Dead Hunt by Beverly Connor

objects
to be confiscated before she had a chance to have a
good look at them.
‘‘Thorough and fast,’’ said Jin. ‘‘Got it.’’
‘‘Have Korey there as you work. We need to have the conservator oversee the process. When you finish, search the National Stolen Art File and see if any of
the pieces are in it.’’
‘‘Will do,’’ said Jin.
After hanging up with Jin, Diane immediately dialed David Goldstein, another member of her crime
scene crew, who was supposed to be leaving for vacation today. David had worked with Diane at World
Accord International when she was a human rights
investigator and had been a friend for a long time.
She hated interrupting his time off, but she knew he
would love it.
‘‘Diane,’’ he said immediately, ‘‘want me to come
in and look into that artifact thing I’ve been reading
about?’’
‘‘You sound like you’ve been waiting by your
phone,’’ said Diane.
‘‘It’s a cell. I always wait by it. So that’s why you
called, isn’t it? I figured you would need me.’’ ‘‘I’m sorry to intrude on your vacation,’’ said Diane. ‘‘It’s not an intrusion. You know how I’ve been
dreading it. So is that why you called?’’ he asked
again.
‘‘Yes, it is. You can start by interviewing Kendel.’’ ‘‘Great. I’ll be right there. And thanks. You don’t
know how I’ve been hoping for something to do.’’ ‘‘I thought you were going to be doing some traveling,’’ said Diane.
‘‘I was, but then what do I do when I get there?’’ ‘‘Go sightseeing?’’
‘‘If I wanted to stand and look at stuff, I could stay
at the museum and save on gas money.’’
‘‘I’ll be in a board meeting when you get here. Kendel will be in my office waiting for you.’’
When she hung up with David, she turned her attention back to Kendel, who sat looking like her world
was coming to an end. Normally Kendel was tough.
Diane wondered if there was something else, or perhaps Kendel was tough only when she had firm footing. Now, with the rug pulled out from under her . . . ‘‘Kendel,’’ said Diane a little sharper than she
meant to, ‘‘David is going to investigate. He’s the best.
I’ve asked him to speak with you first. What I want
from you is two things. First, find where you left your
backbone. Then I want you to think about every interaction you had concerning the Egyptian artifacts.
Every person you spoke with, anything, no matter how
remote, that you noticed during the transactions, any
casual person who happened to walk through the
room while you were negotiating, anything.’’ Kendel nodded. ‘‘I appreciate your support. Everyone at the museum has been great.’’
Except for a certain member of the board, thought
Diane. ‘‘You’re innocent unless proven guilty,’’ she
said. ‘‘Stay here and wait for David.’’ Diane stood up.
‘‘Now I have to deal with the board.’’ She picked up
the rolled newspaper from her desk.

Chapter 8
    Andie looked up from her desk as Diane passed through her office on her way to the boardroom.
    ‘‘Mrs. Van Ross is with the board members,’’ Andie said.
The situation must be critical, thought Diane. More than any other single person, Vanessa Van Ross was the museum. She and Milo Lorenzo had been the driving forces behind its development. She had shown caution not to undermine Diane’s authority or to give the impression of undue influence over the operations of the museum. She rarely came to board meetings, trusting instead to give Diane her proxy vote. If Vanessa was in attendance, it meant she was more than just concerned; she was alarmed at the possible harm to the reputation of the museum—Milo’s museum and hers.
Milo hired Diane to be assistant director under him. He died of a heart attack before the museum even opened, and the governance he had set up for himself went to Diane—a governance that gave Diane more power than the board. Still, under extraordinary