Scattered Graves

negotiation?’’ asked the mayor. ‘‘Perhaps the museum security unit could take over all security.’’
Diane shook her head. ‘‘That would not be accept able. As I have indicated, the actions of the security officer are only one complaint among a long list.’’
‘‘I see,’’ said Mayor Jefferies. ‘‘Of course the city attorney will have to look over all this. We only have your word.’’
‘‘The contract provisions are clear,’’ said Colin. ‘‘And let’s not forget the videos and many indepen dent witnesses.’’
‘‘Look,’’ began Diane.
‘‘There is some question as to the ownership of the bone lab,’’ interrupted the mayor.
Diane raised her eyebrows. ‘‘No,’’ she said, ‘‘there is not.’’
‘‘I think the bone lab was turned over to the city when the crime lab was installed,’’ Jefferies continued.
Diane shook her head, as did Colin.
‘‘That dog isn’t going to hunt,’’ Colin said.
‘‘No,’’ insisted Jefferies, ‘‘I believe Garnett told us that when the crime lab was established, the bone lab went in with the arrangement. Isn’t that right, Garnett?’’
Jefferies turned to Garnett, who looked at him, at Diane, and back at Jefferies. Bryce had a bit of a smirk on his face. Colin sat up straight, watching Garnett.
‘‘I don’t know where you got that idea,’’ said Garnett. ‘‘The forensic anthropology lab has always been part of the museum. The city has never had any stake in it. I have tried to brief Chief Peeks many times about this, but so far he hasn’t had the time, so I’m not surprised that things are a little confused.’’
The silence that followed was uncomfortable. The mayor stared at Garnett for a long, hard moment. Diane couldn’t see his face straight on, but the view she did have didn’t look good. Garnett held his gaze and they were locked that way until Diane spoke.
Gregory Lincoln had been Diane’s boss at World Accord International, where she was a human rights investigator. He was a career diplomat and a good friend. He would often give her little tidbits of his diplomatic wisdom—mainly because Diane had no skills herself in that direction. One of the things he told her was that sometimes it is useful to leave the opposition with something to save face.
‘‘You could move the lab to where ballistics is done. It’s next to the police station and the chief could keep an eye on it,’’ she said.
Not much to save face with, but it was a bone. A bone that they ignored.
‘‘There is another item,’’ said Peeks. ‘‘This docu ment says you own several pieces of equipment in the crime lab.’’
‘‘Yes,’’ said Diane. ‘‘That is true. The museum does.’’
The previous city administration often would not want to foot the bill for a piece of expensive equip ment, holding out for the museum to buy it. And Diane did buy several items and leased them to the crime lab, with the proviso that the museum had ac cess to them as needed. The largest piece of such equipment was the mass spectrometer—an item she was sure the current administration was going to hate to lose.
The mayor turned to Diane and looked at her with his cold, dark eyes. It must have been the way he looked at Garnett a moment ago. Definitely shark eyes.
‘‘Are you sure you want to do this?’’ he said in such a way that Diane was sure it was a warning. ‘‘You realize that you may be arrested at any moment for the murder of Officer Delamore and we can deal with your replacement.’’
Colin sat up straight again. He was starting to look as dangerous as the mayor. Good , thought Diane.
‘‘That has nothing to do with the danger to the mu seum the crime lab represents,’’ said Diane. ‘‘I’m sorry it has come to this, but there is no choice. I can’t have a tenant who deliberately and repeatedly violates the sanctity of the museum. And I certainly can’t have out-of-control people with guns on museum property.’’
‘‘This is out of the blue,’’ Peeks said. ‘‘Why didn’t you try to resolve it instead of broadsiding us?’’
You’re a good one to talk about broadsiding people , she thought.
‘‘I did try to resolve it. Bryce told me to go to hell loud enough that everyone in the room heard him.’’
Jefferies and Peeks turned their gazes on Bryce. He visibly cringed.
‘‘We aren’t going to take this lying down,’’ said Peeks.
Diane kept her voice calm and reasonable. ‘‘I didn’t think