Chapter 3

Lee returned to find the Q-Bureau empty. He hadn't meant to be gone that long, but he had been so frustrated that he ended up walking farther than he had planned. Before he had realized how far he had walked, he was outside Dooley's. Not quite in the mood to return to work, he had gone inside and had a beer. While he sat at the bar, nursing his drink, he had thought about the irony of the situation. Although Dooley's was a bar that Amanda had frequented with Joe, back in his college days, it was also the place that he had first realized his true feelings towards the woman who was now his wife. Seeing Amanda dancing in Joe's arms that night after the whole Estoccian mess was cleared up, had been just the wake up call he'd needed. Ironically, it seemed to be just the thing to do the trick today, as well. Walking over to his own desk, he sat down and glanced over at his wife's empty chair.

Lee knew that Amanda was downstairs in Billy's office, which was exactly how he had timed his return. He had realized on his way back to the office that this had to be just as hard on his wife, as it was on him, probably even more so. He had passed by a small flower stand on his way back to the office and an idea had popped into his head. He needed to show her that he did trust her and knew just the way to do it. He knew that Dotty was going flying with Captain Curt and that the boys would be at an extended Junior Trailblazers jamboree at the local YMCA. With the Inauguration on Friday, the schools had scheduled teacher conferences for tomorrow and Thursday and had given all the kids a five-day weekend. So, with the family already occupied, he had the perfect idea in mind. Pulling out the phone book, he quickly leafed through the pages until he found the business he was looking for. He reached over and, picking up the telephone receiver, he dialed the number and waited for someone on the other end to answer.

"Good morning, Redwood Flowers of Arlington, this is Marie, how may I help you?" Marie Jackson, proprietor of the shop answered as she picked up the phone and grabbed a pen and paper. "And you would like this delivered today? … Our drivers are actually quite familiar with that neighborhood and we can have this there by six o'clock, no problem. Will this be C.O.D or credit card? … Credit card, okay go ahead and give me the number." She jotted down the credit card number and then read it back to make sure that she hadn't missed anything. "Okay Mr. Stetson, we'll have this taken care of, just as you asked. Thank you for your business." She hung up the phone and moved over to the shelf to choose the perfect vase to put the flower arrangement in.

In no time at all Marie found the perfect one. It was simple, yet had delicate hearts etched into the glass. From what Mr. Stetson had asked for, and based on the poem, she knew that this particular customer was looking to impress his lady. Since the flowers were going to a house she had sent many flowers to in the last few years, she didn't mind putting a little extra effort into this particular arrangement. With the vase chosen, she moved over to the flower encasement and carefully picked out only the most perfect, half open long-stem red roses she could find. With a dozen expertly chosen, she moved back over to the counter with the vase and began placing the blossoms inside.

Marie then added some baby's breath and a few mini roses to give it just that added extra something. Taking a step back, she inspected her work and smiled. Yes this was going to definitely one of her best works. With the arrangement complete, she moved over and picked a small card with two little hearts in the corner and began writing out the message Mr. Stetson had asked to be put on the card. With that all accomplished she put the card in its matching envelope and was about to address the envelope when the telephone rang again.

Marie quickly moved over to the phone and picked it up. Her forehead creased into a frown as she listened to her mother on the other end, apparently there was a crisis at home. "Okay, I'll be home as soon as I can." She hung up the phone and looked around for her assistant. "Julie," she called out, "where are you?"

Julie, a young blonde girl in her first year of college, poked her head through the doorway leading to the back room. "I'm right here, Marie. What's up?"

"I need to run home and can't finish getting the last few arrangements ready for the afternoon pickup." Marie moved towards her office to grab her coat. "I need you to get everything ready for me, can you do that?"

"No problem. Just let me know what else needs to be done." Julie wiped her hands on a nearby towel, and moved towards the counter laden with the latest arrangements.

"That one is my last one." Marie returned with her coat on and pointed to the vase of roses she had just finished. "Everything's ready, I just need you to put the address on it. It's for the lady of the house, and the address is listed in my address book under West, Dotty. Just put West-King on the envelope." She grabbed her purse and headed for the door. "Thank you so much Julie, I should be back in time to lock up, if not, you know how to do it. I owe you big time." Waving, she stepped outside and headed for her car.

Julie looked at the arrangement and smiled. "Marie really outdid herself on this one." She then moved over to the counter and grabbing the phone book, she turned the pages till she found the address her boss had indicated. She began filling out the card when the phone rang. "Redwood Florist of Arlington, this is Julie." She moved over and grabbed a pen and paper and began writing down the order. She looked up briefly when Jason, the delivery boy walked into the shop. "Can you please hold a second," she asked the customer, who replied in the affirmative. She then put the call on hold and nodded to Jason. "There are three arrangements by the door ready to go and then this one. Give me a minute to finish the address and it's all yours."

Jason smiled. "I'll bring the others to my car and come back for that one."

"Great, thanks." Julie moved over, quickly finished filling out the envelope and placed it in the little plastic holder before picking up the phone and taking the caller off hold. "Okay thank you for holding."

Jason came back in and went to take the arrangement of roses, but stopped when he noticed that the name of the recipient wasn't on the envelope. "Pssst." He waited till Julie was looking at him. "There's no name on here, just an address."

Julie nodded and quickly took the envelope and wrote down Mrs. West and then went back to paying attention to the caller on the phone.

Jason put the envelope back on the little plastic stand and headed out the door with the arrangement in hand.

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Dotty opened the back door and, after entering the house, she dropped her bags unceremoniously on the floor and slammed the door shut behind her. Shrugging out of her coat, she made her way towards the front of the house. "How dare he leave me standing outside his apartment for the last hour." Stepping up onto the landing she headed over to the hall closet. "He had better have a very good reason for standing me up." She opened the closet door and pulled out a hangar. She had just finished hanging her coat on the metal holder when the doorbell rang. Putting her coat into the closet, she headed for the front door.

Dotty took a deep breath to calm her nerves and, putting on her best friendly smile, she opened the door and came face-to-face with a young delivery boy.

"Flowers for Mrs. West."

Dotty accepted the flowers and smiled. "Why thank you young man."

"My pleasure, enjoy." Jason nodded as he turned and headed back down the walk towards his car.

Dotty shut the door and took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent of the roses. "I wonder who could be sending me flowers. I'm not even supposed to be home." A smile crossed her lips, and she hurriedly made her way to the kitchen. "I wonder if they're from Curt, apologizing for standing me up." She put the vase of roses on the counter and pulled out the card.

My Pretty Lady,

Please meet me at eight and allow me to grovel and apologize for my recent behavior.

As to the place I wish you to meet me, use your exceptional talents to decipher the following riddle to find out where we'll rendezvous.

My first starts the light that warms me when you are around.

My second is the beverage that you like to drink.

My third is the first in the French for what I feel for you.

My fourth is the first in the description of your smile.

My whole is a shimmering celestial body in the language of love.

Dotty smiled as she read the card again. "My, my Curt, I didn't know you could be such a romantic. And it's a riddle too, he knows how much I love word puzzles." She reread the card again and scratched her head. "Now to figure out where the devil you're asking me to meet you." Putting the card down, she moved over to the sink and, pulling out the drawer grabbed a pen and paper. Closing the drawer she moved back to the counter and sat down, ready to figure out where she would be going this evening.

Dotty picked up the card and read the first line out loud. "My first starts the light that warms me…well that means it's the first letter of a light that warms." She tapped the pencil against her cheek. "Well the only light that I know of that warms is the sun, so it has to begin with an 'S'." She jotted that down on the paper and then moved to the next line. "My second is the beverage that you like to drink." She looked around the kitchen. "This one's not going to be easy. I like tea, milk with a touch of Galliano at bedtime, and I drink a lot of hot chocolate. So the second letter could be a 'T', 'G', 'M' or 'C'. That's not much help." She wrote all four letters down and then moved to the third line. "My third is the first in the French for what I feel for you." She scrunched up her nose and tapped the pen to her cheek again. "I didn't know Curt knew French. The man is just so full of surprises. Now, where is that old French Dictionary my husband used to have?"

Dotty jumped off the stool, and walked over to the bookcase. She scanned all the shelves and finally came across the book she was looking for. Reaching up, she took it down off the shelf and carried it back into the kitchen. Sitting back down on the stool, she reread the line. "I wonder if this is a riddle within a riddle. I mean I know how I feel about him, I like Curt, a lot, and I guess you could say I love him, not in the way I loved Frank. Oh goodness I'm talking to myself. Okay, back to the riddle, well I wonder if he feels the same way about me as I do about him. Since I'm not sure, I'll just start with like." She turned the pages of the dictionary until she came to 'like'. "In French, like is aimer. Hmm… I wonder." She skimmed the pages until she found the French word for love. "Well isn't that interesting, aimer is love too. Okay so the third letter is definitely an 'A'." She jotted that down on her paper and then reread the fourth line. "The fourth is the first in the description of your smile. Well that could be anything. Sometimes my smile is big, happy, jolly, even wide. I'll have to come back to that one."

Dotty picked up her paper and looked over her notes. "Well I definitely have an 'S' and an 'A', maybe that's enough to figure out what the word is. The whole word has to do with a shimmering celestial body in the language of love. Well the language of love is French so wherever I'm supposed to meet Curt is French. Let's see, celestial bodies, well that could be the sun, moon, stars or even a planet. I know the riddle is a four letter word, so other than Mars, no other planet fits into this, and neither the moon nor Mars starts with an 'S' so there out. Sun is three letters, so that's out. The only other possibility is star. I have a possible 'T' for the second letter so that fits. Hmm…. 'R' I wonder if he meant radiant. Curt thinks I have a radiant smile, oh how sweet. Okay, now to figure out where he wants me to meet him." She picked up the French dictionary and scanned the pages till she came to the French word for star. "Etoile. That's it. There's a wonderful new, very extravagant restaurant that just opened up in Alexandria called l'Etoile."

Dotty leaned over and smelled the roses one more time. "Oh, Curt, if this is your way of making it up to me for standing me up earlier, you're totally forgiven." She glanced over at the clock on the counter and let out a gasp. "If I want to make it to Alexandria by eight, I need to get ready now." She put the card into the plastic holder nestled within the flowers. She gave one last longing look at the flowers, melting away any remaining feelings of anger she might have had and turning, she made her way towards the stairs, eager to get ready for what she hoped was going to be a truly magical evening.

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The Maitre d' of 'l'Etoile' smiled at the elegantly dressed customers patiently waiting for their tables to be ready. He had just returned from seating a very nice young couple, so obviously in love and was about to look down at his seating chart, when his eyes fell on the attractive, middle-aged blonde woman. He knew that she had been sitting there for quite some time. He had approached her shortly after she had arrived, asking her if he could assist her. She had very politely told him that she had arrived early, and was just waiting for her gentlemen friend. He had offered to seat her at their table, and she had said she'd wait until eight, when her date was expected to arrive. When eight o'clock had arrived, he had approached her again, and suggested that he seat her with the promise that he would show her friend to their table upon his arrival. Unfortunately, after checking the list for her date's name and not finding a reservation, he had checked under hers but had still found nothing. With a slightly embarrassed expression, she had apologized and thanked him for being so kind. She had then gone back to her seat in the waiting area, to await the arrival of her date. He watched her now, glancing at her watch and tapping her foot impatiently, and he fervently hoped that the kind Mrs. West hadn't been stood up.

Dotty glanced at her watch for what seemed to be the hundredth time in the last ten minutes. She tried not to think about the fact that he was fifteen minutes late, after all, this was Alexandria and parking wasn't the easiest. Since Amanda had the car, she had taken a cab so finding a place to park wasn't something she'd had to worry about. However, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to the events of earlier. She was supposed to have met Curt at his apartment and they were due to head over to the airport to get some flying in. In fact, Curt had told her that they were going to be flying to a remote location, the whereabouts of which he had steadfastly refused to convey. She had waited for him outside his place for what seemed like an eternity, getting colder by the minute. The doorman was new and refused to even let her sit inside, which had only made her angrier at her predicament. Finally, after an hour had passed, she had finally given up and flagged a cab down and returned home. Now, sitting here, waiting for him to arrive again, although she was in a much warmer atmosphere, she couldn't help but wonder if she'd been stood up once more.

Dotty quickly dismissed that idea, having known Curt for over two years now, he wasn't the type of person to do anything deliberately mean or unkind. Suddenly, she let out a small gasp as another thought ran through her mind, what if he was hurt? If that were true, then it would certainly explain his absence. Then again, if he was hurt, who had sent her the roses? Shaking her head, she decided it was time to get some answers. Rising from her seat, she was just about to head over to the Maitre d' and ask him if she could use a phone to make some inquiries when the door to the restaurant opened. She turned, expectantly, hoping that Curt was finally arriving, and her eyes grew wide in shock as she saw her daughter's boyfriend enter. "Lee?"

Lee blew on his cold hands as he entered the very elegant restaurant. He had just walked five blocks in the cold, having had to drive around for what seemed like forever to find a spot suitable for his Corvette. Hoping to find his wife waiting for him, he was slightly taken aback to see his mother-in-law standing in the waiting area. "Dotty?"

"Imagine running into you here. I guess you and Curt had the same idea." Dotty craned her neck looking for any sign of her daughter. "Where's Amanda, or is she meeting you here?"

"I'm a little late, I was hoping she'd be here already. I'm guessing that since you're asking about her whereabouts, she's obviously not here yet." Lee rubbed his hands together, trying to bring some warmth back into them. "I take it you're meeting Captain Curt."

Dotty nodded. "I'm supposed to be anyway. I was just getting ready to ask the Maitre d' if I could use the phone, it's not like Curt to leave me waiting twice."

Lee looked at his mother-in-law curiously. "Twice?"

"Yes, we had plans to meet up this afternoon. I'm sure Amanda told you that I was going to be away with Curt for a few days." Dotty watched Lee nod and noticed him still rubbing his hands together. "Oh, let's get you away from the door, Lee." She pulled him into the restaurant a little more. "Anyway, I waited for him at his apartment, but he never showed, then when I got home, I received the most beautiful bouquet of roses and a very romantic dinner invitation to this restaurant. I figured it was his way of apologizing for standing me up earlier. However, I've been waiting here for over half an hour and the Maitre d' can't find a reservation under the name Weller or West, so I don't know what to think."

"Um, Dotty," Lee interjected when she stopped to take a breath. As he had been listening to his mother-in-law's rambling, a feeling of guilt had begun to wash over him. "I don't know how to tell you this, other than to just come out and say it." He nervously ran a hand through his hair. "I'm afraid those flowers weren't from Curt, and they weren't for you." He let out a deep breath as he gave Dotty a sympathetic smile. "I sent those flowers and the card to Amanda. We had a bit of an argument and I was being a real jerk, and thought that I'd try and make things up to her with a romantic dinner."

Dotty put her head into her hands as the full realization hit her. "Oh, I feel like such a fool." Suddenly she remembered something and looked up at Lee, a curious expression on her face. "Wait a minute I'm really confused, the delivery boy said the flowers were for me."

Lee shrugged apologetically. "I don't know what to tell you, Dotty. I guess the florist must have made a mistake. I had asked that the flowers be addressed to the lady of the house. I figured that would be okay, since Amanda had told me that you were going to be away. I'm guessing that, since the florist said they delivered to your neighborhood a lot, she probably recognized the address and figured they were for you." He reached out and affectionately laid a hand on her shoulder. "I feel so bad about this, how about you join me for dinner, well us, that is if Amanda arrives at all. I'm beginning to wonder if she'll even know the flowers are for her, since you said they were addressed to you. Anyway, if she does show up, I'll just have the waiter bring another place setting to the table."

Dotty shook her head. "I couldn't do that, impose on your evening like that…"

"Nonsense, you're here," Lee interrupted his mother-in-law and flashed her his dimpled smile, "all dressed up and looking extremely beautiful, I might add, because of me." He looked at her pleadingly. "Please, I insist."

Dotty looked at her daughter's very handsome boyfriend. "Well when you put it that way, I'd love to join you for dinner." She offered him her arm. "Now I know why my daughter loves you so much. You're a real charmer, aren't you?"

Lee winked at her as he linked her arm through his and made his way towards the Maitre d'. "I have a reservation, under the name Vanderhousen."

"Vanderhousen?" Dotty glanced at Lee a quizzical expression on her face.

Lee smiled and shrugged. "Let's just say that the name has sentimental value."

"Ah, here it is." The Maitre d' pointed to the name on the list, he then looked up and smiled at the blonde woman. "I see your date finally showed up, I'm so glad Mrs. West, I was afraid that you'd been stood up."

"Actually," Dotty chuckled a little self-consciously. "Turns out there was a small mix-up and this wonderful young man, was supposed to be meeting my daughter."

"Well, it looks like you'll still get to enjoy the exquisite cuisine our establishment has to offer." The Maitre d' grabbed two menus and turned towards the dining room. "If you'll follow me I'll show you to your table."

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Amanda glanced at her watch as she hurried down the sidewalk. An hour late. She hated to be late, not that it was her fault. The meeting with Francine and Mr. Melrose had run longer than she had expected. Then, she had gotten stuck in horrendous traffic on the way home. The flowers had been a welcome surprise and had brought a smile to her face. She had run upstairs and changed, and was out the door just as eight o'clock had rolled around. Thinking that she would only be about fifteen minutes late, was her first mistake. Never tempt the hand of fate by expecting to be anywhere within reason, at least not when you would need to travel the Capitol Beltway to get anywhere. Then to top it all off, she had had an almost impossible time finding a place to park. Reaching the entrance to l'Etoile, she took a deep breath and prayed that Lee would still be inside waiting for her and hadn't left, thinking that she was still annoyed with him for his earlier behavior, and therefore standing him up.

Amanda pulled the door open and stepping inside, scanned the waiting area, looking for her husband. Not seeing him, she approached the Maitre d'. "I was wondering if you could tell me if a Lee Stetson has already arrived. He would have had reservations for eight, and I'm already an hour late. I was hoping that maybe you had already seated him."

The Maitre d' smiled. "Let me just take a look." He scanned his list and his smile faded as he looked back up at the elegant brunette. "I'm sorry, but there isn't a reservation under that name."

"Would you mind checking under King?" Amanda asked. "He may have put it under my name just in case I arrived before him, which obviously wasn't the case."

The Maitre d' shook his head. "Sorry, nothing under King either."

Amanda frowned. "I sure hope I got the riddle right." She looked behind the Maitre d' and noticed the bar. "Would it be okay if I went and checked the bar, perhaps when he didn't see me he decided to wait for me in there."

"Please, be my guest." The Maitre d' smiled and waved her back towards the bar.

Amanda smiled as she passed the man. Entering the dimly lit room, she took notice of the few tables set aside for customers who didn't want to wait in the seating area for their table. She somehow didn't picture her husband waiting at one of those, and glanced over in the direction of the stools that aligned the black marble counter. However, as she let her gaze fall on several men sitting alone at the bar, she realized that none of them matched her husband's familiar silhouette. Sighing, she walked over to the black counter and signaled to the bartender. "Do you have a phone I could use? I was supposed to meet someone, but it appears that they left before I got here, not that I blame him, I am an hour late."

The bartender smiled at this charming brunette. "I usually tell customers that there's a pay phone near the restrooms, but for a beautiful lady like you, I think I can make an exception." He reached below the bar and, pulling out the phone, placed it on the counter.

"Thank you so much." Amanda smiled pleasantly as she picked up the receiver and dialed the familiar number. When the answering machine picked up, she sighed, realizing that Lee probably hadn't arrived home. "Hi, it's me. I'm sorry we missed each other, I'm at the restaurant now, and I'm guessing that you're probably on your way home. Anyway, I'm going to head over to your place as soon as I hang up. I'll see you soon."

As Amanda placed the receiver back on the base, she had the strangest feeling that she was being watched and turned, hoping to see her husband's familiar hazel eyes. Instead, she locked eyes with a pair of very intense ice-blue eyes that sent a small shudder up and down her spine. She tried to keep any trace of recognition from her expression and politely smiled at the man she knew was Steven Richmond.

Steven Richmond prided himself on being a charmer, and someone who enjoyed making pretty ladies weak at the knees. So, it wasn't the least bit surprising that he had noticed the brunette, who was now standing next to him, the minute she had entered the restaurant. Unfortunately, since most people who came to l'Etoile came with someone or were meeting their significant other here, he hadn't had much hope of hooking up with this beautiful creature. However, after hearing that she'd been stood up, his dashed hopes quickly rose and he put on his most debonair smile. "I couldn't help but overhear that you've been stood up. I don't suppose I could interest you in joining me for a quick drink."

Knowing that this man was her assignment and realizing that an opportunity, better than any scenario that she and Francine had come up with, had just dropped itself in her lap, Amanda wasn't about to turn him down. However, she also knew that he had overheard her message and that she was planning on leaving, so she didn't want to seem too eager. "Oh, that really is sweet, but I really should get going. If my date gets home and hears my message, I know he'll start to wonder what's keeping me." She smiled innocently at the blond man.

Steven moved over and sat on the stool directly next to where she was standing. "Please, I insist. If I had a beautiful woman like you meeting me at an elegant restaurant like this, there's no way I would leave until you arrived. Besides, he may have stepped into the men's room. Wouldn't it be in your best interest to wait and make sure he doesn't come back?"

Amanda couldn't argue with that logic, especially since it could very likely be true. "I guess I can't argue with that." She sat down on the stool in front of her. "But only one drink."

"Wonderful," Steven signaled for the bartender. "Now what would an elegant woman like yourself wish to drink?"

Despite her best intentions, Amanda felt herself blush at his compliment. "Just a white wine, thank you."

"One white wine for the lady, Matthew," Steven said to the bartender. "And if you don't mind, I'd like a refill on my drink as well."

"No problem Steven. One white wine coming up, and a refill on your gin and tonic." Matthew nodded politely before moving down the bar to take down a wine glass.

Steven watched his friend briefly before turning back towards the brunette beside him. "I bet you're wondering why I seem to be on a first name basis with the bartender, aren't you?"

"Actually, Steven, it had crossed my mind." Amanda responded and gave him a smile that she hoped appeared warm and inviting. "Especially since it doesn't seem that an elegant restaurant like this would get too many regulars."

"Well, let me put your curiosity to rest. You see a friend of mine owns this place," Steven gestured around the room. "So I come in here on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, if I don't have any other plans, since they're my only two nights off. He doesn't mind, especially since I entertain Matthew with stories of my escapades at work when it's slow, and in exchange, I get my drinks for free. Since I live only a few blocks from here, it's the perfect arrangement." He took the drinks from Matthew when the bartender returned. "Now, I do believe you have me at a slight disadvantage. Since Matthew provided you with my name, I think it's only polite that you tell me yours." He handed her the wine glass.

"I guess that would be the only proper thing to do, after all you are treating me to a free drink." Amanda chuckled again. "Even if you aren't paying for it." She extended her hand. "Amanda West, and it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Steven…"

"Steven Richmond." Steve accepted her hand and brought it to his lips, placing a tender kiss on the delicate skin.

Amanda fought the urge to rip her hand from his and instead gazed into his eyes. It was then that she noticed something she hadn't noticed before. For a brief moment, she felt like she was looking into his soul and she caught the shadow of something almost imperceptible. She couldn't help but wonder if it was guilt that she saw there. Knowing what the man sitting next to her was planning on doing, if he was feeling even a glimmer of guilt, that would mean that he wasn't a willing participant in this assassination attempt. Clearing her throat, she smiled shyly at her companion. "So, Steven Richmond, what is it that you do, that only allows you two nights off in the middle of the week?"

"I work in security." Steven smiled as he let his thumb rub circles on her hand. This was working much better than he had anticipated. With Amanda's hand in his, he kept thinking that if he could only convince this beautiful woman to come back to his apartment and help him forget all about the job he was being forced to do on Friday, he might die a happy man. The pleasant thoughts of what he would like to do to Amanda were quickly dashed when he felt her tear her hand from his grasp.

Amanda had immediately ripped her hand from Steven's when she felt a tap on her shoulder and, instinctively knew who it was from the feeling of electricity that ran through her body at his familiar touch. Turning, she came face-to-face with a very angry pair of hazel eyes.

To Be Continued…