Chapter 2 - THE PHOTOGRAPH THAT SHOULD NOT EXIST
Dominic had expected an entertaining dinner.
Instead, a waitress had just connected his most prestigious antiquities acquisition to a tragedy he knew nothing about.
He leaned forward.
“That’s a serious accusation.”
Skylar shook her head.
“I haven’t accused you of arranging anything.”
“You’re suggesting a connection.”
“I’m telling you the sequence of events.”
Henrik raised one hand.
“Dominic, let her finish.”
That irritated Dominic more than he cared to admit.
Nobody interrupted his conversations with investors.
Especially not to defend a waitress.
Henrik turned toward Skylar.
“Your father examined this artifact?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“He was hired as an independent provenance consultant for a collection being prepared for sale.”
Dominic frowned.
“By whom?”
Skylar glanced at the paperwork.
“A subsidiary called Aurelian Heritage Holdings.”
Dominic stopped moving.
Aurelian belonged to Hayes Technologies.
He had acquired the company two years earlier through a complicated merger.
Its director, Victor Sloane, now supervised Dominic’s entire cultural-assets division.
“Victor handled this acquisition,” Dominic said.
Henrik looked at him sharply.
“Then perhaps you should ask Victor some questions.”
Dominic ignored the suggestion.
He pointed toward the photograph.
“What makes you certain it’s the same tablet?”
“The broken corner. The position of the damage. And a peculiar scribal correction near the fourth line.”
She explained how the original scribe had apparently corrected a numerical entry by pressing additional wedge marks into the damp clay.
The correction was unusual.
Its position, combined with the damage, provided a useful basis for comparison.
“It isn’t conclusive authentication,” Skylar said. “But the resemblance is strong enough to require an independent investigation.”
Henrik nodded approvingly.
Dominic disliked how much the older investor seemed to respect her.
Then Skylar turned the catalogue page.
Her expression changed again.
“Where did you get this translation?”
Dominic shrugged.
“Our consultants prepared it.”
“Who?”
“Why?”
“Because it contains a mistake I’ve seen before.”
She pointed to a sentence describing the tablet as a proclamation issued by a Babylonian king.
“The same error appeared in a preliminary translation my father circulated three years ago.”
Dominic stared.
“He corrected it before submitting his final assessment. This version appears to reproduce the earlier draft.”
Henrik’s eyes narrowed.
“Then whoever prepared your catalogue may have had access to Dr. Hastings’s work.”
Dominic reached for his phone.
“I’ll ask Victor.”
Skylar immediately stepped back.
“Please don’t mention my name.”
That caught his attention.
“Why?”
“Because my father lost the use of his legs after questioning this collection.”
Dominic looked at her.
For the first time that evening, he seemed to recognize that she was frightened.
Not of him.
Of something connected to him.
Before he could answer, Gordon, the restaurant manager, appeared.
“Skylar, may I speak with you?”
His expression was furious.
She followed him toward the service corridor.
The moment the door closed, he hissed:
“What on earth were you thinking?”
“He asked me to translate.”
“You embarrassed one of our most important customers.”
“He insulted me.”
Gordon lowered his voice.
“People like Mr. Hayes can have you fired with one phone call.”
Skylar looked at him.
“Then perhaps he shouldn’t ask questions he doesn’t want answered.”
Gordon’s face reddened.
“Take off your apron. You’re finished for tonight.”
Skylar stood very still.
Losing one evening’s tips meant delaying another payment on her father’s rehabilitation equipment.
But she refused to apologize for telling the truth.
She removed her apron.
Before she could leave, Henrik appeared in the corridor.
“Miss Hastings.”
Gordon immediately straightened.
“Mr. Vogel, I’m terribly sorry—”
Henrik ignored him.
“I would like to speak with you about a professional research opportunity.”
Skylar blinked.
“What kind?”
“An independent assessment of the Hayes collection.”
Gordon’s face changed.
Henrik continued.
“If your father’s research was used improperly, I would like to establish that before investing in Mr. Hayes’s expansion.”
Skylar stared.
“Why would you trust me?”
“Because you identified a problem when remaining silent would have been considerably easier.”
Then Henrik handed her his business card.
Dominic appeared behind him.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Finally, Dominic looked at Gordon.
“Has she been fired?”
Gordon opened his mouth.
Henrik answered instead.
“Apparently.”
Dominic looked at Skylar.
Something unreadable passed across his face.
Then his phone vibrated.
Victor Sloane.
A message appeared on the screen.
Dominic opened it.
The words were short.
DO NOT LET THE HASTINGS WOMAN NEAR THE COLLECTION.
Dominic slowly looked up.
May you like
He had not yet mentioned Skylar to Victor.
Which meant someone had already told Victor exactly what had happened at Table 7.
