By Design Read Online Free PDF Page A

man.
“Yes. It was ornate even in its disrepair. Orange and reds as I recall.”
      “Thank you, Pearl. I may be wandering about
the house on and off,” Jameson said.
    Pearl
nodded. She began to make her way out of the kitchen and turned back to see
Jameson focused intently on her computer screen. The expression reminded her of
Candy’s. She shook her head. “I wonder if either of them even see it,” she
chuckled.

Chapter Four: Kitchen
Conversations
    “Everything
is open to negotiation except birds and cats. No birds. No cats.” Jameson read the email
and laughed. She snickered slightly and sent off a singular picture in
response. Jameson waited for the reply. None came.
    “You
did say anything was open to negotiation,” she fired off a short quip. Jameson loved
toying with the senator. Their banter had lightened her days these last two
weeks. In truth, she was keeping her promise to adhere as closely to the
original style of the house as possible. She was certain that Candace knew
that, but it seemed they both took great pleasure in this game. She was
surprised that there was still no response from the senator. Normally, Candace
had a quick retort. Senator Fletcher was a busy woman, and Jameson shrugged it off. There certainly would be more pressing matters for
Candace to address than Jameson’s antics. She returned to her task of mapping
out the kitchen so that she could design the addition off the back of the
house. Jameson found herself musing that she was grateful that winter was upon
them. It meant that any construction would have to wait. Secretly, that gave
her an excuse to draw out this project longer than she needed to. Candace
Fletcher intrigued her. The sound of the phone in the distance and Pearls’
voice interrupted her pondering.
    “Why
are you calling the house phone? Don’t you have her number? Um-hum. Jameson!”
Pearl’s voice rang through the house. Jameson walked sheepishly into the large
living room. She pointed to herself as if to question Pearl’s need for her
presence. Pearl shook her head and handed the phone to the architect. “It’s for
you,” she said. “I don’t know what you did to get her to call home,” she
chuckled.
    “Hello?”
Jameson said tentatively.
    “Ms.
Reid,” a stern voice came over the line.
    “Yes?”
    “You
apparently did not pay much attention in American History class; did you?” Candace questioned as if cross-examining a witness.
    “I
would beg to differ.”
    “Well,
the evidence would suggest otherwise,” Candace replied.
    “You
have evidence? I wasn’t aware that I was on trial.”
    “In
which part of history did you find naked marble men the most prominent?”
Jameson tried not to laugh at Candace’s attempt to drill her. “Ms. Reid?”
    “I
suppose ancient. That would be Roman or Greek.”
    “Does
my home look Roman or Greek to you?”
    “ Actually , Senator; it does,” Jameson replied.
    “My
Colonial American home appears Greek to you?”
    “Roman,”
Jameson returned.
    “I’m
sorry?”
    “No
need to be sorry, Senator. You apparently skipped architecture as an elective,” Jameson snickered. “James Gibbs is credited with much of the English style your
home reflects, as well as most notable buildings of the period.”
    “And
he was Roman?”
    “No,
he was Scottish, but he studied in Rome in the early eighteenth century and his
designs reflect that Roman influence,” Jameson explained. “So, you see; as a
point of fact; Roman statuary is actually a well-placed addition….particularly for one with as much reverence for history
as you have, Senator Fletcher,” Jameson gloated. The continuing silence began
to unnerve her slightly. “Senator?”
    “Well,
aren’t you just the cat that ate the canary,” Candace replied.
    “No,
as I understand it his name was Jinx.”
    Another
moment of silence was finally broken by
Candace’s roar of laughter. “You are a complete lunatic. Just how many
skeletons have you discovered in