It was almost midnight and Laurel was sitting in the hotel lobby waiting patiently. Rossi had texted to assure her that he had met their 'surprise' guests at the airport and that they were on their way to the hotel and should arrive shortly.
The doors to one of the elevators slid open and, when Laurel glanced over, she saw Michelle Decker walk off the elevator and look around the lobby.
"Good Evening," Michelle Decker walked over to where she was sitting.
"Good Evening," Laurel replied.
"You entourage isn't around?" Michelle asked, looking around the empty lobby.
"No – I suspect everyone else is sound asleep by now," Laurel told her. "Jet lag, you know."
"Jet lag is nasty," Michelle Decker agreed.
"David Rossi is one of your groupies, isn't he?" she inquired.
"Dave has consulted with the USFSA on how to protect children and young adults from sexual predators," Laurel told her. "And, he is scheduled to do a seminar for the ISU at their next yearly meeting. As you probably know, he worked for the FBI for many years and that was one of the areas he dealt with."
"I remember you," Michelle Decker abruptly told her.
"From where?" Laurel suddenly felt cold.
"Houston," was the reply.
"I remember you," Michelle Decker repeated. "Because I was working in a law office out in The Woodlands area, north of Houston, when you came in there. You had two men with you, one of whom was David Rossi. The three of you barged into the private office of one of the junior partners and, after you left, she took the rest of the week off."
"When she came back on Monday, she was called into a meeting with the senior partners after which she cleaned out her desk and that was the last anyone saw of her. Rumor had it that she had stolen a lot of money from you."
"She did misappropriate some funds," Laurel replied carefully. "But she paid it all back, with interest. I have no idea where she is today."
"Once I remembered that, I looked you up on the internet," Michelle continued. "And, it seems that you and Paige were involved in quite a scandal involving the Houston Police Department."
"The two officers involved were found guilty by a jury and were punished according to the appropriate legal guidelines," Laurel was trying hard not to tremble.
"That may be," was the reply. "But, I wonder what the USFSA would think if they found out that their latest 'Golden Girl' had been involved in a police scandal?" She smiled unpleasantly at Laurel.
"Michelle," Laurel stood up and moved into the woman's personal space. "The USFSA already knows all about what happened in Houston. My husband and I told them about it over a year ago. I don't think you can add anything to it and, if you are looking to blackmail me and my family, you're out of luck. Paige and I are the victims here and we did nothing wrong. Plus, the other man who was with me that day was Aaron Hotchner – My husband. Who also happens to be a lawyer."
"I also know what you did with Don Wong," the woman moved on to try another tact.
"What did I do?" Laurel challenged her. "Why don't you tell me all about it?"
"Why – You – You," the woman began stuttering. "You helped him leave Tallinn and then I couldn't find him and get him to coach Hannah again. And now he is here with other skaters and Hannah is still at the Junior Level and it's all your fault!"
"I seem to remember that you fired Don," Laurel replied. "And that is why he left Tallinn. Now, from what I have seen here, he and his skaters have worked awfully hard to get where they are today. Maybe you are trying to blame him, and me, for something that isn't either of our faults. I would suggest that you go back to your and Hannah's room and try to get some sleep. I suspect you are both going to need it. If I remember right, Hannah's long skate is first thing in the morning."
"We'll see," was the closing remark as Michelle Decker walked away. "We'll see."
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"Laurel!" Joan Larson called out as she burst through the front door of the hotel a few minutes later. "Laurel – It is so good to see you!"
"It has been too long," Laurel told her as they hugged. "Far too long!"
"Aunt Laurel!" Jade was close behind her mother. "Where is Paige? And Jack, too, of course."
"Of course!" Laurel smiled at Rossi who was grinning widely as he directed the doorman who was bringing their luggage into the hotel.
"Everyone is asleep right now," she continued. "However, Jack did promise me that he would take Paige to practice ice early tomorrow morning."
"What time?" Jade was bounding up and down with excitement.
"Six o'clock – So you had better be prepared to get up early!"