Scattered Graves

prints. I found Bryce’s. A thumb and
partial index. I called Warrick with the information. I
also matched the bullet. It’s in the database as belonging
to Bryce. I know we’re not ballistics, but it was just a
matter of photographing the striations and matching
them to the database. I gave that info to Warrick too.
She was giddy with excitement. The DNA analysis I
can’t get done tonight if I plan to eat dinner and go to
bed at some point. So unless you want me to go down
to my lab and work myself literally to the bone, I’d
like to come and eat with you guys. You ordered din
ner, didn’t you? I’ll bet it wasn’t pizza.’’
‘‘Come in, Jin. No, I don’t want you to starve. Call
the restaurant and add what you want to the Fallon
order,’’ said Diane.
While they waited for their food, Diane and Frank
told them what Rikki had said in her statement. Jin,
Neva, and David sat openmouthed at the revelation
that Jefferies and company had begun implementation
of a plan to kill Diane and Vanessa.
David stood up, his face flushed. ‘‘Are you telling
me that if you hadn’t kicked the crime lab out of the
museum, you would be dead? Who in the hell do they
think they are that they have the right to do that?
Because they wanted something you have, they were
going to kill you? This is what we left in South America.
This is why Margaret died, and Damian, and Caridad,
and Abigail, and Joe, and Martin, and, and Ariel.’’ He
stopped. ‘‘And all the others
that monster,’’ he whispered.
who were massacred by Tears had settled in his eyes, not spilling down his cheeks, but damming up until his eyes were shiny black. ‘‘Are you sure we should be
looking for their killer?’’ he said quietly.
Neva, Jin, and Frank sat in silence, looking sympa
thetically at David. Diane could see by the set of their
mouths, the creases of their foreheads, they too were
upset. On the way over in the car Frank hadn’t let go
of her hand but held on tight.
Diane looked up to see Izzy standing in the door
way. He looked as forlorn as David.
‘‘I thought I would come see what you guys were
doing,’’ said Izzy. ‘‘Evie’s at one of her meetings. I
heard about Rikki’s confession.’’
‘‘Come in and sit down,’’ said Diane. ‘‘We just or
dered from the restaurant. It should be here in a min
ute. Why don’t you call down for something?’’ ‘‘I had a milk shake on the way over. I might order
me a hamburger.’’ Instead of going to the phone, he
sat down on the sofa.
Diane went over and hugged David. ‘‘I’m here, and
I really think they would have had a hard time killing
me. Many have tried and failed,’’
‘‘Is that supposed to be funny?’’ he said. ‘‘Yes. You mean it wasn’t?’’ she said.
‘‘Not in the least.’’
The moment was interrupted by the arrival of their
dinner. Izzy placed an order for a hamburger and
Diane gave the waiter a tip while the others were
setting the food out on the table.
‘‘I really understand you, David,’’ said Izzy as they
were putting chairs around Diane’s table.
David smiled grimly. ‘‘It was just my turn to tirade.
Jin’s been doing it all day because he missed the
cyberghost.’’
They told Izzy about the reappearance of the ghost
to Jonas Briggs, the archaeologist.
‘‘So he stayed on, did he?’’ said Izzy. ‘‘Can’t say as
I blame him.’’
Izzy was trying to be lighthearted, but Diane could
see he too was feeling stinging anger at Jefferies and
his buddies. All of them, all their eyes looked trou
bled. She understood. To think that there was some
one out there plotting against her, plotting to kill her,
and she didn’t know it, wouldn’t have known it until
it was perhaps too late. How do you guard against
things you don’t know? How do you know to fight
them? It was frightening and infuriating. Diane agreed
with David. It was like the man who massacred their
friends. Just like him.
‘‘So, are we going to find Jefferies’ and Peeks’ kill ers or are we going to call them misdemeanor homi
cides and go after some really bad guys?’’ said Jin. ‘‘Of course we are going to find the killers,’’ said
Diane. ‘‘The city needs some closure on this. We need
to demonstrate that we are not to be messed with.
And we need to put an end to this dirty business. Not
for Jefferies and Peeks, but for all of us. Killing is not
how we solve our problems. That’s the whole point.’’ ‘‘You’re not going to