Artie opened the door to the fairly empty hotel lobby, checked in with the clerk, and headed up the stairs. The sooner he got to his room the sooner he could reason out what he had just seen. The scene kept replaying over and over again in his mind: the blankness on Jim's face, the faraway look in his eyes, the sharp tone in voice when he had tried to talk to him, and the emotionless statement about his dinner with the woman.

Artie was so busy sorting out these thoughts that he didn't watch where he was going, and ended up colliding into another man.

"Gordon, what in the devil is wrong with you?"

Artie's head shot up to meet the face of the owner of the throaty, rasped voice.

"Colonel Richmond! What are you doing here? I thought you were back in Washington!"

"Thought I'd take a little time off and see what nonsense was going on here," replied the shorter, older man, "And what are you doing here? I thought you'd be out enjoying yourself. I saw a nice pair of twin brunettes whom I bet would enjoy a date with you two." He peered over the agent's shoulder. "And where's West?"

Artie sighed. "Colonel, I think we'd better go to my room and talk in private."

"Is it serious?" asked Richmond as he tagged along, "Is West hurt? Or in trouble? Or has he gone missing? What happened?"

Artie opened the door to his room, "Colonel, I don't know, it could be a combination of all those things!"

"Artemus," Richmond sighed and sank into a nearby chair. "Tell me what happened."

Artie shut the door and flopped onto his bed. "It was very strange, sir. Jim and I were near the outskirts when from under the archway a runaway horse and carriage appeared. Jim managed to stop the horse and the lady claimed it spooked when an organ grinder's monkey threw a cup at it. I went back to check, and there was no sign whatsoever of either one, and no one claimed to see one. I went back to check on Jim and I saw him sitting in the carriage with the woman." He paused.

"And?" prompted Richmond.

"Colonel," Artie said slowly, "I didn't like what I saw. He kept staring at her. His face was completely blank. His eyes seemed to be someplace else. I asked him what he was doing and replied he was taking the lady home and out for dinner at Miss Valgorba's at seven. He sounded like...almost like he was in a trance or something."

Richmond seemed to be taking it all into consideration. "I see. And then?"

"I tried to tell him that there was no grinder or monkey," said Artie, "he interrupted and told me we'd talk when he got back. When I tried again, he became very irritated and told me off. Right in front of the lady."

"West is a man of impatience and temper," Richmond said softly, "You know how he is with women and getting his way."

"I know Colonel," said Artie, "But Jim was very rude about it. He snapped at me in front of the woman. He never does that, Colonel. His behavior was peculiar, even for him."

Richmond was quiet. "That doesn't sound like Jim at all. How was he when you came here?"

"Why, alert as always," said Artie, "He didn't start displaying any questionable behavior until I got back from the outskirts."

"Are you trying to tell me the woman made him act that way?" asked Richmond, "Isn't that putting it on a little thick?"

"Colonel, as far-fetched as it sounds, yes, I do." He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Colonel, I didn't have a good feeling about her. I didn't like her overly radiant face. There was something fake about it. I felt like she was somehow trying to seduce, perhaps hypnotize, Jim into following along with her game."

Richmond nodded. "I see. Can you give me any description on her?"

"Well, she was petite, early thirties, had dark blonde hair, cocoa brown eyes, fair skin, and she wore a lavender summer dress. And that perfume...it..." Artie's voice trailed off.

"What is it now, Gordon?" demanded Richmond impatiently.

Artie looked into his eyes. "I didn't like that perfume she was wearing. It irritated my nose. It's scent was of peaches and flowers, and it was soft but-" Artie coughed, "-very pungent. And it too, seemed fake. It nearly clogged my mind, and..." Artie smacked his hands together. "Of course!"

"Of course what?" demanded Richmond, standing up. "And what is it about this perfume? Are you trying to tell me that the woman's face and perfume hypnotized West so that he'd run off with her? If you're telling me that's so, then-"

"No Colonel, don't you see?" said Artie growing excited at the prospect, "Men have a nose for soft, womanly scents, right?"

"I suppose so," said Richmond, "But-"

"Do you realize what women could do if they upgraded those scents, and perhaps, chemically treated them, so that it worked on the men's noses, and maybe even their brains?"

"Gordon, perfume does not control a man!" Richmond barked, "It can attract, maybe, but it can't control."

"I haven't completely figured it out yet myself, Colonel, but I bet that's what's driving Jim crazy." said Artie, "I bet he could even fall in love with her like no one else!"

Richmond stared. Artie's smile faded. "But that means..."

Richmond nodded. "West is in love."

"And if that's so, and the woman's perfume could control him..." Artie's stomach tightened. "Our hero has become our enemy."

Richmond nodded again. "And if we managed to get him back, or even break him free of the trance..."

Artie's eyes were soft. "His heart would be broken. Jim West would be a damaged man."

It was now Richmond's turn to have his mouth gape. "I never thought I'd hear anyone, especially you Gordon, say that."

Artie nodded. "Jim's a tough man. But he's not a machine. He has feelings, Colonel. And any man's feelings can be shattered. Some people get over it and move on. But others..."

"I'm beginning to see." said Richmond, "If he gets too close to her, and we have to pull them away, he'll-"

Artie nodded. "He'd never be the same man again."

Richmond was quiet. "I don't want to see West broken."

Artie sighed. "We don't have a choice. We can't pick one man's heart over an entire country. We'll just have to hope he'll be willing to accept the loss and move on. But even if he did, he'd still be damaged. We'll still have lost our hero."

Richmond sighed. "Well, I guess I'd better head back to the office and try to find a file on the lady. Did you get her name?"

Artie shook his head. "No sir."

Richmond nodded understandingly. "All right. I'll see you at five. If Mr. West returns, that is."

Artie sighed. "I guess we'll find out tonight."

"Bye Gordon," said Richmond as he closed the door behind him.

Artie sat down on the bed and put his head into his hands. He didn't want to see his friend's spirit crushed. It was one thing to brave a war where one sees his young comrades's heads blown off the by enemy shells, or die by his side or on his feet. He knew Jim had faced that. Artie himself had, too. The memories never died, but after a time, he'd built an immunity to the haunt they brought.

But being deeply in love with someone, and having that someone eventually betray you, is another thing. A broken heart hurts worse than any bodily wound. And Artie had had such an experience with his second wife, Muriel, who died before he could finalize a divorce. But the hurt had lasted for a long time until he met Sandy after his first day in the Secret Service. But he didn't want to be hurt again, and tried to avoid and bury the feelings he had for her. But when he got to know her better, he knew he couldn't banish them. It had been hard at first, a little frightening even, but he soon learned that Sandy loved him and wanted a chance with him. But just after they became engaged, Sandy's application for the Secret Service had been accepted, and she was sent to Washington to be trained, which often meant that they hardly saw each other, even on holidays.

Suddenly, a wave of tearful loneliness swept over him. Artie picked up the photo of her that sat on the little desk and hugged it close to his chest, wishing she was here. Maybe she'd know what to do.

…...

Dinahtown was a quiet, rather empty little village a few miles from the outskirts of New Orleans, consisting mostly of little white farmhouses with wide green pastures. At Violetta's bidding, Jim West pulled up at one of those little white houses with white fencing and a red roof.

"Here we are," Violetta smiled, "This is my home."

"It's lovely," smiled Jim, "All yours?"

"Yes," said Violetta as they stepped out. "It's pretty but practical for me. And it's nice and quiet out here."

"So I take it that New Orleans is no place you'd want to live." said Jim as he held open the gate.

"Indeed," said Violetta as she walked through, "Don't get me wrong, I love to visit it, but it's always been too noisy and crowded for me."

"I see," said Jim as he tagged along.

Violetta stopped on the brick red steps and turned back to Jim. "Do you live in New Orleans, Mr. West?"

"No," said Jim, "As a matter of fact, we only come here on vacations or assignments. I have thought of moving here, but Mexico kinda seems more like my ideal place."

"I've never been to Mexico," said Violetta dreamily, "Maybe we could both go."

"I'm sure we could someday," said Jim. "Are you feeling up to dinner tonight?"

"Yes," said Violetta, "I'll see you at seven."

"All right. See you then." Jim started down the steps.

"And Mr. West?"

Jim stopped and turned. "Yes?"

Violetta walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you so much for taking me back, Mr. West."

Jim smiled at her. "My pleasure. But if you please, Miss Carleton, I'd much rather be called Jim."

"And you can call me Vi." She pressed her lips against Jim's, locking her arms around him. They parted. Violetta sighed softly. "Oh, James."

"Violetta." Jim smiled back.

Vi sniffed. "I think I have something to confess at dinner tonight."

"Do you want to get it off your chest now?" asked Jim.

"No no," said Vi, "Not here. Not now. Let me freshen up and change. I'll meet you at seven."

"Do you want me to wait?" he offered.

"No thank you, Jim," said Vi, "Go on back to your hotel or wherever your staying. We'll meet up later."

"Okay. See you at seven," called Jim as he started towards the gate.

"Bye Jim!" called Vi, "See you in a few hours!"

Those six words sent a happy echo into Jim's mind. Smiling, he trudged over to the carriage and untied his horse. Swinging onto his back, he clucked and they took off down the dirt road.

…...

It was dusk. Artie was seated at a desk, writing a letter to Sandy when he heard a knock on the door. When he opened it, Richmond walked in. "Good evening, Gordon."

"Good evening, Colonel." replied Artie.

"Is West back?" he asked, taking a seat in the cushy chair by the bed.

"No sir." said Artie, "But I think he will be soon. Did you find any reports on the woman?"

"None," said Richmond, "No one of that description. If I had the name, perhaps I could, but even then I can't guarantee we'd find her."

"I'll try talking to Jim," said Artie, "I'm sure he'll confide into me."

"Unless he thinks you'll try to steal her," Richmond said, warning in his voice.

"Steal her?" asked Artie, surprised. "I wouldn't do such a thing! Why would I? Besides, Sandy's worth a thousand women to me."

"You must remember West's peculiar behavior," said Richmond, "He may be cold to you if you keep prying into this. I'm not saying you shouldn't, but you'd better watch out for it."

Artie nodded. A pit formed into his stomach. "Should I try to detain him from visiting her?"

Richmond sighed considerably. "You can, but he will not react pleasantly. You're best bet is to somehow spy on them. My guess is she'll be unleashing lots of information about herself and her interests. Do you think you can do that?"

"I'll have to go undercover and keep my back turned, but, yes, I can." said Artie.

"Good." said Richmond, after a slight pause. "But I think we'd better pipe down."

"Huh?"

"We have company."

Artie turned to see the door swing open, revealing a grinning Jim. "Hi Artie!" he said as he tossed his royal blue coat onto the bed. "And hello, Colonel."

Artie and Richmond exchanged uncomfortable looks. "You seem to be in a gay mood tonight, West." said Richmond.

"Why thank you, Colonel," said Jim as he began rummaging through his wardrobe. "I'm very excited about tonight."

"Em, Jim, what are you, uh, doing tonight?" asked Artie between nervous smirks.

"Going out with the lady tonight at seven," Jim called from underneath a drawer-full of shirts. "At Miss Valgorba's. It's a private date, though, or I would have invited you."

Artie's mouth dropped open in shock. This wasn't James West speaking! It just wasn't!

Richmond sensed something was wrong. "Really? Who's the lady?"

"The one I rescued when her horse bolted," said Jim as he selected a clean white shirt.

"What's her name?" asked Artie in his nicest tone.

Jim's head shot around. "Why do you care, Artie?" He yanked his fancy green jacket off the hanger.

Artie felt like someone hit his stomach with a brick. "I was only asking because I wanted to know if she was a, uh...a Leonelle! I love that name when it comes to ladies with dark blonde hair and dark brown eyes."

Jim flipped his dress pants over his shoulder and pointed his finger at Artie. "Oh no, you don't! You just want to steal her from me! I'm not falling for any of your tricks, pal."

At "pal" Artie flinched slightly. "I didn't mean to pry into your personal matters, Jim, but I thought-"

"Shut up!" Jim banged his fist onto the bedside table. The clock and lamp rattled and almost tipped over. "Quit trying to disguise your questions, okay?"

Artie wanted to reply, but kept his mouth shut as Jim disappeared behind the room divider. Out of the corner of his mouth Richmond said, "Do you think that...that...chemically treated perfume...was also designed to make him irritated easily?"

"I think so." said Artie, "He's never been like this before. I didn't think he'd react like this."

"It was a simple question," said Richmond quietly, "Whatever's in that perfume is most certainly capable of irritating one's nerves."

Jim emerged from behind. "If you don't mind, I'll be getting a head start. After all, it is a long ride. Good evening, gentlemen."

"Hold it Jim!" said Richmond as he bolted from his chair and grabbed Jim's jacket. "Where do we meet you?"

"I told you, it's just me and my date," he said, his tone clipped.

"I meant after the date," said Richmond.

"Here at nine." said Jim. "I trust you won't be following me around."

A rock formed in Artie's stomach.

"I completely doubt it," said Richmond, "I have files to find, and Gordon has a report to write and turn in. Don't you, Gordon?"

"Yes sir," said Artie, sinking into the desk chair.

"All right then," said Jim, opening the door, "I'm heading off. I'll see you later tonight. Good evening."

The door shut before Jim finished his statement.

Artie let out a shaky sigh. "That's not Jim," he said in a near whisper, "That's a love-crazy monster."

Richmond sighed, "Jim's behavior has never been this bad."

"What do we do, Colonel?" asked Artie, almost desperately.

"First things, first," said Richmond, "We need to find who that woman is and why she's so interested in Jim. Then we need to find a sample of that perfume, figure out what it is, and where it's from. Then we need to find out the woman's intentions. Once we have enough evidence, we can issue an arrest if she's doing anything illegal."

"What about Jim?" asked Artie.

Richmond sighed. "Jim will probably be damaged. I don't know if he'll just be depressed or very angry at us for taking him away from the woman he loves. He may get over it and move on. But if he doesn't, or his temper gets violent..." Richmond took a deep breath. "I'll have no choice but to place him in a sanitarium. Possibly for the rest of his life."

Artie stood up at attention. "You can't do that, Colonel, you can't!" he exclaimed, "Jim can't be that bad off!"

But the look on Richmond's face, and the gut feeling in his stomach, told him otherwise.

Artie sank back down into his chair. "No," he whispered. "No."

Richmond shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry Gordon. I don't want to, but we may not have a choice. It's for his own good. If it happens, there's only two things I can offer for you."

Artie glanced up. "What's that?"

"Unlimited visiting hours, and a room next to his." the Colonel said softly.

Artie glared at Richmond. "Are you trying to tell me that I'm going crazy too?"

"Gordon, do you think I'll have an option when you try to break West out?" Richmond said, raising his voice.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Artie exclaimed, "How could you even expect me too?"

"I don't know, but I'm gonna have to watch you during this procedure." said Richmond as he headed for the door. "Now who knows, West may be hurt for a time, then he'll forget about it. But in everything you do, you must prepare for the most likely outcome, not the least likely. And Gordon, I think it's very, very unlikely that Jim's fits of anger are going to leave him for a long time, if ever."

Artie nodded, too upset to speak.

Richmond sighed. "I'll be checking in on your progress. Good evening."

"'Evening," muttered Artie as Richmond departed.

Once the door was shut, Artie buried his head into his arms as tears blurred his vision. Tearing sobs raced through his body. He couldn't believe he was loosing his best friend like this.

He knew he couldn't prevent Jim from liking this woman. It was his choice to go after a woman and lock everyone else in the world out. It wasn't going to be his choice when that woman betrayed him after getting what she wanted out of him.

Aside from Artie's wishes of having his friend back, there was one he wished he had thought of before hand:

He wished they had never come to New Orleans.

TBC