One Grave Less

on Santos and his activities.” He paused as the hospital speaker came on with an announcement and waited for it to finish. “We are making progress,” he said. “It’s quite a little intelligence bureau you have in your museum there. Any number of resources at your disposal—human, machine, databases. MI-5 has nothing on you.”
    Diane laughed. “Yeah, and we seem to have just as many situations that need those kinds of resources. I’m going to the crime lab. Call my cell if you need me,” she said. “I’ll be available. I’ve put my assistant director in charge until I can work this out.”
    “Really, over this little thing?” he said.
    Diane realized he probably hadn’t seen the local news.
    “The news media got hold of the story. I’m afraid I’ve been outed as a mass murderer. It was quite an unpleasant little news report. The museum needs someone with less of a target on her back right now.”
    “Just think what an idiot the media will look like when this is over,” he said.
    “One can hope,” said Diane.
    “I’ll come by when I finish here,” he said. “Simone’s mother wasn’t happy to see me. She also blames me for her daughter’s career choice. But there was one strange moment when I first spoke to her. Her face lit up until I said my name. I’m not quite that charming on first meeting, so I’m thinking it was the British accent. There was something about it she liked and for a moment she must have thought I was someone else.”
    “Interesting,” she said. “Gregory, I’m so glad you are here. This would be so much more difficult without you.”
    “You could do it, but I’m glad I’m here too. Nice to know I’m not the only one who has slid into moral decay.”
    Diane smiled at the phone when they had finished. It was a comfort to have Gregory investigating this with her. His calm attitude tended to keep her calm. She sat back and gazed around her office a moment. She was struck with the surprising realization that she was actually afraid of losing her job. It wasn’t that she couldn’t find work somewhere else. It was this job, this museum, these people, this place she didn’t want to leave. She took a deep breath and stood up. The only way to save it was to find the truth.
    Outside her office, she told Andie she was going across to the other wing.
    “I hope you don’t mind me calling Liam,” Andie said. Her face was creased into a concerned frown.
    “He was very helpful,” said Diane. “Thanks. And don’t worry about this. Look on it as an opportunity. You’re in charge of the museum until Kendel gets back.”
    “I would be more excited about it if it was because you were going on vacation,” she said.
    Diane smiled at her. “Liam did a very good job. Garnett was impressed with his work. So was Gregory.”
    Andie beamed. “He’s really very clever.”
    “Hold down the fort,” said Diane, as she went out the door. “Don’t let anyone intimidate you. They will try. Especially the board.”
    The lobby elevator was just outside the large double doors leading from the office wing of the museum. She might avoid any social interactions if she rode it up to the third floor. Diane couldn’t face any small talk or questions right now, or any sympathetic or curious stares. She stepped in and pushed the elevator button and the door closed before anyone else could get on.
    There were no exhibits on the third floor. It was dedicated to the behind-the-scenes work of the museum—the library archives and exhibit preparations. It was where much of the work of the museum took place. It was just as busy as the other floors, but with people she knew.
    The elevator came out at the overlook to the Pleistocene Room. From there she had to traverse through Exhibit Preparations to get to the other side. Her staff was hard at work. They looked up as she passed through. None looked as if they were afraid she might be there to murder them. That was good. She smiled at them and went on past offices and labs.
    As she passed the staff lounge she stopped and went in for a cold drink of something. Several people were there at tables. Most did not notice her. Some nodded and smiled, looking rather embarrassed. They were some of the newer employees at the museum. The older ones were more or less accustomed to tumultuous strangeness swirling around her.
    Two docents were discussing the weather, lamenting that the ten-day forecast predicted daily thunderstorms. “It probably will be