Dead Guilty

it?’’
Andie went back to her office, and Diane returned to her paperwork. She checked her E-mail and was relieved to find no more messages from whoever sent her the flowers. Probably just a crackpot.
She reviewed several proposals, signed several order forms for everything from pens to chemicals and an swered queries from her board members. As she worked, an idea came to her about the lone rope from the crime scene. She jumped up from her chair, looked on her shelf for her book on knots and headed for the lab, telling Andie where she would be as she flew out the door.

Chapter 22
    Diane’s museum office was in the opposite wing from the crime lab. She enjoyed the walk across the mu seum, even when she was in a hurry. She liked seeing the visitors going from room to room, looking at the exhibits, and hearing children’s delighted voices squeal upon seeing a display upon which the museum staff had worked hard. But today Diane’s mind was focused on a nagging problem, and she bypassed the crowd and took the east wing elevator to the third floor and hurried across to her osteology lab. David met her in the hallway coming from the crime lab.
    ‘‘Andie said you were on your way up.’’
‘‘Yes. I have an idea.’’
‘‘Chief Garnett called. He traced the E-mail and
    talked to Officer Lenderman and his daughter.’’ Diane’s cell rang and she held up a finger motioning
David to wait while she answered it. The ID showed
Frank’s work number.
‘‘Hey,’’ he said. ‘‘Loved seeing you last night.’’ ‘‘Me, too. Frank, I’m...’’
‘‘I traced the origin of the E-mail. It was from inside
the museum.’’
Diane stood there, dumfounded. ‘‘Inside the
museum?’’
David began nodding in agreement.
‘‘You need to tell Garnett,’’ said Frank.
‘‘I will, Frank. Thanks. David’s here, and I think he
has some more information on it.’’
‘‘Good. Call if you need me.’’
‘‘Inside the museum?’’ Diane asked David. ‘‘Yes. Garnett talked to the daughter. She’s a stu
dent at Bartram and comes to the museum to work
on a paleontology project. She said she sometimes
uses the computers in the restaurant—that’s where the
E-mail originated from.’’
‘‘She sent it?’’
‘‘She says not. She remembers sending some mes
sages and leaving the computer for a minute or two
when she saw some friends come into the restaurant.
That’s when someone must have hijacked her E-mail
account. She was still logged on.’’
‘‘Damn. Does she remembering seeing anyone?’’ ‘‘No. I think she was very focused on herself and
her friends.’’
Diane put her hands to her face. ‘‘Not the museum.
This is my worst nightmare.’’
‘‘Wait a minute,’’ said David. ‘‘Why are you worried
about the museum? Whoever this guy is, he’s focused
on you.’’
‘‘But he’s coming into the museum. I can’t have
that. Did Garnett have anything else to say?’’ ‘‘Yes, he wants you to meet him at his office in
about an hour. He’s meeting again with Sheriff Braden. I have a file full of reports you can take to each
of them.’’
‘‘Good. I prefer going over there to them coming
here.’’
‘‘They’re talking to Kacie Beck,’’ David said. ‘‘Kacie Beck. Isn’t she...’’
‘‘Chris Edwards’ girlfriend.’’
‘‘Why is that?’’
‘‘She was there very close to the time of death.
They’ve discovered a witness who puts her there even
earlier than she reported—a lot earlier than her 911
call.’’
‘‘I can’t see her hitting him over the head, dragging
him to the closet and tying him up like that. She
weighs what, a hundred ten pounds at the most?’’ ‘‘They’re thinking maybe she had help—like Steven
    Edwards’ partner. But there’s another Mayberry.
    problem.’’ ‘‘What’s that?’’
‘‘It was in the report, but I’m not sure it registered
    with them. On Chris Edwards’ nightstand we found a digital thermometer—the under-the-tongue variety that keeps the last temperature reading. Whoever used it had a 103-degree fever.’’
    Diane pictured Lynn taking the liver temperature at the crime scene. She had commented on the early rigor. ‘‘If it was Chris who had the temperature, that changes the time of death by several hours.’’
    David nodded. ‘‘Three hours earlier at least.’’
    ‘‘Well, damn. That’s all I need is to tell Lynn Web ber she got another time of death wrong.’’
Jin came