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everyone had leaped to the conclusion that he was back in Avalon to do more than just open a resort. Fine by him. When you wanted something at the bottom of the pot to float to the surface, you got out a spoon and started stirring.
    "All right, Pete. Thanks for the update." "Sure. Like I said, let me know if there's anything else." Pete glanced at Edward. "By the way, Glenda got your last-minute addition to the guest list, Mr. Vale. She sent out an invitation to Alexa Chambers."
    "Thank you," Edward said in a strangled voice.
    "No problem."   Pete   smiled . " It's   standard Avalon Resorts procedure to allow all major subcontractors and suppliers on a project to invite a few guests to the opening night reception."
    "Very kind." Edward dug out a pristine white handkerchief and blotted his forehead. "A bit warm in here, isn't it? Perhaps the air conditioning needs adjustment."
    Trask watched with interest as Edward wiped away perspiration. Outside, the late spring sun had driven the temperature into the mid eighties, but here inside the lobby the atmosphere was cool and comfortable.
    "I'll have someone check the equipment," Trask said softly.
    "Yes, well, just a suggestion." Edward smiled weakly. "If you'll excuse me, I'll go see about that bronze."
    He swung around and fled toward the massive etched glass doors at the front of the lobby.
    Trask waited until he had disappeared. Then he walked past the very expensive condors and went up the staircase to the second floor.
    At the top of the stairs he turned and went down the carpeted hall to the owner's suite at the far end of the west wing.
    He opened the door and entered a room that exuded raffish elegance, a place designed for
midnight
seductions and the hatching of dark plots.
    Subdued, milky light from the frosted glass wall sconces gleamed on the abstract design of the red and gold screen. The vermilion and yellow tapestries that covered the furnishings added a rich, decadent touch. According to Nathan, the sofa and armchairs were replicas of designs featured in something called the 1925 Paris Exposition. When Trask had asked what that was, Nathan had groaned. Trask had been left with the impression that the event had been a defining moment in Deco style.
    He went to the black lacquered cabinet and switched on a lamp that looked like a hood ornament from a 1927 Packard. He opened the cabinet doors to reveal the state-of-the-art business work station inside. Picking up the phone, he punched in a downstairs extension.
    Glenda Elaine, his unnervingly efficient head of public relations, answered on the first ring.
    " Blaine here," she said with the brusque precision of a military officer reporting in from the front.
    Glenda had worked for him since the inception of Avalon Resorts, Inc., but he still found himself tempted to salute every time he spoke with her.
    "I understand we sent out an invitation to someone named Alexa Chambers."
    "Yes, sir. It was a last-minute request. I handled it myself."
    Trask leaned back against the edge of the desk and studied the graceful, marble-topped console in front of him. "I believe that her name was submitted by the art consultant."
    "That's right."
    "Do we have any record of what Alexa Chambers did on the project?"
    "Let me check."
    Trask listened to the faint rustle of papers on the other end of the line. An image of Glenda's terrifyingly efficient desktop floated through his mind.
    She came back a few seconds later.
    "Here's the list, but there are no details concerning her connection to the resort project. All I have is an address for her here in Avalon."
    "See if you can pin down her connection to the project. Find out if she was a supplier or a sub, will you?"
    "Certainly, sir."
    "And, Glenda?"
    "Yes?"
    "Be discreet will you?"
    "I'm in PR, sir." There was no hint of amusement in her words, only firm, professional assurance. "I am nothing if not discreet."
    "Sorry. It's just that I'd rather Vale didn't find out that I'm questioning