Dead Hunt

is that you, Diane?’’ It was Garnett.
‘‘Yes, I’m sorry, I just noticed it’s your suppertime,’’ she said.
‘‘That’s all right. What’s up?’’ he said.
She told him about the line of evidence pointing toward Eric Tully as her attacker. ‘‘I know there’s a lot of ifs here, but I thought it’s worth checking out.’’
‘‘I agree. I’ll have someone go pick him up now,’’ he said. ‘‘Maybe his blood and hair will be a match and we can lock him up.’’
‘‘I’ll be out of town tomorrow,’’ said Diane. ‘‘Kingsley and I are going to North Carolina to speak with one of Clymene’s relatives.’’
‘‘Found one, eh? I assume you’ve told the marshals,’’ he said.
‘‘Kingsley told them. They will be flying to North Carolina as soon as they check out a sighting of Clymene in California.’’
‘‘California? That’s a ways off,’’ he said. ‘‘What’s that about?’’
‘‘I don’t know. The flow of information between me and the marshals only goes one way,’’ said Diane.
‘‘I hear you there,’’ he said. ‘‘Are you staying with Frank?’’
‘‘Yes, until I can find a place. I might buy a house, I just don’t know,’’ she said.
‘‘Have a safe trip,’’ he said.
She got off the phone and told Frank the police were going to question Eric Tully.
‘‘I hope that puts an end to his harassment,’’ she said. ‘‘I can juggle only so many balls at once before they all come crashing down around me.’’

Chapter 45
    It wasn’t a long flight, but Diane didn’t like flying. Intellectually she understood how planes stay up in the air, but in her heart she really didn’t believe in the Bernoulli effect or momentum transfer. Flight might as well be magic as far as she was concerned, and the magic could be withdrawn at any moment. She wasn’t exactly white-knuckled, but she was on the lookout for the goblin on the wing.
    ‘‘You don’t like flying?’’ said Kingsley.
‘‘Not very much, and if you start a lecture on how safe planes are compared to automobiles, I’ll hit you. Automobile accidents are survivable; airplane crashes are not,’’ said Diane.
‘‘And you have no control up here,’’ he said. ‘‘I think that is the source of your discomfort.’’
Diane looked from the window over at him and found him grinning.
‘‘I may hit you anyway,’’ she said. ‘‘Why aren’t we in one of those neat little FBI jets?’’ she said.
‘‘You know, TV has really ruined my job for me. Planes are expensive to fly and I don’t have access to one at the drop of a hat. Nor can I do perfect on-thespot profiles by glancing at a crime scene. I have to research it, think about it, and sometimes I’m wrong. Profiling isn’t supposed to be an exact science, just a tool to use in the furtherance of criminal apprehension.’’
‘‘Oh, you don’t like to fly either, do you?’’ said Diane.
‘‘Not particularly, no,’’ he said.
The flight attendant brought drinks and both Diane and Kingsley accepted a bottle of water.
‘‘I did some homework yesterday,’’ he said. ‘‘I have more detailed information on how Clymene’s husbands died. I thought you might be interested.’’
Anything to take my mind off flying . ‘‘Yes, I would,’’ she said.
He gave her several sheets of paper. ‘‘I’ve summarized each husband’s death. Grant Bacon is the first we know about and one of the most interesting.’’
Diane read Kingsley’s notes. ‘‘It says he got hung up in his boat’s propeller while he was trying to repair it. How can that happen?’’ she said.
‘‘They don’t exactly know. According to the police report, he was untangling his mooring line, or whatever you call it, and somehow the boat’s motor got started. He was tangled in the rope and fairly chopped up when they found him. The whole thing is a mystery.’’
‘‘Was Clymene—or rather, Kathy Bacon—suspected?’’ asked Diane.
‘‘No, she wasn’t. This is the interesting part. Everyone reported that the wife, as she was often referred to, was a mouse. Grant Bacon was a batterer and he liked submissive women. By all accounts, she was very submissive.’’
‘‘If she was battered, that would make her a suspect,’’ said Diane.
‘‘She had an ironclad alibi. She was with a number of notable people at the country club when it happened,’’ he said.
‘‘Her sisters helped her,’’ said Diane. ‘‘One of them must