Part 19 (1/2)

”The DNA is a match to Clymene O'Riley,” said Diane. He looked startled. ”Ross' Clymene?” he asked. ”The very one,” said Diane.

”I thought she was in jail,” said Jacobs, ”. . . or did I hear that she escaped?”

”Yes, she escaped, right after I visited her at her request. That's another long story,” she said. ”Well, you're right. None of this makes any sense.

Why would Clymene escape and then show up at your apartment?” he asked.

”I don't know. Why would someone else decide to kill her there? The whole thing had to be premeditated and coordinated. And why drug me?” said Diane. ”I'm aware that all of this makes me look guilty of something.”

”Maybe that's the point. If Clymene blamed you for her conviction, could she be behind the artifact problem? It started before her demise,” he said. ”I don't see how . . .” She stopped.

”What?” he asked.

”Clymene's late husband, the one she was convicted of murdering, was an amateur archaeologist. Clymene boned up on archaeology in order to lay her trap for him,” said Diane.

”So she could have made contacts,” said Jacobs.

”See?” He patted Diane on the hand. ”You need to tell your doctor all your symptoms, no matter how much you think they are unrelated, and let him make the diagnosis.”

Diane smiled. ”It hadn't occurred to me that Clymene might have masterminded this. All she would have to do is get Golden Antiquities to switch the artifacts and make a call to the newspapers.” ”That's a possibility,” said Jacobs. ”I'll look into it.

I'll see if Randal Cunningham had any dealings with Clymene. Did she have friends, known a.s.sociates?

Some people in prison have a following.”

”She had visitors. And there's a possibility she conned Rev. Rivers, the prison counselor, into helping her escape. He was found murdered at his home after she broke out,” said Diane.

”Something went bad for her,” mused Jacobs. ”If it's true that she orchestrated all of this, I wonder what went wrong.”

”Orchestrated. That's what's been going through my mind. The whole thing feels like some kind of game.

If it were just a simple crime, it wouldn't be so hard to understand. Motives would be more straightforward. I know there is no way either Kendel or I or anyone else at the museum could make the artifact switch work as a moneymaking plan the way it was done.” ”Could it be a game Clymene started but now can't finish?” he said.

”Maybe.” Diane began gathering up the money. ”I need to take the whole package for a.n.a.lysis,”

he said.

Diane shook her head. ”We don't know if it's related to the artifacts. I'll have my lab do it. Look, yours is backed up and this isn't a priority for the FBI, but it is a priority here. Besides, it might just be a contribution to the museum. Granted, patrons don't usually insult me when they are donating, but some of them are not pleased with me lately.”

He smiled and agreed. But Diane knew it was because he had no choice. There was no physical connection to the envelope and money he could make with his case. It just looked suspicious. For that matter, he didn't even know if the wayward artifacts were his case either. It was all just suspicion.

”So, you run the museum and the crime lab. Anything else?” he asked.

”I'm also a forensic anthropologist and have an osteology lab in the building,” said Diane.

”I know there's a story here,” he said.

”There is. A very long one,” she said.

”Maybe over lunch when Ross comes,” he said. There was a knock on the door and Andie entered.

”I'm sorry to interrupt.”

Diane walked over to her with the envelope. ”David called and you are wanted in the crime lab,”

Andie whispered. ”The federal marshals are here again. So is that FBI guy, Kingsley, and some other folks from the police station. David is afraid they may want to...well... arrest you.”

Chapter 31.

”Okay, thank you, Andie,” said Diane as she looked into Andie's worried eyes. She was a little surprised that Andie hadn't suggested she go out the loading dock exit and avoid the whole thing altogether. ”It's all right. Go back to your desk. I'll let you know if you need to bring me a toothbrush.”

Diane smiled at her as she shut the door. Diane stood for a moment and closed her eyes before she turned back to Agent Jacobs.

”I have to go,” she said. ”I'll have Andie show you to Bookkeeping.”

”I have really good hearing and the acoustics in this room are quite superior,” said Agent Jacobs. ”I'd like to come with you. See how Ross is doing. Do you think you are going to be arrested?”

He said it as if it was such a normal thing. Not cause for alarm or disgrace. Just a simple statement. Diane was wondering if he was that unflappable in his un-FBI persona.

”I think they probably found where I hid the body. I probably left my letter opener stuck in her back with my fingerprints on it,” she said. Then she added, ”That's a joke.”

”I can tell a joke from a confession,” he said. ”So, you think they found the body?”

”I think that's probably why the marshals are here-tying up loose ends,” Diane said. ”I guess it's all right if you come along. It'll give you a chance to fight over who gets to take me in.”

”You believe that I'm about to arrest you?” he said, amus.e.m.e.nt twinkling in his eyes. Diane was glad that someone found all this funny.

”I'm sure you catch a lot of people with your friendly charm,” said Diane.

”You think this is an act?” Jacobs put his hand over his heart in mock pain. ”And here I thought you trusted me.”

”I obviously do; I spilled my guts to you, didn't I?” said Diane.

”I see, you just weren't fooled.” He was still smiling, but Diane thought he probably had elicited a lot of information with his friendly manner.

She got a light sweater out of the closet and put it on.

”Like all of us, you have a job to do,” she said. ”Those artifacts came from somewhere and they are unprovenanced. You have to be suspicious. But I hope you see that neither Kendel nor Jonas could have hoped to get by with anything. If anyone could, it would be me. I control everything here. Or at least I thought I did.”

”I think it's too early to fall on your sword,” he said as Diane led them out the back door of her office.

”I'm not falling on my sword. I just think Kendel and Jonas need to be protected from whatever mischief is going on here,” said Diane.

”Ross said you have a highly developed sense of justice,” said Jacobs as they walked through a small door into the Pleistocene room.