Scattered Graves

was all wrong for his good buddy Frank. Later, Diane had identified Izzy’s only child as one of many students who died in an off-campus explosion. Rather than hat ing the messenger, he had changed. The experience had formed a kind of bond between them. They both had lost an only child to violence.
Izzy had lost a lot of weight. He used to be a big, barrel-chested guy, but he was thin now. Not lean and trim, but almost wasted looking. Diane guessed it was grief. She ushered him into her sitting room.
‘‘How are you and your wife doing?’’ she asked.
He shrugged. ‘‘One day at a time. People at church have been real helpful.’’ He sat down on the edge of the sofa. ‘‘You know, you always want somebody to make sense of it.’’ He shook his head in a mournful way. ‘‘But there just isn’t any sense to it.’’
‘‘No,’’ said Diane, ‘‘there’s not.’’
He turned down an offer of a drink.
‘‘Not unless you have something stronger than soda,’’ he said with a weak laugh.
Diane wasn’t sure if he was completely kidding. She sympathized. She had gone through all the stages of mourning too. She sat down in the chair next to the sofa.
‘‘I keep meaning to hide some good Kentucky bour bon here for difficult times. But we have so many demanding days, I’d be drinking all the time,’’ she said, smiling.
‘‘I hear you there,’’ he said. ‘‘Difficult times. They keep coming, don’t they?’’
‘‘Sometimes it seems that way,’’ said Diane. ‘‘What can I do for you?’’
‘‘It’s about the murder,’’ he said.
‘‘Jefferies was here just yesterday,’’ said Diane, ‘‘about the crime lab.’’
She was surprised they’d sent Izzy and not a detec tive to interview her. Not that Izzy couldn’t do a good job, but she thought he worked the desk now. She supposed they figured she had little to add to what they already knew. After all, Garnett was also in the meeting. He could tell them everything she could.
‘‘I know,’’ said Izzy. ‘‘I didn’t come to talk to you about that—that is, not exactly. We—me and several police buddies—would like you to investigate.’’
Diane hadn’t expected that. ‘‘What? Me? Why? I can’t intrude on an ongoing investigation. Certainly not one of this significance. And I have no standing to investigate.’’
‘‘We got it figured out,’’ said Izzy.
‘‘I don’t understand. Why would you want me to investigate?’’ she asked.
‘‘Because Edgar Peeks will be in charge of the in vestigation,’’ Izzy said. ‘‘We don’t trust him.’’
Diane was still not understanding. She’d heard there was no love lost between the rank-and-file policemen and the new chief of police, but she didn’t know why. So why would they want her to investigate?
‘‘I don’t—’’ began Diane.
‘‘It’s not out yet, but they’re arresting Douglas Garnett for the murder,’’ said Izzy. ‘‘Peeks is just going to hang it on him with no investigation. And that’ll be it.’’

Chapter 16
    ‘‘They’re going to arrest Garnett? That’s ridiculous,’’ said Diane.

    ‘‘It is, but lunacy has never stopped the likes of
    Edgar Peeks before,’’ said Izzy.
‘‘Tell me what happened. Why does he think Gar
nett is the murderer?’’ Despite herself, Diane leaned
forward, anxious to hear the story.
‘‘After they left here yesterday, Garnett and the
mayor got into a big argument down at the police
station. I tell you, you really pissed Jefferies and Peeks
off when you told them to take the crime lab out of
the museum. They considered it the jewel in their
crown. It was really important to them.’’ Izzy grinned
broadly. ‘‘I’ve never seen Chief Peeks so mad.’’ ‘‘I wasn’t taking away the lab. I just told them to
move it,’’ said Diane. ‘‘What was the problem?’’ ‘‘They wanted the whole enchilada—the crime lab,
the bone lab, and the DNA lab. They especially wanted
the DNA lab, and as long as the crime lab was in the
museum, they had a chance of getting control of all
of them—they thought. You come along and throw a
wrench in their plans. Then they find out the city
doesn’t even own some of the expensive equipment in
the crime lab; you do. Like I said, they were really
pissed. Warrick—you remember her?’’
Diane nodded. Janice Warrick was a detective she
had butted heads with when she first moved back to Rosewood but who later became a trusted colleague
if