The document was only two pages long.
It lay faceup on the scoring table beneath a clear plastic sleeve, weighted at one corner by a brass paperweight shaped like an anchor.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then the chief scorer, a gray-haired Navy warrant officer named Ellis, read the first page again. His mouth tightened.
Rear Admiral Crawford crossed the distance from the shaded officials’ tent in four quick strides.
“What is that?” he demanded.
Ellis looked up. “A ruling from the championship oversight committee.”
“I didn’t authorize any ruling.”
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