Dead Secret

these beetles . . . why?”
    “To strip bones cleanly and quickly of tissue.”
    “Okay, I’ll pick them up—with pleasure.” Garnett rose and started for the door. He turned and looked at her. “You know, I was going to vote for the law-and-order son of a bitch.”
    He hesitated and then said, “I suppose I should tell you, we’ve identified the dead stranger.” He came back to the table and sat down.
    Like a swarm of flies at a picnic, the three members of her crew appeared out of nowhere and sat down. It was obvious they had been listening.
    Diane leaned forward. “You found him in the Book of the Dead, I’ll bet.”
    “Do we need to hire an exorcist for the bone lab?” asked Jin.
    “I almost decided not to tell you,” said Garnett. “It makes me sick to think about it.”
    Diane and her crew exchanged glances. “Who was he?” “His name was Dr. Jermen Sutcliff. He was a gynecologist.”
    Diane drew in a breath and put her hands over her mouth. The others were similarly horrified.
    “Oh, God. Who would go to him?” said Diane.
    “Poor people. He worked at a free clinic in Atlanta,” said Garnett.
    “That’s sick,” said Neva. “That’s really sick.”
    Diane shook her head. “Look, this guy was seriously demented. There’s no way he could hold down a job. He couldn’t carry on a coherent conversation.”
    “They said he wasn’t the most popular doctor there, and he was a little strange, but he worked long hours for little money. Maybe he was schizophrenic or something and could switch it on and off,” said Garnett. “I’ve seen really crazy people pass for normal when they have to.”
    “No, he was something different. You need to investigate that place,” said Diane. She would never be able to get that face out of her mind—the deranged look he’d had when he saw the metal lab tables and the way he demanded that she get on the table. “I’m serious. You need to talk to his patients.”
    “I put a bug in the ear of an Atlanta detective I know. I told him that this guy was disturbed.”
    “You need to put more than a bug in his ear; put a whole colony,” said Diane. “I’m serious. There needs to be a follow-up on his patients.”
    Garnett nodded and stood up again. “There are other things, but I don’t think I’ll share. Some things it’s best not to know. You are right: This guy had something seriously wrong with him.”
    “You can’t leave us with that,” said David. “What other things?”
    Jin nodded in agreement. “What, man? Tell us.”
    “The ME said he was a necrophiliac,” said Garnett. “And recently . . .”
    “Oh, God,” said Diane and Neva together.
    “Okay,” said David. “I’m sorry I asked that question.”
    “I told you he was disturbed,” said Diane.
    Garnett left through the museum entrance to the crime lab. Diane had noticed him doing that more and more lately. She believed that like the rest of them, he had discovered that the museum had a soothing charm that washed away the dark stains of the evil side of life.
    She stood up. “How about going to the museum restaurant? My treat.”
    “I’d like that,” said David.
    Jin nodded.
    “I’ll ask Mike to join us,” said Neva. “If I can pull him away from the rocks.”
    “I have the proposal for the photography class,” said David. “You can read it while we wait for dinner.”
    Diane agreed. The museum had a way of soothing all their souls.

Epilogue
    Charlotte Hawkins, the Druid from England and claimant to the Moonhater Cave bones, and Charlotte’s friend Caitlin Shanahan, the Wiccan from the United States, sat in front of Diane’s desk in the museum. Caitlin unconsciously fingered the meditation fountain near Diane’s desk, moving her fingers in and out of the clear water.
    “I hope you’ve been having a good time in the U.S.,” Diane said to Charlotte.
    “A wonderful time. Caitlin has been a most gracious host. You’ve found out something about the bones, haven’t you? Are you going to give them to me?”
    “I have indeed found out something about the bones. We performed several analyses—one dating the bones and another to establish their origin.”
    “We know where they’re from,” said Caitlin. She was still ready for a fight. Charlotte patted her arm gently.
    “You know partly where they’re from,” said Diane. “It’s a young girl.”
    “Woman,” said Caitlin.
    Even Charlotte rolled her eyes at that one.
    Diane smiled. “She was between