One Grave Less (47 page)

One day several months before the massacre, Cameron was about to be discovered with a truckload of women and children whom he could not deliver because the buyer had just been arrested. There was nothing to do with the human cargo on the spur of the moment, so Cameron shot them. Oliver acquired a photograph taken by a partner in crime that showed Cameron, gun in hand, shooting a child in the head. He also acquired the man’s testimony.

Diane sat down and put her head in her hands. Ariel started to come over to her, but Lindsay whispered in her ear and Ariel waited.

“You are disgusting,” said Gregory to Cameron. “In the name of heaven, how can you live with yourself?”

Cameron lay on the couch in pain from the broken bones Lindsay had given him, one forearm over his forehead as if shading his eyes.

“You pompous bastard,” said Cameron. “It’s all about the money. A fucking lot of it. Life is cheap. You and Diane proved that every time you opened a mass grave. People come and go. That’s the way it is.”

Gregory shook his head, like Diane, unable to fathom Cameron’s and Steven’s thought processes.

The paramedics arrived and took the two of them away. Diane was glad to be rid of them. She put her face in her hands. She felt so tired. Ariel jumped out of Lindsay’s lap and ran over to Diane and hugged her.

“He was a bad man,” said Ariel.

“Yes, he was,” said Diane.

Lindsay stood up. “I think we will be going,” she said. “I’d like to go to sleep for about a week or two. And I’d like to stop and see Korey and Jonas in the hospital before we leave town.”

Diane walked over to her. “Thank you. I wish I had the words to express how grateful I am for what you did for Ariel—and for me.”

“Ariel saved my life,” said Lindsay. “I am grateful for that. I’m grateful to know her. She is just the neatest kid.”

Lindsay squatted to Ariel’s level and hugged her. “You are a great kid,” she said, tears threatening to spill over the rims of her eyes.

Diane noticed that Ariel was about to cry too. She stooped down with them.

“What are all these tears?” she said. “Lindsay lives just down the road, only two hours away,” said Diane. “We can visit next week if you like.”

“Really?” said Ariel.

“Really. If it’s okay with Lindsay,” said Diane.

“You are welcome anytime,” she said. She hugged Ariel again.

John West spoke to her in Cherokee. Ariel repeated it and gave him a hug.

“We need a ride to our car,” said Lindsay. “Korey brought us to the museum in one of your vehicles. We’re parked at the motel down the road.”

“I can take them,” said David. “I need to get out for a while.”

 

Diane was about to go to her tiny bedroom and lie down for a nap. She was sure Ariel must be exhausted too. Just as she rose from the sofa where she was sitting with Frank and Ariel, Neva walked in carrying a notebook. She looked grim.
Not any more grim
, thought Diane.
Not today. I’ve had enough
.

Neva smiled. “Congratulations. Little Ariel. I can’t believe it. What you must be feeling,” she said.

“Can hardly put it into words,” said Diane.

Neva sighed and frowned again. “You were right,” she said. “Lots of drawings. Vanessa and your friend Laura brought all Madge’s artwork to Vanessa’s house for safekeeping. Vanessa is the executor of Madge’s will. I didn’t have to drive to Atlanta to find it. I just had to go to Vanessa’s. Anyway, Madge wrote a romance comic book about the two of them. You know, the kind they used to do in the fifties. It’s pretty good, or would be if it weren’t so poignant.”

“Anyone we know?” said Diane.

“Surprise, surprise,” said Neva. “He’ll be here any minute. I’ve asked him to come by. He doesn’t know he’s meeting Chief Garnett. The storm did some damage to the police station, blew half the roof off. So Garnett has, in effect, deputized the museum.”

Diane took the notebook, which was actually an artist’s drawing book, and opened it, looking at the pictures of a love story with Madge as the focus. It made sense now.

Diane walked up to her office where Neva had arranged for him to come. She met Garnett on the way. Vanessa was with him.

“Diane, is it true? Is Ariel alive? Is she here? Harte and I have been beside ourselves since we heard the news.”

Garnett looked at Diane, surprised. “Your Ariel? Your daughter, Ariel?” he said.

Diane grinned. “Yes, my daughter, Ariel. That’s part of what all this was about, the rumors, everything. I’ll tell you all about it later. It’s a remarkable story.”

“Can we meet her?” said Vanessa.

“Yes. She’s with Frank. They’re playing with the kids in the basement. Apparently Andie and Star did such a good job of entertaining them all, they don’t want to go home.”

“Why don’t you go meet her now, Mrs. Van Ross?” said Garnett.

“Oh?” she said.

“Please, let me, Neva, and Diane do this. You know, police business,” he said.

“You’re right, of course. I’d rather meet little Ariel anyway.” Vanessa smiled and went off to find Frank.

Diane, Neva, and Garnett proceeded through Diane’s office into her private lounge area.

Martin Thormond stood up and greeted them, wearing his usual tweed sports coat with the patches on the elbows, looking like the history professor he was.

“It was certainly a stormy night last night,” he said, stroking his short beard.

“It was indeed,” said Diane.

“Martin, there is no way to ease into this,” said Diane. “We know you were helping the men who were harassing me. What I don’t know is why.”

Martin sat slowly down on the sofa. The others pulled up chairs and sat across from him.

“They came to me and told me that I would help them or they would kill me—after they cut my hands and feet off. I believed them. You don’t know what they were like.”

“Oh, I think I do,” said Diane. “I got to know them up close and personal.”

“Then you know what vicious thugs they were. They were looking for some kind of package sent to you at the museum and wanted me to find it. They also wanted me to spread these rumors about you and say they were from a reporter. It was go along or die. Like I said. I believed them. I’m sorry. It wasn’t something I wanted to do. Or even enjoyed doing.”

“What about the money?” said Garnett.

Diane knew he was guessing. To Martin he must have sounded totally convincing. His shoulders slumped even farther.

“I know this sounds crazy, but they made me take the money. They grinned, saying they paid well. And, yes, it was a lot of money and I like money, but they forced me to do what they asked and then forced me to take money for it.”

“Did they force you to kill Madge Stewart?” said Diane.

Martin blanched. Diane thought he was going to disappear into the couch, he was sinking so low.

“I didn’t kill her. It was an accident,” he said. “She slipped and fell into the water trying to act like a young girl. I didn’t do anything to her,” he said.

“You didn’t help her,” said Diane.

Martin sneered and for the first time looked like he might rise from sinking into the sofa. “She hated you, you know,” he said. “She loved the idea of smearing you.”

“Liking me isn’t a prerequisite for a person’s right to live,” said Diane. “I’m hardly that arrogant. How did Madge get involved?”

“That was so stupid. She overheard me talking with one of the men and was just all giddy with the notion of helping me, like we were spies or something. It was embarrassing. It got to where I hated coming to board meetings. I couldn’t seem to get rid of her.”

“But you did,” said Neva.

“I didn’t kill her,” he said.

“Why didn’t you get help?” said Garnett.

“I didn’t kill her,” Martin repeated.

“You just watched her drown,” said Garnett.

Martin stood up. “If I’m not under arrest, and I assume I’m not, since I’m in the museum, I’m leaving,” he said. He got up and walked out, his back ramrod straight and chin high. No one tried to stop him.

“Is he going to get away with it?” said Neva.

“Unless you can prove she was murdered,” said Garnett.

“Well, damn it,” said Neva. “How about the guys who attacked Diane? Are they going to get away with everything they did?”

“No, they aren’t,” said Garnett. “We’ve got Diane’s testimony, we’ve got Liam’s testimony, we’ve got Frank’s, Star’s and that English guy’s testimony. We’ve got a lot of fiber evidence from the crime scenes that, according to David, is pretty diagnostic. And we’ve got the guys that hired them that we can flip. So, no they aren’t getting away with it.”

“Do we still have them in custody?” said Diane.

“The GBI picked them up, most of them. One is missing, I understand.”

 

Diane left her office and found Frank and Ariel in the ballroom. She watched Ariel playing with the other kids, watched her laugh, watched her turn her head and look at Diane, grin and wave. Diane waved back. Frank came over and put an arm around her waist.

“It turned out to be a good day after all,” he said.

“The best,” said Diane.
The best
.