Beverly Connor - One Grave Too Many

Diane didn’t wait for an answer. She stood and took a stack of papers and began passing them out. “Here are the new figures for the opening. They include some workshops we will be offering to the public.”

“Stop ignoring legitimate questions for a moment. This is something we need to discuss.”

“You mean the purpose of the board? That’s covered in the hand-”

“I know, Milo’s handbook. Milo is dead, yet every time anything comes up about the museum, you or your friends trot out his name like he’s going to show up any minute and judge what we’ve done to his museum. Time goes on, and there are new considerations.”

“Milo may not be here with us, but he left us his plans in his will-along with his money. His death didn’t change the validity of his plans for the museum. Nor did it change Mrs. Van Ross’ commitment to see his plans realized.” Diane gazed around at the board members. Most were looking at her handouts.

Mark detected the sudden lack of support and stood up. “I need to get Signy home. Perhaps there will be a future time when this is not such a forbidden topic.” The way he left the room reminded Diane of a spoiled child.

There was a moment of silence finally broken by Madge Stewart. “This conservator’s workshop, what’s that?”

“Korey Jordan, our head conservator, thought members of the community would be interested in learning how to protect some of their family heirlooms,” said Diane.

“Oh, I’d be interested in that,” said Madge. “I have this quilt. . ”

Craig Amberson let out a sigh, and Madge glared at him.

“I think the meeting’s clearly over,” said Diane. “Have a look at the budget I’ve handed out and we’ll discuss it next meeting. Come with me, Madge, and I’ll take you to meet Korey. He can give you some acid-free tissue paper and a box to store your quilt in.”

“Well, this was a big waste of time.” Craig Amberson stood up and stuffed the budget papers in his briefcase.

Gordon Atwell looked at his watch. “I might have just as well stayed at the bank. We should have at least talked about Mark’s plan, if nothing else but to get it over with.”

“Nothing to talk about without figures,” said Diane. “Until we have those, it’s all speculation-that’s a waste of time.”

Craig muttered something under his breath and walked out the door with Gordon. Diane took Madge to the conservation laboratory. It was not a large laboratory. Many of their items were contracted out to be processed. They did have a large storage vault controlled for temperature and humidity, a fume hood for handling chemicals, deacidification facilities, a suction table for treating fragile objects that can’t be completely immersed in water, binocular microscopes, and photographic equipment, all managed by a head conservator and five assistants. Diane was negotiating an arrangement with the local technical schools to offer classes for training conservation assistants.

Most of the items Korey worked with were bones, botanical specimens and objects from nature, but he also had expertise in the conservation of historical objects and paper. All the documents that passed through the museum went through Korey’s hands first, before going to the archivist.

Signy was leaning over a table looking at water-stained documents, Korey’s jacket over her shoulders.

“We found these in an old trunk in a corner of the basement,” Korey was telling her. “They contain some of the history of the place. Once I test the ink, I’ll know how to clean the paper and separate the pages that are stuck together. I think they’ll eventually make a terrific exhibit.”

“There’s certainly a lot more to this museum business than one would first guess,” said Madge.

As they discussed the documents, Diane noticed boxes of supplies, three layers high stacked against the wall. “What’s this?” she asked Korey.

He laughed. “Enough supplies to last me into the next millennium. I don’t know what’s going on. I suddenly started receiving a triple order of everything. I called the supplier and they said we’d ordered it.”

“Send me the paperwork that came with it,” said Diane. “I’ll take care of it. We’ll send back all the extras that have a shelf life.”

Madge rubbed her bare arms. “How can you stand it so cool in here? I’d turn up the temperature.”

“It’s best for the stuff we work on if the room is kept a little cool,” said Korey. “We get used to it.”

“Would you give Miss Stewart a box and some wrapping tissue? She wants to store a quilt.”

“Sure thing.” Korey went to collect the items.

“I suppose the meeting’s broken up, then.” Signy took the jacket off and laid it on the table.

“Yes, it has. I imagine Mark will be looking for you in the lounge. I’ll show you the way, if you like.”

“Thanks, Korey,” she yelled after him. “I appreciate the tour.”

“No problem, Mrs. G.”

“Korey will take care of you, Madge,” said Diane. “He can give you advice on cleaning your quilt, if it needs it.”

Diane left Madge looking at a tray of resin casts of dinosaur eggs and walked Signy out of the lab to the elevators that led to the staff lounge on the second floor.

“How did the meeting go?” Signy looked at her watch. “You couldn’t have gotten much done.”

“No. We didn’t get much done. Just small business. Did you enjoy your tour of the conservation lab?”

“I did,” said Signy. She sounded surprised that she could actually enjoy herself in a museum laboratory. “Korey’s a good teacher. Very enthusiastic about his work.”

“Mark said you’ve been taking cold medication. I’m sorry you had to spend the night in the conference room. I’ll have to ask the cleaning staff why they didn’t notice you.”

“It’s just as well. I didn’t need to be driving, and Mark was going to be at his office half the night talking to Japan.”

“I would have been glad to drive you home.”

“The couch was very comfortable.”

Diane didn’t press further, but she found the whole thing very odd. They met Mark just outside the staff lounge. He was frowning and didn’t automatically light up when he saw his wife. When he finally did smile, it looked forced.

“I’d better get you home,” he said. “You must be exhausted.” He nodded to Diane, took Signy by the arm and led her across the emerald green tile floors toward the elevators.

Diane headed toward the elevators herself, but was stopped by Donald. The way he was frowning, she thought she was in for another quarrel with him.

“Diane, I didn’t make up that message.”

“What?” For a moment she didn’t understand what Donald was talking about, for her hearing picked up Mark and Signy’s background conversation as they waited for the elevator. Their voices were not much more than a loud whisper, but the words swept her way as if on a breeze.

“Can’t you do anything right?” said Mark.

“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even know about them. I’ll drive myself home.”

Diane glanced at them in time to see Mark take Signy by the arm. She jerked it out of his grasp and hurried into the open elevator.

“I really didn’t. I wouldn’t do that,” Donald was saying, “and I’m really disturbed that you think I would.”

Diane turned her attention back to Donald. “I don’t think you did, Donald. I think we both were innocent victims of some prankster.” His frown dissolved into a lopsided smile. What she didn’t say was that she doubted he would do something that so obviously pointed to him.

“Who do you think it was?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Do you have a printout of the E-mail?”