Dead Hunt

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.’’
‘‘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?’’