One Grave Too Many

“As far as I can see, he or she was dumped without his or her clothes.”
    “Too bad. I was hoping for a driver’s license.”
    “Aren’t wolves protected or something?” said Miriam, dusting away a layer of dirt from the shoulder girdle.
    “Some places,” said Diane.
    “First the bear, and now this wolf,” said Miriam. “I really like the Abercrombies, but . . .”
    “We don’t know the circumstances of his presence here. For now, let’s just be forgiving of what we find. It’s my understanding that since Whit started helping in his father’s business, he’s gotten more strict with his clients. The wolf could be roadkill, after all.”
    “No,” said Ellen. “This isn’t roadkill.” She pointed to a bullet hole in the scapula.
    “I was hoping,” said Diane, taking her trowel and starting to work on the human skeleton. “I know this may be going a little fast for your comfort, but I need to get this guy identified.”
    He’s the key, she thought as she started at the first lumbar vertebra and began excavating gingerly around the wolf skeleton. She wanted the juxtaposition to remain as long as possible. Sometimes bones in proximity can reveal surprising information. It looked like there was only a slight covering of soil placed over the human remains, which may mean the wolf was put there fairly soon after the person, before wild animals uncovered the remains, making them noticeable to Luther when he was dumping the wolf.
    “We can do this,” said Jonas. “Have you rested at all since you were released from the hospital?”
    “I’ll rest when this is over.”
    “I don’t think it works like that,” said Jonas.
    “Give it up,” said Diane. “By the way, I moved my bishop to queen three.”
    “I thought you would. Can you remember a king-side castle when you get back to the museum?”
    “Sure. Maybe we should just play this game with each other in our heads.”
    “I couldn’t do that when I was young,” said Jonas. “I’m keeping track of the moves in my notebook.” He pointed to his back pocket.
    Diane tried out her chess analogy on Jonas as the other excavators listened in. “I think getting Star convicted is the game. Frank was attacked because he was protecting her.”
    “Like a king’s pawn.” Jonas nodded.
    “With him gone, her position is very vulnerable.”
    “I thought it was a robbery?” said Ellen.
    Diane told them about little Tamika Stillwood, the fake dreadlocks and whatever suspicious thing she saw in his movement.
    “I don’t know exactly what she meant, but she’s a very observant little girl.”
    “Little kids are like that,” said Miriam. “They’re like dogs that way. Any change in their environment, they notice. I miss a line from my daughter’s favorite story and she gets indignant.”
    “And they hear everything,” said Ellen.
    “That certainly puts a different light on things,” said Jonas. “What do the police say?”
    “They interviewed Korey because he has dreadlocks.”
    Jonas dropped his trowel. “They didn’t?”
    “As you can imagine, he was upset about it.”
    “They aren’t going to hassle him, are they?”
    “No. Fortunately, he was at the museum with half his staff, working, at the time. But the whole idea . . .” Diane stopped and scrutinized the wolf skeleton, running her fingers along a rib.
    “He was found shot by a forest ranger,” she said.
    Miriam, Ellen and Jonas looked back and forth from the bones to Diane to each other.
    “Just how do you know that?” said Jonas.
    “This is the wolf whose skin is stuffed and mounted in one of our faunal exhibits. A ranger friend of Milo’s found it and kept it frozen while he was looking for the poacher. At some point he gave it to Milo for the museum. We have the bullet with the display and a video about dangers to wild animals.”
    “Whew,” exclaimed Ellen. “I was going to ask if you teach classes. I’d sure like to be able to read bones like that.”
    Diane smiled at her. “It just occurred to me.”
    “I think this guy ought to be reassembled and exhibited beside his stuffed self,” said Jonas. “Bullet hole and all.”
    “I agree,” said Diane.
    They lapsed into silence, and there was no sound but the clinking of tools against soil. Digging graves. Dreadful business. The Odells were right. She was a grave digger. A pain in Diane’s lower back reminded her that she needed to drink more water. She took a long sip and continued working, for just a