Barclay and Madge weren’t jovial, but they were in better spirits than when Diane had left the table. Diane didn’t believe, as Laura did, that it was always a good thing for people to leave on a positive note. Diane didn’t believe that Madge or Barclay needed to be feeling good about themselves until some of the damage to Kendel and the museum was undone. She sucked in a breath of air, frustrated at being unable to make them understand the harm done to Kendel. She was also left with a nagging fear for Grace Tully.
‘‘Tell me,’’ Laura said before Diane had a chance to speak, ‘‘why is everyone wearing those Richard the Third T-shirts? Are you planning a Richard the Third exhibit?’’
‘‘One is in the works for next year,’’ said Diane. ‘‘The planners had Richard the Third T-shirts made for the opening. They’re wearing them now to support Kendel,’’ said Diane.
The identical blank stares that Diane saw in the faces around the table would have been humorous in another situation.
Kenneth gave her a know, Diane, I’m just a going to have to explain that.’’
‘‘I’m ashamed to say the subtlety is lost on me too,’’ said Martin Thormond, the history professor.
‘‘Isn’t he the one who killed his nephews?’’ said Laura. ‘‘How does that support Kendel?’’
‘‘I don’t understand either,’’ said Harvey Phelps, a slight laugh barely escaping his throat. ‘‘My wife and I saw Richard the Third in Atlanta last year at the Fox. I can’t really see how that’s going to give her any moral support whatsoever—if that’s the aim.’’
Diane hesitated a moment. She stood and gathered the magazines and the newspaper from the table, grateful for the nice opening that Laura gave her for another attempt to make them understand. self-deprecating grin. ‘‘You computer salesman. You’re
‘‘You have to keep in mind that Shakespeare’s play was fiction based on an unclear history. There’s historical evidence to support Richard’s innocence. Many believe it was Henry Tudor, Richard’s conqueror, who had the princes killed. Richard wasn’t blamed for it until about a hundred years after his death.’’
‘‘I can see where that’s the ultimate cold case . . . but for supporting Dr. Williams?’’ began Kenneth. ‘‘I mean, why a long-dead king? I don’t get it.’’
‘‘Richard was loved by his subjects,’’ said Diane. ‘‘His reign wasn’t long, but in his short time he instituted judicial and legal reforms that we still hold sacred today. He established bail for everyone, not just the wealthy. He outlawed seizure of property before an accused was convicted. He reformed the jury system so that a verdict could not be bought. And he told his judges to dispense justice equally to all classes. Underlying all of his judicial reforms was the revolutionary concept of the presumption of innocence—a gift he was denied by history, but one the staff intends to give to Kendel.’’
Diane paused a moment, gratified to see many of them frowning again. ‘‘There are books in the library on his reign if you are interested. Now, I need to get back. Madge, you need to come with me. David will want to interview you.’’
‘‘Me? Why?’’ Madge scooted back in her chair as if afraid Diane was going to hit her.
‘‘We need to find out who is behind this,’’ said Diane.
‘‘But . . . I don’t know. The reporter didn’t tell me,’’ insisted Madge.
‘‘There may be something in the way she asked the questions that could give us a clue. It won’t take long and you need to help solve this.’’
‘‘But I really don’t want to take the chance of running into Miss Williams,’’ said Madge.
‘‘Really?’’ said Diane. ‘‘I would have thought you would welcome the opportunity to apologize to Dr. Williams.’’
Barclay cleared his throat. ‘‘If there’s any chance that Dr. Williams might take action,’’ he said to Madge, ‘‘it might not be a good idea to apologize to her. It would be an admission.’’
‘‘Indeed,’’ said Diane, eying them both. ‘‘Well, I’ll leave that to you and your conscience. However, I do need you to speak with David, Madge.’’
‘‘I’ll go with you,’’ said Vanessa. ‘‘I certainly need to say something to Kendel.’’ She turned to Diane. Her lips curved up almost to a smile. ‘‘I would say that I know how difficult this meeting was for you, but I don’t think it was.’’
Diane smiled back at her. ‘‘All in a day’s work.’’
The board members began to drift out of the room. Diane made for the door, escaping with them. Vanessa walked ahead with Madge. Diane had the feeling that Madge would like to break loose at the first opportunity.
‘‘You know,’’ said Laura when Madge and Vanessa were out of hearing, ‘‘it’s our fault. We don’t take Madge seriously at all. It’s no wonder she would confide in someone who said they valued her opinion.’’
‘‘She’s an adult,’’ said Diane. ‘‘And she is not stupid. I think none of her friends or relatives have ever held her accountable for anything.’’
Laura looked at Diane. ‘‘That’s rather harsh. She may have lived a sheltered life, but—’’
‘‘You don’t have a sympathetic listener today,’’ said Diane. ‘‘Try another day. I know Madge Stewart isn’t a bad person, but I had just finished speaking with Kendel before I came down here. She’s worked hard for her reputation, and to have a university like Pennsylvania take back their offer for her to speak is a blow. And I know what it’s like to get hate mail.’’
‘‘You’re right of course,’’ said Laura. ‘‘I know Vanessa likes Kendel and she will do what she can for her. But you must look at it from our side. We don’t know that Kendel didn’t go over the line just a little to get some really nice items. You have to consider that. I’m not saying she was dealing in stolen artifacts to make money, I’m just saying I know that museums are competitive, and curators and assistant directors might sometimes cross the line just a little.’’
They arrived at the bank of elevators. The others had already gone down, and she and Laura were alone. Diane was poised to push the elevator button but didn’t. She studied Laura for a moment. Apparently Richard III hadn’t impressed her at all.
‘‘I deal in facts,’’ said Diane. ‘‘And right now I don’t have any. Anonymous accusations of serious wrongdoing bear investigating but do not warrant a conclusion of guilt.’’
‘‘I know, and you are right.’’ Laura gestured with her hands as if she were trying to hold something back. ‘‘I’m just wondering if you are prepared to be wrong. I know you like Kendel. All of us who know her like her. But she does have a reputation for being a hard-nosed negotiator when it comes to acquisitions.’’
Diane stepped back from the elevators and took a deep breath. ‘‘I’m trying to tell you that it doesn’t matter what I feel or whom I like. This is an empirical problem. It will be solved by empirical means. In the meantime, Kendel will be thought of as innocent. If she turns out to be guilty, it will be because we discovered it from evidence, not because of rumors and accusations.’’
Laura nodded. ‘‘Okay. I’m just bringing up some issues. I didn’t see the report, but Vanessa was really upset when she saw the noon news on TV. She said it was just a rehash of the newspaper article, but it ended by saying that RiverTrail would be investigated and the reporter couldn’t find you to talk to you. You know how that sounded.’’
Diane laughed. ‘‘Like I’d skipped town with the loot? Come on. I thought everyone in the state knew I have two jobs.’’
‘‘I know, but we couldn’t reach your cell phone,’’ said Laura.
Diane reached over and punched the elevator button. ‘‘I was conducting an interview inside a prison. They don’t allow cell phones.’’
Laura hesitated a moment. ‘‘Diane, I know Thomas Barclay can sound a little gruff, but he’s all right. He really does respect you. He just likes to have his hand in things. You know, he thinks he needs to oversee everything.’’
&nbs
p; ‘‘You need to warn him about making bad analogies around me,’’ said Diane.
Laura laughed. ‘‘At least it wasn’t a sports metaphor.’’
The elevator doors opened and they entered. So this was how Vanessa was handling her concerns, thought Diane. Not in front of the whole board, but privately— friend to friend. It probably meant that Thomas Barclay had initiated his
meeting on his own.
interrogation during the board Her phone vibrated again. She pulled it out of her pocket. It was a text message from the people checking the provenance on the Egyptian artifacts. They needed to see her immediately.
Chapter 10
Diane parted ways with Laura on the ground floor after declining an invitation to have coffee and cake in the museum restaurant with her and some of the other board members.
‘‘Give them my regrets,’’ she said. ‘‘I have Jin and Neva inspecting the artifacts. I need to see if they’ve found anything.’’ She did not want to mention the cell message to Laura until she knew what it was about.
‘‘Are we okay?’’ asked Laura, laying a hand on Diane’s arm.
‘‘You mean about the board meeting?’’ said Diane, shrugging her shoulders. ‘‘Something like this is likely to come up again in the future. We all need to be calm about it.’’
‘‘You’re right. We live in such a bubble here in Rosewood,’’ said Laura.
Some of us do, thought Diane. As director of the crime lab, her bubble had been burst a while back. She took the elevator to the second floor, where her legal researchers were waiting in the conservation lab.
At first glance the conservation laboratory might look like little more than a room full of tables, each with different works in progress. Closer inspection would reveal varieties of microscopes, a fume hood, a suction table, photographic equipment, and other instruments designed to stabilize, protect, and record the many items brought to the lab.
Korey Jordan, a tall African American in his early thirties, was head conservator. He and his staff stood with Jin and Neva and with Harold and Shirley, the provenance checkers. Before them lay the suspect artifacts. A dead body on the table would not have produced a more solemn group.
Well, damn. She so wanted good news.
Everyone looked up when Diane entered. Each was wearing a Richard III T-shirt—except Harold the registrar, only because he thought Richard III was guilty. Even Jin and Neva wore the white shirts with Richard III’s picture on the front. Diane hoped that Kendel was comforted by this show of support by the staff.
‘‘What have you found?’’ she asked as she neared the table. They parted to let her see the artifacts.
They’re beautiful, she thought as her gaze rested on them. A necklace containing the image of an Egyptian deity on a pectoral of gold, lapis lazuli, and turquoise lay on a piece of linen. Next to it on the same piece of linen was a circlet made from gold beads shaped like cowrie shells. Diane recognized it as a girdle to adorn the waist. Next to it was a simple canopic jar with a lid in the shape of a jackal’s head. Three other artifacts were of stone. There was a bust of red granite about a foot and a half high with the nose broken off and a quartzite face also without its nose. On the floor still in its crate was a small granite sphinx about three feet in length and almost as tall. The staff were quiet as Diane looked over the artifacts.
Harold stepped forward and gestured to another table, where he’d placed open folders containing documents and photographs.
‘‘We were evaluating the documents and everything was looking great,’’ he said. ‘‘Everything was in order.’’
Shirley, one of his legal researchers, stepped up and nodded her head. ‘‘The documents are fine. They are authentic.’’
‘‘Then why does everyone look so grim?’’ asked Diane.
‘‘When we brought the documents down to compare the photographs with the items...’’ began Harold.
Diane saw it before he finished. The folder in front of her contained documents for the girdle. The photograph showed a circlet formed from lion heads made of gold alternating with polished amethyst beads, not the girdle on the table made of gold cowrie shell beads.
She looked at another set of documents. The photograph showed a gold and jeweled necklace containing the image of the Egyptian deity Senwosret III. The necklace on the table was similar, but it wasn’t the same.
‘‘These artifacts don’t belong to these documents,’’ finished Harold.
Diane looked at the photographs of all six items. They were all similar, very similar at first glance, to the items on the table, but not the same.
Well, damn.
Diane thanked Harold and Shirley for their work. They took that as a dismissal and started to leave.
‘‘Do you want to keep the documents here?’’ asked Harold.
‘‘For now,’’ said Diane. ‘‘I’ll return them to you today so you can continue researching.’’ She paused a moment. ‘‘Everyone remember, all information flows from me.’’
They all nodded. The legal researchers left and Korey’s conservation staff drifted back to their own work, leaving Jin, Neva, and Korey with her and the undocumented Egyptian artifacts.
‘‘Have you finished with these for now?’’ Diane asked Jin and Neva.
Deven Jin, Neva Hurley, and David Goldstein were her crime scene specialists. They all enjoyed the museum as a welcome escape from their grim work of processing crime scenes. Right now they didn’t look like they were having fun.
‘‘We’ve photographed and collected about everything we can,’’ said Jin. He pushed his straight black hair out of his face. ‘‘I’ll go back and develop the film, but I can tell you now, there weren’t any prints.’’
Diane wasn’t surprised. Professional museologists would have worn gloves while handling the artifacts. So would smart thieves.
‘‘We got some dust samples from the stone artifacts,’’ said Neva. ‘‘If we are lucky we may be able to find out what part of the world they’ve been in.’’
‘‘Go do your best,’’ said Diane. ‘‘Do the crime lab stuff first. This is just your free-time activity. And thank you.’’
‘‘Sure,’’ said Jin. His dark eyes sparkled. ‘‘Now that I’ve had my coffee, I’ll get back to the Dark Side.’’
‘‘Ask Kendel to come to the conservation lab,’’ said Diane. ‘‘She should be in my office or hers.’’
Neva nodded. ‘‘We’ll check the photographs against the NSAF and see if anything turns up.’’ She and Jin left, hauling David’s camera equipment with them.
‘‘You guys can take a break,’’ Korey said to his staff of conservators. They took off their gloves and walked together out of the lab, leaving their work on the table. ‘‘Take a long break,’’ Korey called after them.
‘‘We’ll order a pizza,’’ said one of the guys.
‘‘You know,’’ said Korey, ‘‘Kendel would know better than this. She would have been nuts to try...’’ He put a hand on the back of his dreadlocks. ‘‘Actually I’m not sure what was done. What’s the point of this? If Kendel was involved in an attempt at deception, she would have forged the documents. She knows our procedures. She knows the items would be checked against the documents.’’
‘‘We know that,’’ said Diane. ‘‘But I’m afraid the authorities might not stop to look at the finer points. They could just see Kendel’s name on the purchase order and think she was trying to launder stolen antiquities with real documents.’’
‘‘I hear you there. They can be awfully dense sometimes.’’
Korey was still pissed about the time he was interrogated by the police as a suspect for no other reason than that he was an African American male with dreadlocks.
‘‘How did it go with the board?’’ he asked. ‘‘Scuttlebutt says you ripped them a new one. What’s going on with the board, anyway? Is it the new guys?’’
‘‘One new member is unaccustomed to the way we do things,’’ said Di
ane. ‘‘But I’m afraid my ripping them a new one is an exaggeration. They all got just a little nervous after reading the items in the paper and hearing the news broadcast.’’
‘‘Well, I don’t blame them there. It was kind of bad,’’ said Korey. He shrugged and turned toward the artifacts. ‘‘Too bad we can’t keep these. They’re really nice pieces.’’
‘‘They are. But now they don’t have a pedigree. I wonder who’s doing this? Who tipped the newspaper and who—’’ Diane stopped when she heard the door open.
Kendel came in. She looked better. She had reapplied her makeup and was wearing a smile. David was good at cheering people up when he tried. One wouldn’t think he had that talent, as paranoid and pessimistic as his personality was.
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