Vicky would say that. Suck-it-up Vicky who, five days after her appendectomy, had charged back into a courtroom to lead her team of attorneys to victory. She wouldn't let a little setback like divorce trip up her week.

Vicky sighed. — To be honest, I didn't drive all the way over here just to see the new house. You're my baby sister, and there's something you should know. Something you have a right to know. I'm just not sure how to— — She stopped. Looked at the kitchen door, where someone had just knocked.

Julia opened the door to see Dr. Isles, looking coolly composed despite the heat. — I wanted to let you know that my team will be leaving today, — Isles said.

Glancing at the excavation site, Julia saw that people were already packing up their tools. — You're finished here? —

— We've found enough to determine this is not an ME case. I've referred it to Dr. Petrie, from Harvard. — Isles pointed to the woman who had just arrived— the granny in the blue jeans.

Vicky joined them in the doorway. — Who's Dr. Petrie? —

— A forensic anthropologist. She'll be completing the excavation, purely for research purposes. If you have no objection, Ms. Hamill. —

— So the bones are old? —

— It's clearly not a recent burial. Why don't you come out and take a look? —

Vicky and Julia followed Isles down the sloping yard. After three days of digging, the hole had grown to a gaping pit. Laid out on a tarp were the remains.

Though Dr. Petrie had to be at least sixty, she sprang easily to her feet from a squat and came forward to shake their hands. — You're the homeowner? — she asked Julia.

— I just bought the place. I moved in last week. —

— Lucky you, — Petrie said, and she actually seemed to mean it.

Dr. Isles said, — We sifted a few items from the soil. Some old buttons and a buckle ornament, clearly antique. — She reached into an evidence box sitting beside the bones. — And today, we found this. — She pulled out a small ziplock bag. Through the plastic, Julia saw the glint of multicolored gemstones.