Dead Past

comfortable.
    “Dr. Fallon,” she said, “what can I do for you?”
    Among Beth’s abilities as a librarian and archivist, she was an outstanding genealogist and taught several community classes at the museum. Genealogy wasn’t in the domain of natural history, but it was history and it was in the domain of classes people would pay to take, and that made it good for the museum.
    “Beth, I have a task for you,” said Diane.
    She smiled. “I hope it’s not as difficult as the task you gave Kendel.”
    Diane smiled, too. “I don’t think so. I have someone I want you to trace for me. I would like to know his ancestry at least one or two generations back, but mainly his descendants—and not just his direct descendants.”
    Beth went to get a pen and paper. She held the pen poised over the pad. “What’s his name?”
    “Leo Parrish. I don’t know the exact spelling. He was in his twenties in the late 1930s and lived in Glendale-Marsh, Florida, at that time. He enlisted in the Second World War, but I don’t know which branch of service. He was listed as missing in action. He wrote to relatives while he was in the service, but I don’t know who they are. I know that’s not much to go on.”
    “Actually, that’s quite a bit. When do you want the information?”
    “Yesterday, if you can manage it,” said Diane.
    “Time travel’s my speciality. I’ll see what I can do.”
    Beth smiled, and Diane thanked her and walked downstairs to the conservation lab and into the head conservator’s office.
    “Korey,” said Diane, “do you have a minute?”
    “Dr. F.,” said Korey, “I’d be a bad employee indeed, if I didn’t have time for my boss. I’ve got that analysis Kendel asked for. It’s not newsprint, but paper used in books circa thirties and forties.”
    “Book paper. Interesting.” Diane took the evidence bag from her pocket and removed the original paper containing the code.
    “What you got here, Dr. F.? Looks like some kind of cryptogram.”
    “This is the paper the sample came from. What I want you to do is duplicate it—it doesn’t have to be exact, just look old. And I want the printing changed to simple random letters, but basically the same format and near the same handwriting as you can get it.”
    Korey put a hand on the back of his dreadlocks, raised his eyebrows, and grinned. His brown eyes sparkled.
    “When you get finished with whatever it is you’re doing,” he said, “I’ll buy you a steak if you’ll tell me what this is about.”
    “You’ve got a deal. Can you do it?”
    “Sure. When do you need it?” he asked.
    “As soon as you can get to it,” said Diane.
    “You got it,” said Korey.
    “Put the original in your vault for me,” said Diane. “And don’t talk about it to anyone.”
    “Sounds like a serious scrap of paper,” he said as he held it up to the light.
    “Deadly serious,” she said.
    As she left his office, her cell phone vibrated. The display said it was Garnett.
    “Diane,” he said, “just called to tell you we have a line on the Impala.”

Chapter 44

    “You’ve found the Impala? That’s a relief,” said Diane. She climbed the steps to the third floor.
    “We don’t have it yet. It’s been sighted and we have a lead on it. I just thought I’d let you know, so when we find it, your people can process it,” said Garnett.
    “I’ll give them a heads-up,” said Diane. “I’m really eager to find this guy. He told me that if I didn’t give him the package, he would open fire on the busload of children visiting the museum.”
    “This is somebody we need to catch soon,” said Garnett.
    “You won’t get an argument from me.”
    “So, it’s your thinking that the Cipriano murder was a case of mistaken identity?” said Garnett.
    “I believe so. The perp was after the doll all along. The woman I think was the intended target is named Juliet Price, one of my employees. The doll belongs to her. She lives just around the block from Cipriano in the same apartment complex and has a very similar address, 131 H. They are both blue-eyed blondes of similar age—their descriptors are close enough that they could be mistaken for each other. Plus, there’s the Impala present at both crime scenes. The one used today was dark blue, so it’s likely to have a blue interior. If we can match carpet fibers found at the Cipriano murder, we’ll have him connected to both crimes.”
    “Napier said there was a doll involved. What’s that