Page 49 of End Game

“No, but they were whispering amongst themselves at one point.”

“Whispering? Or were you too far away to hear everything? Or maybe fair-goers crowded in between you and the two women?”

The board member grew silent as if sifting through her memories. Then her vertebrae snapped into the upright position. “What does it matter? They were obviously speaking at a confidential level.”

Ash let her absurd statement hang in the air for three heartbeats. “Why do you suspect the artifact for the grand opening belongs to Miss Krowne?”

“Because she had a Celtic piece displayed in her home last spring, when she hosted a St. Patrick’s Day fundraiser for the county library.”

“Have either of the women confirmed the artifact loaned to the museum belonged to Ms. Krowne?”

“Nooo.” She drew out the word while she considered her answer. “Not specifically.”

Ash stared at the board member and wondered how the good citizens of Engel County could have voted to put such a petty, vindictive, wildly unqualified person into office.

For the school board, no less.

Under his unwavering gaze, she fidgeted and searched the air for a particle of logic she could latch on to. “Who else could it be? Few could afford such a priceless piece. Maybe you should search Kayla’s home. If the artifact is missing, then we’ll know she loaned it to the museum.” When he continued giving her the silent treatment, her tone turned hostile. “Kayla’s wealthy, but not wealthy enough to possess more than one twenty-five-hundred-year-old treasure.”

Kayla Krowne could own a hundred Celtic artifacts and it would barely put a dent into her fortune.

Enough was enough. Kayla had been right about Ms. Carlson wanting to discredit her fellow board member. He returned his notepad and pen to his pocket. “Anything else, Ms. Carlson?”

Recognizing a dismissal when she heard one, her eyes flared and her lips compressed. “Are you going to speak to Dee about this? Or her son?”

“More than likely.”

“Good, she needs to be reminded of her sacred duty. Could you imagine the damage to our institution if it became known our votes could be bought for a bauble?”

Ash rose to leave. “Thank you for your time, Ms. Carlson.” A thought struck him. “You believe Kayla Krowne is using the artifact to sway Dee Rhodes’s vote on the Board’s response to the state’s new law on book banning and the parents’ bill of rights?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know how Ms. Rhodes was going to vote prior to her conversation with Miss Krowne?”

Silence stretched between them.

She took a drink. “Not specifically, but rumor indicated she would vote yes.”

“Rumor.” Ash bit the inside of his cheek to keep the explosion of words from escaping. “So it’s possible the artifact might not have had an impact on Ms. Rhodes’s vote, one way or the other.”

“Dee said she’d be indebted to Kayla. Says it all, does it not?”

“Not by a long shot, Ms. Carlson.”

He left her sputtering in her tepid tea.

23

Kayla pushed through the glass door of Krowne and Associates with less enthusiasm than normal.

Ten years of running her own lobbying firm hadn’t dampened her daily excitement. She loved the many challenges and enjoyed pitting her intelligence against some of the most brilliant and cunning minds in the world.

Contrary to what Ash said, she didn’t play psychological games with people. But she did find amusement in watching folks chase their own tails. The door closed behind her and the automatic lock snicked into place. She wove her way through the office, lit only by a few twenty-four-seven safety lights in the ceiling.

After Ash’s abrupt exit, she’d gone to her in-home gym and tried to work off the nervous energy his visit had pumped into her body. But the free weights, 5k run, and yoga did nothing to diminish her feelings of restlessness.

Nor had strolling through the collections in her museum. Which was a first.

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