The voice remained silent in response. 

”Is there a problem with what I am asking?”  She said with a cold voice.  ”Remember, this is a race to find the lost painting.  It is reasonable to conclude that Bette Porter may have more information.  She does have all the professor’s research although cryptic as it may be.”  Kelly frowned as if a thought had just come to mind.  ”There will be no sharing of the glory of the find.”  With the confident tone of a woman with assumed influence, Kelly explained what needed to be done.

When Kelly hung up the phone, her skin tingled with anticipation.  Who would have thought that the painting could be so close? She leaned back in her chair as a feeling of aroused anticipation that she had not felt since before her downfall swept over her.  It both surprised and electrified her.  For the first decade after the court ruling, she had been following from a distance the achievements of Bette Porter.  Seething with resentment and jealousy when any accomplishment arose. Rejoicing on the day Tina Kennard walked out on her and celebrating the tumble from her high horse when Bette’s illicit affair went viral during her Mayoral campaign. Time eventually calmed Kelly, and she redirected her focus to trying to rebuild her life… erasing the shame she felt was authored by Bette Porter.  However, Kelly never changed her view that she was the true victim of all that had transpired between them.  She believed Bette had ruined her Galleries.  It was her money that put the Galleries into existence.  She could not deny that having Bette Porter on board to help bring the Los Angeles Gallery idea into reality gave the project more prestige.  But she wanted to be the face of the Gallery, not Bette Porter.  And when they opened up the second Gallery in New York, it was Bette’s face and voice that was associated with everything that came through the Gallery.  Kelly saw herself being pushed into the background; her position being stolen by Bette. Kelly had convinced herself that she had every right to fight back in any way necessary to get what she felt was taken from her, even if it meant destroying Bette’s character with a lie that would be hard to disputed. Bette’s reputation as a player, even though it was in her past, gave just enough credibility for the lie to be believable. Funny how a lie, once put out in the world, is difficult to prove wrong. And even when faced with evidence of the contrary, some still believe the lie or part of the lie may be true.  Tina not coming forward to defend Bette, just added suspicion to the lie being true.