Janet Evanovich owns them all. Lucky lady! I am just being green, and recycling them for your pleasure and reviews.
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Scent of a Woman
Chapter 3
Six o'clock….six o'clock…I can't believe I am waking up at six o'clock. I must be crazy. I haven't seen this side of six o'clock since…oh God, I can't even remember when. Stephanie grumbled as she shut off the alarm. She stumbled to the kitchen, started the coffee and then stumbled to the bathroom for a nice hot shower.
"Ahhhhh…where the hell is the hot water! Dillon is so going to hear about this!"
Dillon, the building super, lived in a basement apartment. He was really very good to Stephanie and would do just about anything for a case of beer, but as Stephanie gingerly showered and washed her hair in what felt like ice water, she wasn't feeling very charitable and kept imagining his face superimposed on a target in the gun range at RangeMan. After finishing her shower, she dressed and entered the kitchen to find…no coffee! The pot was plugged in, the button pushed…but no little drip, drip, drip.
"This is shaping up to be one hell of a day, Plum, and it's not even seven am!"
Stephanie needed to refocus. "Okay, okay, Steph, just shrug it all off, calm down. You only have to get to RangeMan and be prepared to give four highly trained Special Forces operatives a detailed presentation on how you plan to infiltrate the life of a man, connected to a man, connected to the mob, to obtain important information that will affect the success of the entire mission! No problem. You can do this. You are Wonder Woman!"
That's much better, Stephanie thought. She was now ready to face the world…and Ranger. "I am so screwed!"
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Stephanie scribbled a note to Dillon about her lack of hot water, left it taped to his door in the basement, hopped into her 2000 green Ford Focus, and arrived at RangeMan in time to grab a cup of coffee and a whole grain muffin from the break room. She then went directly to the conference room in order to organize her mess from the day before, organize her notes for the meeting, and organize her thoughts on how to best make her presentation… with Ranger sitting a few feet away. At 8:00 on the dot. Ranger, Les, Tank and Bobby walked in.
"Morning, Beautiful!" Les dropped a quick kiss on her cheek, and he gave her a reassuring look.
"Hey, Bombshell!" She received another kiss on the cheek from Bobby.
"Bomber." Tank nodded.
"Babe."
"Good morning." Stephanie was so nervous she couldn't look any of them in the eye. She took her seat and looked down at her notes.
Ranger took the seat next to her, and the rest of them sat as well.
"Babe, I think we're ready to hear from you first since our plans will develop from yours."
You are the new improved Stephanie. You are the new improved Stephanie. You can do this Wonder Woman. Stephanie stood.
"Okay, gentlemen, Andrew Sullivan lives a pretty quiet life. He's fairly wealthy, successful, and good-looking. He doesn't gamble, drink much, or carouse about town. Since the death of his wife and daughter, he rarely goes out at all. He goes to work, comes home in the evening, and pretty much stays there until the next morning. Except on Thursday nights." Stephanie took a deep breath. "During their surveillance, Les and Hector followed him the last three Thursdays to a restaurant in Philadelphia called Dino's. A check of his credit card statements indicate that he's been there every Thursday for the last two and a half months. He has dinner and then goes to the lounge for a few drinks and to watch the Cabaret shows. 'Cabaret night' is the theme on Thursdays at Dino's. Hector observed that, while a number of women have approached him in the lounge, he has not accepted any of their advances or 'invitations'. He does, however, seem to be very interested in the performances of the female singers, particularly the ones with auburn or red hair."
Stephanie was starting to feel much more comfortable and sure of herself as she presented her report. She was ready to give them her plan. "My idea is to get Sullivan's attention at one of the Cabaret performances that he attends. Since we're short on time it will have to be this Thursday. I spoke to a friend of mine, and he and his band have actually performed at Dino's before and are friendly with the manager. I went ahead and asked him to make arrangements for his band to play Thursday night. They secured the 9:00 performance slot."
"How is having your friend's band playing at the lounge going to help you get Sullivan's attention?" Les asked.
"Well...I 'm sort of…going to be on stage with them." Stephanie replied evasively. "I hope that will get his attention, then I should be able to strike up a conversation with him, and after that…I'll push for more of a connection using the information I have on the loss of his family."
"How are you hoping to get his attention?" Ranger asked.
Stephanie pulled a picture from her file and passed it around. The woman in the picture was stunning. She had wavy, shoulder length, auburn hair, green eyes, and a beautiful smile. "This is a picture of Marissa Sullivan, Andrew Sullivan's wife. By all accounts, in the file, Andrew was very much in love with her. Since he was so taken with the performers having red hair just like his wife, I am going to make an attempt to remind him of her even more so by mimicking some of her most striking features. Hair color and style, eye color, and even smell."
"Smell?" Bobby chuckled.
"Yes smell!" Stephanie responded defensively. "Marissa's thirty-fourth birthday was five months ago on May 8th. His credit card statements show that, three days prior, Andrew Sullivan purchased a silk scarf, a pair of sapphire earrings, and a bottle of Black Orchid perfume at Neiman Marcus in New York, and at $1200.00 an ounce I don't think he bought it for his mother. It was Marissa's signature scent."
"Her signature scent?" Bobby was still amused, and he actually chuckled again.
"The one that she always wore. The scent that her pillow smells like even though she's gone…so he sleeps against it. The scent Andrew would recognize anywhere; the scent that, every time he gets a whiff of it, he thinks of her and smiles."
"Wow, do guys really get all that from perfume?" Bobby was really intrigued by this whole revelation.
"They do when they're in love." Stephanie looked, for the first time, directly at Ranger. "Women are no different. A man's smell can trigger all kinds of reactions and emotions in a woman. Smell has a very powerful connection to memory."
"How do you know that it's her signature scent, Bombshell? Maybe he just picked that out for her as a surprise." Bobby just couldn't let this go.
"Men do not pick out new scents for their wives and longtime girlfriends. They buy what she always wears, because it's a safe bet, and they want to spend as little time as possible at the perfume counter. Let me show you some examples."
Stephanie pushed a button on the conference room phone. The dial tone instantly became audible to the room. She then punched in a number, and it rang three times.
"Hello."
"Hello, Daddy?"
"Hi, Pumpkin, your mom's not home right now."
"That's okay, Daddy, I just wanted to ask you a question."
"All right, honey, what is it?"
"Daddy, what did you buy mom last month for your anniversary?"
"Oh, I bought her some flowers, a new iron, and a bottle of perfume."
"What perfume did you buy?"
"Ah…it was Red something or other."
"Was it Red Door?"
"Yes, that's it, Red Door?"
"Why did you pick that perfume, Daddy?"
"Because it's what you mother likes. She wears it all the time."
"Thanks, Daddy, that's all I needed. I'll call you later, okay?"
"Okay, Pumpkin, bye."
Stephanie immediately dialed another number. This time it was answered on the first ring.
"Albert Kloughn."
"Hi, Albert, it's Steph."
"Oh hey, Steph, what's up?"
"Just a quick question, Albert. What was the name of the perfume you bought Val for her birthday?"
"Perfume? It had these little foam flowers on the bottle, they were...ah…ah…daisies. Yeah, that's the name, too. Daisy."
"Why did you get her that particular perfume, Albert?"
"Steph, you know why. It's the only kind she ever wears. She knows I like it on her. It makes me think of summer and our trip to Disney World."
"Thanks, Albert, that's all I needed. Have a good day!"
Stephanie hung up the phone. All the Merry Men were shaking their heads.
"Babe…." Ranger started to say.
"Tut, tut, tut…not yet…one more." Stephanie couldn't resist the temptation as she swung her chair around to face the large man sitting next to her. "Taaank." She said in a singsong voice.
"Bomber." He responded warily.
"Why did you have to detail the upholstery in your RangeMan vehicle two weeks ago?" There was a taunting quality to her voice.
"Uh…because it got dirty?" Tank lied.
"Nice try, Tank, let's try this again."
"Ah, Bomber, you're killing me here!" Tank had a pleading look on his face.
"Ranger." Stephanie said in a demanding voice.
"Tank, answer the question." Ranger's voice had authority to it, but his face showed pity for the man.
"Damn! I did it because the car still smelled like Lula from our last date, and I couldn't concentrate on my surveillance job the night before."
"And what's the name of Lula's signature scent, Tank?"
"Steph!" Tank protested.
"Ranger!" Stephanie demanded.
"Tank!" Ranger commanded.
"Fine, it's seonthebee," he mumbled.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Stephanie knew very well the name of Lula's perfume, but she was going to make big tough Tank say it out loud in front of the guys.
"It's called SEX ON THE BEACH! Okay! Are you happy?" he yelled.
Lester and Bobby snickered. Ranger grinned.
"Yes. Sorry, big guy, but it was for the good of the mission." Stephanie giggled. "I rest my case, gentlemen."
"Damn, Beautiful, you make meetings fun!"
"Thanks, Les," she smiled. "Anyway, back to my plan. I'll spritz on the perfume, wear green contacts to assimilate Marissa's eye color, and change my hair. I think all of this, combined with the stage performance, will get his attention. Once I have that, I will lure him in with my sparkling personality…at least that's the goal. Of course, the fact that he is financially successful and dresses the part, almost certainly makes him an easy mark for gold diggers. I 'm sure he's wary of women. It's most likely one of the reasons that he turns down the ones who approach him. I will have to make it very clear early in the conversation that I am financially comfortable myself. I don't want to leave any room for doubt that my approach is innocent and not predatory."
"Babe, you've really put a lot of work and thought into this. Is there anymore?"
"Well, the guys did great research and surveillance; and the report gave me a lot to work with, but I do need some additional input and ideas from you. Once I establish the initial contact with Sullivan and develop some interest, we want this relationship to progress to the next level; maybe even get Sullivan to ask me out. I thought I would start by convincing him to give me a ride home Thursday night; then hopefully that would lead to an invitation for a second meeting. Since he isn't considered dangerous, I should be safe enough, and I would wear a wire.
"You would always have at least one of us close by, as well," Ranger interjected.
"My problem is that if I am going to project the image that I live comfortably, I can't have him bring me back to my apartment. Besides the fact that it's back here in Trenton, it doesn't exactly scream comfortable income, if you know what I mean. Any ideas?"
Ranger sat with his fingers steepled together on the conference table, thinking. Eventually he stood and moved to the wall behind them. He pulled a cord, and a map of Trenton and the surrounding areas unrolled. "We have a safe house located here, which is a little more than halfway between Trenton and Philadelphia. It's a nice house in a well-to-do neighborhood. We'll use that as your residence. I'll have Ella go out there today to get it ready. An old army buddy of mine lives next door and keeps up with the maintenance of the place. He and his wife would also be able to back-up your cover story if needed. You'll also need a different car, Babe, no offense to your current ride, but…"
"None taken."
"We would want you to have a different car anyway. One that we can alter the registration on to verify your new name and address, just in case someone checks up on you. By the way, have you chosen a name for yourself?"
"No, I hadn't given that any thought yet."
"Tank needs that information today. It's his job to develop the paper trail to confirm your identity. He will make sure you have everything you need in that respect. Anything else?"
"Oh yes, I almost forgot. I am going to have a child."
Four faces immediately turned to look directly at her with unbelievable expressions. Lester's jaw almost dropped to the floor, and Tank snapped a pen in half that he was holding. She was pretty sure Ranger had stopped breathing.
"Say again, Beautiful?"
"A son, I am going to have a son." Since the faces didn't change Stephanie realized that they still didn't understand. Ranger was actually beginning to look a little pale. It was kind of funny. "I mean as part of my cover. I will be a widowed mother of a 3-year-old son. But I need pictures for my wallet and home. I was hoping that either Lester or Ranger could provide me with a picture of himself at that age to make it more credible. I want him to have dark hair and brown eyes."
The entire room relaxed. Ranger started to breathe again.
"Sure thing, Beautiful, no problem. We can come up with something."
Ranger finally recovered his composure. "Babe, make sure you give Tank the name of your son and your dearly departed husband as well, okay?"
"Yeah, okay. Ranger, is it possible to have some kind of fake investment portfolio created as well? Something that would show the financial detail of what my husband left behind for me? What I was thinking is that once we develop a friendlier relationship, I could ask Andrew to look over my investments for kind of a second opinion, as a friend. Since he is a private investment analyst, it should be right up his alley. It might be the way to get myself invited into his house, and I would be able to snoop around."
"That's a great idea, Babe. Tank can take care of that, also."
"There is one more thing, Ranger, and I don't know if it has any bearing on the mission, but it just set off my spidey sense when I was working yesterday, and I can't shake it."
"What is it, Babe?"
"When I was going through the Sullivan's bank records, I noticed that in the ten days prior to the accident that killed her and her daughter Madison, Marissa Sullivan made two payments from her own personal checking account to an attorney in Trenton. That attorney just so happens to be my ex-husband Dickie Orr. I called Dickie's secretary because she owed me a favor, and I convinced her to tell me that Marissa was seeking advice for a divorce. No papers had been filed. The meetings were just consultations. My guess is that she came to Trenton to avoid having someone find out what she was up to. So that got me thinking, and I decided to read up on the details of the accident. Marissa and her little girl were killed on a Wednesday night at 11:15, during a terrible storm. In an interview with the police, Andrew stated that Marissa had been on her way to the drug store to pick up some medicine for their daughter. Andrew was at home when the police notified him of the accident. It doesn't make sense. I'm only a hamster mommy, and even I wouldn't consider dragging a young child out into a thunderstorm late at night; especially when her father was at home. That child was only 4-years old and allegedly sick. She should have been in bed. Maybe she told Andrew that night about her intentions to file for a divorce, and if he didn't take it well, maybe, Marissa decided to leave and take Madison with her."
"Do you have anything to back-up that theory, Babe?"
"No, it's just intuition. Like I said it may not be important."
"Good work, Babe, we'll keep that in mind. That information may come in handy. Does anyone have anything else to report?" Everyone shook their heads. "Okay then, Babe, we all need to get started on developing your cover, just ask one of us if you need anything else. Dismissed."
Once again, everyone left the room leaving Ranger and Stephanie alone.
"Babe, I want you to take this credit card. You're obviously going to need to purchase some things to set this up. Tank will have your car, keys and documents ready sometime tomorrow. You should probably get settled in the safe house by tomorrow night so you can become familiar with it." Ranger paused for a moment and then got a slight grin on his face. "Are you really going to sing with a band?"
"Yes." Stephanie sounded offended. "Does that surprise you? I can sing. My mother thought every good Burg girl should have some musical talent. So Val took piano and I took voice lessons. We both took dance lessons too. I'm actually quite the well-rounded woman, Ranger. Except I can't cook, and I'm a lousy housekeeper."
Ranger pulled Stephanie into his arms and nuzzled his face into her hair, and Stephanie relaxed for the first time since she woke up this morning. "I'll say you're well rounded," he teased; then he got serious. "Babe?"
"What?"
"I'm sorry about last night."
"I know, Carlos, I'm sorry, too." Stephanie paused. "I never should have said those things to you. I don't want to ruin what we have, and I don't want us to be uncomfortable around each other. I couldn't stand that. I also shouldn't have run away. I want you to always be able to tell me the truth and not have to worry about hurting me."
"Babe, I will always be your friend, no matter what else happens…. You don't know how much I wish I could be more for you." He pulled back and looked at her for a long moment and rubbed his thumb across her cheek. Then he relaxed his body with an almost sigh. "So, what are your plans for today?"
Stephanie took the change in direction of the conversation as a cue to step away from their intimate exchange. She turned toward the table and became very busy organizing her papers. "Well, at 10:00 I am scheduled to meet with my friend and his band. We're going to rehearse and he's going to help me with my costume. Later this afternoon, I have my hair appointment with Mr. Alexander at the mall, and then I thought I would shop for the contacts, and some clothes and accessories that may come in handy for the job, if that's okay with you."
"Get whatever you need, Babe. Stop by my office on your way out and I'll give you some cash to cover any expenses that can't be taken care of with the card."
Stephanie's phone rang. She pulled it out of her purse and answered. "Hello. Oh hey, Dillon." Long pause. "How long?" pause. "Two days!" pause. "No, I understand. I'll figure out something. Thanks, bye."
"Problem, Babe?"
'My hot water heater died. I discovered it while taking a shower this morning…a very cold shower. That was Dillon, my super. He said it wouldn't be replaced until Thursday afternoon."
"Why don't you stay here tonight? It would be easier to have you close while we work on the details of the mission anyway. Then tomorrow night, you will be settled into the safe house."
"You mean stay on four?"
"No, I don't have anything open on four, right now. You can stay on seven with me."
"I don't know, Ranger. After last night, that doesn't sound like a good idea."
"I promise I'll be on my best behavior."
"It's not your behavior I'm worried about. It's mine."
"I think I can handle it. Why don't you bring Rex over, too? Ella can take care of him while you're on assignment."
"I'll think about it." Stephanie thought that this would be a very bad idea, but her options were limited. She could go to her parent's house, but sharing a bathroom with Daddy and Grandma in the past had proven to be a disaster. "Oh, look at the time, I need to get things in order here, talk to Tank and get to my rehearsal."
"Okay, Babe, have a good day." He hesitated just briefly then leaned in and kissed her. The kiss started innocently enough but then grew in intensity. Stephanie put her arms around his neck and pulled him close. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer. Finally, needing air, they broke apart. "Dolci Vita, Babe."
"What?" Stephanie was still in a fog from the kiss and looked confused.
"Your scent. It's Dolci Vita." He smiled, turned and left the room.
Stephanie's day was definitely looking up, but now she desperately needed cake!
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