Dead Secret

increase the amount we have to work with. We don’t do it here. We send our samples to the GBI lab in Atlanta, but sure, I know what it is.”
    “Did you know the Taq DNA polymerase used for the reaction originally came from Thermus aquaticus , a bacterium found in the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park?”
    Diane blinked. “Really? I had no idea,” she said, feeling oddly abashed. “Jin is more up on this than I am. He has a particular interest in DNA testing.”
    “Does he know that for some other PCR applications, Taq DNA polymerase isn’t as useful because it lacks proofreading? It doesn’t have the ability to detect and remove replication errors.”
    Diane shrugged and smiled at Mike, who was clearly having fun. “I’ll ask him.”
    “The DNA polymerase from Thermococcus litoralis has an enzyme that has very promising proofreading capabilities. The point is that some of these extremophiles are like little engines that do really cool stuff.”
    “It sounds to me a lot like nanotechnology.”
    “Interesting you should say that. Some researchers are looking at extremophiles as a model for nanotechnology. Extremophile research has a lot of branches—medicine, environmental cleanup, food preservation and lots more. The characteristics that allow them to survive in extreme conditions are sometimes very useful for other kinds of work.”
    “Fascinating, I agree. But your Ph.D. is in geology. What do they want with a geologist?”
    He gave her a lopsided smile. “Some extremophiles live inside rocks.” He laughed. “I think I’m getting silly. This painkiller is feeling really good. Is my speech slurred?”
    “Not much more than usual,” said Diane.
    Mike clasped his chest with both hands. “Oh, now I’ve been stabbed through the heart. Seriously, sometimes locating extremophiles in their natural habitat is a geologic problem. That’s part of what geomicrobiology is about. But it’s mainly my skill set they are interested in—caving and rock climbing. Extremophiles live in remote, hard-to-get-to places—like ice caves and inside volcanoes. They need someone like me. I’ve climbed a five-fourteen rock face.”
    The surprise must have shown on Diane’s face, the way Mike grinned broadly at her. She knew Mike was good, but they always had relatively easy climbs in the caves they visited. She could do a five-seven, a five-eight or -nine in a pinch. Only a handful of elite rock climbers could handle a rock face with a five-fourteen degree of difficulty—it required an enormous amount of skill and strength.
    “Have I impressed you, Doc?”
    “You’ve impressed the hell out of me, Mike.”
    She didn’t think it possible, but his grin got even broader and a little more lopsided.
    “I’ve sure been working hard at it.”
    Diane suddenly felt a pang of sadness. Mike was an extremely talented and intelligent individual, and a genuinely nice guy. All that would be gone had he died. Twice now he’d almost been killed when they were together.
    She fingered the locket that hung on a chain around her neck. It contained a photograph of her and her daughter. Diane wondered what Ariel would have become had her bright light not been extinguished so soon. Her eyes filled with tears.
    “You okay, Doc?”
    Diane blushed and hoped that Mike didn’t notice that as well as the tears. “Yes . . . it’s . . . I was just thinking about my daughter. Now you—twice—and Frank getting shot last year, too. It seems I’m not a lucky person to be around.”
    “Doc, none of what happened to any of us was your fault. This time we were at a funeral, for heaven’s sake. Who knew?” He reached out his hand and Diane took it. “Thanks for riding with me in the ambulance. I have to tell you, I was scared.”
    “Me too.”
    She squeezed his hand, let it go, took a tissue from the box on his nightstand, and blotted the tears from her eyes.
    “I’m sorry. Please tell me more about your proposal. Where does the museum come into it?”
    “That’s the unusual part. The company wants me to work for them on a job-by-job basis—kind of open-ended contract work. This proposal is really an application for a job in the museum—an official job. Right now I work there because of my assistantship in the Geology Department at Bartram, and that won’t last forever.” He took a deep breath, and it looked to Diane like his eyes were drooping. “In the written proposal, I’ve got several ideas for exhibits for the