Dead Past

the throw across her lap as if that was clear indication she was in rest mode. “I’m just going to make a few phone calls.”
    She was interrupted by Frank’s cell. He fished in his inside pocket and looked at the display.
    “Work,” he said as he answered it.
    “Duncan here,” he said.
    “Now?” he asked
    “OK.” He flipped the phone closed.
    “It’s the Rosewood case I mentioned. I have to take care of some stuff. I suppose it would be demeaning of me to ask if you’ll be OK by yourself?”
    “Yes, it would. I’m a law enforcement professional. Plus, I have connections with influential people,” she said smiling, and put a finger through a belt loop on his trousers.
    He leaned down and kissed her on the ear, which produced an instant shiver in her.
    “I’ll be back when I can. I expect to find you here resting under your zebra blanket.”
    Frank took another swallow of Coke and left, telling Diane again that she’d better be good and take a nap.
    As soon as he was out the door, she called the hotel where Juliet and her grandmother were staying. The number was busy. She lay back and closed her eyes for a few moments. Her head throbbed, but the pain seemed to be coming more from the cut than from her concussion. She decided not to take anything for it. She hadn’t even filled the prescription the doctor gave her. After a few minutes she opened her eyes and tried the number again. Still busy.
    It would be easier in person, she thought. She got up, grabbed her purse, and went out the door, mentally thanking her mechanic for bringing the car to her. This was the first good look she had had of the new paint job. It looked just like the original before Patrice Stanton took a paint can to it. Diane keyed in the combination and opened the door. The keys were in the ashtray. The bill was lying on the passenger side. She left the bill there, grabbed the keys and put them in the ignition, and drove off to the hotel.

    As Diane knocked on the door to Ruby Torkel’s room, the security guard from the museum stuck his head out of the adjoining room’s doorway.
    “Oh, hi, Dr. Fallon, just checking,” said the guard.
    “I’m glad,” said Diane.
    Diane heard somebody on the other side of the door.
    “Who is it?” Ruby Torkel asked.
    “Diane Fallon,” she said.
    “I thought it looked like you. You can’t be too careful. These peepholes distort things.” She unlocked the door, unlatched the safety chain, and opened the door. “Had any luck finding who’s behind all this? I’m getting kind of tired of being cooped up in a hotel room. It’s nice, we have a bedroom and a little sitting room and two bathrooms, and room service is just real nice, but I’d like to get out and go shopping.”
    “We’re trying,” said Diane. “I came to ask you some questions about Leo Parrish and his relatives.”
    “I told you about all I know. I don’t know the family at all,” she said. “Can I get you something to drink? This little refrigerator is full of all kinds of drinks.”
    Diane didn’t want to even think about how much all this was costing.
    “No, thank you. I’m fine. I wanted to ask if there is anyone back in Glendale-Marsh who might know Leo Parrish’s relatives?” she asked.
    “Well, I expect Elnora St. James would know. She’s in her nineties, but is sharp as a tack. She lived by the Parrishes growing up. She likes to talk to people. Her hearing’s not too good, but like I said, her mind is still with us. You want me to call her for you?”
    “Yes, please,” said Diane.
    Ruby went to her suitcase and got an address book. “She lives with her great-granddaughter.”
    Ruby seemed to have developed some skill in the procedure for making a long-distance call from the hotel. In just a few moments she had someone on the line.
    “Arybeth, is Elnora there? I have someone who wants to know about the Parrishes.”
    “Yes, it’s about that, but mostly it’s about the Parrishes themselves. She’s a museum lady.”
    Ruby Torkel put her hand over the mouthpiece of the phone. “She wants to know if it’s about the treasure. Lots of people have called to ask Elnora about the treasure. Sometimes she gets tired of people wanting her to tell them where to dig—if she knew, she’d have dug it up a long time ago.”
    She directed her attention to the phone again. “Elnora, how are you feeling today? That’s good. I got someone here who wants to speak with you about the Parrishes. She’s a