London Pass Part 2
It was another hour before Casino and Goniff stepped off the elevator and knocked on the door to the suite. Terry was in the main room and opened the door for them.
"And where have you two been?" she asked with a grin. She could tell by the ale breath where they had been.
"We waited at the Mucky Duck," popped off Goniff.
"We can't come up right away," explained Casino, heading for the wet bar. "We gotta wait for things to slow down before we try to sneak up the elevator." He poured himself a bourbon and carried it with him as he picked up his bag off the floor and followed Goniff to the bedroom on the right.
Shaking her head at the two, Terry picked up the telephone on the side table and called her sister's apartment. Dirk answered the phone.
"Hi Dirk," said Terry. "Do me a favor. If you see Chris tell her I'm at the Windsor in the Westminster Suite. If she wants me ask for the Countess Teresa Mancini. We'll be here for two nights."
"Countess?" questioned Dirk. "You're over here six months and you're married all ready?"
Terry laughed, "Ask Chris, she'll explain it."
Getting off the phone, Terry was unsure what was going on. Chief had left a little earlier saying he was going to walk around one of the parks. Actor was in his bedroom. Mutt and Jeff were in theirs. Terry got a book and stretched out on the sofa. If she had been back at the mansion alone, this is what she would have been doing anyway.
It was almost four when Actor emerged from the bedroom. He was wearing dark pants, a white shirt open at the throat with a tan ascot, and carrying a dark brown jacket. The jacket was draped carefully over the back of a chair. Terry kept a surreptitious eye on the con man while appearing engrossed in her book. It was his turn to use the telephone. Terry listened to a conversation in French. Actor identified himself as Count Mancini and made a reservation for three people at six o'clock.
Hanging up the phone, he addressed the young woman on the sofa. "Cara, I hope you don't mind. I obtained reservations for an early dinner at a little French restaurant just a short walk from here. It is what you would call a 'hole in the wall', but the chef is superb and the atmosphere is quiet." He forbore to say 'intimate.'
"That sounds wonderful," said Terry. "I was going to ask you what everyone does about dinner."
Actor relaxed into a high-backed overstuffed chair. "Goniff informed me earlier he and Casino are meeting 'a couple birds' at the bar. I assume their dinner will either be liquid or whatever the pub has to offer."
Terry lowered her book on her stomach and stared at Actor in delighted amusement. "Goniff found himself a bird?"
Actor shook his head. "It is more likely Casino procured one for him. Casino has his own agenda, but he does look out for Goniff's interests."
"Well, that takes care of those two," said Terry. "You made reservations for three. You, me and Chief?"
Actor nodded.
"Does Chief like French food?" asked Terry dubiously.
"I am attempting to introduce his palate to more refined tastes," replied Actor.
Terry just hoped Chief was willing to have his palate introduced to more refined tastes. She eyed the Italian curiously. "How come you aren't going out to dinner with one of you lady friends?"
Actor eyed her back, "Tonight, My Countess, I am your husband. I am strictly yours for the night. I thought dinner early, come back to change, then an evening of dancing at the ballroom downstairs here at the hotel. It has an excellent dance floor and a versatile band. Tomorrow night however, you are on your own, Cara."
Terry laughed. "Actor, you don't have to babysit me. I am perfectly fine on my own. Not that I don't enjoy your company, Caro."
"I do not consider myself to be a babysitter," replied the Italian with dignity. "And I find your company enjoyable also."
Terry smiled, "Well in that case, My Dear Conte, I will be happy to accompany you to dinner and dancing."
She had caught the wording of his being hers for the night and wondered if he had at all meant husbandly pursuits. Probably not, but she wouldn't put it past him. She wasn't about to address that one, even though she wondered just how good he was at those pursuits. That was a dangerous thought. She pushed it from her mind and buried her nose back in her book. A minute later, she cast her eyes stealthily toward the man. He was sitting serenely in the chair, fixing a pipe.
Chief returned an hour later. He eyed the two in the main room. Terry was lying on the sofa with a book and Actor was sitting in a chair also reading. The other two men were not in sight.
"So where are Casino and Goniff?" he asked out of idle curiosity.
"They went out to the bar a little bit ago," replied Terry.
Actor looked up at the younger man. "I have made reservations at a French restaurant for us at six. Teresa and I would be pleased if you would join us."
Chief became cautious. "Sounds expensive," he said. He did not voice it also sounded over his head. He would never admit to that.
"The Warden is paying for it," replied Actor, nonchalantly.
The younger man hesitated and glanced at Terry. She smiled encouragingly and gave him a slow blink of her eyes he took to mean it was okay.
"Come on, Chief," said the girl. "Just chalk it up to a new experience."
He looked back and forth between the two. They seemed sincere. Actor did not play tricks on him and neither did Terry. Well, he had to eat and as long as he didn't have to pay for it . . . Chief took in what Actor was wearing. It was casually formal. At least it wasn't a tux. He could manage that. He had not brought his tux, not expecting to need it.
"Okay," he said. "Uh, thanks."
"Good," said Terry, cheerfully.
Chief went to his room to change.
Terry waited until he had left before getting up from the sofa, leaving her book behind. She perched on the arm of Actor's chair and reached a hand out to his chin, tilting his head back to look at her. His eyebrows rose in question. Hers came together in a frown.
"The Warden is paying for dinner?" she asked dubiously. "Just how much money did Craig give us?"
"Not that much, Cara," said Actor with a crooked grin. "I paid for half the cost of the suite. I have nothing else to spend my money on at this time."
Terry stared at him. "Just how rich are you?"
"I am comfortable," was the pat answer.
Terry shook her head. "No. I am becoming comfortable. You are way beyond that."
The other side of the con man's mouth rose to match its mate. "That is an indelicate thing to ask a gentleman, Teresa. Especially one who is buying your dinner."
"You're not going to tell me," guessed Terry correctly.
"No, I am not." He tapped her hip with the backs of his fingers. "Go get changed."
A half hour later, Actor, Terry and Chief were on the sidewalk ambling away from the Windsor. The duskily lit street was fairly deserted. Terry's hand was tucked in the crook of Actor's right elbow. She reached a hand behind and caught Chief's sleeve, pulling him up alongside her. She tucked her right hand in the young man's left elbow. A broad smile came to her face.
"Ah, how lucky can I be?" she said breezily. "I have two handsome gents taking me to dinner."
Actor looked down at her with a raised eyebrow in amusement.
Chief turned his head to look at her and wonder if she had been hitting the wet bar in the suite before they had left. Though comfortable now in more formal attire, he was still apprehensive about eating in a fancy restaurant and hoped he wouldn't make a fool of himself.
Actor had been correct about the place. It was rather nondescript from the outside, possibly due to the blackout curtains. He held the door for Teresa and Chief and followed them inside. The main room was brick walled with wooden floors. Round linen covered tables with candlelit lamps filled the room. The place was packed.
The maitre d, a short Frenchman, hurried up to Actor and greeted him gushingly as Count Mancini in French. A short conversation followed between the two men in the same language before the host turned to lead them to their table. Actor escorted Teresa with a hand on the small of her back, while Chief brought up the rear. They wound their way through the tables to a separate small room in the back that held a table set for three. Actor seated Teresa and took the chair to her right. Chief sat down in the chair to her left. A young curly haired waitress in a short skirt and white apron hurried in to hand them their menus. She smiled invitingly at Actor, who started to turn on the charm. That was until Terry's foot connected with his shin. He nodded a dismissing thank you to the waitress and turned his attention to the menu. When the waitress left, Actor turned a tight lipped face to Terry. She smiled pleasantly back at him.
"Quit flirting with the wait staff, oh husband of mine," she teased.
"This could be grounds for divorce," he shot back at her, reaching down to rub the offended shin.
"Now, now, you did say you were mine for tonight. I intend to see that you keep that promise." The twinkle in her eyes cut through his irritation.
"Yes, My Love," he replied with a bit of exaggeration.
Chief's face split into a grin. He had always witnessed the interplay between Terry and Actor on missions from a distance. Close up, he had to admit Terry had balls teasing the con man like that. The two played off each other well. He hid his smile behind the menu. It faded as he tried to read it. It was totally in French and there were no prices. It was making him very self-conscious. To his relief, Terry leaned over and talked softly to him.
"Actor will give the orders for us," she said. "Okay, the first course is a choice of soup, snails, or salad."
"Salad," said Chief readily. It seemed the safest choice.
"I'll sneak you some of my escargot," Terry whispered. "Don't listen to Goniff. They're good." She pointed down the row of the main course offerings. "Chicken in wine sauce with mushrooms and vegetables. Fish steamed in paper with vegetables. And that one is breaded veal in a creamy wine sauce with potatoes and sautéed veggies."
Chief liked chicken and he liked mushrooms so he chose that one.
Terry straightened and told Actor what Chief wanted and what she wanted in French. When the waitress returned, Actor began placing the order with Teresa's first. When he referred to Terry as his wife, the effervescent smile on the girl's face became a little strained. It amused Terry greatly. After ordering the food, the Italian ordered a bottle of red wine. He turned to Teresa and asked her in French if she would prefer a glass of white wine with her veal. She replied the red he had ordered would be fine.
After the waitress left, Actor explained in a casual voice to Chief, "Our chicken is in a red wine sauce which is why I ordered red. With Teresa's veal either a red or a white would be appropriate, which is why I asked her preference." His voice was lacking its usual slightly condescending tone so Chief took no offense.
Willing to continue the lessons, Chief asked, "What about the fish?"
"That would be white," answered Actor.
A basket of hot crusty bread arrived, along with a small saucer of more butter than rationing allowed. The three each took a piece of the bread and placed it on their bread dish with a bit of the butter. Chief hesitated. He watched Terry and Actor and followed what they were doing.
Terry's eyes widened at the first bite of bread. "Hey, no sawdust!" She smiled toward Actor and spoke to Chief. "I think I like going to dinner with him. Real bread and extra butter."
"Merely my continental charm," said the Italian.
Terry turned to Chief. "Is that what he calls it now?"
It brought a genuine grin from the the first course arrived, Chief was at a loss again. There was too much silverware on the table and both Terry and Actor had ordered escargot, which came with a special clamp and pick, negating the need for the table ware.
Intent on his first snail, Actor did not look up, but merely stated, "Start on the outside and work your way toward the plate." He delicately placed the morsel on his tongue and savored it.
Terry had her first one on the end of her little fork. "Pardon my lack of etiquette, My Husband," she said to Actor. She turned to Chief and held the fork out for him to take a bite. He looked at her dubiously. She nodded to him to go ahead. Hesitantly, he took the piece between his teeth. After a couple chews, he shot a surprised look at Terry's grinning face.
"That's good!"
"Told you. Want some more?" she offered.
Chief shook his head. "No, but that is good. Goniff don't know what he's talkin' about."
"That should be obvious," remarked the con man.
"Be nice," rebuked Terry in French.
Chief shook his head. "Never thought I would eat a snail and like it. These French people eat strange things."
Actor chuckled. "I grew up with escargots. I suppose it is what you are used to. Now you and Teresa have both said you have eaten rattlesnake. That to me is strange."
"Those snails are better than snake," admitted Chief.
"Maybe if we had cooked it in butter and garlic . . ." mused Terry.
"Always threaded it on a stick and roasted it over an open fire," said Chief.
Terry snickered. "So did we. It wasn't something we could bring home to Ma."
Chief swallowed a bite of salad. He was beginning to get a little more comfortable with the elegant con man. "So Actor, you ever eaten lizard?"
"No-o-o," said the Italian slowly.
"Kinda like eatin' a bird," pronounced the Indian.
Terry laughed. "Well, where Chief is from I bet he never had polpo," she said to Actor.
"Ah," the con man smiled with appreciation. "Boiled or fried."
"What's polpo?" asked Chief dubiously.
"Octopus," replied Terry.
Chief gave Actor a look of disbelief. "I think I'll pass on that one."
"I think I will pass on lizard," he replied. Curious, he asked, "Why would you ever eat a lizard?"
"You get hungry enough, you eat anything." Chief ate another bite of salad. "I ran away from the Indian school when I was a kid. Knew if I went home, I'd get sent back. So I hid out in the hills. Food's kinda scarce in the desert. I ate snake and lizard and prickly pear."
"Is that not a type of cactus?" Now Actor's curiosity was piqued.
"Yeah. You can strip the spines off the leaves and cook the pad."
"The fruit makes good jelly I hear," said Terry.
"This area you are from," said Actor. "It sounds very different from the parts of America I lived in."
Chief shrugged. "It probably is. Guess it's like you said; I suppose it's what you're used to. It's beautiful in an empty sorta way."
Actor and Terry were both surprised to have Chief volunteer any information about his past.
The bantering through the rest of meal between Terry and Actor and their nonchalant attitude toward his lack of knowledge put Chief at ease. He found himself carefully watching everything the other two did and said and filed it away in his mind. If he could remember all this, maybe he would be able to take Chris out to dinner and not look like an idiot.
As they were finishing their main courses, Actor turned to Terry and said, "Before you ask, Cara, yes they do. They will be bringing out a tray with éclairs, napoleons, and cream puffs." Terry looked at him hopefully. He shook his head, "No, we are each having our own. I am getting a whole one for you."
Chief watched the interaction between the two. He wondered if they realized just how attuned they were to each other. He had seen them play off one another on a con, but this was the first he had really witnessed them doing it when they weren't conning.
All three had dessert off the tray and coffee. The waitress brought a book with the check enclosed. Terry's eyes watched Actor open the book and sign the check. He inserted some money, but not enough to cover the entire tab. Terry assumed it was the tip for the waitress. Well, so much for using Craig's money to eat with.
They were outside and walking back to the hotel when Terry pleasantly spoke in Italian. "That was sneaky."
"Stai zitto," Actor replied just as pleasantly.
Terry smiled and wrapped her right arm around the con man's left, giving a little squeeze. Her other hand held Chief's. The rest of the walk was in companionable silence.
Up in the suite, Chief waited for Terry to go to her room before approaching Actor. He was a little uncomfortable, and looked down at the floor. "Actor?"
"Yes, Chief?" said Actor, removing his jacket.
"Uh, thanks for dinner," said Chief quietly.
"We are both glad you agreed to come," said Actor. His voice quieted. "If you ever have any questions, just ask. I would be happy to explain anything I can."
Chief nodded. "You don't treat me like I'm stupid."
Actor looked at him with concern. "I would never do that. You are not stupid. You are in a world you are not accustomed to. I would be the same in the world you grew up in. I have no concept of what you and Teresa talk about sometimes." He paused. "I would like to learn more about your desert southwest."
"I didn't think there was anything you don't know about," said Chief, looking up with a grin.
"There are a few things," said Actor with a crooked grin. "Not that I would admit that in public."
The two men looked at each other and laughed.