Dead Hunt

museum?’’ She emphasized the word Mrs. and ended with a slight giggle. Grace had a childlike voice that probably made her mistaken for a kid on the phone.
    Okay, Diane thought, she’s not dead. Now what? Tell the woman that I’m happy to find her alive?
‘‘I’m working with FBI agent Kingsley, the profiler . . .’’ Diane began.
‘‘Oh, I know him . . . but the girl who called said you worked at the museum . . .’’ she repeated.
‘‘I’m also director of the crime lab,’’ said Diane.
‘‘Oh, I think I knew something about that. What can I do for you?’’
‘‘I was wondering if we could meet and talk about one of the prisoners.’’
‘‘Well, I’m kind of in the middle of my honeymoon...’’ She giggled again. It was a girlish sound that made Diane sense her happiness even over the phone.
‘‘I did hear that you had just gotten married. Congratulations,’’ said Diane, testing the waters. ‘‘How do you like married life so far?’’ Diane hoped she sounded sufficiently friendly and congratulatory.
Diane watched the board members as she spoke. Madge looked like she would like to curl into fetal position. Laura was smiling, trying to keep the conversation light, Diane guessed—Laura the peacemaker. Barclay cleaned his glasses again. Probably wondering how to recover his alpha status.
‘‘I love it, just love it. Eric, my husband, has a daughter, Julie—just a living doll. I became a wife and a mother. I’m so lucky. I just have to pinch myself every day.’’
‘‘So you’re on your honeymoon?’’ said Diane.
Grace told her that she and Eric had just returned from Gatlinburg, where they had a shortened honeymoon because they didn’t want to be away from Eric’s daughter, Julie, for long. ‘‘We are leaving in a few days on a sort of family vacation,’’ she said.
‘‘Where are you planning on going?’’ asked Diane.
Grace laughed again. ‘‘Can you believe we haven’t decided yet? Eric wants to take a trip across the country and visit the national parks—he’s always wanted to see the Grand Canyon. I think that might be a little tiring for Julie. I’d love to take her to Disney World. We’ve also talked about a cruise.’’
Grace Noel Tully sounded happy and Diane didn’t want to ruin it. Truthfully, she only partly believed Clymene; on the other hand, the thought of the Grand Canyon and an ocean cruise gave her pause. She glanced at her board again and made up her mind.
‘‘Agent Kingsley would like to speak with you before you leave again,’’ said Diane. It was Kingsley, after all, who had sent her to see Clymene. He could take care of the consequences. Besides, she didn’t feel competent to assess whether or not Grace Tully had married a serial killer. That was Kingsley’s expertise.
‘‘I’m not sure....Eric’s been after me to quit and be a stay-at-home mom and I’ll admit, it appeals to me. . . .’’
‘‘Are you familiar with Clymene O’Riley?’’ asked Diane.
‘‘Oh, Lord, yes. She’s one of the more interesting inmates. Is this about her?’’ asked Grace.
‘‘Yes,’’ said Diane—only half lying, she told herself. ‘‘Kingsley is profiling her and it would help the FBI a great deal if you would speak with him. Briefly,’’ she added.
‘‘Well . . .’’
‘‘And I would be happy to throw in free tickets to the museum for you and your family,’’ said Diane.
‘‘Oh, that would be nice. Julie would love that. . . . Well, you could give me your number and I’ll see if I can fit it in,’’ said Grace. ‘‘I would prefer not to tell Eric. He’s very insistent on wanting to take care of me.’’
Diane gave Grace her cell phone number and told her to call her anytime. She wanted to give her a word of caution but was afraid she would scare her into not seeing Kingsley.
Diane placed the phone on the hook and looked out at the board members before she made a move toward the door. Barclay was smiling. Even Madge was sitting straighter. She walked out the door and took her place at the head of the table. Maybe there was a way to undo some of the cheer that Laura was spreading around.
Barclay and Madge weren’t jovial, but they were in better spirits than when Diane had left the table. Diane didn’t believe, as Laura did, that it was always a good thing for people to leave on a positive note. Diane didn’t believe that Madge or Barclay needed to be feeling good about themselves until some of the damage