One Grave Too Many

trying to maintain to surprise to unease in just a few seconds.
    Before Detective Warrick responded, Jake had left Frank’s room and walked over to Diane’s.
    “Dr. Fallon,” said Jake. “I’m sorry about this. I feel like if I’d been at the museum, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.” He pulled up a chair and sat near the bed.
    “It’s not your fault,” she said. “It started here in the hospital parking lot, not at the museum.”
    “Here? And you ended up at the museum? Are you saying someone grabbed you and moved you to another location?”
    “Yes.”
    Jake frowned. “This is more serious, Janice,” he said.
    “Yes. I see it is. We can’t have people snatched in parking lots. Tell us what happened, and I assure you we’ll look into it,” said Warrick. She pulled up a chair beside Jake.
    Diane told the story from beginning to end without interruption. As she finished, her phone rang. It was out of reach, and Andie handed it to her. It was a reporter from the Rosewood Herald asking about the skeleton and the attack on her.
    “I’d prefer not to discuss the attack right now while the police are investigating,” Diane said. The two detectives nodded.
    An idea occurred to her as she listened to the reporter ask about the skeleton—an idea that might take focus away from her, but she had to word it carefully. Jake would ask her about it, and she couldn’t lie to the police.
    “The skeleton is in Sheriff Canfield’s jurisdiction,” she told the reporter. “Yes, I think the break-ins at the museum are related to the skeleton, but whoever it is won’t find anything. I’ve done all I can do with it. I believe it would benefit from having other experts look at it, so it’s been boxed up and is being delivered to a nationally known forensic anthropologist for a second opinion.” She listened for a few moments. “No, I can’t comment on who or where.” She ended the conversation and hung up the phone.
    The terrible thought had occurred to her that whoever wanted the bones could call her up and threaten Frank, Kevin, Andie or anyone, unless she gave them the bones. The skeleton put everyone at risk. But if the perpetrator thought it was gone, the threat to her and those she cared about would be gone with it. She hoped the perps would read the papers or hear it on the news.
    Gregory always said it’s only a secret if you are the only one who knows about it. That was the tricky part. Keeping it only to herself. It meant misrepresenting its whereabouts to the detectives here, to Frank, to everyone.
    “I suppose that’s just the beginning,” she said, closing her eyes to avoid looking at Jake and Janice Warrick until she could internalize her lie.
    “Reporters are a bitch,” said Jake.
    “Just because someone is after the remains,” said Warrick, “doesn’t mean that the remains are related to the Boone murders.”
    Diane opened her eyes and gave her a long look. This woman was going to hang on to her theories to the bitter end. “That’s a true statement,” Diane said. “The fact that George Boone had one of the bones in his possession before he died could be just a bizarre coincidence.”
    “Star Boone and her boyfriend could have something to do with the skeleton and didn’t want it to be discovered,” Warrick said.
    Jake, Andie and Diane stared at her for a moment.
    “Yes,” conceded Diane. “Star and Dean could have killed the victim and dumped his body on the Abercrombie farm. If I were you, I’d find out if either of them knew how to drive at age eleven.”
    “Eleven? Are you saying the bones were buried out there, what, five years ago?” Warrick looked uncomfortable. “Sheriff Canfield hasn’t shared any information with us. I didn’t know. We’ll catch whoever did this.” Warrick left, and it was a relief to Diane to see her go.
    “I’m sorry, Diane,” Jake said. “We’re all pretty wound up these days. Crime was supposed to go down and suddenly it’s shot up, and I’m kind of caught between a rock and a hard place. I may have to resign my night job at the museum.”
    “I understand.”
    “Is there anything you can tell me that might lead to whoever nabbed you?”
    Diane shook her head. “They were pretty good at making sure I didn’t see much.”
    “You’re sure it was more than one?”
    “Yes. I’m sure of that. I’m sorry, even the van was just a white van. I didn’t really take notice before it happened.”
    Jake nodded and closed his