Part 20 (1/2)

”Then-” She gasped when he gently bit her earlobe, and she felt her eyes starting to cross. ”Then why did you take that dagger the night we met?”

”Camouflage,” he murmured, but not as if the subject interested him much. ”You would have wondered if I hadn't taken anything that night.”

”Oh. Umm . . . Alex? I know I asked you before, but . . . did you steal the Carstairs diamonds?”

”No.” He stopped exploring her neck long enough to swing her up into his arms. He kissed her and started toward the bedroom, adding cheerfully, ”I just borrowed them.”

”Why can't she be identified?”

Both Wolfe and Jared looked at Storm, and the latter said, ”You mean Jane Doe?” They were still in the computer room and still brainstorming the situation.

”Yeah. Why can't she be identified?”

”No fingerprints, for one thing,” Jared began, then stopped and nodded slowly as he realized Storm's meaning. ”Why doesn't the killer killer want her identified.” want her identified.”

”It's an important question, isn't it? A piece of the puzzle. He makes d.a.m.ned sure she can't be identified yet leaves signposts all over the place pointing to the museum.”

”So,” Wolfe said, ”either her ident.i.ty would lead us far from the museum, or else it would get us a h.e.l.l of a lot closer to seeing a big piece of the puzzle. Another a.s.sumption, but a reasonable one.”

”The police are working on an I.D.,” Jared noted.

”But are they working on the right thing?” Wolfe frowned at the Interpol agent. ”The killer went to the extreme of using a blowtorch to obliterate her prints. That says to me that he knew or had good reason to believe the prints were on file somewhere.”

”Criminal, police, or military,” Storm said. ”All are routinely printed. Some states' DMVs are beginning to print drivers, but it's not universal yet. There are other groups with databases, but those are primaries. Covers a lot of territory.”

”But it does narrow the field,” Jared noted. ”Gives the police somewhere to look. If they can ever get a usable print to run against the databases.”

”The military tends to be possessive of its information,” Wolfe noted. ”Max might have to pull a few strings. That's a.s.suming the police forensics people can can produce a usable print.” produce a usable print.”

Storm said, ”It could be just another signpost, you know. Another way to make us look for something that isn't there. I mean, he's already gone to so much trouble-just planting that knife in the bas.e.m.e.nt the way he did, for instance-that maybe using a blowtorch to destroy his victim's prints is just one more bit of sleight of hand. No pun intended.”

”We're spending too much time second-guessing ourselves, that's the trouble,” Jared said.

”You've been a cop a long time,” Wolfe said, staring at him. ”What do your instincts say?”

Promptly, Jared replied, ”That knowing who Jane Doe is will give us a very big piece of the puzzle.”

”Then I say that's the a.s.sumption we follow,” Wolfe said rather surprisingly. ”What does Alex think?”

”About Jane Doe? He hasn't said much. He's very focused on Nightshade. Maybe too focused.”

”Reel him in,” Wolfe suggested bluntly.

”It's not that simple.”

”Maybe it should be.”

Wary that the tentative peace between the two men could end abruptly over this, Storm intervened to say calmly, ”Alex is certainly in the best position to track another thief, so until we're absolutely certain Jane Doe or her murder is connected to the museum, it's probably best not to split his focus.”

”Morgan already has,” Jared muttered.

”Best not to split it a third way, then.” Storm smiled. ”Can't fight human nature, guys, we all know that. Maybe it is a lousy time for those two to find each other, but we're not really in control of these things.” She was smiling at Wolfe. ”Are we?”

His face softened. ”No. No, we're not.”

Whatever Jared might have said to that was lost when a timid knock on the door interrupted them. Chloe Webster stuck her head in without waiting for a response.

”Storm- Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were alone.”

”It's all right, Chloe. What's up?”

”Inspector Tyler just called Mr. Dugan to tell him the forensics team wants to take another look at the bas.e.m.e.nt. Possible points of entry, I think he said. I thought you should know.”

Storm nodded. ”Okay, Chloe. Thanks.”

The new a.s.sistant curator sort of ducked her head and hastily withdrew, closing the door softly.

”Am I being paranoid,” Jared said, ”or was that a pretty flimsy excuse to see what was going on in here?”

”You're being paranoid,” Wolfe said, then grimaced and looked inquiringly at Storm.

”She's poking her nose into corners, but that's natural,” Storm said. ”Trying to learn the place. I haven't seen anything to send up red flags. The background check was clean, you both know that.”

Jared sighed. ”Yet another tangent, probably. I'm getting suspicious of everyone. Christ, I wish Nightshade would make his move and get it over with.”

”Be careful what you wish for,” Storm warned soberly.

It was late afternoon before Morgan could summon the energy to resume their earlier conversation, and when she did her voice was wondering. ”Borrowed them. You borrowed the Carstairs diamonds. You're a lunatic, you know that?”

He chuckled softly.

Persisting, she said, ”You took an awful chance to steal that necklace. You could have been caught by San Francisco police officers who don't give a d.a.m.n about your deal with Interpol. Or you could have been killed.”

”I needed it, Morgana. Nightshade required a . . . good-faith gesture.”

”You stole it for him?”

”I borrowed borrowed it so he'd think I stole it for him. The Carstairs family will get it back, don't worry.” it so he'd think I stole it for him. The Carstairs family will get it back, don't worry.”

”If you say so.” Pus.h.i.+ng herself up onto her elbow beside him, Morgan gazed at his relaxed face and said in bemus.e.m.e.nt, ”It's nearly four in the afternoon, and we're in bed.”

He opened one bright eye, then closed it, tightened his arm around her, and sighed pleasurably. ”My idea of how to spend an ideal afternoon.”

She reached out and began toying with the dark- gold hair on his chest. ”Yes, but I haven't even talked to anybody at the museum. And when I do do talk to them, what do I say? I've taken a whole day off without any explanation at all, very rare for me, and it wasn't because I ran into Nightshade on a fire escape last night.” talk to them, what do I say? I've taken a whole day off without any explanation at all, very rare for me, and it wasn't because I ran into Nightshade on a fire escape last night.”