Dead Guilty

and Mike’s friend who had gotten them access to the cave. She had her backpack ready and had checked her batteries and ropes.
    ‘‘Would you like to go caving with me?’’ she said, giving Frank a kiss.
‘‘No, nor do I want to go skydiving, bungee jump ing, or solo climbing.’’
‘‘You don’t know what you’re missing. There’s no peace like the depth of a cave.’’
‘‘You have a little bit of insanity running in your family, don’t you?’’
‘‘Possibly. What are you going to be doing this weekend?’’
‘‘I’m taking Kevin and Star to the Atlanta Raceway.’’
‘‘Now, see, that’s crazy. Is Star looking forward to that?’’
‘‘Sure, she loves it. Star knows quite a bit about cars.’’
Diane got out of bed and put on her clothes. She was lacing up her boots when Frank put his arms around her waist and kissed her on her jaw. ‘‘Watch where you’re going.’’
‘‘Always.’’
She loaded her gear in the SUV and drove to pick up Neva. The two of them were dressed similarly— jeans, tee-shirts and flannel shirts over them, lace-up boots. Neva stored her gear in the back and got in the front with Diane.
‘‘Excited?’’ said Diane.
‘‘Very nervous. My parents think I’m crazy.’’
‘‘Funny, I was just told that too. You’ll do fine. Didn’t I hear that you’re into tai chi?’’
Neva nodded. ‘‘I like it a lot. Very relaxing exercise.’’
‘‘As I understand it, one of the objectives of tai chi is to develop a tranquil mind and become aware of your surroundings.’’
‘‘A lot of people think you learn to zone things out. It’s really just the opposite.’’
‘‘That will really help you caving. You have to be constantly aware of your surroundings, notice where you’ve been and watch for hazards. Once you’ve had enough practice, it’s second nature.’’
‘‘In some of the caver meetings we discussed differ ent methods of walking in caves so you don’t get tired out,’’ said Neva.
‘‘It’s good that you’ve done that. Fatigue is a major enemy. Remember to keep your head as high as you can as you walk. There’s a natural tendency to want to stoop over inside a cave.’’
‘‘Mike said we’re going to start meeting at the museum.’’
‘‘I thought it was a good idea. Up in the rock room, probably.’’
After a pause, Neva asked, ‘‘Who killed the man in the hospital? Everett Littleton, right?’’
‘‘It’s still open. The nurse on duty has a vague mem ory of an orderly coming into the critical care unit. That’s about all. Garnett likes Steven Mayberry for it.’’
‘‘And you?’’
‘‘I don’t know. It was someone who was bold and proficient, or reckless.’’
‘‘Everett Littleton killed the three in the woods?’’
‘‘That’s what it looks like. I think he tried to tell me he executed them, but with him dead, we may never know the whole story.’’
‘‘Did he kill Chris, Kacie and Raymond too?’’
‘‘I don’t know. Chief Garnett thinks either Everett Littleton or Steven Mayberry killed them.’’
‘‘So Steven Mayberry went from forestry student to super ninja serial killer?’’ said Neva. ‘‘A lot of this just isn’t tracking for me.’’
‘‘Obviously, there are a lot of loose ends. But our part is over now. We’ve analyzed the crime scene evi dence and turned in our reports. It’s up to the police and the D.A. to figure it out and make a case, if there’s anyone left to make a case against.’’
‘‘So many dead, and no one to prosecute,’’ Neva said.
Mike Seger and a slightly husky young man with a short straggly beard stood waiting at the curb in front of Mike’s house.
‘‘This is Dick MacGregor,’’ said Mike. ‘‘His cousin owns the land the cave is on.’’
‘‘Yeah, it’s my favorite cave,’’ said MacGregor. ‘‘Did you like my map? I started it when I was a kid. I don’t know much about how cartographers do it, so I just did it my way, as the song says.’’
‘‘The only thing that matters in a map is that it reflects what’s there,’’ said Diane.
Mike shot her a glance as he climbed in the back seat. Diane was not above flattery if it got her access to an interesting cave.
They drove for twenty minutes and MacGregor chatted the whole time. Diane hoped he would tone it down inside the cave.
‘‘Mike told me you’ve done a lot of caving on rope,’’ he said.
‘‘Yes, I have.’’
‘‘I haven’t done much of that.