“Hello, Juliet, how are you this morning?” asked Diane.
Juliet looked up, startled. “Oh, fine. I’m fine. Really.” She smiled at Kendel, tugged at her long sleeves, and went back to work.
“Is Mrs. Lester in?”
Juliet nodded without looking up. “Yes. She’s been in about an hour talking on the phone.” Juliet bit her lip. “You should gird your loins.”
“Thanks for the tip.” Diane knocked on the door.
“Juliet, I’m busy. I told you when I arrived that I don’t want to be disturbed. I meant it.”
Diane exchanged glances with Kendel and knocked on the door louder.
Chapter 19
“Damn it, Juliet… ” The door swung open and Diane and Kendel came nose-to-nose with a red-faced Whitney Lester. “Dr. Fallon. Dr. Williams. I didn’t realize… Actually, I’m glad it’s you. I need to talk to you.”
“Then we have mutual needs,” said Diane.
She entered and closed the door behind her. Diane and Kendel sat in the two chairs in front of the desk.
Diane took an index card from her pocket and handed it to Mrs. Lester. “Andie wrote down several dates and times for the management class.”
“That is what I wanted to speak with you about.” Whitney Lester laced her fingers in front of her. “I’ve talked with the state Human Resources Department to find out what my rights are.”
She paused, Diane supposed to let the weight of her words sink in.
“They tell me you can’t force me to take classes that I don’t want or need.”
“No, I can’t. However, I can release you from your job,” said Diane.
“They say you can’t.” Whitney folded her arms across her chest.
“If you want to make this a case of your lawyer versus the museum’s lawyers, that’s your prerogative and I won’t even try to talk you out of it. I don’t know, of course, how you presented your claim to Human Resources, but if I find that you aren’t able to do your job according to the standards laid out in your contract and in the museum’s handbook, I have an obligation to inform you of your shortcomings and provide a way to remedy your deficits. You of course can refuse. I can then let you go.”
“This course”-she flipped the card so that it slid across her desk, stopping near the edge-“has nothing to do with my knowledge of marine life and my ability to keep track of the collection.”
“On the contrary. First, part of your job is to manage staff, not just inanimate objects. As for the inanimate objects that you manage, had you gone to Security with the information of the theft, you would have discovered that almost all of the departments have had recent thefts similar to yours. It was your management style that stopped you from doing that and therefore stopped you from taking more effective action to manage the collection. As it is, Security was delayed getting the information. Time is an important element in recovering stolen items. Security has been looking for the stolen items. They didn’t know to include the seashells.”
Whitney Lester’s mouth sagged. The defiant glint in her gray eyes went out. She looked defeated. Diane imagined the news of the other thefts was an unexpected blow to her carefully constructed scenario of how she had been wronged.
“Other departments have had items stolen?” she asked in a low voice.
“Yes, and Dr. Price is not a suspect in any of them,” said Diane. “I can’t force you to go to these classes. But despite what the person at Human Resources told you, I can and will let you go if you refuse.”
Kendel sat relaxed in the chair with her legs crossed. She always managed to look elegant. Diane envied her for that. She also knew that was part of Kendel’s presentation when she negotiated-looking relaxed before she pounced. Kendel reminded Diane of a lion. Here, however, Kendel was a witness; pouncing wasn’t part of the task. Diane imagined she was content to watch. Kendel kept a pleasant smile on her face as if Diane were discussing the acquisition of a new collection of shells with Whitney.
Diane stood and Kendel stood with her. Whitney remained seated. “I guess I have no choice,” she said.
“We all have choices,” said Diane. “And we all must accept the consequences of our choices. This is not meant to be a punishment.” She and Kendel left Whitney in her office, furious, from the look on her face. Juliet, still looking like she was about to fade into the ether, was working with a tray of Turridae.
“Thanks for witnessing, Kendel,” said Diane when they were out of Aquatics.
“No problem.” Kendel walked with Diane until they reached one of the stairwells. Kendel nearly always used the stairs. “I have to visit the Preparation Department,” she said as she started to mount the stairs. “I think that went well. However, I would have hurt her and wouldn’t have had witnesses.” Kendel smiled, turned and walked up the stairs.
Diane laughed and shook her head. She took the elevator to the third floor and crossed over to the wing where the crime lab was located.
David, Jin, and Neva, sipping freshly brewed coffee, were sitting at the round corner table.
“We were just discussing McNair,” said David. “What is that guy about?”
“Glory, control, following his uncle’s agenda,” said Diane, pouring herself a cup of coffee. “This current fiasco is about the coming election. We haven’t had a crime this high profile and McNair and company want credit for bringing justice to all the families who also happen to vote in Rosewood.”
“It’s always politics,” said Jin. “Who was it who said kill the politicians?”
“I think it was Shakespeare,” said David. “And it was lawyers.”
“Yeah, well, I guess I’ll take lawyers over politicians,” said Jin.
“How about my car?” asked Diane. “Have you had a chance to process it?”
“All done and locked in the vault,” said Neva. “When he goes to trial, all the information will be there. What do you want done with your car?”
“I suppose I’ll trade it again. I tell you, the guys at the Ford place must be wondering what kind of life I lead.”
“Speaking of that,” said David. “Did something happen last night? I’ve heard the security guards talking about guys with baseball bats lurking in the parking lot, and something about you and another person. What was that about?”
Diane explained briefly about the incident in the parking lot.
“So,” said Jin, “you can tell the car dealer that this was a separate incident from the one that damaged your car.”
“I do seem to attract maniacs,” said Diane.
“Are you all right? You said the police came in time?”
“Yes. It ended well and I hear the police caught both guys. I’m just hoping that it’s not something directed at the museum.”
“I see,” said David. “Just you.”
“What about the other person?” said Jin. “Could it have been about her?”
“I don’t think so. Maybe the police will have some news. I’ll call them a little later.”
The private crime lab elevator doors opened and Chief Garnett walked out. They watched him walk down the narrow hall past the glassed-in work areas of the crime lab to reach them on the other side. He sat down at the table, nodding at Diane’s staff.
“What brings you here?” asked Diane. She got up, poured a cup of coffee, and brought it to the table for Garnett. She passed the cup of black coffee over to him.
Garnett’s dark hair looked like it had more gray in it. His eyes had weary lines at the corners that she hadn’t noticed before. But maybe it was her imagination.
“Several things.” He picked up the coffee and took a sip. “Hot. That’s nice. It’s cold outside. First, I wanted to find out how the explosion analysis is going.”