Eye of the Beholder

them out of the collectors hands."
    "Bribe them, you mean."
    "The good stuff rarely comes cheap." Lugging her half of the bronze, she followed him through the maze of artistically broken columns, scrolled pedestals, and winged lions that littered the back room of Elegant Relic. "Edward, about Dancing Satyr..."
    "Get the door, will you?" "Right."
    She lowered her end of the figure to the floor and hurried around Edward to open the rear door. She peered out into the alley that served the boutiques and galleries in Avalon Plaza . It was too early in the day for any of the other establishments to be open, but she nevertheless took pains to be certain that there was no one around.
    It would not do for anyone to notice her and Edward carrying a large Art Deco-style statue out of Elegant Relic.
    She and Edward had not concealed the fact that they were acquainted with each other, but they had kept absolutely mum about the extent of their past and present association. "All clear."
    She went back to help Edward hoist the statue. Together they carted it out to the unmarked white van that stood in the alley. Edward set his end down and slid open the vehicle's side door. "Ready?" he asked.
    "Ready."
    They maneuvered it into the van. Edward quickly slammed the door closed.
    Alexa dusted off her hands. "Edward?"
    "Yes?" He dug out his keys and started toward the front of the van.
    "There's just one more thing," she said very firmly.
    He glanced warily back over his shoulder. "What's that?"
    "I haven't received my invitation to the hotel opening yet. It should have come by now."
    "Yes, I suppose it should have arrived," he said vaguely.
    "I'd use the one that got sent to my mother and Lloyd since they're both in Maui for a month. But it very clearly states that it's for Mr. and Mrs. Kenyon."
    "I'll look into it," Edward said much too glibly.
    "You promised, Edward." It was time to get tough. Edward was very good at weaseling if he was given half a chance. "It was part of our arrangement, remember?"
    He sighed. "I know, I know. But it's risky. What if Trask recognizes you and somehow puts you together with the McClelland forgery affair?"
    "I told you, Trask has only seen me once, and that was only for a few minutes twelve years ago. I was a scrawny teenager at the time, and he had other things on his mind. He wouldn't remember me even if he did happen to see me at the reception. And there is no way he could tie me to the McClelland affair unless someone told him about it."
    "I don't know." Edward looked dubious. "I hear he's a take-no-prisoners kind of guy if he thinks he's been crossed."
    "No one's crossed him. He's getting what he's paid for."
    "Yes, of course," Edward said quickly. "But you know that perception is everything in our business. If he even suspects that he's been had, we're doomed."
    "Even if, by some hellacious bit of luck, Trask does see me at the reception and even if he does happen to recognize me and if he can associate me with the McClelland scandal, which is highly unlikely since he's not into art, he'd still have no way of knowing that I was the expert who selected the art in his new hotel."
    "Well..."
    "I haven't said a word about working for you on this project, and I know you've kept quiet about it. Who's going to tell Trask?"
    "I suppose that's true."
    Sensing weakness, Alexa pounced. "Look, I give you my word I'll wear black and stay out of sight behind the potted palms. There will be a huge crowd at the hotel on the night of the reception. Trask will never even know I'm there."
    Edward studied her with an unusually thoughtful glint in his light gray eyes. "Are you sure you want to attend?"
    "Are you kidding?" She stared at him, outraged. "I've put several quarts of my life's blood into assembling the Avalon Resort collection. Of course I want to be at the reception. I told you at the start that it was important to me."
    "I thought maybe you might have changed your mind," Edward mumbled.
    "What on earth made you think I'd do that?"
    Edward twitched his discretely padded shoulders. He was clearly uncomfortable. "During the past few days it has come to my attention that not everyone here in Avalon is thrilled to have Trask back in town, even for a short time."
    "So?"
    Edward gave her a straight look as he opened the driver's door. "So, according to the talk I heard, one of the people who apparently would rather not have Trask here is your stepfather."
    "Lloyd is not my stepfather," she said automatically.