Beverly Connor - Dead Secret

In just a few days Jane Doe’s bones would be rendered almost white, clean and unaltered-the beetles didn’t damage even the smallest bones. Then Diane would check again for stray marks she might have missed from things like knives or bullets.

Diane changed out of her lab clothes. Her museum clothes felt good, and it was a relief to get away from the smell. After she was dressed she walked down to the lab, where she found David hard at work on the quarry crime scene.

“How is it going?”

“Sure but slow. Right now I’m collecting all the trace from the evidence. When I’m finished I’ll start analyzing. How about you? You must be finished if you changed clothes.”

“I put Mrs. Doe with the dermestids.”

David laughed. “Every time I see a beetle now I’m going to think of Deputy Singer.”

“That must have been frightening for him.”

“I’m sure it was. Sheriff Burns told me Singer loves those horror movies about insects and spiders out of control. Talks about them all the time. Says his favorite is one called They Crawl . Can you believe it? There’s got to be thousands of those B-grade movies, and apparently he’s seen every one. Then suddenly he’s in one. God, I almost feel sorry for him.”

“Did anyone else get hurt?”

“No, and he wasn’t hurt badly. He ran into a fire hydrant. They’re keeping him overnight for observation. He’ll be going home tomorrow.”

“From the insects you found on her, can you give me a time line for Jane Doe?” asked Diane.

“I need to know more about the place where she was found. From the look of the forest litter it was damp. I’ll talk to Jin when he returns. I may have to go out there myself.”

“Keep me informed. I’m going to grab something to eat.” Diane left David working in the lab and took the elevator down to the first floor. She intended to go to the restaurant, but she decided to go to her office and check in with Andie first.

“Dr. Fallon. Just in time. You’ve got a phone call. He’s called a couple of times. I didn’t want to disturb you in the lab. He won’t say who he is.”

Probably someone wanting access to their Egyptian mummy. There was a steady stream of scientists who wanted tissue samples, X-rays, body parts or MRIs for their research ever since the museum had inherited him, and they would usually speak only with Diane herself.

Diane sighed. “I’ll take it in my office. Andie, could I get you to run down to the restaurant and get me a sandwich?”

“Sure. What kind?”

“Oh, how about a BLT and a glass of iced tea.”

“You got it.”

Andie went off to the restaurant. Diane sat down at her desk and picked up the phone.

“Diane Fallon.”

“Diane, what the hell are you trying to do to me? Just what the hell are you playing at?”

Diane didn’t say anything. For a second she didn’t recognize his voice. “Alan, is that you?” Great , she thought. I’d rather speak to the mummy researchers.

“Yes, it’s me. Who the hell do you think it is?”

Well, I didn’t know, thought Diane. There could be any number of people this pissed off at me.

“Alan, what’s the matter?”

“What’s the matter! How can you ask that? Dammit, are you trying to ruin me?”

“What are you talking about?” she asked, even though she knew. He didn’t like being investigated.

“This guy from the Rosewood police called me and wanted to know my whereabouts when you were stabbed. God, how could you think I would do such a thing?”

“When you creep into my room at night and sniff my clothes, you make yourself a suspect.”

There was dead silence on the other end of the phone. It stretched out so long, Diane was about to say something when he finally spoke.

“How did you. . ” He didn’t finish.

“It doesn’t matter. What in God’s name were you doing?” she asked.

“I wanted to talk to you,” he said.

What do we have to talk about? she thought. “Why didn’t you knock?”

“I didn’t know if you were awake. I wanted to see first.”

Diane rolled her eyes. “Alan, do you know how lame that sounds?”

“I wasn’t going to hurt you.”

“It was not appropriate. We aren’t married. My bedroom is private.”

“God, Diane, what’s the big deal? For that you turn me in to the police?”

“The act made you a suspect, and I had to check you out.”

“I told them you invited me and then got cold feet.” His voice sounded smug.

David hadn’t told her that. She smiled grimly. Alan didn’t know that the policeman who called was actually one of her employees. David probably introduced himself as a criminalist from the Rosewood Police Department. Alan probably didn’t know what a criminalist was.

“I doubt he believed you, Alan.”

He gave a derisive snort. “You don’t think so? I told him you’ve always had a hard time accepting our divorce. It’s your word against mine, and I am very convincing.” His voice had regained its confidence.

“Alan, let me clue you in. You are the one who moved to the town where my parents live and kept up a relationship with them. I’m the one who lives a state away and hardly ever visits. Who does it look like won’t let go?”

Alan was silent again for a long moment. “Why are you doing this?”

“I’m not doing anything. Believe it or not, I wanted to rule you out as a suspect. I asked that they be discreet.”

“Well, when the police guy talked to my dentist he told him he thought I was witness to a car accident in Atlanta,” he admitted.

“See? That doesn’t make you look like a deranged killer.”

“The policeman wasn’t so nice when he talked to me.” Diane smiled and tried not to laugh. “Don’t take it personally. They talk that way to everyone.”

“How else should I take it?”

“Look, if Mother can get though Tombsberg, you can take a little questioning. Alan, what’s happening to you? You didn’t used to be. . well, mean.” Self-centered, maybe, but not deliberately mean.

“Mean? What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about what you did to Gerald and Susan. They have always supported you.”

“They told you about that, did they? Gerald was trying to make me look bad to the partners in my firm.”

“As I understand it, he was just trying to tell the truth.”

“What would it have hurt to go along with me? They aren’t his employers.”

“I don’t know the details, but presumably you did something wrong with the firm’s accounts and he had to straighten them out. Gerald wouldn’t go along with your lie, so you tried to destroy his marriage. What kind of friend are you?”

“You don’t know it was a lie.”

“Alan, you just told me you lied to the police about me. What am I supposed to think about your veracity?”

“You always did like to play with words, twist them around in your favor.”

“Alan, I have to go.”

He was silent again. He never used to have so hard a time searching for a comeback. Diane wondered if she should just hang up, but she was starting to pity him. God, where did that come from? she thought. Don’t start feeling sorry for him.

“Alan, please fix things with Susan and Gerald. I don’t know why you are separated from your wife, but it might be good to work on that. You have two kids. They should be a joy in your life. Nothing else should matter.”

“I was hoping we could start talking again,” he said.

“No. That’s not a good idea. You have so many things going for you. Don’t self-destruct.”

“It was good seeing you again. I. . I wasn’t being a pervert. I was just smelling your perfume,” he said, then abruptly hung up the phone.