January 4th, 2016
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Melody holds one cup of the big headphones to ear her chin nodding to the music coming from the sound booth. She rests her hand on the sound console, touching the intercom switch she leans to the mic.
"All right that was great but let's get it one more time from the top." She releases the mic and rests her hand on the sound tech's shoulder.
"Spin it up again ok?"
"You sure Mrs. Reddick?" Jeff asks she nods and looks at her watch.
"Yeah, wrap it up I have to get my kid..." Melody touches the intercom again.
"I'll see you guys same time tomorrow." She waves at the band in the booth as she shrugs on her black denim jacket flipping her blonde hair from the collar.
Melody leaves the booth and signs out at the front desk, she pushes open the big double doors of the studio and steps out into the glaring sunlight and cold breeze onto the laid cobblestone streets. Her mobile rings her calve high boots clicking on the walk as she inhales taking in the sweet air of the bakery she passes. She pushes her hands into her pockets after touching her headset.
"Everest."
"Amber." The voice on the other end replies and she smiles.
"Hello Mr. Reddick."
"Hello Mrs. Reddick, and how is my beautiful better half?" Michael asks leaning back in his officer chair and mashing out a cigarette.
"I just left the studio on my way to pick up the munchkin."
"Why isn't Bridgette doing that?" He asks as she pauses at a magazine rack and pays the man for a magazine. It wasn't the magazine she wanted however, she casually stops in place flipping through it taking in her surroundings.
"Because my love she's our au pair not our slave." Satisfied she wasn't being followed Melody turns on her heel and starts off down the street again.
"Then what do we pay her for?" Melody walks past the long tall windows of the daycare looking in.
"Because we trust her, I'm here I'll see you soon."
"Love you babe."
"Love you too." She tucks her earpiece into her pocket as she pulls open the door to the daycare and walks in.
"Hey Mrs. Reddick." The young woman at the front desk says with a pleasant smile as Melody waves and pulls open the inner door into the center.
Melody crosses the floor of children playing narrowly ducking a ball as two kids toss it between them, traversing the room to the section of younger toddlers and infants. The attendant looks up from one child and beckons another attendant over handing her the child from her arms.
"Mrs. Reddick, hello, Cora is over here. Can we talk a moment?" The attendant asks as Melody follows her into a small room where Cora was in a small playpen.
"Ohh there's my girl." Melody smiles as she leans down and picks up the girl in her arms.
"We had a small incident today it's nothing serious but..." Melody bounces the girl as she smiles touching Cora's nose.
"You are getting heavy Starbuck, you're going to make Mommy have to start working out again. What sort of problem?" Melody asks as she looks up from Cora to the attendant.
"Someone came in today and tried to check her out."
"A young brunette about this high? French accent?" Melody asks gesturing at the height of her shoulder.
"No, this was a man and this gentleman was neither on the approved list you gave us nor did he know the passphrase you asked us to keep on file." Melody's heart starts to pound as she looks down at Cora into the ice blue eyes like her own and brushes her hand through the shock of raven black hair like her father's. She plays it cool after exhaling the air from her lungs and sweeps away the strands of blonde from her right cheek behind her ear.
"Normally we would phone the police but the man left without incident and it was determined we would notify you of the event and only pursue further action if you demanded it." Melody bites her lower lip for a moment before nodding.
"I'd like to see your security footage if I may."
"Of course, this way please." Melody slides her daughter's bag onto her shoulder resting Cora against her hip as she follows the attendant from the room and back towards reception following her behind the desk and into the offices beyond.
"This is our security manager, Gustov."
"Yes we met with him when we first came here, hello again."
"Good evening Mrs. Reddick my apologies for the circumstances." Melody shakes her head at the man.
"No problem it's your job."
"Um, Ms. Kovak if it's all right I'd like to speak to Mrs. Reddick alone please." Gustov says turning to the attendant who nods turning and closing the door behind her, Melody watches her leave then her face turns more serious.
"What do we got?" She asks turning back to the security manager. The manager turns his monitor around to face her as he circles around to the side of the desk she was on and calls up the footage.
"As soon as I heard what was going on at the receptionist's desk I initiated contact with this gentleman here." He pauses the rolling footage of him stepping past the receptionist's desk and approaching a tall man in a suit, he points to him on the screen.
"Ever seen him before?" He asks as Melody shakes her head.
"Well, his ID was fake. While I engaged him the RFID scanner was running the chip in his licence and passport he had both on his person and the minute he mentioned Cora I knew something was up."
"You should've shot him on the spot." Melody says as she uses his mouse to move the footage forward frame by frame narrowing her eyes at the screen.
"This isn't America Mrs. Reddick we aren't quite so cavalier. I gave him the query you asked us to give in case of instances like this but he didn't know the counter phrase."
"Can you print this?" She asks pausing the footage on the most decent shot of the man's face she could find.
"Yeah, sure." He taps the keyboard and the printer whirrs as she adjusts Cora from one hip to the other hitching the bag higher onto her shoulder. Gustov hands her the printed still and she folds it tucking it inside her jacket.
"Thanks Gustov you did good. Listen if this should happen again-"
"Call the police, of course ma'am."
"No, call either my husband or me."
"And then what?"
"We'll handle it." She smirks as she turns on her heel and leaves the office.
Melody presses her thumb to the lock on the front door of their home. It beeps and Melody taps in the four digit code the lock clicking before she pushes open the door. Michael and Melody's new home was no mansion it was a peaceful townhouse in a quiet neighborhood. Two stories, four bedrooms, no gigantic swimming pools, tennis courts or sweeping marble floors.
The floors were hardwood and the bathrooms were ivory and tile everything was what Melody had called "muted elegance" expensive, but not ostentatious and she liked it that way. A few paintings here and there, a large fireplace in the living room the furniture was simple but tasteful, it was a home and the warmth of it washed over her as she stepped inside. Michael comes down the staircase as Melody bolts the door behind her.
"Hey there's my girls." He kisses Melody their lips meeting for a long moment before he ruffles his little girl's hair.
"And how was daycare Squirt?" He asks as he lifts the little girl in his arms.
"There was a problem." Melody replies as she drops the toddler's bag from her shoulder next to the door.
"Oh yeah? A kid problem or an us problem?"
"Both." Melody reaches into her jacket and hands him the folded still photograph, Michael looks at it he rests the girl against his chest holding her with one arm as she paws at his cheek with her little hand.
"Who's this?" Michael asks looking at the picture as he follows Melody into the living to the small ornate bar.
"That is the person who tried to remove her from daycare around two this afternoon."
"Like as in kidnap?"
"As in kidnap." Melody takes the glass stopper off of the decanter of scotch turns over one of the rocks glasses and pours.
"What did Gustov do?"
"He asked him the passphrase then kicked him to the curb."
"He should've shot him, what does this guy think we pay him under the table for? His winning personality?"
"That's what I said, he accused me of being "too American"." Melody replies knocking back the contents of the glass in one gulp.
"Madame?" Bridgette comes from the kitchen.
"Hey Bridge, could you take her please we've got some things we've got to discuss."
"Of course madame, come here little one." Bridgette takes the girl from Michael's arms and bounces her in the air giving her a smile.
"You can help me finish dinner." The young au pair turns on her heel and walks back into the kitchen. They both wait for the two-way swinging kitchen door to swing itself to a stop before Michael turns to her.
"What the fuck?"
"I don't fucking know ok?" Melody says throwing up her hands before she pours two glasses of scotch one for Michael and refilling her own.
"You have no idea who this guy is?"
"Do you?" Michael shakes his head without replying knocking back the scotch.
"On a less perplexing note, Franklin has a job for us."
"Doesn't he know we're retired?" She asks and Michael nods taking the decanter from her hand and refilling their glasses.
"Pass on this one, normally I'm happy to help Frank but my gut tells me this isn't the time to be travelling."
"I already agreed to the job Mel." Melody slams her empty glass down onto the bar.
"Michael!"
"I didn't know about this shit! Things are already in motion preparations are being made, we can't back out. One of us has to go." Melody sighs shaking her head as she pauses the glass tilted to her lips then takes a sip.
"What's the job?" Michael slaps a folder onto the bar in between them she looks up from the folder across the bar to him.
"Some kind of statue, get in get out, we were supposed to meet Franklin off the coast of Los Santos in three weeks anyways so we just made that the rendezvous." Melody blows the air from her lungs and nods tipping open the folder she flips through the paperwork and photos.
"I'll go." She adds as she looks over one of the documents at Michael.
"Makes sense, I can work from the house keep an eye on the munchkin."
"All right, call Franklin tell him it's on...guess I better go pack."