John Reese overturned a dresser drawer in his apartment's bedroom looking for the special tie to wear with the black formal suit he had hurriedly put on. He found the tie caught within the drawer's slat requiring careful extraction. With a mirror's help he put it on with irritation. Clicking his earpiece he warned, "Finch, I'm probably going to be late, and it's your fault. This is very short notice about a number."
"I know, "Finch answered. He was already in the foyer of an opera house dressed impeccably. "When this number came up, I had to move quickly."
"So who at the opera needs our help?"
"Renee Montrose, an acclaimed world soprano, whose last appearance is this one. She's retiring to Hawaii to be with her son and his family."
Reese was now roaring down the street on his motorcycle. "What's my cover?" he asked.
"Oh yes, your cover. You're Miss Montrose's blind date."
"I'm what? How did that happen?"
"I had to buy last minute tickets from her assistant who told me she had been collecting monetary donations from single, eligible men to support the opera company. The male giving the most money would be a blind date for Ms. Montrose as a nice acknowledgment. I said you, John Reynolds, authorized me as your assistant to give your donation. And thank heavens, you won."
"Thank heavens her calendar is as free as mine."
"Really, Mr. Reese, I had to make the best decision based on time and what was happening."
Reese arrived at the opera house with moments to spare. Finch pressed a program into his hand as they made their way to their seats in the second row from the front. After quickly reviewing the program, Reese remarked, "She's pretty, talented, and I'm out of her league."
"Don't sell yourself short, "Finch said.
"I'll never forget this one, Harold."
The houselights lowered with the house becoming eerily silent with anticipation. Then, as she entered slowly from the side wing, a spotlight followed her as she approached the center of the stage. The audience came to their feet breaking into strong applause. She was dressed in an off the shoulder soft pink gown with a scalloped train at the back. An emerald pendant encircled her throat with emerald earrings dropping from her ears. A diamond comb swept back her brunette hair over her right shoulder with reddish highlights glimmering in the spotlight. Long white gloves swept up to her forearms. She smiled and bowed as the applause continued, with her brownish green eyes seeming to soften with tears. Her jawline was strong but her face was just as sweet and demure. Her eyes then swept over the audience and to the front rows. In the semi-darkness her gaze lingered on Reese briefly, before pulling away shyly. Reese's blood thundered. His male eyes were not the only ones fastened onto her beauty. In one brief moment she had made an electrical, physical connection with him through her eyes.
The applause trailed into quietness as she began speaking in a strong, confident voice, "Thank you all for coming to my last performance here in New York where I've been many times. Tonight I will charm you with romantic songs from the Nordic culture. And the aria at the end is the first one I sang at my debut years ago in Milan. Please accept these gifts from one who has been blessed to share beautiful music from the ages." With a quick nod at the pianist, the introductory bars of a Nordic folk song began. Her voluminous voice then filled all corners of the venue; she had mastered crescendo and pianissimo forte to interpret longings for love. Reese's mouth dropped open in astonishment as high notes seemed to float beyond the building's rafters into the night. For one hour she performed with her voice not conveying strain. The last aria's notes ended as sweetly as church chimes on a lazy afternoon.
The opera house exploded into applause as patrons rose to their feet cheering wildly. "Finch, that was amazing," Reese said wondrously. "Superb!" Finch exclaimed as his clapping overshadowed everyone else's in their row. A young woman entered from the side wing with a large bouquet of red roses for Renee. Photographers surrounded the front of the stage to document what was her swan song of her long career. Finch pointed to the young woman who gave the roses, saying, "That is her assistant, Miss Andrea Lawson; the one responsible for the blind date." Reese smiled as his gaze lingered on Renee. I think I'm going to like opera, he thought.
Afterwards at the reception Renee's assistant Andrea loudly asked for everyone's attention. She boldly stood in front of the crowd, elegantly dressed in a black evening gown set against her golden hair. She was entering her 15th year as being Renee's assistant. "Ladies and gentlemen, as you know, Miss Montrose is leaving to join her son's family in Hawaii. She has been such a good sport to let me arrange a gift from me to her. She has agreed to have a 'blind date' with the eligible male contributor of the largest donation to the opera company this evening." All eyes focused on Renee whose fingers were fluttering around her champagne glass. She smiled anxiously as she listened to the patrons' surprised murmurings about the announcement. She had not had a date in years, and yes, she was gracious to let Andrea talk her into this situation. Reese and Finch were standing in the middle of the crowd with Reese's heart nervously pounding. Adding to his nervousness was Finch's simple comment, "Here comes the announcement."
Andrea, very pleased with herself, announced loudly, "Mr. John Reynolds, please come forward to meet Miss Montrose!" With one deep breath, Reese came out from the crowd towards Renee with the crowd expressing surprise and appreciation for his tall, elegant appearance. Renee momentarily froze in shock – this was the man she let her gaze linger on before the performance. Fortunately Andrea took her glass before she dropped it. As Reese stood before her words tumbled from her lips in awe, "You're the most generous donor willing to go on a date with me?" Now that they were in front of one another, they both felt the strong chemistry of attraction flowing between them. This is going to be hard, Reese thought. Protecting a woman I want to know better behind those eyes.
To the crowd's delight, he finally said easily, "Miss Montrose, we have a date to set."
"Oh, this is so much fun!" Andrea gushed. Finch moved forward to look at Reese and Renee more closely; observing that both were free-falling for each other without parachutes. An hour earlier Reese doubted his cover; now he was more than a willing participant. Taking out his phone he texted Reese: "Back to work." With one last look at the newly formed couple, he exited the building. Depending on how much more background he found about Renee, it was going to be a long night.
Reese reached into his pocket when his phone alerted him to Finch's message. After reading the text he said to Renee, "We should exchange phone numbers in case something happens before our breakfast date tomorrow." Andrea smiled appreciatively at Reese as she handed Renee her phone. "Oh, that is a smart idea," Renee said. "But I don't foresee anything hindering our plan." As she said her phone number Reese paired his phone successfully with hers. Looking at his watch the evening waned towards lateness, and he still needed to meet with Finch. Extending his hand towards her, he said, "Miss Montrose…"
"Please call me Renee, John," she interrupted as she took his hand into hers. "I don't want to hear formal names during breakfast."
"Neither do I," Reese agreed, wishing he didn't have to withdraw his hand from the softness of hers. "Until tomorrow morning, Renee, have a good night. " She smiled beautifully as he turned to leave.
"What a fine looking man," Andrea remarked. "I'm so happy for you, Renee! Play it cool, and you might have him visiting you in Hawaii. I enjoyed gobbling up the vibrations between you two."
"My memories of meeting him will be with me in Hawaii." She then hugged her loyal assistant warmly. "Thank you so much! I was sure you had gone mad to arrange this 'blind date' but it is what I needed. Since I want to be alert tomorrow morning, I think I'll go back to the hotel earlier to rest. Don't worry about checking in on me; just go have fun."
"If you need anything…"
"I know, I'll text you but this night is yours to enjoy." Picking up another champagne filled glass, Andrea toasted Renee, before mingling into the crowd. A small group of patrons surrounded Renee to acquire her autograph on their programs. As she signed them she realized that part of retiring meant not autographing anymore unless someone recognized her. Twenty five years on the stage and in recording studios now over.
While Reese was still at the reception Finch organized a computer slideshow of Renee's life, which did not yet reveal her financial footprint. A gnarly encryption blocked his attempts; perhaps his mind was overly tired, but he had not figured out how to overcome the obstacle. While drinking a cup of tea to relax his mind, Reese appeared. Bear, who was on his bed, got up to receive Reese's customary rubbing between the ears. Finch noticed Reese's countenance brightened since the performance.
"Everything set up for the date?" he asked as he sat down at the computer.
"Tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. for breakfast at the hotel," Reese reported as he stood near Finch to see Renee's information.
"I booked a room for you tonight at her hotel. There was a sudden vacancy four doors down from her room." Reese smiled at how Finch took liberty from his computer console to multitask.
"Guess I'll get up early so I won't meet her in the hallway."
"Let me show you what I've found so far." Finch, for the moment, wished to steer away from Reese's attraction to Renee. The first photo he brought up was of Renee at the age of fourteen; an already developing beautiful teenager. "Renee Montrose is her real name; she grew up in Indiana with parents of French descent," Finch continued. He then clicked on a photo of an older, distinguished man. "Her high school choir teacher had her sing for this gentleman Joseph Marcel, head of the Marcel Opera Company. He had just taken over at the age of 36. He is the one who made her into a star. He died ten years ago from a sudden stroke." Finch then looked at Reese. "Here is where her history becomes more interesting." He brought up a birth certificate from a hospital in Milan, Spain. "Renee's son David was born when she was 20 years old. The father is listed unknown on the certificate. It took me a while but I found a photo of her son when he was two years old. Take a look." He brought up the photo of the child, with Reese's eyes registering interest. "He's Asian-American", he observed. "What have you linked to his birth?"
Finch clicked on a link to an archived article in an opera magazine. "Renee sang for prominent Chinese professionals in Hong Kong when she was still 19 years old, shortly after her debut in Milan. She and Marcel were guests for a month before returning to Spain." Reese's mind worked out conclusions.
"So she must have met someone there, " he said, "went back to Spain where she finds out she's pregnant; gives birth but does not name the father, perhaps out of fear how it would affect her career?"
"Perhaps, but the birth certificate changed when David was two. Joseph Marcel adopted David and gave him his last name," Finch said as he retrieved adoption papers. "In the opera periodicals I reviewed, Joseph gave David an excellent education in music which David has used in his career of managing a musical arts foundation in Hawaii. When Joseph died, Renee revealed she had loved him as early as the age of sixteen. His death was a terrible blow. Renee pushed herself to be the best because of her love for him."
"She was brave to reveal that. He must have cared for her very much to adopt her son. "
"If they did have a romance she never disclosed it." Finch retrieved present photos of David, his blonde American wife, and Chinese-American daughter. "As stated David oversees a musical foundation in Hilo, Hawaii, which promotes all musical genres. His wife, Annie, assists him, and their daughter, Cami, just turned three. He ensures his family is financially secure."
"I like that name – Cami," Reese remarked. "What about Andrea, Renee's unusual assistant?" He thought about Andrea's boisterous excitement at him meeting Renee. Finch retrieved the information he found about her.
"She has an Economics degree; attended a performance by Renee, and secured her job by talking to Marcel. She's indispensable and thrifty money-wise. She saves more than spends."
"So far the only leads we have about Renee becoming a number seem to be from the past in Hong Kong, and from what happened after she gave birth. What did you find regarding finances?"
"Unfortunately, I've had no success breaking an encryption to Renee's financial footprint. It's frustrating, so I plan on working the night on it. Marcel was financially secure in his company; no questionable activity there."
"Well, Finch, I know you will break that encryption before your next cup of tea. When are Renee and Andrea leaving for Hawaii?"
"In three days on the main airline going there. This information came from Andrea when I made the donation."
"Then let me get a change of clothes before heading over to Renee's hotel. Thanks for booking that room." Just when he turned to leave, Finch finally posed his simple, direct thought, "John, I saw how much you like her."
"How could I not like her?" Reese asked, smiling. "She's easy on the eyes, and quite cultured. Don't worry; I won't let anything interfere with the job I need to do." After he left Finch looked at Bear, remarking, "I think we're going to be in our own opera with its twists and turns."