Thirteen Years Later, Two Blue Competition Badges Answered Every Question

She stared through the dusty windshield at the sprawling Conference Center.

The heavy silence inside the car was broken only by the ticking of the cooling engine.

Claire reached for the faded manila folder sitting between the front seats.

Arthur kept both hands resting on the steering wheel while he stared out at the frozen parking lot.

She unwound the tiny red string closure and pulled out the thick stack of parchment paper Arthur had given her the night before.

“Look at the section on sponsor grievances,” Arthur said.