Part 6 (1/2)

”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 doc.u.ments. She knows our procedures. She knows the items would be checked against the doc.u.ments.”

”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 doc.u.ments.”

”I hear you there. They can be awfully dense sometimes.”

Korey was still p.i.s.sed 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. ”Scuttleb.u.t.t 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 Diane. ”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.

”Neva said you wanted to see me,” she said.

Diane nodded.

”I'll be in my office,” said Korey. He walked up to Kendel and put a hand on her shoulder. ”Hang in there.”

She placed a hand over his. ”Thanks, Korey. I really appreciate all of you guys.”

”I just want to get on your good side for the next time I need to requisition something,” he said, then smiled at her and walked on to his office beyond.

”David's a sweetheart,” said Kendel. ”He got me to remember more than I thought I could about my visits to Golden Antiquities.”

”David's good at that,” said Diane.

”I've been thinking about this,” said Kendel. ”There's simply no way I could have made a mistake. I know how to verify provenances. For heaven's sake, I've seen all these on display at the Pearle...”

As she spoke her gaze rested on the table of artifacts and her eyes grew wide.

Chapter 11.

Kendel stood for a long moment staring at the artifacts on the table, then at the sphinx in the crate. She shook her head, frowning.

”These aren't the artifacts I purchased.”

She examined each piece. ”There's a pa.s.sing similarity, but that's all. These are all different dynasties.” She looked up at Diane. ”I was so excited when I found out that the Pearle Museum had sold some of their pieces to Golden Antiquities-they were all twelfth dynasty. That's what we are building in the Egyptian room-Egyptian antiquities that match our mummy's twelfth-dynasty date.” She looked over at Diane. ”I've never seen these.”

”Did you see anything like them at Golden Antiquities?” asked Diane.

”No, nothing.” Kendel noticed the doc.u.mentation lying on the opposite table. She leafed through the pages and photographs. ”These are the correct provenances for the items I bought. These are the doc.u.ments I verified. Do you think they just sent the wrong items?”

”Maybe,” said Diane. ”I suppose someone could have just ...what? Read only part of the tag on an object and decided that was the one. But all six?” She shook her head. ”We'll certainly follow up with Golden Antiquities to verify that there was no accidental mix-up. But it looks like someone made an effort to subst.i.tute items similar to the doc.u.mentation.”

”You're right,” said Kendel. ”This is very deliberate.”

”And we have to account for the person who called the newspaper in the first place,” said Diane. ”How did they know something was amiss in the unopened crates?”

Kendel turned to face Diane. ”What's this about? Why did someone go to this much trouble?”

”I don't know. But we'll find out,” said Diane.

”Have you been contacted by the FBI?” Kendel asked. She fingered the pages, looking again at the photographs and back at the artifacts as if she could will them to change into the right thing.

”No, but I expect to be. I think you need to prepare yourself for that,” said Diane.

Kendel nodded. ”Talking to David helped a lot. He calmed me down considerably.”

”He's good at that.” Diane looked at her watch. Ross Kingsley had probably gotten tired of waiting and left. No, he wouldn't have left but probably was tired of waiting, she thought. ”Kendel, I have to go talk with someone.” She held out her hand, motioning Kendel to follow.

Kendel looked blank for a moment, lost in thought. ”I suppose I need to go too.”

”Just so you can say you were never alone with the artifacts after they arrived. It probably won't matter, but it might,” said Diane.

Kendel looked at Diane with wide eyes, suddenly unsure again. ”Surely they will believe that I didn't have anything to do with this. The provenances are always reverified after they arrive-verified by someone other than me,” said Kendel.

”I will explain our procedures in detail,” said Diane.

She walked with Kendel, stopping at Korey's office. The office was mostly gla.s.s. He saw them coming and came out to meet them.

”Korey, would you repack the artifacts?” Diane asked.

”Sure thing, Dr. F,” he said. ”I'll do it myself. Andie called up here looking for you. Something about some guy from the FBI.”

Kendel sucked in her breath. ”Oh, no. I'm not ready for this.”

Diane put a hand on her arm. ”There's another person from the FBI here for a different reason entirely. I imagine it was he, wondering if I'd gotten lost somewhere among the displays. Why don't you go to your office and relax. Or spend some time meditating among the collections. I find them calming.”

”That's a good idea,” said Korey. ”Let Dr. F figure this out. That's what the Dark Side does.”