Mourning Dove (10 page)

Sara turned and gave her
friend a hug promising to keep her updated. She walked across the loft to
Jordie and hugged him tight. “Stay safe, Jordie.”

“Thanks for everything
Mrs. Stafford. Did you find a painting for your office?”

“There are a couple I’m
interested in, but I’ll wait ‘til after your show.”

“Let me know which ones
and I’ll put a sold tag on them so you don’t lose them.”

“They’re the two closest
to the window.” She grabbed her coat from the chair by the door. Ron helped her
into it, briefly rubbing her back. He said goodnight to his young friend,
another son he wished he had, and to Cass.

A half hour later, their
cars separated at the Greenland exit off I-95.

***

“You’re getting sloppy,
Otto. I don’t like it.” The boss man said.

He walked across the
parking lot and opened his car door with his cell phone to his ear.

“Hey, the situation
called for termination. She was outta control. The disk wasn’t in her
possession anyway.”

“Your lack of professionalism
disgusts me,” the boss man added. He turned on the ignition switch and lights
in his vehicle.

“You listen to me, Mr.
Big Shot. I take all the risks while you sit back groomin’ your executive
image.”

“That’s enough of that.
You can be extinguished, too.”

“Just make sure that
little present you promised me is in my account. I’m tired of coverin’ your
mistakes.”

“My mistakes, Otto? Your
problem is that you don’t know when to fold. You get in too deep with the money
lenders and end up blasting your way out. Did you check the artist’s loft yet?”

“Haven’t had a chance,
he’s been there all day.”

“You could have been in
and out during the funeral. You wasted an opportunity.”

“When I’m sure he won’t
surprise me, I’ll slip in like a ghost.”

“As you said before, Otto,
we are running out of time. We wasted a great deal of it with the wrong disk.
Now, the customer is expecting the product delivered before the Christmas
holiday and you don’t even have the formula. I would have eliminated others
whose performance was half as sloppy as yours. We’ll see about payment when you
find the disk.”

Otto slammed his receiver
down in an audible punctuation mark. The boss man closed his phone and pulled
into traffic.

The main door to finance
was unlocked but all the lights were out. Sara would have to talk to security
about that. They should have an auto-locking device on these doors.

“Hello, Sara.  Aren’t you
on the wrong floor this morning?” Jonathon’s voice called out from the depths
of his office.

“Oh Jonathon, you
startled me! I didn’t expect anyone here at this hour.”

“It’s sometimes the best
way to get any work done.”

“That was my thought. I
don’t have to be downstairs ‘til eight-thirty.”

“Since you’re in early
grab yourself a cup of coffee and join me. We need to talk.”

A few minutes later, Sara
sat opposite Jonathon with her warm coffee cup in her hands. “Okay, what’s up?”

“Robert called me late
last night with a slight problem.” He looked up, leaned across his desk and
stared into her eyes.

“What is it?”

“Are you getting enough
sleep? Your eyes are red. Either you’ve been out partying all weekend or you’ve
been crying. What’s wrong?”

Setting her mug on the
edge of his desk, she leaned back in the chair. “It was a hard weekend; we
buried one of my son’s friends. I’ll have to pick up some eye-drops if I look
that dreadful.”

“I’m sorry, was it an
accident?”

Rubbing her thumb over
the handle of her coffee mug, she wondered whether to share her thoughts or
not. “No. Yes. I’m not sure.”

“Well, there’s a
definitive answer,” he said. “You want to talk about it?” He set his pen on his
desk and sat back.

“I don’t have time.” She
shook her head refusing to be baited into a long discussion of something she’d
rather not rehash.

“Maybe later, at the end
of the day.”

“It isn’t business and we
have far too much to cover that is.”

“I’d like to be your
friend, Sara; it goes with the mentoring. I expect you to come to me with any
problem that bothers you,” he paused, “any problem.”

“Later then, what was the
slight problem that came up over the weekend?” She reached for her coffee and
took a hesitant sip.

“Robert called me with a
minor difficulty and asked if I could come to his rescue.” He paused again.

“And?”

“I’m thinking about how
to say this diplomatically. Apparently, Elaina has been taking some gourmet
cooking classes and accidentally set fire to the kitchen. She’s in a dither
about a cocktail party they planned to give tomorrow night at their home. The
cleaners will not have the evidence of her cooking debacle removed in time.”

Sara couldn’t help but
laugh at his description that could very much have been a recounting of her
first attempt at impressing her new husband with a home-cooked meal.

He smiled at her
laughter. “I’m sorry, Jonathon. I don’t mean to laugh. I take it that Elaina is
Robert’s wife?”

“Yes ma’am, she’s very
upset. As Robert said, and you are not to repeat to anyone, ‘Elaina has her
panties in a real tangle over this.’”

Sara could feel her smile
broaden across her face, “So, what can we do about it?”

“It’s too late to find a
hotel to relocate her event.  They’ve asked me to cover for them. They would
like me to host the cocktail party at my home.” He paused again.

“And?”

“We would like you to
help hostess the event, tomorrow evening at seven. The caterers will handle the
food, but we should be on hand from about six to supervise.”

“Why isn’t Elaina hosting
it at your place?”

“She will be there of
course, but she’s apparently very rattled and would like additional support.
Will you fill in with me?”

“It’s not really work
related, but I’ll help if I can. Who will be there? What type of group are we
dealing with?”

“You mentioned previously
your interest in art. This is a group of artists and entertainers in the Portland area, some politicians and their wives, and of course, the media. Elaina is trying
to drum up additional interest and support for local theatrical groups and
artists. She’s done this every place they’ve roosted for as long as I can
remember.”

“You hardly know me, and
I’ve never met Elaina or any of the artists from the Portland area. What makes
me the right person for this occasion?”

“When we checked into
your references we also looked into your personal history as part of the
security screen. You are the daughter and granddaughter to two well-placed members
of the US diplomatic corps and the US Senate. We found several news reports of
you on the arms of ambassadors and politicians at gala events from Washington to London to Munich. We believe you’re a natural for our needs tomorrow night
and can diffuse any problems that might arise from such a large gathering.”

“Well, I’m overwhelmed
with your thoroughness, Jonathon. My days of socializing with diplomats were a
very long time ago. I appreciate your confidence in my abilities; and of course
I’ll do my best tomorrow night. Be warned though, I’m a little rusty. How many
are expected at the event?  How crowded will that make the space? What type of
dress is Elaina planning for her party? Cocktail style, semi-formal, formal?
What are the caterers preparing?  And, can you get me a guest list before I
leave today?”

“When you sink your teeth
in, Sara, I feel like I’m just barely hangin’ onto a feisty calf at brandin’
time.”

“I didn’t think they
branded cattle anymore. Don’t they tag them in the ear instead?”

He laughed out loud and
shook his head again. “Is there anything you don’t know, little lady? Don’t
respond to that last question. I don’t want to be disappointed. Yes, they tag
them now. My reference to branding relates to memories of my youth. You’ll have
the information you requested before we leave tonight. Robert says Elaina
estimates eighty to eighty-five guests will be attending. Be prepared to leave
the office at five tomorrow and take any extra time you need to prepare.”

“Anything else you need
to share before I leave?”

“Just, take it easy
today. You look exhausted.”

“Right,” She turned to
leave and rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. Just how am I supposed to take it
easy, now? 
I’ve got a cocktail party to dress for between my training and
the backlog of reports on my desk I’ve yet to review.

Sara reached back for her
coffee cup and Jonathon’s hand covered hers. She looked up with a questioning
lift of her brow.

“It’s okay, Sara. You’re
safe with me. Share your pain if you need to. I’m here for you.” He squeezed
her hand gently.

She eased her hand out
from under his palm and nodded in acknowledgement. “I have work to do; thank
you for the offer.” The door closed quietly at her exit.

Down in the commissary
she scanned the aisles for eye drops and wondered at the meaning of the gentle
touch in Jonathon’s office.
I’m probably just overtired and reading too much
into it. Take it as a gesture of kindness, Sara, not one of sexual interest.  I
hope it’s not sexual.

By twelve thirty Sara was
just beginning to work through the stack of folders on her desk.

“How’s it going, Madam
Boss?”

She looked up from the
report she was reading. Steve was leaning on her door jam twirling a
racquetball racquet.

“Hi Steve, any problems
today?”

“You mean besides the
fact that Ross won’t return my messages?”

“I’ll see what I can do.
Anything else I can help you with?”

“Yeah, what’s the big
deal about security?”

“Security? What do you
mean?”

“They’ve had a locksmith
out looking at the front door to finance most of the morning.  Someone break
in?”

“I found it disconcerting
when I arrived this morning that the door was unlocked. I don’t understand why
we have card lock security everywhere else and old fashioned key locks on this
floor.”

“So, was there a
break-in?”

“No, I got here a little
after seven and Jonathon was already in. The front room was dark and it
startled me when he spoke from the bowels of his office.”

“I didn’t know he’d been
here.”

“We both came in early to
get some work done while it was quiet. You said he left before you got here?”

“The only one here when I
arrived was Louise making the first pot of coffee.”

“Second pot, Jonathon and
I drank the first. Where’s Louise now?”

“She said she had the flu
all weekend. I think she came back too soon. She was still a little green
around the gills and left early.”

“I wouldn’t use that
description in her hearing range. You might just end up wearing your racquet as
a crown. Anyway, she’s better at home than here sharing the bug. I’ve got an
errand to run. Are you playing racquetball at lunch?”

“No, Tony’s down, too.
It’s a nasty strain going around.”

“Could you stay here and
hold the fort? While they’re working on the locks I don’t want to leave this
place unattended. I should be back by one-thirty.”

“Sure. Hot lunch date?”
He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“Get real!”

***

By Tuesday afternoon Sara
was racing through the daily reports.

 “Knock, Knock.”

“Jonathon, I’m almost
ready for the staff meeting, just a few things to check yet.”

“No hurry. I’ve decided
to postpone the meeting ‘til tomorrow. Louise is still out and I’d like her
insight at the meeting. Are you set for tonight?”

“I want to run back to
the hotel and change; I’ll meet you here at five.”

“I spoke with Elaina and
got a call from the caterers. They’ll be on-site at six. Since tonight doesn’t
include dinner, do you want to grab something light on the way?”

“Something light would be
good. I usually eat very little at cocktail parties. I’m always afraid I’ll
have something green attached to a front tooth while talking to a dignitary.”

“You are definitely a
senator’s daughter. Is that past experience talking?”

“I was a gangly
fifteen-year-old trying to impress Grandpa with my social skills. I had just
come from the soccer field. Although I had a chance to clean up and change, I
hadn’t had time to eat. I did what most teenagers do. I ate my way through
every hors d’oeuvre offered and finally made it to the ladies room only to
notice a piece of spinach stuck between my two front teeth.”

He laughed and shook his
head at her awkward teenage memory. “I can see where that could traumatize a
sensitive young girl. I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll feed you before hand and
make sure you’re not wearing your salad, if you inspect my tie for dribble
spots before our guests arrive.”

“It’s a deal.” She
reached out to seal their agreement.

He did it again.
“Jonathon, I was asking to shake hands not presenting you with an appetizer.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t
resist. I was still picturing the image of the willowy teenager sporting a
garden in her braces at the embassy ball.”

“Sorry to disillusion
you, but the braces were off before I accepted my grandfather’s invitation.
And, I warned you about flirting.”

“Consider it a tease,
then. No sexual connotations intended.”

“Fair enough, but please,
not here in the office. Someone else might not understand the gesture.”

“Okay then. I’ll leave
you to your work and see you at five.”

***

 “Jonathon, we are well
pleased with Mrs. Stafford’s performance tonight. She’s working the crowd like
a pro.” Pretending to sip a brandy, Robert Starr scanned the gathering from the
edge of Jonathon’s conversation pit.

“She told me today she’s
been doing this since she was a young girl fresh out of braces,” Jonathon
sipped a whiskey from a thick glass tumbler.

“Elaina is thrilled with
her hostess abilities. You would think she was welcoming old friends into her
home.”

“She knows some of the
politicians from her time in DC, but you’re right, Robert, she’s a natural.”
They watched from across the room when Sara laughed with the star of the latest
Merrill production sharing a moment of backstage humor.

“Elaina is talking about
organizing a foundation for the arts here in Portland. She wants to include
both of you, Jonathon. Do you think Mrs. Stafford would be interested?”

“My plate’s pretty full
at the moment, but it might be good for Sara. She’s up to her eyeballs in
tragedy. She tells me they buried a friend of her son’s this past weekend.”

“Was it an accident?”

“I don’t know,” Jonathon
said. He put his glass down on the tray of a passing waiter.

“Does this have anything
to do with the government’s investigation?”

“I’m not sure and Sara
wouldn’t go into detail; but piled on top of the other, she’s taking it hard.”

“Can’t tell it tonight,”
Robert stated the obvious.

“She covers her grief
well. When I try to get close she changes the subject. That’s why I asked you
to include her in tonight’s affair. I wanted to get her in a setting not work
related.”

“What if she won’t
confide in you? Where does that leave the federal investigation?”

“I suppose they’ll change
teams, or tactics, or both.”

Robert turned to his
second in command, “Meaning?”

“It may be chemistry. A
woman can warm to one person, but confide in another. Obviously, Sara uses the
work at Starr Shine to bury her problems. If I can’t get her to open up through
this informal association helping Elaina, maybe I can bring in someone else who
can.”

“Do you have a candidate
for the second team, Jonathon?”

“How close is Elaina to
organizing the foundation here in Portland?”

“Next week, if she can
get the flambé smell out of the house, she’s planning a dinner, inviting the
people she’s handpicked for the board of directors and an advisory board. Many
of them are here tonight. She wants to wine, dine, and coerce them.”