellow with short dark hair and a broad face with a nose that looked like it had been broken at least once. Diane wondered whether he was a bully when he was in school.

  ‘‘You’re going to have to bring someone bigger than that skinny runt,’’ he said, pointing at Mike. ‘‘He’s not much better than the broad you brought last time.’’

  They ignored him, and before Shipman realized what Diane was about, she’d pulled the metal accordion gate from its slot in the wall. He ran at her, lunging at the expanding door, trying to wrestle it from her, grinning and staring her in the eyes the whole time. Mike stepped in and slammed it in the latch. Diane locked it. Shipman’s muscles, Diane guessed, were like Harve Delamore’s—all show. Mike’s were not. It was nice to have the testosterone advantage on her side this time.

  ‘‘Hey, you can’t lock me in,’’ he said. He shook his hands as if they hurt. Probably stung after Mike grabbed the gate from him.

  ‘‘I’m not,’’ said Diane. ‘‘I’m securing the museum. There’s a stairwell and an elevator to the left and right of the overlook. They lead down to the first floor. There will be guards at the desk and they can let you out. Or you can go through the crime lab to their private elevator,’’ said Diane. She closed the fire doors and locked them too. As Diane and Mike walked to the middle bank of elevators, she called security on her cell and told them to turn on the night lighting.

  After a few moments they were plunged into darkness except for the foot lighting. They heard a muffled yell but couldn’t hear what Shipman was saying. She pushed the button for the elevator and the doors opened immediately. They got in and the doors closed, drowning out all sound.

  ‘‘I thought something was up the way you talked to Bryce—a little harsher than your usual tone.’’

  ‘‘Bryce had already lost two battles with me. I knew he wouldn’t want to lose a third, and I didn’t want to tempt him into being reasonable by making nice with him.’’

  ‘‘Doc, I didn’t know you could be so manipulative,’’ he said.

  ‘‘Of course you did,’’ retorted Diane.

  Mike folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall of the elevator. ‘‘Exactly where did this get you?’’ he asked.

  Mike was wearing tan slacks and a dark gray sweater, dressier than his usual Dockers and polo shirts. She was glad he was back. She hadn’t liked the idea of his ice caving any more than Neva had.

  ‘‘The terms of the contract between the museum and the City of Rosewood specify that neither the crime lab operation nor any of its employees shall put the museum, its staff, or any visitors in danger,’’ said Diane. ‘‘When the lab left my control, Vanessa and the board wanted the crime lab gone. I confess, I had already been thinking about it even before Vanessa suggested it. It would be nice to have the space back.’’

  ‘‘So Bryce really stepped in it this time,’’ said Mike. ‘‘When Neva gets off work her muscles are knotted up worse than mine after a hard rock climb. She really doesn’t like the guy. And neither does David from what I hear. Neva’s worried about him.’’

  Diane didn’t say anything for a long moment. Finally she spoke. ‘‘We’re coming up on the anniversary of the massacre,’’ she said at last. She didn’t elaborate. People who knew her well knew what she was talking about. ‘‘It’s always hard on both of us. This year, more so on David.’’

  ‘‘Oh, Diane, I’m sorry … I hadn’t realized. I don’t think Neva did either.’’

  The elevator doors opened.

  ‘‘It’s not something we bring up without cause,’’ said Diane as they stepped off the elevator into a stream of people leaving the museum restaurant.

  Diane unlocked a door and ducked into the primate section to avoid being noticed by anyone she knew. The room had an eerie feel in the dark with only the foot lighting. The Neanderthal figures looked even

  more real in the dark shadows.

  ‘‘Are you going to be all right?’’ Mike asked.

  ‘‘Fine. David will be fine too. How about you? Is that a new scrape on the side of your face?’’ she asked, deflecting any talk about the massacre.

  ‘‘Frostbite. I got it in the ice caves. I have to tell you, ice caves are among the most beautiful places on earth, but I really hate them.’’

  ‘‘Don’t they have more experienced people with ice caves … ? I mean, that isn’t your thing,’’ said Diane.

  ‘‘We had ice cave experts doing the climb too. I didn’t really have to do that much. I wanted the experience. But now that I’ve had it, I much prefer the regular old caves we explore,’’ he said. ‘‘Though I have to say, the volcano expedition several months ago was interesting.’’

  They crossed over to the east wing lobby. Two of her security guards were on duty. Diane greeted them as she walked past.

  ‘‘You got a phone call from Lloyd Bryce,’’ said one of the guards. He grinned. ‘‘He said you locked his guard in the west wing?’’

  Diane stopped. ‘‘I did no such thing. Mr. Shipman has several egresses to choose from if he wants to leave. If Mr. Bryce calls again, I’m not here.’’

  ‘‘Sure thing, Dr. Fallon.’’

  Diane left Mike in the lobby on his way to pick up Neva to take her to a late dinner. Diane went to her office and called Frank to tell him she would be home soon and that she would tell him all about her latest adventure. Home, she thought as she hung up. She still hadn’t made up her mind whether to settle in with Frank or to get her own place. She wished she could do both. She sat in her chair listening to the water fountain on her desk. The bubbling, flowing sound was soothing.

  Diane didn’t feel like she had just won a major battle. She thought she would feel more jubilant now that the museum had a way to reclaim all that space in the west wing and rid itself of a growing problem. She sat there feeling a little sad, not unlike the way she had felt when the chief of police and the mayor had replaced her. It had hurt more than she let on, more than she had told anyone, even Frank. In truth, she loved the crime lab and she had enjoyed it being in the museum. She knew Vanessa had too.

  Vanessa Van Ross was the real power behind the museum. She was old Rosewood going back several generations. She had money and she had power—but not enough power to change the new mayor’s mind. Vanessa wasn’t aware that Diane knew she had gone down to the mayor’s office after he fired her to talk him out of it. It must have been an odd feeling for Vanessa—being turned down. It didn’t happen often.

  Diane got up, put on her jacket, and turned out the lights. She walked through Andie’s office and opened the door to leave. Neva and Mike were standing there ready to knock. Neva was dressed in jeans and a short, lambskin-lined suede jacket and gloves. It must be getting colder outside, thought Diane.

  ‘‘Well, hi,’’ Diane said. ‘‘Did you forget something?’’

  Mike shook his head. ‘‘Neva wanted to talk to you,’’ he said.

  ‘‘It’s David,’’ said Neva. ‘‘Did you know he resigned today?’’

  13

  ‘‘Resigned?’’ said Diane. ‘‘When?’’

  Neva shrugged. ‘‘I just know he left a letter on Bryce’s desk. I’m really worried about him. He hasn’t been himself lately,’’ she said. Her dark brown eyes looked moist. She ran her fingers through her honey brown hair, but her bangs fell back in her eyes.

  ‘‘Come in,’’ said Diane.

  Neva frowned at the sight of Diane’s face, but she didn’t say anything. Probably knew that Diane was tired of people noticing.

  Diane turned on the light in Andie’s office. Mike and Neva sat on the sofa; Diane sat on a chair in the small sitting area in the corner of the office. The cottage-style stuffed furniture with its floral design and matching rag rug of pink, blue, and green were pretty and tranquil. It made Diane feel like she should be entertaining Peter Rabbit’s mother. She guessed that was what Andie had in mind.

  ‘‘He hasn’t been the same since you left the crime lab. You know David hated politics to start with. Now …’’

  Neva shrugged again. ‘‘I know he never talked much about himself, but he talked to us about other stuff. Now the only time I have a conversation with him is when all of us have dinner. At work, it’s strictly business. He keeps to himself.’’

  ‘‘Do you know where he is?’’ asked Diane.

  Neva shook her head. ‘‘I tried calling his cell but didn’t get an answer. I went by his house while Mike was teaching his class tonight. He either wasn’t home or didn’t answer the door.’’

  ‘‘What about his rooms in the basement here?’’ asked Diane.

  ‘‘I went down there before I left. Unless he locked himself in and is not answering the door, he’s not there.’’ She hesitated a moment, looked over at Mike, then back at Diane. ‘‘I know this is a hard time…’’ She let the sentence trail off.

  ‘‘Sometimes David likes to be by himself, especially now,’’ said Diane. ‘‘And you know he won’t suffer fools—

  gladly or otherwise.’’

  ‘‘I know that,’’ said Neva. ‘‘Mike’s been telling me what Bryce’s been doing. Bryce has this thing about control. That’s what makes him so hard to work with. I can’t tell you how many crime scenes we’ve arrived at way late because he takes forever to assign one of us to go. By the time we get there, the scene has already been compromised. Often he’ll just send Lollipop by herself.’’ Neva rolled her eyes.

  ‘‘You had no clue that David was going to resign?’’ said Diane.

  ‘‘Not really. Neither of us have been happy up there. Jin is counting his blessings that he’s in the DNA lab. Frankly, I was thinking about applying for a job there when he gets around to hiring. It worries me that David would quit with no job lined up.’’

  ‘‘Don’t be too worried. I’ll look for David and speak with him,’’ said Diane.

  Neva looked relieved. ‘‘Maybe you could talk him into coming caving with us sometime,’’ said Neva.

  ‘‘Not a chance in hell,’’ said Diane. ‘‘He’d rather work a crime scene with Bryce.’’

  Neva laughed. ‘‘You think he is all right, then?’’ she said.

  ‘‘I believe so,’’ said Diane. ‘‘I’m not really worried.’’ This wasn’t exactly the truth. She had been mildly concerned about him too. But she didn’t want to worry Neva.

  ‘‘I’ll let you get home, then,’’ said Neva. ‘‘You must feel awful, everything you’ve been through today.’’

  ‘‘Not as bad as I look,’’ said Diane. But it really was.

  She and Mike stood up. Diane rose with them.

  ‘‘Good to see you, Neva. I’m glad you came by,’’ said Diane.

  She missed working with them every day. The four of them had worked well together.

  ‘‘I have to tell you, Bryce is very angry with you,’’ said Neva. ‘‘He is always quick to temper, but I’ve never seen him this angry.’’

  ‘‘How did he not know that the forensic anthropology lab belongs to the museum?’’ asked Diane.

  ‘‘He wouldn’t listen to any advice or information that David or I tried to give him, so we quit trying. But I would have thought he knew about your lab.’’ Neva shrugged. ‘‘I’m sorry about letting them in there. I hadn’t meant to. They caught me coming out of the lab.’’

  ‘‘It’s all right,’’ said Diane. ‘‘I changed the code on the locks to make sure they don’t get back in—it wasn’t aimed at you.’’

  ‘‘I thought you would,’’ said Neva. ‘‘I’d prefer not to know how to get in the lab until Bryce understands where his limits are.’’

  After Neva and Mike left, Diane called Frank and told him she might be delayed. Then she retrieved her cell phone from her pocket and called David’s cell number. She didn’t expect him to answer, but he did and she was surprised at the amount of relief she felt.

  ‘‘David, are you all right?’’ asked Diane.

  ‘‘Sure,’’ he said. ‘‘Why wouldn’t I be?’’

  ‘‘Neva said you resigned.’’ Diane sat back down in Andie’s plush chair.

  ‘‘It seemed like the logical thing to do,’’ he said. ‘‘I just couldn’t in good conscience work for the guy anymore.’’

  ‘‘Where are you?’’ asked Diane.

  ‘‘I’m driving home.’’

  ‘‘Neva has been trying to get in touch with you,’’ said Diane.

  ‘‘I know. I just didn’t want to talk to her yet. I’m feeling guilty about bailing out on her without warning. I’ll call her later.’’

  ‘‘What are you going to do?’’ asked Diane.

  ‘‘I thought I’d apply for a job at the museum. I have lots of skills.’’

  ‘‘That sounds like a plan,’’ said Diane. ‘‘Why don’t you come to my office tomorrow?’’

  ‘‘I’d like to take a little break first. You know, get this month over with.’’

  ‘‘I understand. So you’re going to take a vacation?’’

  ‘‘Yeah. I think so,’’ he said.

  ‘‘Keep in touch.’’

  ‘‘Sure,’’ he said. ‘‘Don’t worry.’’

  When they hung up, Diane sat in the chair for several minutes thinking about David. It was one of the more strained, noncommittal conversations she’d ever had with him. She put her face in her hands and rubbed her fingertips across her forehead as if she could smooth out her thoughts. Instead she only made her face hurt. David seemed off to her, even for David in troubled mode. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was, but it didn’t feel right to her. She went home to Frank with an uneasiness in the pit of her stomach.

  Diane liked rounding the drive and seeing the museum early in the morning. Until it came into view, she never knew exactly what she would see. The stone structure could be bathed in the glow of sunrise, or it could be shrouded in fog, glistening wet after a rain, or dark and gothic during a downpour.

  This morning the building had a golden glow as the sun just rising above the tree line reflected off the granite. A fog from the pond rose from behind the building, giving the scene an ethereal, misty halo. The dark, leafless trees looked like long dark fingers caressing the building.

  The granite structure was a beautiful gothic-style building with large rooms decorated with Romanesque moldings, polished granite floors, and mahogany-paneled walls. It began life in the 1800s as a museum on the first floor, with the upper floors rented out as office space. In the early twentieth century, the building was converted into a private medical clinic that closed down in the 1950s under mysterious circumstances—a history the employees loved to speculate about. The building then stood empty until Milo Lorenzo and Vanessa Van Ross decided to make it into a museum again.

  There were stories told by the docents of bodies buried in the subbasement—the hidden results of medical mistakes or fiendish experiments from the building’s dark past as a medical clinic. Good ghost stories are always fun.

  As she drove up to her parking lot, she saw two figures rising from their seats on the steps, obviously waiting for her. It was Henry and his brother, Caleb.

  ‘‘I’m sorry for coming so early,’’ he said. ‘‘Caleb has to go to work and I have to go to school.’’

 

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