Dead Guilty Part 23

"We have a number of students who come here and use them during the day."

"In the restaurant? Why don't you give them a room to do that in?"

"I'll ask the staff to look into it," said Diane.

The woman smiled brightly. "You see, Burt, it never hurts to ask." They turned and walked down the hall to the restaurant.

"You did that well," said Mike. "I thought we were going to be stuck here in the hallway the rest of the night."

"She just wanted me to tell her she was right," said Diane.

"See, that's what I like about you. You know how to deal with things."

They were seated in a booth on the opposite side of the restaurant from Evelyn and Burt's party. Diane liked the low lights and quiet of the room. She was more tired than she realized.

"This is good. I was afraid we were going to be seated near that woman," said Mike.

Diane eyed him over her menu. "That wouldn't have happened."

"Why? Oh, they always seat you away from every one else, don't they?"

"When they can. They know I like calm with my meals." She looked at the flow of restaurant customers coming in. "It looks like the restaurant is filling up quickly tonight."

The waitress came, and Diane ordered steak. Mike, it turned out, was vegetarian. He ordered a portobello mushroom, spinach and cheese dish.

"Really," he said. "You handled that well. I wouldn't have been so patient."

"A visitor to the museum is like a guest in my home."

"Nice sentiment, but it's good you know how to handle people."

"Actually, I don't, but I picked up a few things from my last boss, who was a diplomat. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"The caving club." Diane was surprised. She'd ex pected something personal.

"What about it?" She was a member of the Rose wood Speleological Society, but she often wasn't able to attend the meetings.

"We lost our meeting place at the student center- we weren't a big enough group. Somebody needed the s.p.a.ce and the administration chased us out of our room. Of course, one of our more prominent members could have spoken up for us, but she doesn't attend meetings that often."

"We have a prominent member in the club?"

"Yeah, we do. Big director of the museum in town. Anyway, in the absence of this director, we all came up with the idea of meeting in her museum."

Diane nodded. "At least I would be able to attend the meetings if we met here."

"That's a yes, then?"

"We can meet in the main auditorium or one of the geology rooms. It would mean that you will have to meet the group at the door to let them in. I can alert the security staff to watch out for latecomers."

"Great. I think the earth science room would be a good place to meet. We already have that small auditorium where we show the Volatile Earth series."

Diane hadn't realized she was as hungry as she was until her meal arrived. She was going to have to re member to eat more. She took several bites of her fillet and baked potato before she said anything else.

"I really am sorry I haven't been able to attend more meetings."

"I can understand, with two full-time jobs. By the way, we do have a new member. One of your staff from your other job. Neva Hurley."

"I'm glad she joined. I encouraged her to."

"She seemed to feel a little out of place, but I think it's because she's the least experienced member. I have the plan for the cave we're visiting. It's a great cave, really. There's an easy way and a wild way through it. I thought we'd start with the easy way and later take a trip back and explore the wild part of the cave. That section has to be explored on rope, so it's not for beginners."

Diane ate and listened to Mike talk about the cave they were going to visit. She heard the low tone of her phone ring. She fished it out of her purse and answered without looking at the display.

"I thought maybe we could finish our talk. I hope I'm not interrupting your dinner," the voice on the phone said.

Chapter 27.

"Are you watching me?"

The interior darkness of the restaurant that had been as comfortable as a familiar blanket now closed in around her. She searched the faces of the diners nearest her, but all she could see was flickering faces illuminated by the table candles. The diners just be yond were merely shadows with spots of light, the faces swallowed up by the darkness. Diane fished a pad and pen out of her purse and began scribbling a note to Mike, who looked at her, frowning.

Frank? he mouthed. he mouthed.

Diane shook her head.

"I'm not a maniac," the voice said. The sound was urgent-as in "please believe me." "It's around a lot of people's dinnertime. I thought you might be eating." That sounded more rational.

Diane handed Mike the note and watched his eyes widen and jaw drop as he read it in the candlelight. He jumped from his seat and walked out of the restaurant.

"What exactly do you want?" asked Diane. "I told you. I want you to understand."

"You say that, but you never get to the point. What is it that you want me to understand?"

"That the law doesn't always work. Sometimes it can't work. Sometimes the terrible things people do aren't against the so-called law." His voice was getting louder and his words were coming faster. The rational ity that he managed to grasp a moment ago was turn ing to a panicked anger.

"Okay. I understand that in theory. Can you give me an example?"

He hesitated so long, Diane thought he had hung up, then he spoke in a calm voice. "An example?"

"An example of a terrible thing people can do that isn't against the law."

He paused for a long moment. "Oh, I could give you a hundred examples. Gossip comes to mind-and bullying, to name just two."

"There are legal remedies to both of those."

"Right. Not when you're in school. Besides, legal remedies are expensive. For most of us, it's a choice between a so-called legal remedy and a roof over our head. There's no legal remedies for normal people."

"So sometimes you have to make your own reme dies. Murder seems a harsh remedy for gossip and bullying."

"Who said anything about murder?"

"You did. This conversation started from you ob jecting to my calling all murders evil."

He chuckled softly. "Yes, you're right. I did. And you're right that killing is too harsh for my examples, but they were just examples. It's what you asked for."

"Then perhaps I wasn't specific enough. Give me a good example of a justified killing."

"I have to go now. I'll call again and we'll talk some more."

Diane's gaze eased around the room, looking for anything out of the ordinary, anyone leaving, some thing out of place. Everything looked right.

Mike returned a minute later, still wide-eyed, but with a serious look on his face. "That was . . . you were actually talking to the killer?"

"I don't know. Were you able to get hold of Chief Garnett?"

"Yes. He said he'd get on it."

Diane wasn't sure, but unless they were already on it they would miss the opportunity. Surely, they in cluded her cell in the surveillance.

"What did the guy want?" asked Mike.

"I think he wanted me to tell him he was right."

"See, that's why I'm attracted to you."

"Mike, explain that to me. I confess, I don't under stand why."

"It came as a surprise to me too, I'm not usually attracted to older women. But you're... interesting."

"Interesting?"

"Yeah. Smart-not just intelligent, but clever. You're adventurous, you do things, map caves, solve crimes-nothing scares you."

"Lots of things scare me."

"Maybe, but you have it under control. Like just now when that guy called. You were so calm." He grinned a boyish grin that deepened his dimples. "You look good, too. So how about it-will you go out with me again?"

"Again? This is not going out. It's eating together at the museum. And no, I can't go out with you. We can go caving together, but we can't date."

"Why?"

"Three reasons. I'm dating someone else, I'm your boss and I'm older than you are-by too many years. Any one of those reasons, for me, is a nonstarter. All three-well, it isn't going to happen."

He put a hand on his chest. "You've broken my heart."

"I doubt it. It's the hunt you like. Besides, the antic ipation is often better than the reality."

"You know, for guys that isn't true."

Diane laughed. She had been so tense, all her mus cles were still ready for fight or flight. She relaxed. The release felt good.

The remainder of the meal, Diane asked Mike ques tions about the cave he had arranged for them to visit.

"You say it hasn't been mapped?" That information excited her. She loved cave mapping.

"None of the wild sections have." Mike pushed his plate to the side and tried to talk Diane into dessert.

"You've tried to tempt me enough, I think."

"We could share."

"Definitely not. Who in the caving club has mapping experience?" she asked.

"I think most everyone has done a little traversing. If you're talking serious mapping, you've had the most experience. I've had some, and there's Stan. I know several would like to learn."

"Maybe that can be one of our goals." Diane pushed her plate back and gave the waitress her credit card as she appeared at the table.

"I'll get it," said Mike, putting his wallet on the table.

"No. I appreciate the information on the diamonds."

"Then let me leave the tip." He fished out several bills and left them under his tea gla.s.s. "If you can get the woman to come in, I'll have a look at her diamond."

"I'm not sure how I'd manage that." Diane signed the receipt the waitress brought back, and stood up, retrieving her purse. "I do appreciate the information, and I'm sorry about the phone call."

Mike's smile disappeared. "That was strange. Do you think he's watching you? I'll walk you to your car."

Diane shook her head. "I'm going to my office first and give Garnett a call. I'll be fine. I've given security a heads-up."

They threaded their way through the tables. As they pa.s.sed the trellis garden, an outdoor part of the res taurant, Diane heard her name called from the dark ness. She turned, peered into the flickering shadows and made out Izzy Wallace. He sat at a small table on the terrace, dressed in slacks and a short-sleeved s.h.i.+rt, across from a woman that Diane guessed was his wife. She tried to recall her name, but she couldn't remember what Frank said it was.

"Izzy. How are you?"

He stood and introduced his wife, who nodded and patted her mouth with her napkin.

"We just love this restaurant. Such atmosphere," she said.

"We're very proud of it. You should come in the daytime sometime. They have a wonderful salad and fruit buffet and, of course, the museum is open in the daytime."

Izzy kept eying Mike, so Diane introduced him. "This is Mike Seger, one of our geologists here at the museum."

"That was a lot of excitement at Dr. Webber's house," he said. "Poor guy nearly wet his pants."