at the warehouse? The night watchman knew it was there—it’s kind of hard to miss an antique fire engine. It’s not small.”
“And the night watchman is dead. Was he careless, or did somebody else make sure he ended up that way? You know anything about him?”
“Just that he was a retired firefighter, so he shouldn’t have been careless. The police don’t talk to me, and there’s no reason they should. James came to me to ask what I knew about the museum and their collections. Period.”
“He didn’t come to me?” Marty grumbled. “I probably know more than you do about who’s who and what’s what around here.”
She was right about that, but I wasn’t about to tell her that her cousin didn’t trust her to keep her mouth shut. “Granted. But this investigation has just begun, and things are changingfast. It started out as a simple fire, and then the firemen found the body. The death could have been an accident, or it could have been deliberate, but the police have to investigate both the arson
and
a possible murder. Now it looks like there’s also been a theft, which complicates things. The FBI were already involved informally, and they’re just waiting to be invited to the party. Who knows where things will go from here?”
“Hey, don’t forget that the Fireman’s Museum has ties to the city. We could throw municipal corruption into the mix while we’re at it.” Marty’s usual good humor appeared to have been restored. She had little respect for the current administration.
“Yes, there is that.” I’d have to understand that connection a bit better before I could guess how the city would benefit from any of this. “But none of it is really our business, is it?” I waited to see how she would respond. Based on her long and intricate history with the city and its citizens, Marty seemed to feel entitled to meddle in affairs at all levels.
She cocked her head at me curiously. “Why not? You’re part of the collections community, and so am I. You’ve said it before: what harms one local institution reflects on all of us. If it’s proved that somebody died because of whatever might be going on at the Fireman’s Museum, then we all suffer—we don’t need those kinds of headlines. And you and I, we have insights that the police and even the mighty FBI lack. I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to sit on the sidelines and watch, not if I can do something.”
I sighed. That was exactly what James had been worried about. In some ways Marty was right. But James was also right, about keeping civilians out of the mix. I was caughtin the middle. “Okay, I’ll give you that. But I don’t know what to do next.”
Marty sprang up. “I’m going to go give Jimmy a piece of my mind.” When she saw the look of dismay on my face, she said, “Don’t worry, I’ll leave you out of this. I figured out the switch all by myself, didn’t I? And I can find out if there’s anything new today, like autopsy results. See you!” And with that she was gone, leaving me feeling drained.
Eric peered cautiously around the door. “All clear? What was that all about?”
“Come in and shut the door,” I said wearily. When he had, I said, “You might as well know this, because there’s a chance you might get some phone calls from the press or the police, and you should be prepared. That warehouse fire? Remember the pictures I showed you? Both Agent Morrison and Marty believe that there was a robbery involved—the fire engine that Marty’s family gave the Fireman’s Museum seems to have been removed before the fire and a different one put in its place. Which means that the fire may have been deliberate, and it’s not clear whether the death was related. And we shouldn’t be talking about any of this.”
“Wow,” Eric said. “And here I thought the museum world was supposed to be kind of stuffy.”
Poor Eric—he was learning fast. “All this is off the record. James has asked what I
“And the night watchman is dead. Was he careless, or did somebody else make sure he ended up that way? You know anything about him?”
“Just that he was a retired firefighter, so he shouldn’t have been careless. The police don’t talk to me, and there’s no reason they should. James came to me to ask what I knew about the museum and their collections. Period.”
“He didn’t come to me?” Marty grumbled. “I probably know more than you do about who’s who and what’s what around here.”
She was right about that, but I wasn’t about to tell her that her cousin didn’t trust her to keep her mouth shut. “Granted. But this investigation has just begun, and things are changingfast. It started out as a simple fire, and then the firemen found the body. The death could have been an accident, or it could have been deliberate, but the police have to investigate both the arson
and
a possible murder. Now it looks like there’s also been a theft, which complicates things. The FBI were already involved informally, and they’re just waiting to be invited to the party. Who knows where things will go from here?”
“Hey, don’t forget that the Fireman’s Museum has ties to the city. We could throw municipal corruption into the mix while we’re at it.” Marty’s usual good humor appeared to have been restored. She had little respect for the current administration.
“Yes, there is that.” I’d have to understand that connection a bit better before I could guess how the city would benefit from any of this. “But none of it is really our business, is it?” I waited to see how she would respond. Based on her long and intricate history with the city and its citizens, Marty seemed to feel entitled to meddle in affairs at all levels.
She cocked her head at me curiously. “Why not? You’re part of the collections community, and so am I. You’ve said it before: what harms one local institution reflects on all of us. If it’s proved that somebody died because of whatever might be going on at the Fireman’s Museum, then we all suffer—we don’t need those kinds of headlines. And you and I, we have insights that the police and even the mighty FBI lack. I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to sit on the sidelines and watch, not if I can do something.”
I sighed. That was exactly what James had been worried about. In some ways Marty was right. But James was also right, about keeping civilians out of the mix. I was caughtin the middle. “Okay, I’ll give you that. But I don’t know what to do next.”
Marty sprang up. “I’m going to go give Jimmy a piece of my mind.” When she saw the look of dismay on my face, she said, “Don’t worry, I’ll leave you out of this. I figured out the switch all by myself, didn’t I? And I can find out if there’s anything new today, like autopsy results. See you!” And with that she was gone, leaving me feeling drained.
Eric peered cautiously around the door. “All clear? What was that all about?”
“Come in and shut the door,” I said wearily. When he had, I said, “You might as well know this, because there’s a chance you might get some phone calls from the press or the police, and you should be prepared. That warehouse fire? Remember the pictures I showed you? Both Agent Morrison and Marty believe that there was a robbery involved—the fire engine that Marty’s family gave the Fireman’s Museum seems to have been removed before the fire and a different one put in its place. Which means that the fire may have been deliberate, and it’s not clear whether the death was related. And we shouldn’t be talking about any of this.”
“Wow,” Eric said. “And here I thought the museum world was supposed to be kind of stuffy.”
Poor Eric—he was learning fast. “All this is off the record. James has asked what I
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