Dead Secret

is just a terrible haircut.”
    Diane laughed and ran her fingers through the sides of her hair where Jin had cut samples. She’d forgotten about that.
    “Good, I made you laugh. For some women that would have made them cry,” said Jonas.
    Diane laughed again at the thought of what she must have looked like up there talking to the curators.
    “I have another suggestion,” said Jonas.
    “Shoot,” said Diane.
    “If it wouldn’t offend your sensibilities, I could hint that we may have a serious pest infestation that has gotten out of control and you’ll be using some highly toxic chemicals to rid the museum of them. If I can start some gossip in that direction, maybe that will keep their minds occupied. We all know when those pesky dermestids get out, they can reek havoc in a museum,” said Jonas.
    Diane nodded. “That’s a good idea. I’ll tell you what’s really going on when it’s over,” she said. “Have a good vacation. I’ll see you next week.”
    Diane left Jonas at the foot of the stairwell and climbed up to the third floor. She met David in the crime lab.
    “Have you heard from Jin?”
    “He’s in the GBI lab in Atlanta. They’re replicating, reproducing or whatever it is they do with DNA.”
    “That’s a relief. You told him about the possible danger?”
    “Yes. He’ll be careful. He’s going to be staying the night in Atlanta anyway.”
    “Do you have everything you need?”
    “I told Garnett about your suspicions of Emery. He was skeptical, but he’s bringing his men to search the building tonight.” David paused and put a hand on Diane’s shoulder. “We are going to figure all this out,” he said. “We know a lot. We’ve just got to put it together the right way.”
    “I know.” Diane put her hand over his. “I just feel like I’ve forgotten something. You know that feeling?”
    “Yeah, I have it too. Something’s nagging at me and I can’t remember what it was. It’s like an idea that passes through your head too quickly to grasp and aggravates your synapses.”
    She heard the phone ringing, and Neva answered it. She’d sent the receptionists home and put the museum guards on the crime lab. She trusted her handpicked museum guards more than the crime lab guards that Rosewood hired. And she wanted the museum searched and empty by the time Lane Emery’s men arrived the following evening. She fully expected either Emory or the two kidnappers to try and steal evidence from the crime lab.
    “Diane, it’s Sheriff Burns,” Neva called out. “He has some information on Flora Martin.”

Chapter 40
    Diane settled in her chair and picked up the phone.
    “Sheriff Burns? What have you got?”
    “First off, I’ve talked to all my people. Nobody’s given out any information, general or otherwise, about the cases. I went to see Deputy Singer. He’s covered in this rash. Your guy said it was urti something.”
    “Urticaria,” said Diane.
    “That’s it.” The sheriff laughed. “I shouldn’t laugh at the poor fellow, but it’s some kind of strange justice. Singer likes to scare the ladies by putting bugs on their desk and such. Anyhow, he knows nothing that’s been going on, and he can’t talk about anything but himself at the moment.”
    “I’m sorry he’s so miserable,” said Diane. But she agreed with the sheriff: It looked like karmic justice had bitten him in the ass.
    “But the reason I called,” said Sheriff Burns, “is that I’ve been investigating Flora Martin’s murder. Finding out her great-grandson was Donnie Martin, another victim, has been a big help. I talked to Donnie’s girlfriend. Up until about a week ago, he’d been in prison for the past three years. Been in some kind of trouble all his life—burglary, bar fights, you name it. His one virtue was that he loved his great-grandma. She visited him every visiting day, and when he got out, he was going to live with her.”
    “I suppose everybody has some soft spot,” said Diane, wishing that the sheriff would hurry and get to the point.
    “Maybe. That was his only saving grace. By the time he got out, his great-grandmother, Flora Martin, had already gone missing.”
    “Why didn’t he report it?” asked Diane.
    “It turns out, he did. But he was still a prisoner at the time, and Flora lived way over in Gilmer County, and the sheriff there didn’t take it real seriously. He said he looked for her. Told me he thought she knew Donnie was getting out soon and moved away. Frankly