The Trust by Tom Dolby Page B

opportunity to do that later. For now, we’re going to discuss a very important event that is coming up.”
    Nick yawned, and Claire glared at him as her mother continued speaking.
    “I have some exciting news that I think will send you all over the moon! On February 13, Valentine’s Day eve, the museum is throwing a benefit party, a revival of the Dendur Ball, an event that last occurred in the early 1990s. The Met will be celebrating the renovations on the new Egyptian wing—work that, as you know, was funded by the Bradford Trust Association. Anonymously, of course. The museum has asked us to take a leadership role in the planning of this event. And I know it will be a lot of fun!” Letty Chilton punched the air with her wrinkled fist as if at a pep rally, and a few members of the group twittered at the intense awkwardness of the presentation.
    Lauren shifted in her seat. How could the Society be so cavalier about hosting another event after so much had gone awry? She focused on Phoebe, Nick, Patch, and Thad, which gave her the courage to stay.
    Mrs. Chilton continued. “We’re excited to announce that all of you will be serving on the Junior Committee. My daughter, Claire, will be chairing the committee and handling its meetings. Your job will primarily be to get the younger generation involved in the museum. You can sell tickets to your classmates, to your friends. We have a special price for the under-twenty-ones. Remember, patronage of the arts starts at a young age. This is our cultural heritage, this museum and others in the city. It’s our job to make sure that it is preserved.”
    Not another committee. It all seemed like a ruse to steer people’s attention away from the awful things that had happened in November and December. Lauren cast a sideways glance at Phoebe, Nick, Patch, and Thad. They all looked bored.
    Later, over refreshments—sugary punch and stale butter cookies—she talked to Phoebe. “What do you think about all this?” she asked.
    “I guess going along with this is part of our keeping in line?” Phoebe said.
    “Something like that.”
    Claire came up to Lauren. “How are you, Lauren? It’s nice to see you here.”
    Lauren nodded.
    “I was so sorry to hear about the little incident at Giroux this week. It must have been a mistake, right? I mean, when I was talking about it to Sebastian, I told him I know you, and there is no way you would ever steal a pair of earrings!”
    She gave Claire a frigid look, but it didn’t stop Lauren from reddening. “Sure, whatever, Claire. Thanks for having my back.”
    Phoebe pulled Lauren away, rescuing her. “Let’s go talk to Nick.”
    Lauren gritted her teeth. “Claire just makes me so angry, sometimes I feel like I could kill her.”
    “I know, we all do,” Phoebe said. “She’s a loser; you can’t let it get to you.”
    They walked up to Nick, who was drinking a glass of punch.
    “You really sure you want to be drinking that?” Phoebe said.
    “If I die of cyanide poisoning, I guess we’ll know what happened,” Nick said.
    Lauren and Phoebe gave him blank looks.
    “Sorry, bad joke,” he said.
    At that moment, Patch joined the group. “Nick, there’s something I need to show you.”
    “Now?” Nick put down his glass on a side table.
    Patch nodded. “Right now.”

Chapter Twenty
    B efore grabbing Nick, Patch had been roaming around the portion of the Egyptian wing that had been kept open while the last part of the renovations were being completed. In the main room, there were large placards along the wall that explained the history of the temple and how it came into existence. The story centered on the area of northern Nubia, along the Nile, where the Temple of Dendur was built. The temple, removed from its original site in Egypt in 1963 and opened at the Met in 1978, was considered a smaller temple, though it was still thought to be one of the prime examples of Egyptian architecture in the world. The temple had been