LC 04 - Skeleton Crew (43 page)

"I'll never call you the Angel of Death again," Jeff said.

Ramirez raised his eyebrows.

"Murder on sites I work at is becoming more common than I
would like, especially considering that murders hardly ever occur
at archaeological sites."

"I see." Ramirez smiled. "I'm willing to take these two bits of
evidence into account. Do you have any theory as to how the artifacts got into his room?"

"Someone put them there," Bobbie said.

"Who?" asked Ramirez.

"The person who took them," Bobbie answered.

"A hurricane is coming. We are all under some stress," Lindsay
said.

"Last I heard, it was threatening the coast of Florida," said
Ramirez.

"Oh, that's great news," Bobbie said. "I mean, not for the people in Florida, but-"

"Agent Ramirez," Lindsay said, "I believe that Jeff was an easy target for whoever set him up. He has been under a lot of strain
from working in the dam. That's how he got into trouble here.
Besides, he's a classicist. They all act strange."

"Now wait a minute," Jeff protested.

"Do you have any idea who did this?" asked Ramirez.

"Not now, but-"

"But what?"

"Have you ever felt like you know something, but the knowledge keeps eluding your conscious mind? And people mention
certain words that tickle your brain but you still can't put your finger on what it knows?"

"And you call us classicists strange," Jeff said.

Ramirez bowed his head and smiled just a little. "Yes, I know
what you are talking about."

"That's where I am now. I feel like I know the answer, or part of
the answer, but can't quite put my finger on it yet."

"When you think of it, give me a call."

"What's going to happen to the cross?" Lindsay asked.

"The courts will have to decide. It looks to me like it will go to
Boote."

Lindsay had mixed feelings about that. Boote could use the
money that the cross represented, but it was an artifact and now
that the diary was completed, there was evidence that the cross
belonged with the Estrella. Maybe Boote and the university could
come to some agreement.

As Lindsay, Harper, and Bobbie were leaving, they ran into
Gina and Juliana coming in.

"Hi. How's Jeff?" Gina asked.

"He's doing well," Harper replied. "I think Sherlock here about
convinced Ramirez that Jeff is innocent."

"Great. Was that the shoe thing?"

"That and the fact that I did get a look, albeit briefly, at the person who attacked Boote. And it wasn't Jeff. You guys had dinner?"

"Just a while ago. There's a small shopping center that has a
good sandwich shop. It's about a block away. That's about the only
place in this town unless you want fast food."

They followed the directions and went into the small cafe. Mike
and Tessa Altman were there having dinner.

""GET A TABLE, I'm going to speak with Mike and Tessa," Lindsay
said. Bobbie and Harper followed her anyway.

"We'd like some peace," said Tessa. Mike stared at the glass of
iced tea in front of him. The two of them sat side by side close
together in a booth. Tessa had her arm through his.

"Look," said Lindsay. "We're all stuck in the same tar man. I'd
like to let go and I imagine you would, too."

"Perhaps we'll get lucky and the hurricane will blow the lot of
you away," Mike said without looking up.

e'll be here forever," Lindsay
"Or maybe it won't, and we'll-beresponded.

"Will it get rid of you if we talk to you?" Tessa asked.

"Yes, it will. May I sit down?"

Tessa motioned toward the opposite side of the booth. Bobbie
slid in first, Lindsay beside her, and Harper dragged a chair and
sat at the end.

"Can I get you anything?" asked a waitress.

"No," said the Altmans together.

"We're moving to another table in a minute," said Lindsay.

"Are you two ready to order?"

"Give us a few more minutes, please," Tessa answered. She
waited until the waitress was gone. "So, does this take all three of
you?"

"Apparently," said Lindsay. She turned to Mike. "First, I'd like
to end this feud. Tessa told me that you genuinely didn't think we
needed help at the quicksand pit, and I'm willing to accept that. So
are Bobbie and Harper." Harper opened her mouth and looked
surprised. Lindsay kicked her under the table. Tessa almost
smiled.

"If you had been in real trouble, I would have helped," Mike
said. The admission seemed to hurt him.

"I accept that. I'll put a stop to all the rumors that have had all
of you upset."

"So you've been doing that?" said Tessa.

"Not me personally, or Bobbie or Harper, or most of the staff.
But I know where they've come from, and I'll have Lewis put a
stop to it."

"So, what about the museum and the theme park?"

"They were just jerking your chain. There is no museum, no
theme park. Once we're gone, the warehouse goes. When it can be
released, I'd like you to read the diary Harper has been translating.
It was written by a man who sailed as a passenger on the ship
we're excavating. He was an intelligent and compassionate man
and he provided us with incredible insight about the people who
came over here to colonize. It will help you understand what we
do and why we were so very angry about your association with
Jones."

Mike and Tessa were silent. All in all, Lindsay thought that was
a good sign. She continued talking.

"I'm not going to ask you for alibis for the night in question.
None of us have them, and I don't expect you to have them, either.
I'll accept that you were in bed asleep."

"I wasn't," said Tessa. "Mike was. I was doing some research on
the Web-if I understand that the time in question is the wee hours
of the morning. That's the time Ramirez wanted to know about."

"Did you hear anything when you were up?"

"No. But the ranger's quarters are surrounded by thick flora."

Lindsay looked at Mike. "You said that Nate and Keith fought.
When did you see that?"

Mike shrugged and looked at Tessa. "Several weeks ago," he
said. "One of the windows in our apartment looks out over the
walkway. They were yelling at each other about the wreck. From
what I gathered, Keith wanted to have some of your artifacts for all
his help." Mike shook his head. "The fool, just like with my plants.
He thinks he can just take things. Anyway, it ended with him
pushing Nate into the railing-that's how it broke-and stomping
off. I don't know what happened after that."

"Did you see him after that?"

"No," said Mike.

"I did, a couple of days later," Tessa said, "down on the beach.
He was looking at the surf. Keith was nothing but a beach bum."

"Did you ever witness anyone else arguing with him?"

"That other guy, what's his name?" Mike asked. "Captain
Nemo, Keith was always calling him."

"Steven."

"Yeah, that's the guy. He wasn't too bad. Not loud and in your
face like Nate."

"Steven Nemo argued with Keith?"

"Several times. You could tell he didn't like him, called him a
looter and a pothead-"

"Pothunter?"

"Yeah, that was it. Pothunter. I looked all over the island to
make sure Keith wasn't planting any marijuana patches."

"That's a word we use for a person who loots archaeological
sites."

"Wish I'd known, I could have saved myself some work.
Anyway, Nemo really didn't like Keith. Nemo also fought with
Nate and Trey Marcus about using Keith and the old man to help
locate whatever it was you guys are trying to find."

"Objects from wrecks often wash up onshore. Keith and his
father have been searching the islands for a long time, and Trey
wanted access to their collections."

"Did you all ever find anything?" asked Bobbie.

Tessa held out her right hand to Lindsay. She had a beautiful
gold ring with a large ruby in it. "Mike and I found the stone in the
sand. I stepped on it with my bare feet. Mike had it set for me. I'd
like not to have to give it up."

"Keep it," said Lindsay. "Do you remember where on the beach
you found it?"

"A couple-of-miles up the beach from the house."

It sounded like the same spot that Lindsay had found the coins.

"Did anyone else argue with Keith?" Lindsay asked.

"Trey had a big fight with him in the break room a few days
after Nate did."

"What was it about?"

"Let's see. Same thing, I think. No, he accused Keith of taking
something out of the lab." Tessa thought a moment. "An astro
something-"

"Astrolabe?"

"I suppose. Keith thought that, since you all had two of them,
he could have one. Trey didn't see it that way. He was very angry."

"I can imagine. Thank you for talking with me. I won't keep
you from your dinner any longer."

They moved to another table and ordered soup and sandwiches. When the Altmans finished, Tessa stopped by Lindsay's
table.

"Look, someone will probably tell you this sooner or later, so
I'd rather you hear it from me. Before we knew what a complete
jerk Keith was, Gretchen dated him a couple of times. This was
way before all of you got here and it ended before any of you
arrived. Gretchen isn't involved in this and her mother is in a nursing home and not doing well. Gretchen has a lot to deal with and
she doesn't need to be questioned by you or the police. She is a
very nice person. She even likes you guys."

"I'm not official anyway," said Lindsay. "Ramirez may find out
on his own, but not from me."

After the Altmans left, Bobbie said, "You sure were easy on
them."

"I did lay into Mike and Easterall pretty heavily already.
Besides we wouldn't have gotten anything from them if we'd been
hostile."

"I know, but you gave her a ruby ring, for heaven's sake. Lewis
isn't going to like that," said Harper.

"There was no provenance. There was nothing to dispute that a
tourist simply lost the set out of her ring and Tessa found it."

"Well, Trey didn't have anything to do with Keith's death," said
Harper.

"I thought you were mad at him." Lindsay teased.

"I am, but I don't want him to go to prison."

"I've known Trey since he got a job in the Archaeology
Department. I don't believe he's a murderer. I'm sure if I'd been
here and met Keith, I'd have had an argument with him, too. It
looks like everybody on the island did at one time or another."

"You ever date him?" Harper had her elbow on the table and
her chin resting in the palm of her hand.

"Who? Trey?" Lindsay looked surprised.

"Yes, Trey."

"No. We almost went dancing once, but events were kind of
overtaking me at the time. Why?"

"Just wondering. So, Bobbie, how's Luke?"

"He's good. John's got him working a lot now. I don't think he's
going to get any time off for a while."

"Are they related?" asked Harper.

"Cousins," said Bobbie.

"So, Harper, you going to come to UGA?" Lindsay asked.

"Maybe. I have indications that the Language Department is
interested."

"They certainly ought to be," Bobbie said.

They left the restaurant and drove the SUV to the guarded lot
where several of the university vehicles were parked and motored
across the intracoastal waterway to the island. It was a short trip
and they were grateful because the water was choppy, even
between the mainland and the island.

The barge had left St. Magdalena hours ago for the dam and
Lindsay and Bobbie didn't want to take a boat in the dark with the
water as rough as it was. So they stayed in Harper's apartment.

Harper was greeted with a bowl of orchids sitting on her
desk-and a card from Trey.

"You think he picked these on the island?" whispered Bobbie.

"No," Harper said.' The card is from a florist. Isn't this sweet?"

"I suppose he must be really sorry." Lindsay smelled one of the
flowers.

"He says he is." Harper grinned.

"What's this?" Bobbie asked, pointing to a large flat box sitting
on the breakfast table.

"A candy box," Harper said, "with lots of candy."

"He must be really, really sorry," Bobbie said. Bobbie and
Lindsay gathered around her as she opened the card.

"No," said Harper, "Lewis is really sorry."

While they talked about everything from the guys, the diary, to
the state of the union, and ate the candy, Lindsay worked on the
drawing of the HSkR4, the last skeleton.

"Here he is," she said at last.

"That's him then? Valerian?" asked Harper.

"I don't know. Someone. I've looked at all the bones, but I need
to do it again and read the diary again. I'm afraid that the way
things are going lately, I might have missed something."

"I somehow pictured Valerian as more handsome," Bobbie said.

"I could work on him some," offered Lindsay.

"You gave Lopez a long nose, and the guy in chains, Sancho
... do you think he is Sancho?" asked Bobbie.

"Probably. He's the only one the diary said was in chains,"
Lindsay replied.

"You gave Sancho a short nose. How do you know?"

Lindsay touched the bridge of Bobbie's nose. You can tell by the
length of the bridge of the nose and nasal sill. Long noses need
support."

"How neat," said Bobbie.

"Yes, it is." Lindsay yawned. "I'm getting tired. How about we
get some sleep?"

"You got my vote," agreed Harper.

Harper pulled a rollaway bed out of the closet for Bobbie.
"Maybe we'll get lucky and in the morning the hurricane will have
just wound down," Bobbie said as she pulled the covers over her.