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Nikki turned, her delicate features for an instant smile Adam had his cal first "I can’t believe you’re here Why are you here?" she deuess you three really are old friends," Professor Lay them about the remains in the basement," he went on, then looked pointedly at his watch "You are working today, aren’t you?"

"Of course," she assured hi, are you?" she asked, looking from Adam to Nikki "And where’s Brent?" she asked Nikki

"He couldn’t coeles at theup here, so I decided to join hiht"

"I’ht, too," Adam assured her

"Great"

"You didn’t call, so I assu well? She’s incredible," Laymon said "She found a crypt that could have taken us forever to uncover I’ve been cha came down al up now But, leave it to Leslie, she’s gone and found more bones here"

"Every discovery is an i very hard to see that the lady is given a proper Episcopalian burial," Leslie said

"Have you done anything in that direction yet?" Adam asked

"No, but I’m sure on’t have any problems"

"I have an old friend in the church," Adah some of the red tape for you, since I take it you don’t want her sent out of the city?"

Leslie smiled at Adam The man was a veritableso over to join the conversation

As the introductions were ely "I’ve met you before," he told Adam "You were at the hospital last year, when Leslie…"

"Yes, I was Good to actually uys take a tour of this place this rab soested to Adahost tours in New Orleans," Leslie explained

"I thought she worked for Mr Harrison," Brad said

"I do research Ada all over the country," Nikki said

Brad continued to look suspicious, and Leslie decided that heproprietorial A half hour earlier, he would have been certain he knew all her friends, and she suspected he wasn’t enjoying knowing he’d been wrong

That guess proved to be correct Down in the basement, the crates were ready, the tool boxes were open, and work had begun Time had taken its bitter toll on the reiven her a speech about how the removal of the bones should have been videotaped, but out of respect for her feelings, he had decided not to allow fil in the basement until after the remains had been taken away After Nikki thanked hio back to the work he considered i the crypt Leslie and Brad were busy at the delicate work of preparing the skeleton for removal Down here, conditions hadn’t been kind There were a few patches of hair on the skull and a few bits of fabric so blackened by time that they were barely identifiable as cotton

"Are we test-tubing anything?" Brad asked her

"No Let’s just get her a real burial Please?"

"You know, someone withthey won’t"

"Because of your friend?"

"Adauy?"

"An old friend" Well, Ada

"I see He has that air about hiuy who speaks softly but so stick"

Leslie shrugged "He owns his own cohed "He doesn’t look like an assassin"

"That’s because he’s not an assassin"

"Then what does he do for the government?"

"Research"

"What kind of research?"

"Historical, of course Handyou the honest-to-God truth," she vowed

He held the brush for ait over

A few asped