Chapter 5: Trouble in Paradise

Lee and Dotty had been admitted to the party, an outdoor affair, and the weather was perfect. This was Dotty's first trip to Hawaii, and so far, it had been wonderful. They had flown first class, so the long flight was not so bad, as the 747 was quite roomy. Now, with Lee in a seer sucker suit and Dotty in a navy summer dress. The two had drawn quite a bit of attention.

"Lee, everyone is looking at us," she noticed.

"That's good. See that guy over there? The one with an eye patch in the Nehru jacket?" He pointed to a white haired man wearing a gray Nehru jacket, looking like he stepped straight out of a spy movie.

"Yes," she said, nodding. "He's been looking at me more than anyone else."

"That's our host, Warren Jakes," explained Lee. "And he does like beautiful women in your age range."

"Who's that guy with him? The one who looks like a mountain in a suit?" Dotty pointed to a large Slavic man in a black suit.

"That's Borislav Zolnerowich, the Red Mantis."

Dotty shuddered. "He looks scary."

"That's because he is," laughed Lee. "But nothing I can't handle."

Dotty normally would have thought a man who spoke that way to be bragging, but the casual, matter of fact way that Lee said it put her at ease. She imagined that he had faced far worse in his line of work. Then, a clumsy, rather befuddled looking man spilled his drink all over one of the servers, causing a commotion that interrupted Dotty's thoughts.

"And that would be Bill Fence," said Lee, in answer to Dotty's unasked question.

"Oh my," she exclaimed. "He looks like he has two left feet and ten thumbs on his hands."

"Athletic grace is not why he's in demand," Lee said with a chuckle. "And we need to keep him out of Mister Zolnerowich's hands … and you out of Warren Jakes' hands."

Dotty squeezed Lee's hand, and then kissed his cheek. "Just keep me in your hands, and we'll be just fine."

"There'll be plenty of time for that when we get back to the hotel," Lee said with a wink.

"Well then," Dotty said, sliding her arm around him. "Let's get the job done and be on our way."

"Agreed," said Lee. "Time to make contact. Dotty, go on over to Mister Fence and strike up a conversation with him. I'll see what I can do with our host."

"Yes, sir!" Dotty kissed him again, and then made a bee line for Bill Fence, who after getting another drink, tripped and almost spilled it all over Dotty. She managed to sidestep the errant champagne, however, and introduced herself.

"Dotty West," she said. "And Lee and I are both big fans of your software. Why, I can't tell you how many times your accounting programs have saved me!"

"Uh …" Fence just looked at her, perplexed.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she laughed. "Lee Steadman is my date. He's a filmmaker, has some revolutionary ideas about how to make a better picture. I don't know about all that; my interest in Lee is a lot less … technical, if you know what I mean. But I do all of my own accounting, you know; ever since I had an accountant try to cheat me out of my savings, I just never trusted anyone to do it for me again. No; I resolved then and there to never be dependent on others to manage my fortune."

"Uh, wow," Fence finally said. "That's impressive. I saw the article on Lee Steadman. I was hoping to meet him."

"Are you kidding?" she asked excitedly. "Why, just this morning, he said, Dotty, you know that Macrosoft's founder will be at the party this afternoon. I would love to meet him to discuss how computers are revolutionizing the world of cinema."

"He wants to meet … me?" Fence looked confused. "I figured he'd be more interested in that guy over there."

Fence pointed to a young man with dark hair, a tall blonde on his arm. The woman was noticeably taller than he was. Dotty realized that the man was none other than Tom Kreuk, the lead man in that new movie, 'The Scent of Money.' "He's … a lot shorter than I thought," Dotty said unconsciously.

"Yeah, only about five-six," Fence confirmed. "Didn't stop him from snagging Nicole Collins, there."

"You know," said Dotty surreptitiously taking his arm, "Lee isn't impressed by celebrities. He's more interested in the craft, and the production. I mean, come on; you know the real talent never makes it to the big screen. That's why we go to the theatre. Now come on, Bill; I'll take you to Mister Steadman."

Lee had managed to get into a very technical conversation about filmmaking and a new technique called, 'CGI,' with Warren Jakes. Lee was glad that he always stayed up on the filmmaking trade as part of his IFF cover, and he knew quite a bit about the topic. He was even conversant with the terms, and with the use of CGI in modern film.

"You know, Mister Jakes," Lee said.

"Please, Lee, call me Warren," insisted their host.

"Warren, you know, CGI has already made inroads into filmmaking. Take for example, that Disney film, Tron."

"Oh, the one with Bruce Boxleitner and Jeff Bridges?"

"Yes, Warren, that one. First use of CGI in a major feature film. Couldn't have been done without it! But there's a new technology that takes it even further; morphing."

"Morphing?" Jakes looked befuddled.

"Yes, morphing," confirmed Lee. "Morphing will revolutionize filmmaking; cutting edge stuff. And I have ideas to take it even further! Imagine, if you will, a movie experience, where the film is not just in front of you, but all around you! A 180 degree sensory experience."

"Does not 3-D do that already?" asked the massive Zolnerowich, clearly board with the topic. Jakes, however, was fascinated. Lee did not miss a beat, especially with Dotty walking over with Fence.

"Not even close," Lee declared dismissively. "Current 3-D films look like children's pop up books that move; 2-D images that that move in three dimensions. Imagine, though; three dimensional images that have depth, and the appearance of mass and substance. Now, they're already working on that challenge now, but the technology still requires glasses. Now, you tell me, Warren, how does that help moviegoers with vision problems that render the glasses ineffective?"

"I know," exclaimed Jakes, who was apparently a huge film buff. "It always bothered me that I could not appreciate such films."

"Exactly," Lee agreed. "But what if that effect could be generated without the need for glasses? No more poor fitting paper frames, or the possibility of sanitation issues, and everyone could enjoy it."

"I'll bet Bill here might be able to help you out," offered Dotty, joining the conversation.

"Bill Fence," Lee exclaimed, "I was hoping I'd get to meet you."

Bill shook Lee's hand, nodding. "Tell me more about what you're looking to do, Mister Steadman."

"Please," Lee protested. "Just Lee. And Warren, this is my lady, Mrs. Dotty West."

Jakes took Dotty's hand and kissed it, prompting Dotty to look at Lee with an expression of resignation.

"Very pleased to meet you, Mrs. West," Jakes said with an almost reverential tone. "You know, when I saw your name, I briefly wondered if Mister Steadman had managed to snag the country singer."

"No, no, no," confirmed Dotty. "I'm Dotty with a 'y,' not an 'ie,' and she's the other way around."

As Lee and Bill Fence began talking about the feasibility of Lee Steadman's 3-D without glasses idea, Warren Jakes struck up a conversation with Dotty. Lee had warned her that he liked women in her age range and that she was Jakes' type. She had already noted that Jakes had been staring at her.

"Mrs. West," Jakes began, friendly enough. "It's unfortunate that a lady of your caliber has been snatched up by our young friend here. But you are fortunate indeed; not many men of his young age appreciate finer ladies like yourself. They're still busy chasing the adult equivalents of cheerleaders and trying to relive high school."

"I think you have the wrong idea, Mister Jakes," replied Dotty with a gleam in her eye.

"How do you mean?"

"He didn't snatch me up," Dotty corrected. "I snatched him up. But you are correct; Lee does appreciate the finer things in life. I couldn't help but notice, however that you have been making eye contact with me quite a bit." Dotty hoped that she was not getting in over her head, but she was going with her instincts.

"I couldn't help but notice you," Jakes confessed. "You don't have that jaded, blasé manner that women at these events usually have. They've lost their spark, their excitement. Now they get their enjoyment from manipulation, one-upsmanship, and gossip. It's all intrigue and politicking for them. The same is true for many of the men as well, but at least in the tech sector, they still have some spark of creativity. Your man, Steadman, is like you; he's excited, energetic, and vital. I envy him, Mrs. West."

"Sometimes, so do I," Dotty mused, as she thought about Lee's adventurous life. Her own life had been more adventurous before settling down, and though she did not regret for one minute her life as a wife and mother, she did envy, just a little, the seeming freedom that Lee enjoyed as a federal agent. "But then I remember that it was I who corralled him."

"Which is why I envy him," Jakes laughed. Then he addressed Lee, Fence, and Zolnerowich. "Come, my friends. Let us retire to my private salon for drinks."

"Warren, this is my kind of party," Lee said cheerfully, taking Dotty's arm. As he walked with her, he squeezed her arm to get her attention, then whispered, "This could be bad; be on guard."

Jakes led them to another part of his mansion, and as soon as they were inside the salon, Zolnerowich locked the door and began to draw a pistol. Lee back kicked the Soviet agent's hand, preventing him from drawing the pistol fully, and before Dotty knew what was happening, Lee had shot Zolnerowich in the chest. But the big Soviet was merely knocked back, apparently wearing body armor under his suit. Zolnerowich's gun was now out, but Lee fired again, this time placing the bullet between the Soviet agent's eyes.

"Impressive, Mister Steadman," said Jakes. "Or should I say … Stetson?"

Lee turned to see that Jakes held a pistol in his own hand and was pointing it at Dotty. "You wouldn't want to chance Mrs. West getting shot, now would you?"

"Give it up, Jakes," Lee warned. "Your Soviet connection is dead. It's over."

"To the contrary," Jakes countered. "Zolnerowich was merely a decoy … or at least the man who wore his name publicly was. You see, Mister Steadman, I am the Red Mantis."

"How the hell did you figure out who I was?"

"I have connections, Mister Stetson. And Scarecrow is legendary in the KGB. At one point, you even had everyone believing that it was your partner, Amanda King, who was really the Scarecrow. But a few of us put the pieces together, and we figured out who you really were. That, and a well-placed agency mole … to get us the information we needed."

"Oh my god, Lee," Dotty gasped, "he knows who Amanda is!"

"Without the Scarecrow," Jakes gloated, "Amanda is no threat, and of no interest. All I have to do is … where's Fence?"

"Fainted," groaned Dotty, jutting her chin towards the unconscious Bill Fence. "As soon as the guns came out."

Jakes shook his head as the door opened and several more armed men came in, one of whom relieved Lee of his pistol.

"Take Mister Fence," Jakes ordered them. "Prepare him for transport. As for these two … I am sorely tempted to take the incomparable Mrs. West as a prize, but alas, I don't have the time for added complication. Take Stetson and West, and lock them in the freezer. Maybe we'll arrange a trade later … if they're still alive."