“May I?” she asked. “Yes,” Warren exhaled slowly. “By all means, remove the painting.” A touch of trepidation tinted his words as he anxiously awaited their inspection of the damaged painting. “The actual restorer of the painting was unable to attend due to the impromptu request, but we have another restorer who is quite capable of evaluating the stain for treatment. Grace, I would like you to examine the depth the stain has travelled.” Gina addressed her colleague as she placed the painting on the table. They silently examined the painting, pulling various instruments from their open cases on the floor. Stopping on occasion to ask Warren what he knew about the stain. Warren saw that they had discontinued their intense scrutiny of the painting and they had even taken a step back from the painting. Much to his dismay, he saw that Grace had begun the process of placing the instruments back into their cases on the floor while shaking her head in the direction of Gina. Warren missed nothing, the tentative retreat, the nervous glances exchanged.
