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A short story by: (the) Night Hawk
Copyright (C) 2007 by: (the) Night Hawk
www.nighthawkstories.com
Read this chapter as it was written!
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http://storiesonline.net/
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(C) 2007 by (the) Night Hawk
Kelly
(Inspired by Mike C, based on characters in his novel: "James"
Characters and situations copyright by Mike C, 2002)
Chapter 34
==========
Vanetta and Lisa finished breakfast and met Ted outside, where he had
the limo waiting. It was a ten-minute ride to the legal offices that
serviced Fit magazine. Lisa explained that since the magazine catered
to a specific market and rarely ran anything controversial, the
magazine had dropped in-house council and opted for a firm it kept on
retainer. Vanetta told her TKO did the same thing for much the same
reason.
"I had planned to take you on the wine tour today," Lisa said, "but
the train leaves every morning at nine and I 'didn't want to rush you
or have you feel we were rushing through the boring, legal stuff."
"A wine tour involving a train?" Vanetta asked with raised eyebrows.
Ted chuckled from the front seat. "It's a tour of the wine producing
valleys, Ms. Clarke," he said and gave Vanetta some background on the
tour.
"The first wine train run was in September of 1989. Using tracks
ceded from Southern Pacific, Mr. Vincent DeDomenico put together a set
of rolling stock, upgraded trackage, and over the disagreement of a
significant part of the Napa Valley Winery population, started the
service. Mr. DeDomenico is a second-generation chief executive of the
family-owned Golden Grain Company, though you might know them better
as the makers of Rice-A-Roni."
"Oh," said Vanette, "the San Francisco Treat!"
Ted and Lisa laughed and Ted told her, yes, it was their most famous
product, but that the company actually made a lot of other grain
products.
"Disagreement over the wine train stems from an attitude that the wine
train makes the valley look like a Disney theme park, especially since
the train 'doesn't actually go to any wineries, it just goes by some
of them. But they serve various tastes of a variety of fruits."
"The cars of the wine train and the engine are painted dark burgundy,
champagne gold, and grape leaf green. The interior of the cars is
Honduran mahogany paneling and brass accents, with etched glass
partitions and wool carpeting. The parlor cars were built in 1915 for
the Northern Pacific Railroad and sold in 1960 to the Denver and Rio
Grande Western Railroad, who used them for their famous ski train.
They were used for a one-day ski excursion every weekend from Denver
to the Rockie Mountain ski resorts. A Pullman coach car, built for
the Southern Railway Company in 1915, is the kitchen for the wine
train. The engines are ALCO -that stands for American Locomotive
Company - FA4s, built in 1950. The Vista-Dome car was restored to its
original 1950 décor."
Vanetta took in the information and was secretly happy they had missed
the train.
"The depot is located in downtown Napa," Lisa added to 'Ted's
commentary, and admitted to Vanetta's relief, "actually 'I'm glad we
missed it. I wasn't sure it was the best way to show off San
Francisco," she said, "but I 'wasn't sure 'you'd want to spend the day
looking at our famous shopping district, either."
"Actually, I love window shopping," said Vanetta. "Charlotte has some
great stores, but I'm curious about the left side of the country."
"Do you buy many?" Ted asked with a smile on his face.
"Many what?" Vanetta asked, confused by the seeming non sequitur.
"Windows," said Ted. "You said you liked window shopping. You must
live in some fancy house to replace windows as a hobby."
Vanetta joined with Lisa in laughter at the thought.
"Men simply don't understand, do they?" said Lisa.
Before Vanetta had a chance to respond, Ted pulled up in front of a
fancy office building and placed the limo in park, then got out to
help the ladies out. After escorting them into the lobby, Lisa told
him that they would probably be an hour, and she would call him on his
cell when they were ready to leave.
Ted nodded, and after seeing the ladies to the elevator, he headed
back to the limo and pulled away. Vanetta watched the sparkling-clean
limo drive off and asked Lisa, "Also on retainer?"
"Yes," said Lisa. He's self employed, and I think we provide him
enough work to make it profitable for him. He works nights and
weekends on other accounts he has established. He's very good and a
safe driver, and his interaction with our clients makes him a gem."
For the next hour and a half, the lawyer for Fit went over the
contract word by word, spending some time on conference call with
Steve in Charlotte to clarify a few points. Finally, came the signing
of the paperwork, and afterwards, Vanetta let out a sigh. It was all
legal and binding now. Lisa let out a sigh as well. She had managed
to pull off a coup that would ensure her job for a long time to come
and probably a very hefty bonus as well. Lisa called Ted, and by the
time the girls were back in the lobby, Ted was waiting for them. Both
women clutched their copies of the contracts tightly, and Lisa told
Ted to take them back to the FIT office so that she could give Vanetta
the nickel tour.
Vanetta was surprised at how compact the offices of the publishing
company were.
Lisa explained that the bulk of the staff on the premises were sales
people and that most of the writing was supplied by freelancers or
syndicated writers. "I'm really the only one who actually writes here
in the office," Lisa explained. "I do the intro each month and
suggest which columns are must-reads. Our freelancers are regulars,
and they know the magazine's writing guidelines and what our audience
likes. We have six layout people who do the magazine, and when I'm
satisfied with the results, it gets transmitted over the internet to
our printer. After the printer has it all assembled via software,
they courier a draft to me and I look over every page and every word.
Our sales people check their ads and placement, and when approved, the
printer gets a call from me, and that's the last we see of it till we
get our sample copies and giveaways."
"You contract the mailing and newsstand delivery as well?" Vanetta
asked.
"It's more efficient that way," said Lisa. "A bit more expensive as
well, but the contractor is the most dependable distributor on the
West Coast. It saves us a lot of headaches knowing that delivery is
ensured."
"Plus you save the cost of a traffic manager," added Vanetta.
"That's true," said Lisa as they walked into the sales room.
Vanetta recognized most of the faces from the night before and was
greeted with smiles and friendly remarks as she followed Lisa to her
office. Unlike TKO, where it was hard to tell who was an employee,
and who was the boss, Lisa's office at Fit clearly stated she was
where the buck screeched to an abrupt halt. Large and spacious, it
had a private washroom off to one side and a mini bar and conference
table large enough for 12 on the other side. Vanetta spotted an
espresso machine as well as the regular coffee maker tucked in one
corner, along with a small fridge and ice maker.
"Since we're generally the ones making the calls, and rarely get
walk-in clients, we've had to keep up with the times in other areas as
well," Lisa continued. "You probably noticed that the only
receptionists were on the main floor. We don't have our own. The
entire building is a co-op filled with various businesses. We share
the cost of the receptionists and cut down our required floor space at
the same time."
"I understand what you're saying, Lisa," said Vanetta. "Our office is
located in an industrial park. No receptionist and not even any
sign. People either know who we are or they don't. We don't need to
advertise since we turn away more work than we actually accept. Todd
is very particular about what work he'll take on. Whoever is
available will answer the phone. We do have a reception room for
people to wait in comfort because most of the studio - including the
desks - is part of the open-air set up. Our office in New York is
getting outdated. There, we still have offices and cubicles and
receptionists, but in this age of internet communications, now that we
can, we plan on leaving the high-rent district and moving all our
operations down to Charlotte. Most of our models are chosen from a
catalog or from previous work, and they live all around the country.
There just isn't a need for a large central office except for
accountants any longer, and we can find those in Charlotte as easily
as in New York, though we plan on offering all our staff in New York
the opportunity to move south."
"It's nice that TKO is so diversified that you don't have to rely just
on models," said Lisa. "Last I heard, Todd's asking price for a day
shoot is the highest in the industry."
Vanetta laughed and explained that Todd's prices varied primarily by
how interested he was in doing the particular job offered. How his
interests had moved away from runway models and onto real people and
places.
Lisa placed her copy of the signed contract on her desk and asked if
Vanetta wanted to spend the day shopping or touring.
"How about a bit of both, Lisa?" Vanetta asked.
"That we can do as well," said Lisa. She called down to Ted, and as
they left, Vanetta said goodbye to the sales staff, ensuring them all
that she would be in touch soon, and that it was nice to be able to
put faces to names and the voices she'd been hearing from the other
end of the phone for the last month.
Ted was waiting downstairs and drove them to a UPS office first, where
Vanetta sent her signed contract back to Charlotte via overnight
courier. It would be at the office by the time she returned. From
there, Ted drove them back to the Fairmont where Lisa assured him that
she could find her own way home after some sight seeing. As Ted
helped Vanetta out of the limo, he smiled at her and said he would see
her tomorrow morning and then with a bow, eased his limo out into
traffic.
Vanetta saw a cable car approaching and grinned at Lisa, who shrugged
her shoulders and said, "Why not?" They boarded the cable car,
destination unknown, and Lisa outlined some of the options.
~~~~~ // ~~~~~
MaryAnn Meyers was exasperated with Kelly. "Look, Kelly, I know
better than anyone else how much you dislike doctors, but I'm a GP.
You need an OB-GYN to start taking over the health issues of your
coming childbirth. Now, an old friend of mine, Dr. Angela Mark, has
agreed to take you on. She's one of the best, and you're lucky that I
was able to get an appointment for you this afternoon. Here's her
address; you're scheduled for an ultrasound, blood tests, and
counseling at two o'clock."
Laura knew Kelly was adamant about giving birth at home, so she took
the paper MaryAnn had written the address on and promised the doctor
that she'd get Kelly there, and on time.
Kelly had argued, and only after being told by MaryAnn that the
birthing rooms at the Presbyterian hospital were open for family
deliveries, and that her birth would a family affair but with the
security of hospital staff and services, did Kelly finally capitulate.
"I'm going to feel like a pin cushion before the day is over," said
Kelly to Laura as Laura parked a block away from the
Eastover-University OB/GYN clinic on W. T. Harris Boulevard.
"Don't worry, Honey," said Laura, holding Kelly's hand and swinging
their arms as they walked to the clinic. "I'll kiss all your booboos
and make them all better."
Kelly laughed, Laura easing some of her stress, and she slipped her
arm around her lover's waist. "I'm so lucky to have you, Laura. I'm
not sure if I could do this by myself."
Laura slipped her now-free hand around Kelly's waist as well and
hugged her girlfriend closer to her. Words weren't needed now - just
resolve.
Todd had wanted to come, but Kelly had told him it was silly to take
time away from the studio when he had so much work to do. Now though,
with the change in plans and the meeting with the new doctor, Kelly
wished Todd could be there with them so he could see the ultrasound
himself. With a sigh, she started up the steps looking for Dr. Mark's
office.
But Todd and Ami were busy. They had Sherri's portfolio to print, and
they wanted to make proofs of the band so they could chose some good
PR pictures. They had started shortly after arriving at the studio
and were already deep in their work when Robert returned from Eric's
with the new van. Todd checked out the van's outside decals while
Cara and Ami explored the inside. Pleased with the results, Todd and
Ami went back to the darkroom.
~~~~~ // ~~~~~
Kelly remembered she had an appointment to take Cara to meet Mistress
Helga at five. When MaryAnn had pulled her surprise and sent her to
see Dr. Mark, Kelly had called Todd and told him of the change in
plans and said she and Laura would eat lunch in town and pick up Cara
afterwards. Todd, by that time deep into making prints, grunted his
acknowledgement and wished her luck, grumbling that he couldn't attend
the new appointment with his lovers.
Robert and Cara found themselves alone in the studio. With little
else to do, they started talking. Comfortable with the idea that
Robert wasn't going to try and put any moves on her, Cara started
discussing her dreams and nightmares with him as they sipped mineral
water.
"I know that my future is taken care of," said Cara, "but what I'm
afraid of is that at some point Kelly won't want Ami and me staying
with her."
Robert could see Cara was serious and asked what the problem was with
that.
"Well, I know Ami and I could handle living in our own place," said
Cara, "but I don't think either of us wants to yet. We like the
lifestyle at Kelly's house - you know - the openness and unpretentious
way they all live and act."
Robert, who had just gotten a crash course in the way that Todd,
Kelly, and Laura lived and interacted with others, just nodded his
head. At first he had been shocked and surprised at the open attitude
towards nudity and the easy lifestyle of the trio and even more so at
the three-way relationship which seemed to work so well for them. It
was also the first working environment that he had seen where everyone
shared in the everyday mundane and routine duties equally without
quibble or personal motives. Places like TKO couldn't exist in real
life, and yet he was now here working for one, and unless he was
dreaming, such a situation really did exist!
"Then there's the vitamins and stuff," Cara continued not realizing
Robert had slipped away for a minute in his own thoughts. "We don't
know enough ..."
"Bullshit," said Robert suddenly. "I know exactly what the problem
is, and the damn thing is that now I understand it completely.
They're so easy to be around, and you can be who you are without the
phony front others expect of you. It's that unconditional love people
say they want - but never get - because in spite of it, they all still
have rules and conditions. Whereas with Todd, Kelly, and Laura, there
are no expectations except to enjoy life, period. You do what you
have to do, but you don't have to do it under pretense or pressure.
Like right now. Todd and Ami are going to need some lunch soon, but
I'll bet they haven't even thought about it yet. And you and I both
know that because we're not busy, we'll be making that lunch for them
without being asked because they are busy. They can eat quick and get
back to work."
Cara laughed and said that she had wondered about lunch and what she
could make.
"No," said Robert, "it's what we will make together, because we both
care for them, and I was thinking of chicken Caesar salad with lots of
fresh juice."
Cara readily agreed and grabbed fresh vegetables and apples out of the
studio refrigerator to run through the juicer. Robert heated a
skillet and added olive oil to it before laying in strips of frozen,
skinless, and boneless chicken breasts. As the chicken cooked, he
started to prepare the rest of the ingredients for the salad.
~~~~~ // ~~~~~
Todd and Ami were working like a team that had been together for a
long time. As he mixed chemicals, she poured them on the exposed
film. As fast as he got a print out of the enlarger, she took it from
his hands and placed it in the developer. Their dialog when they
spoke was light, friendly banter except for those times he was
teaching her something new like how to dodge or burn in an area on a
print. Even with the large darkroom, they had to work closely side by
side, yet even a trained observer would have said it was like watching
an exquisitely choreographed dance in progress. Todd had on one of
his Trek T-shirts and a pair of comfortable and light scrub pants.
Ami as per her habit was only wearing a pair of panties.
After every batch of film they ran through, they would turn on the
regular lights and examine the prints before they hung them in the
dryer. Todd was quite pleased with the shots of Sherri and knew he
now had a working portfolio that would allow him to soon present her
to TKO's preferred clients. He was also secretly pleased with Ami's
shots of the Williams sisters and their boy band. She had a natural
eye for the right shot and of the magazines of film she had exposed,
close to 50% were better than acceptable, a much higher percentage
than Todd had expected. Ami had a talent for getting people to ignore
the camera and talk to her personally while she unobtrusively tripped
the remote for the shutter release. Based on his textbook rule of
three shots for every person in a sitting, Ami had shot a whole
cartridge worth on each pose, and her knack of knowing her subject had
given her a much higher acceptable pose ratio based on people blinking
or yawning or moving. The problem would be finding the best of the
close to 60 shots she had taken. Todd figured between the pose
changes and costume changes, they only needed three good ones.
They both heard the swishing of the darkroom door and watched Cara
enter.
"Ami, you're naked again!"
"No," said Ami, "just half naked. I've still got my panties on."
"Still?"
"Well I don't usually take them off in here," said Ami with a snicker.
"Can you tell me why you find it necessary to work in the darkroom in
nothing more than your panties?" Cara asked in exasperation.
"Well," Ami said with a sigh. "Todd seems to think that my sheltered
life left me with an emotional scar, thus necessitating my need for
external validation, so that as I bloom into full womanhood I feel I
am attractive to the male species, and being that Todd is an expert on
such matters and a safe, yet subjective member of said species, I
trust his judgment."
"I said all that?" Todd asked with a smile.
"I elaborated on your words a bit so that my lover would understand
that while I trust her appreciation for my physical beauty, she knows
I also have to consider that her appreciation is probably skewed by
her love for my mind."
"Oh, good Lord," said Cara. "What if it had been Robert who had come
in to tell you that lunch was ready whenever you guys are?"
"Then he would have gotten a pleasant surprise, I'm sure," said Ami.
"Besides, it's not like he hasn't seen me in all my glory before."
Then looking down at herself, she added, "Well, most of my glory,
anyway."
Cara slipped her arms around Ami. "As long as they just admire your
beauty, Sweetheart," then she gave each of Ami's nipples a tug. "And
leave the physical adoration of your beauty to me."
Ami gave Cara a soulful kiss and then pulled away. "Thanks, Honey.
We should be ready to take a break in about ten minutes."
Cara gave Ami a playful slap on her butt, and for good measure, gave
one to Todd as well. "We'll see you whenever you're done. Don't rush
on account of us."
~~~~~ // ~~~~~
"Hello, Kelly," said Dr. Angela Mark, shaking Kelly's hand. "I've
heard a lot about you from MaryAnn. I'd be happy to be your doctor
through your pregnancy and help you bring your baby into this world."
Turning to Laura, she said, with hand extended, "And you must be
Laura. I'm happy to meet you as well."
"It's our pleasure," said Laura. "Kelly wanted to do a home birth,
but Dr. Myers assured us that the birthing room at the Presbyterian
hospital is as close to home as possible while maintaining a safe
environment in case complications come up."
Angela laughed and asked if Laura had memorized MaryAnn's spiel. "You
have it down to the letter," she added.
Laura blushed as Kelly slipped her arm around her waist. "I think my
girlfriend is the nervous one," Kelly said. "This is her first baby."
Laura laughed good-naturedly with Kelly and Angela and followed Kelly
into the examination room.
Kelly quickly slipped out of her T-shirt and shorts, not bothering
with the offered paper gown. She squeaked when Dr. Mark squirted her
belly with cold gel, her nipples coming right to attention. Dr. Mark
noticed and apologized for the abrupt wake up call, but told her it
was needed to facilitate the ultrasound.
"But, Doc, you don't have to keep the stuff in the refrigerator, do
you?"
"Sorry, Kelly, but the gel isn't chilled," Angela said laughing.
"It's just naturally cold."
Thirty minutes later, back in her office, Dr. Mark listened intently
and made notes as Kelly described her vitamin regimen and exercise
habits. She had been tipped by Dr. Myers about Kelly's
three-cigarettes-a-day - most days - habit and avoided that subject.
Kelly was a healthy woman in her prime, and many of Angela's patients
could do well following Kelly's healthy diet and vitamin supplement
regimen. She scheduled follow-up appointments for the next few months
and expressed a desire, if possible, to meet the father. Kelly had
been quite candid about her three-way relationship, and Angela was
both intrigued and curious.
Kelly promised to bring Todd in so that Dr. Mark could get some blood
work from him, but otherwise, the doctor advised Kelly to just keep on
doing what she was doing.
~~~~~ // ~~~~~
Lew and Harry had been getting their new office in shape when the call
had come from the holding cells. Ed Labadie, in behind bars because
he seemed to have been stalking Harry's daughter, Laura, and found to
have a gun on him while doing it, had a visitor, and Lew had to rush
down to lockup to listen in on the conversation. After returning, Lew
expressed his concern over what Ed Labadie had spouted off to his
alleged cousin, John Labadie, mentioning that Todd, not Laura, was
actually the target of whatever deviltry the legal firm in Cleveland
had planned.
"Not much we can do, Lew," said Harry. "I told Todd that if he had
anything he preferred to keep off the radar that we wouldn't stop him
from leaving, but he says he doesn't even know anybody from Ohio."
"This is way too weird," said Lew as he pinned a district school map
on the wall. "There're no outstanding warrants or charges against him
on the national scene at all. So why's an ambulance-chasing pond
sucker looking for him."
"If we get a chance, we'll have to ask him," said Harry. "I wonder if
we're looking under the wrong name for outstandings?"
"Harry, you're as good at judging people as I am. Does anything feel
right about this to you?"
"You mean do I think Todd is hiding from something?" asked Harry.
"Nah... We couldn't both see the same guy and not know if he was
cagey. We've been cops too long for that. I mean why the hell would
anybody go to so much effort to find him, and be so secretive about
it? I think there's a tempest a-blowing."
Harry nodded. He had thought the same thing himself. Somebody had
spent some serious money to find Todd, and it wasn't just to serve him
with papers. Somebody wanted more. A lot more!
"We're supposed to be hotshot detectives now, Lew. What're we missing
here?"
Lew stopped what he was doing, smiled, and looked at Harry. "Yeah, we
are detectives now aren't we? Let's do some detecting. How did you
figure out what his real name was?"
Harry leaned back in his well-worn wood-back bucket desk chair. "I
get what you're saying. I found it because I know who he is now, and
all I had to do was go backwards. Knowing the end made tracing back
easy. But if you didn't know what the end was..."
"Exactly," said Lew with a grin. "If you started from the beginning,
not knowing where he went, it would look like Todd had dropped off the
face of the earth."
"Living the way he does, and knowing he spent most of his time on
location shoots, he never had to register a new address. He traveled
out of his suitcase," said Harry, getting more excited.
"That's my guess," said Lew. "If he dropped out of newspaper shooting
when he changed his name and started doing the fashion circuit, he
could probably have traveled for years without having to set up an
apartment or buy a permanent place."
"That would definitely explain how he managed to save up a tidy nest
egg," added Harry. "Just think of the potential. Go from one
location to another, staying in hotels and living on expense accounts,
and he could have saved every penny he ever earned. From what Kelly
has told me, he was well paid too. Supposed to be one of the highest
paid and best at what he did till he grew tired of it, then he and
Kelly settled here in Charlotte."
"It's not like he has a common last name," said Lew, "at least not his
birth name."
Harry was already ahead of him and fired up the new computer in their
office. Harry entered the name Vanden Ayres into the National Police
Database. Lew stood patiently as Harry did his hunt and peck. Not
that Lew could type any faster even with his more extensive time
behind a desk. Cops who had to type did so with four fingers only -
it was a tradition. Computers had not changed this tradition.
Harry waited for the net to spit back the results and was surprised to
see seven listings for Vanden Ayres, till Lew pointed out that Harry
had searched the entire country. Using the mouse, Harry clicked on
Ohio and was relieved to see only one name left. Adrian Vanden Ayres
had a listed phone number and address. Lew picked up the phone and
called the closest local police station. Introducing himself and
explaining to the desk sergeant that this was only a background check,
Lew was transferred to a senior duty officer.
"Vanden Ayres?" asked the sergeant. "Yeah, we know him. Didn't know
he had left the state. What'd he do down your way?"
"Nothing," said Lew, "at least not yet, this is about a problem that
might develop. Can you tell me if your guy has any kids?"
The duty sergeant started laughing. "Don't tell me there really is a
prodigal son!"
Harry was listening in on another line and shook his head at Lew. Lew
nodded back at him understanding his partner's concern.
"Why'd you say that, Sarge?" Lew asked, keeping the other officer
talking.
"Vanden Ayres is a hot head. Short fuse and a miserly SOB. Shortly
after he landed in our neck of the woods, he filed a criminal
complaint against a son he claims to have. Tried to pressure us to
find the alleged son, but there's no record of the kid, or at least
one ever having been in Ohio. Vanden Ayres wanted his alleged son
arrested for theft, but couldn't prove his claim of a kid, much less
anything stolen. It was an alleged crime by an alleged son, and while
we have it on record, it's filed in our GIGO drawer."
Lew laughed. "Yep, we got us a few things stashed in our own `Garbage
In Garbage Out' drawer, too. Waste of taxpayers' money is what they
are. Thanks for the info, Sarge. If we can ever return the favor..."
"Yeah, yeah... If I'm ever curious about somebody in Charlotte, I'll be
calling you up on that marker personally, Detective Weaver."
Lew thanked him again for his time and was about to hang up when the
duty sergeant in Ohio told him to hold on a minute.
"While we were talking, I brought up the file on Vanden Ayres. Don't
know if this will be helpful to you or not, but if you happen to know
a Theodor Vanden Ayres, you might want to tell him that even though
the statue of limitations has run out on the complaint, he might want
to make an application to remove the complaint from our files."
"Thanks Sarge. If I ever meet a Theodor Vanden Ayres, I'll tell him
that."
"Yeah, right. Have a good day, detective," and with a chuckle, the
Sergeant disconnected.
Harry looked at Lew. "Should we tell Todd?"
"Tell him what? That's there's some bullshit charge in Ohio that he
might want to take care of? Hell, we're not even sure if Todd is this
Theodor."
"It doesn't feel right, Lew. It just don't feel right to me. I think
I'll drop a bug in Laura's ear. Maybe she can bring it up sometime.
I don't want Todd to think we're checking up on him."
"Hell, Harry. We're just trying to protect him. That's what friends
are for."
"Yeah, I suppose," said Harry with a sigh. "Feels too much to me like
we're snooping, so I guess we'll tell him when we see him again. It's
nothing that we need to worry about now. Let's see about getting some
real work done."
~~~~~ // ~~~~~
Across town, John Labadie, or Jack as he was known to his friends, had
left `cousin' Ed to rot there in jail as per instructions from Gerry,
his boss. Jack was now sitting at a table at a Denny's waiting for
Judge Richardson to join him for a friendly lunch. Jack had the
lettuce in his jacket pocket. One thousand leaves of it divided into
ten easy-to-carry heads - all bearing the likeness of Benjamin
Franklin. Jack hoped the judge would be satisfied with the salad that
would come with his lunch.
~~~~~ // ~~~~~
Vanetta had laughed as she swayed in and out of the cable car, hanging
onto the riser pole with a loose, easy grip, much to the dismay of
Lisa Greenwood.
"Vanetta!" Lisa shouted after a close miss by a delivery van had
caused Vanetta to pull herself into the safety of the frame of the
cable car.
"Yes?" said Vanetta with a mischievous grin that showed all her bright
white teeth.
Lisa leaned forward and said, "Frankly, my dear, you are scaring the
shit out of me! We tend to lose tourists who do what you're doing,
and I'm looking forward to a long working relationship with you.
Death would not become you! And it would piss me off a great deal as
well!"
"Sorry, Lisa," Vanetta said sitting down. "I know that I should be a
bit more responsible, but, who knows when I'll get a chance like this
again. This is so much more realistic than a ride at Disney World.
The element of risk... I like that, which is probably why the rides at
the amusement parks don't do anything for me. Kelly has had to cut
back on a lot of her activities. She won't be holding onto her record
as the fastest female on roller blades in Charlotte for very long
now."
"She blades?"
"Did, being the operative word," said Vanetta. "She always wore
protective gear, but she doesn't want to risk landing on her butt
now. She speaks at the local schools about the importance of wearing
proper protection."
"It seems she didn't pay attention to her own advice about proper
protection," laughed Lisa.
"I wondered about that myself, Lisa. I think that deep down, she knew
that she was ready and that Todd was the right man for her. It took
her a long time to realize that, and for him as well. Mama always
knew though," she added wistfully. "Mama always said that Kelly and
Todd were destined to be together, but that it would take the right
person to bring them together."
The cable car arrived at Fisherman's Wharf before Lisa had a chance to
question that statement.
They had waited over an hour for a cable car to take them to the
pier. The first one had been full of other tourists, and they'd had
to wait for the next one. They had already decided they would call
Ted to pick them up for the return trip. Neither of them wanted to
wait when they saw the line of about 250 people at the Powell-Market
turntable where their cable car was turned towards Fisherman's wharf.
As unique as the cable car experience was, and even though it wasn't
the peak weekend traffic, they had to wait for a car to take them to
Hyde Street. Both the Hyde Street car and the Mason Street car picked
up passengers in front of the Fairmont, and both went close to
Fisherman's Wharf, but the Hyde Street car ended up closer to the
action Lisa was interested in presenting to Vanetta.
They had paid the conductor their $5 fare for the ride and ridden
close to `the grip,' the man who actually controlled the speed and
stops of the cable car by squeezing the `gripper' that allowed the car
to be propelled along the cables. Both had laughed as the grip and
the conductor actively cursed at and muttered about the combinations
of pedestrians and motorists who impeded their progress on the
joint-use streets. It was more than obvious they felt their cable car
should have the ultimate right of way.
The cable car swayed and started and stopped as passengers got on and
off. A person standing really had to hang on - it's the best way to
ride -but OSHA would never allow the things today if they hadn't
already been a moving national historical landmark, particularly when
going up and down the steep hills.
The end turntable, the place where Vanetta and Lisa got off, was in
Aquatic Park - part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical
Park. To the left was Ghiradelli Square, named for the chocolate
company according to Lisa, and to the right was the start of the
Fisherman's Wharf district. All around the cable car site were street
vendors, something Vanetta was thankful for as the air currents from
beyond the Golden Gate Bridge lowered the temperature by 10 degrees
compared to the Union Square area.
Vanetta bought a sweatshirt with `Fisherman's Wharf' across the front
from one of the street vendors instead of from any of the myriad of
tourist shops along Jefferson - the street along the waterfront in the
Fisherman's Wharf area. Going into a store was not what Vanetta had
come down to the Wharf for.
Vanetta was amazed at the large Asian population in the Wharf area,
and many times, she and Lisa had to step into the road to get around
people bickering and haggling with the vendors.
For Vanetta, one of the best parts of the trip was the ability to look
from the pier out over the bay. Due north was Alcatraz, and she could
clearly see the concrete main cellblock, about a mile and a quarter
off the pier. She considered the despair of prisoners sentenced to
there, within site of the bounty which was San Francisco, but unable
to do anything but look. Neither Vanetta nor Lisa had a desire to
book a tour of Alcatraz itself, though. Beyond Alcatraz, slightly to
the right, was Angel Island. To the left was a great view of the
Golden Gate Bridge.
Vanetta and Lisa roamed around, slowly heading east of Jefferson where
there were actual working maritime shops. Fisherman's Wharf was after
all still a working fisherman's pier, as well as a tourist
destination. On the right, the tourist shops sold all kinds of
tourist junk and trinkets. Knowing Kelly and Todd, Vanetta didn't
bother with souvenirs. They would be much happier just hearing her
tell of her first experience in the City. Just before Pier 43, the
pier that was the original Fisherman's Wharf, and which the whole area
was now named for, there was a plethora of seafood stands, selling
everything from clam chowder to fresh-caught Dungeness crab. Also
available was a variety of shrimp and calamari. Lisa suggested that
Vanetta try the chowder but told her not to fill up on snack food as
she had plans for the two of them for supper. They had to jostle
within the lines to get something to snack on and both decided that
the busiest stand had the best food. After getting their food and a
can of cold pop, they ate standing in the street with the rest of the
crowd.
Vanetta spotted a Hooter's in the middle of Jefferson and dared Lisa
into joining her for a visit, but Lisa declined the dare. There were
three Hooter's Girls, in costume, tossing a rubber football in front
of the place to stir up business, and both girls laughed at the
Japanese tourists ogling the girls.
Lisa had booked a table for two at the Washington Square Bar and Grill
for their last meal before Vanetta's early morning departure for
Charlotte. Since it was only a mile from the hotel, they had Ted drop
them off at the Fairmont so that they could freshen up before they
went to eat. It had been an interesting day for both girls, and a
long one. Because of the early meetings that morning and the wait for
the cable car, it was well after six o'clock before they were ready to
head out for the walk to the restaurant.
Washington Square, even at seven at night, though a bit quieter than a
weekend day, still had couples sitting and talking on the grass, and
families with kids running, playing Frisbee. The North Beach part of
San Francisco is quintessential San Francisco's Little Italy, with
many, many restaurants, bistros, etc., most with outdoor seating,
weather permitting. Hoards of people were out - singles, couples, and
families - all either strolling the streets, or sitting in
street-front cafes, having coffee, appetizers, or full meals.
Powell Street is a classic North-to-South street in San Francisco.
Columbus is a diagonal, starting at the Transamerica Pyramid. This
makes Washington Square a four-sided park, with the north side being
on a diagonal due to Columbus. Across Columbus from Washington Square
is a small, triangular, walled park, complete with verdant greenery
and a small pond. Across the street from the walled park is the
Washington Square Bar and Grill. In business for over 30 years,
Vanetta read on the sign, and Lisa said it was noted as a hangout for
the SF Chronicle's now-departed Herb Caen - its power days were back
in the eighties when all the movers and shakers of SF could be found
there.
"In the `90s, it was sold," said Lisa, "and in the late `90s sold
again, and now it's in the process of regaining its former stature."
It wasn't on the list of trendy restaurants, but rather on the list of
tried-and-true power restaurants that seem to exist in any major city
forever.
The front façade was maroon, with a maroon-and-white canopy running
the length of the restaurant. The interior was classic dark wood. On
the left was a bar seating maybe 16. It had old, dark wood, scarred
from years of use, with a brass rail at bar height, and a brass foot
rail. The bar stools were also wood, the old design without a swivel
seat. Separating the bar from the restaurant was a half-height wall.
The walls were decorated with posters, old photographs of
movers/shakers, and a series of blowups of old Life Magazine covers
depicting personalities who have a connection with San Francisco, and
thus the Washington Square Bar and Grill.
On the restaurant side were a number of double tables, each with cloth
tablecloth and linen napkin, cheerfully set with a wine goblet. Each
table had a votive candle in a glass holder. The `power' table was in
the front, basically between the two dining rooms, looking over the
triangular park. This was the place to see and be seen.
Vanetta and Lisa checked in with the maitre d' and decided to have one
drink at the bar since two stools were available. They sat, and the
bartender asked what they wanted to drink. Lisa suggested a Duckhorn
Chardonnay and ordered a single serving appetizer of their special
warm, handmade potato chips, which came with salt and parsley.
The main topic of discussion while waiting for their table was how
long it would be before the second batch of Todd's photos would be
coming Lisa's way and the great idea about compiling the final project
into a bonus item for new subscribers as a separate magazine.
Since the restaurant didn't get many tourists, there were a lot of
questions directed at Vanetta about where she was from and what she
thought of San Francisco. Vanetta remained polite and smiling,
winning many admiring looks from some of the regulars. Much to Lisa's
amusement, Vanetta made many of them feel like it was her own loss
that she had to return to Charlotte in the morning.
After a half hour, their table was ready, and they picked up their
drinks and moved. Washington Square Bar and Grill had a limited, but
varied menu. After some debate, they decided to split an appetizer of
calamari, which came with both a cocktail and an aioli sauce. The
second course was a chopped salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Lisa had
tournedos of pork, while Vanetta chose the sole as her main course.
Since the Duckhorn wine from the bar was so good, they ordered a full
bottle to go with the meal. Dessert was crème brulee.
The girls finished eating and returned to the Fairmont shortly after
nine for a nightcap. Lisa apologized that she would not be seeing
Vanetta in the morning before Vanetta's plane left for Charlotte.
"That's okay, Lisa. I know that business comes first... for both of
us. I've had a lovely time, and I hope we can get together again as
the project continues. Perhaps you can find some time to come to
Charlotte and meet Todd and Kelly, and I'll show you the sights of our
area."
They shook hands on the plan, and Lisa went home, leaving Vanetta time
for a long, leisurely soak in the Jacuzzi.
~~~~~ // ~~~~~
Ami and Cara tumbled into their bed after their evening shower.
"So," said Ami, "tell me about this Mistress Hilda. What was she
like?"
"First of all, her name is Mistress Helga, and she's a really nice
lady. I was sort of afraid that she was going to come out in one of
those dominatrix leather outfits carrying a riding crop, but she was
dressed very professionally, and though she talks with an accent, she
was easy enough to understand. You wouldn't believe the layout of her
place. I would never have imagined such opulence inside. From the
outside, it looks like a private residence, and you can't even see the
mansion until you get up the drive past the security guard."
"So, tell me what she made you do," Ami prompted.
"Well, after a tour of the club, she took me and Kelly and Laura to a
private room that had a professional massage table. She asked Laura
to strip down and let me work on her so that she could watch. You
know I'm used to working on Kelly, and Mistress Helga knew that as
well. Laura was a real sweetheart and let me work on her, and
Mistress Helga paid more attention to Laura's face then she did to my
hands, though she did watch where my hands were depending on Laura's
response. They had different lotions there than I'm used to, so I
tested them before I used them to see how slippery they were and how
quickly they absorbed into the skin. I must have smeared a dozen
lotions on my arm before I picked one that I thought was good for what
I needed. It must have been a good choice because Mistress Helga
smiled when she saw my choice.
"I worked on Laura for nearly half an hour. I started on her
shoulders and worked my way down her arms and then down her back and
on her legs. I thought I was going to have to have her roll over, and
she was already half asleep, but Mistress Helga told me to stop, and
she reached over and pinched Laura's muscles to see how relaxed she
was."
"Bet that woke Laura up in a hurry," Ami said, stroking her lover's
belly.
"Actually, Laura just moaned. I think she really got into it, and if
you keep that up, I won't be able to finish my story."
Ami nipped Cara on her exposed belly and said, "Let's race then to see
who finishes first," and started to nibble her way down lower.
"Only if we make this a fair race," said Cara as she flipped around
and dropped her head between Ami's legs.
~~~~~ // ~~~~~
Laura was moaning as she thrashed on the bed she shared with Todd and
Kelly. Her cries of ecstasy were muffled by the thighs clenched
around her own head.
By the time Todd caught his breath; Kelly was sprawled out, sweating
and panting. Between the efforts of her two lovers, she had climaxed
numerous times and was spent. Grabbing her bottle of Evian, she took
a deep drink. "So, Honey, you looked very refreshed after Cara
finished with you. It must have made you horny as well - you were a
tigress tonight."
Laura laughed and took a drink from her own bottle. "It was great
Kell, but you know that; you get a massage from her every single
night!"
"Yes, I do, but Cara doesn't usually work so hard on loosening my
muscles. What she does is keep me supple and well lubricated."
Todd laughed. "I thought that was Laura and me that did that to you!"
Kelly laughed as well when she caught the joke, and took a
half-hearted swipe at him. "You know very well what I mean. She
keeps my skin from drying out and leaving me with stretch marks.
Vanetta wouldn't be very happy if after I gave birth, my body looked
like a weathered road map."
"What about you Kell?" Laura asked. "Would you mind losing your
looks?"
"I don't care about my looks, Honey, just as long as our baby is
healthy."
~~~~~ // ~~~~~
"Mistress Helga is writing a letter to the admission office at UNCC,"
said Cara when she and Ami had separated. "She's offering to sponsor
me for the hands-on part of the physical therapy program. She said
that as soon as I turn 18, I can have a full time job working at her
spa. The money is real good too. I guess I have to decide whether to
follow up on my dream of following the sports teams or living here
full time. I guess it depends on what you plan to do."
"I want you to have your dream, Sweetheart. If that means going on
the road with gymnasts, I will follow you and take my pictures where I
find them."
"Ami, Honey, I only want to be with you. That's my only hope and
prayer. I want to spend my life with you."
Ami pulled Cara close and showered her face with kisses. "I love you
Cara Anderson. I plan to be with you for the rest of time." And
after soft, tender kisses, the two girls fell asleep
~~~~~ // ~~~~~
Captain Walker read the warrant once again, not believing his eyes.
He had arrived early Tuesday morning, hoping to catch up on some of
the work that he had let slide while he pursued his own romantic
interests. He was glad he had. His duty sergeant had flagged him
before tending and sending out the day squad. Thankfully, the
sergeant knew this would be of special interest to him.
"Yeah... special interest," he mumbled out loud. "FUCK!"
Dave Walker pressed the intercom button that summoned his personal
assistant. "Get detectives Weaver and Williams up here as soon as
they arrive for their shift!"
~~~~~ // ~~~~~
Vanetta woke up in the luxurious bed in her suite at the Fairmont.
She packed quickly after a short morning shower and dressed in light,
comfortable clothes for her flight back. She thought it was a pity
she couldn't pack up the leftover fruit and flowers, but she had
learned to pack light and quick. She was sure the flowers and fruit
wouldn't be wasted and asked the bellhop to make sure that they were
shared by the staff or turned over to someone who would use and
appreciate them. Just another lesson she had learned from Kelly.
She just had time for a good breakfast in the Fairmont before Ted
arrived to pick her up for the ride to the San Francisco airport. The
return route was even more scenic than the one coming and seemed to be
over before it started.
Ted had asked her when he showed up at the hotel if she wanted to ride
direct or take his version of a scenic tour. He seemed quite pleased
when she agreed to his offer to sightsee. Instead of taking the
direct route down US-101, Ted took a right on I-280, which ran the
ridge on the coast hills overlooking the San Francisco Bay. They were
about eight miles down the peninsula heading for I-380 when Ted paused
to allow her a view of the airport, and she could see all the ground
traffic between the takeoffs. In the sky, there was a line of five
planes on an approach to the airport, and Vanetta wondered at the men
and women who orchestrated the aerial dance to keep the flights
arriving and departing smoothly.
Vanetta gave Ted a hug after he took her bags out of the trunk.
"Thanks for being patient with me, Ted. I enjoyed my time here, and
you helped to make it a special trip for me."
Ted actually blushed and then hugged her back, promising that he would
be honored to be her driver on her next trip to his city.
Ted had managed to time things perfectly, so that she arrived in good
time for her check in at terminal B, US Airways. A porter rushed out
to take her bags and escorted her to the first class check-in line.
Her flight, US Air flight 36, was scheduled to depart at 12:15,
arriving in Charlotte at 8:06 p.m. This time she would be flying
forward in time, losing three hours as she crossed back towards the
Atlantic.
Unlike Charlotte, there was no US Airways Club in San Francisco, nor
was there an express lane for first class passengers. Vanetta was
just slightly disappointed as she wanted some time to sit quietly and
reflect on her visit to San Francisco. Taking her book, she found the
Legends of San Francisco sports bar near gate B31, ordered a Virgin
Mary, and sat back to wait for her flight to be called. She was
prepared for security this time and was quickly cleared through.
The counter clerk had recommended seat 3D so that she would be on the
shady side of the plane during the afternoon flight to Charlotte, and
Vanetta thanked her for the tip. The last thing she wanted was to
have the sun beating into her eyes for the five-hour flight.
Her departure flight took off to the north and went over the Sierras
just south of Lake Tahoe.
The flight home offered a much better movie than the one she had
skipped on the flight over. Vanetta watched A Beautiful Mind -
featuring Russell Crowe as a gifted but socially challenged
mathematician.
Her in-flight meal consisted of an appetizer of shrimp with cocktail
sauce, followed by a mixed green salad with vinaigrette. Her choice
for the main course was prawns with rice rather than the heavier
choice of steak. Dessert was a decadent swirl cheesecake. Again,
everything was served on china. She had a glass of Chardonnay before
eating and settled for coffee afterwards. She was looking forward to
getting home, sharing her news of her trip with Kelly, but she was
especially looking forward to reuniting with Robert.
Her flight touched down just a bit after eight o'clock. She breezed
through security and headed downstairs to collect her bags. As she
headed towards the exit, a smile was on her face when she spotted
Robert as she already had her plans set for ravaging him tonight, but
her smile faded when she saw the look of panic on his face. He didn't
even take time to give her a kiss but grabbed her bags and guided her
to the doors.
"Bobby, what's the matter?" she asked, concern in her voice and her
adrenalin kicking in.
"It's Todd," he said. "He's been arrested!"
To be continued...
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