Dust to Dust

Rosewood’s inside jokes didn’t play to a Gainesville audience. However, Kingsley smiled, as did Lynn.
    “Your counterpart, Chief Garnett, is my supervisor when I work for the City of Rosewood,” said Diane. “In the Stacy Dance death, I am not working for Rosewood. I am a consultant to the private firm of Darley, Dunn, and Upshaw, represented here by Ross Kingsley.”
    “What are they doing here, then?” Stark asked of Detective Hanks and Sheriff Braden.
    “They are working on cases that have a certain overlap of evidence. I thought it would benefit everyone for them to be here,” said Diane.
    “You shared our evidence with them?” Fisher said. It was more of an accusation than a question.
    “It’s my understanding that the Stacy Dance case is closed. This is evidence we collected at the behest of her father. As yet, it isn’t your evidence,” said Diane.
    “What are the patrolmen doing here?” said Chief Stark. “Why are we in Rosewood’s lab?”
    “This is the museum’s DNA lab,” said Diane. “As for the patrolmen, they are bodyguards assigned to me by Chief Garnett.”
    “That’s an insult,” said Fisher, in a voice louder than he meant. The acoustics of the room were quite good. His white hair highlighted his reddened ears and face. “I know there’ve been some accusations thrown around. I believe Dr. Doppelmeyer here, that he’s behaved with the utmost propriety. However, if you need calming down, you have my guarantee you are safe from him.”
    “Detective Fisher,” said Diane. She kept her voice calm and even and maintained eye contact with him. “Here in the museum, the DNA lab, and crime lab, we place a particular importance on the difference between what we believe and what we know. I know that Dr. Doppelmeyer accosted Dr. Webber in the parking garage. I know, because I was there. I understand that you believe he did not. I hope you understand that, logically, I can’t accept your guarantee.”
    “Jesus save us,” he mumbled, turning his face away.
    “I understand that sometimes in a darkened garage, perceptions might not be as accurate as we like,” said Chief Stark. “I agree with Detective Fisher. Bodyguards are an overreaction to the situation, one that insults us and our integrity.”
    “They were assigned to me because last night a man was sent to my home to kill me. He shot his way into the house. I fled to the attic where he followed and shot his way through that door also. He was about a second away from shooting me, point-blank, with a shotgun blast. Fortunately, I shot him first. We don’t know who sent him. The guards will be with me until we find out and the situation is resolved.”
    Kingsley looked at her openmouthed. “Are you all right? How’s Frank?”
    “He wasn’t home. I was alone,” Diane said, still looking at Stark.
    “I heard something about a home invasion in Rosewood,” said Stark. “That was you?”
    “Yes,” said Diane. “You will forgive me if, today, I am a little cranky.”
    “You think it was me?” said Doppelmeyer. “I had nothing to do with it.”
    “I don’t think you did. I really don’t. I think it had something to do with another case I’m working on. But that’s what I believe. I don’t know.” She turned back to Chief Stark. “I understand that some people are panicked when confronted, even in a mild way, in the dark confines of a parking garage. That’s not true of me or Dr. Webber,” said Diane. “We viewed the situation accurately.”
    “So did the security cameras,” said Lynn Webber. “Hospital security can make them available if you want to see them.”
    Doppelmeyer looked at Lynn and snarled. “You vindictive freaking bitch.”
    Both Fisher and Stark jerked their attention to him. She could see they were surprised by his vehemence—and his inability to keep his temper in check.
    Sheriff Braden stood up and faced him. “I don’t know where you were raised, but here we don’t talk to a lady that way.”
    Diane was suspecting that there was something more to Doppelmeyer and Lynn’s enmity than what Lynn had described. She was willing to bet that Lynn had rebuffed his attentions and that was a large part of what led to him getting her fired.
    “You know,” said Ross Kingsley, “normally in these kinds of meetings, we try to break the ice with small talk and jokes. And I’m ashamed to say that I find this more entertaining, but we have some evidence we would like to show