One Grave Less

of the City of Rosewood. Even though Diane was director of both the museum and the crime lab, the two units had an often tenuous relationship with each other. Garnett knew that if the museum were ever in any danger from the crime lab, the lab would have to go. So he made it a priority to protect the museum and the relationship. He did his best to make sure, when he could, the museum didn’t get any bad press. There was a standing order to the police dispatcher to contact his office by phone rather than the radio, which could be picked up by reporters, if there were any calls from the museum. But there would be little chance for damage control this time.
    Diane realized she didn’t know exactly what had happened in the exhibit room when the fake medical personnel came in and wrecked the place. She hadn’t seen it. She had been in the lab inspecting Simone.
    “What happened?” Garnett asked, unnecessarily smoothing a side of his styled graying hair with his hand.
    “I’m not entirely sure,” said Diane. She described the sequence of events, and a quick rundown of what she was sure of—including the name of the female victim.
    As he listened, the crease between Garnett’s eyebrows seemed to grow deeper.
    “This Simone Brooks, she was someone from your past work in South America?”
    Diane nodded. “Yes. The main work she did with me was to conduct interviews of witnesses. She was very good at putting people at ease.”
    “What was she doing here?” he asked.
    “I have no idea,” said Diane.
    The paramedics came by with Simone on a stretcher. Rufus walked over to where Garnett and Diane sat and stopped. They stood up and motioned for him to sit. He shook his head.
    “I guess you’ll be wanting a statement from me,” he said to Garnett. He had ointment on his face and neck as well as his hands. He was wearing a white T-shirt. He had taken his outer shirt off and was holding it in one hand. Diane could tell from his face that he was very uncomfortable.
    She gave him a quick smile. “Anything to get out of going to the hospital?” she said.
    He shrugged. “I’m fine. I just need some ointment—and some painkiller. The burns hurt like hell. But that’s good. I have nothing more than first-degree burns, really.”
    Diane raised her brows at him and he shrugged.
    “I have a very mild second-degree burn on the top of my hand. It might not even blister very much.” He raised the hand with the shirt. “Thanks to my fire-retardant uniform.”
    “Can you give me a brief statement of what happened?” said Garnett. “I can get something more detailed from you tomorrow.”
    Rufus nodded. “I was tending to the first victim—the guy who seems to have disappeared—when three paramedics came in with a stretcher. I turned to say something to them when one of them hit me, knocking me into the display case. Before I could recover myself, two of them hauled the victim onto the stretcher. The third one started spreading kerosene and struck a match to it.” He took a deep breath and his face screwed up with emotion. “What kind of person would do that, try to set someone on fire? He didn’t give a damn that I was there.”
    “A very reckless, wicked person,” said Diane. “Certainly someone desperate to hide something. If Chief Garnett is finished for now, why don’t you go home and take it easy? You don’t need to come in tomorrow. Wait until you heal some.”
    “I’m fine,” he said again.
    “If you wouldn’t mind,” said Diane, “change clothes and leave what you were wearing with security.”
    He nodded. “Oh, sure thing. I’ll do that.” As he left them he was muttering, “Who would do that to a person?”
    “You have any ideas?” asked Garnett. “It obviously had something to do with this Simone Brooks.”
    “I have no idea whatsoever. Simone said ‘It was one of us.’ I don’t know what she meant.”
    Garnett nodded. “I’ll need to see your security tapes,” he said.
    “Sure,” she said.
    “Do you think they destroyed all the evidence? That was what they were trying to do with the fire, I imagine.”
    “Yes, I’m sure that was their intent. Kerosene is good for getting rid of blood evidence. The fire just helps make sure. But apparently they didn’t think about transfer.”
    “Transfer?”
    “Mine and Rufus’ clothes. My shoes are on top of the case in the exhibit room. We still have samples of the victim’s blood on their soles. If that’s what they were trying