Chapter 3 - The Barn With New Locks
Jada and Theo drove the half mile from the manor to the carriage barns under a hard summer rain.
A moving truck stood beside the west door. Two men carried out folding worktables, the same ones Jada had repaired herself in April. New brass padlocks gleamed under the outdoor lamps.
"Who ordered this?" she asked.
The driver held up a work order. "Ashe Property Management. Temporary vacancy, pending renovation."
"Those barns are leased to Hudson Colors."
"Not according to this."
The order carried Eleanor's name, typed beneath an electronic signature. Jada photographed it without taking the paper. The driver called his supervisor and agreed to stop removing anything until ownership was verified.
Theo pointed to a window. "The kiln room light is on. That building's supposed to be empty."
Inside, they found Imani Brooks hunched over a box of unfired ceramic bowls. She had worked night shifts at a grocery store to afford her clay.
"They told me I wasn't selected," Imani said, "even though the jury called to congratulate me. So why is my work already boxed up?"
Jada forced herself not to make a promise she couldn't keep. "I will contest the list. I can't tell you tonight how it ends."
"Can you tell me who gets my space?"
"A sponsor's choice, apparently."
Imani opened the box and lifted a bowl. Its interior was painted with tiny blue rivers. "My mom made cleaning wages her entire life. I promised her I'd make something that lasted. Don't let these people turn my name into a printing error."
Theo photographed the original labels on all the boxes. Several had dates from the previous week, before the gala. Whoever ordered the removal had planned it well ahead of Claire's shove.
Armand called while they were locking up. "Jada, I checked the security archive. The camera overlooking the barn doors was disabled yesterday at 5:12 p.m."
"By whom?"
"A credentials badge registered to Eleanor Ashe."
Jada stared at the typed signature on the work order. Eleanor had spent the previous evening in a rehabilitation clinic after a minor fall.
"That can't be right," she said.
May you like
"Then someone is using her identity," Armand answered. "And whoever did it still has access."
