by Hammond, T.
After using the facilities and thanking Melody for her assistance, I told her Red and I would find our own way back to the table after I took him outside before the dancing started. Red had caught Morales’ scent a few times during the evening, but the people watching him had not signaled us that he was spending any noticeable amount of time with one person in particular. When we were heading towards the balcony, Red gave me an unanticipated visual, which caused me to stumble from surprise. My awkwardness drew the attention of Javier Morales, who was standing in a deserted hallway beside a tall, cold-eyed blonde in a black gown. I managed to keep looking ahead, but Red’s gaze zeroed in on the couple for a few moments, giving me just enough time to see the man excuse himself and come towards me. Red looked forward and resumed directing me to the balcony. “Lights off,” I said, confident I couldn’t be overheard. Our mind sight switched off, and I was able to concentrate on the tred of shoes gaining on us from behind.
“We were on the edge of the ballroom, well enough in sight of other guests I was unconcerned when he called out, “Excuse me, Miss?”
Because I was in the dark again, I responded naturally, by stopping and cocking my head, as if unsure who the man was singling out.
He laid a familiar hand on my arm, which startled me, and caused Red to issue a warning growl. The hand pulled away, as if burned.
“I have a clear shot at his balls, just give me the word, Teresa.”
“That’s okay, boy. Calm down,” I murmured to Red.
“Sorry ma’am. I believe you dropped this,” Morales said, with the soft touch of an accent adding a beautiful cadence to the words.
“He’s holding something out to you,” Red told me.
“I’m sorry.” I’m sure my tone belied my words. “I can’t see what it is you think I may have dropped.”
“It is an earring, but it seems you have both of yours. I must be mistaken.”
I caught a faint scent of soap, and gasoline near my face, and jerked my head back.
“Ah, so you are able to see a little bit,” he stated. Obviously a test, and he feels I failed it.
“Not at all, I am totally blind, sir. If you are referring to my reaction to your hand near my face, it is the odor of hand soap and gasoline that I object to. It is my guess you had to fill up your gas tank earlier this evening. The soap was not strong enough to remove the scent.”
“He’s smelling his hands,” Red informed me. “He smells like Italian food; lots of garlic.”
“My blindness has caused me to develop an excellent sense of smell. Enough to say, even at this distance from one another, that garlic was on your menu tonight. Italian?” Ha! Let him think he has garlic breath for the rest of the night.
Red growled again, shouldering his body in front of me, backing me up a step. I didn’t smell gasoline this time. “He poked a finger at your left eye,” Red explained. Go figure, who knew Red could tell left from right? It had never come up before. As long as he didn’t touch me, I had no problem with Morales satisfying his curiosity about the extent of my blindness. It was important for him to believe I was no threat.
“My apologies, ma’am. Can I escort you anywhere? Back to your table, perhaps?”
“Actually, my dog and I were heading for the patio. The event organizers set up a little area for him, and I try to stop by every hour, at least, so that he’s comfortable.”
“Please, ma’am, by way of apology, let me escort you,” he offered.
“Why thank you, that’s very kind. I’m sure that my dog and I can find it on our own, but the escort of a gentlemen is always appreciated,” I smiled. “I am Teresa March, and this growly boy to my left is Red. Please excuse him for being a little protective. I think he realized you startled me, and was only looking out for me.”
“I understand completely,” he replied. “I am Captain Javier Morales.”
“An officer!” I tried to inject delight into my tone. “That explains the lovely manners, and the ma’am’s at the end of every sentence,” I teased.
“He’s offering his elbow to you,” Red said, slipping his head under my right wrist to lift my hand towards the captain. “Yep, we surprised him. I love when we do that to people.”
Morales snugged my offered hand into the crook of his elbow, and awkwardly pulled me toward the balcony. Luckily, my height made it easier for me to keep up with his jerky pace.
“Hello, once again, Miss Teresa,” Mr. Witherspoon greeted, as we approached the balcony. The air had cooled quite a bit since we arrived earlier in the evening. I had a moment to regret not stopping by the table to grab my jacket, as the chill off the Bay swept over my bared arms and shoulders.
“The lady from the hallway, is standing close by,” Red informed me. “I think she wants to come outside.”
“Thank you for your escort, Captain Morales,” I said. “I won’t monopolize your time any longer. I hope you enjoy the remainder of your evening. Red and I will be fine now.”
The intimately lit patio area came into view, as Red connected with me, once again. He was acting like any curious dog, sniffing along the railing and the seats of the chairs. “David just noticed where you are, he’s heading this way with your coat.” Smart boy that he is, Red maneuvered his body so that he was facing me; I was backlit by the lights of the ballroom. I could see David striding towards us, Mr. Witherspoon smiling a greeting, as he pulled the door open.
“Do you mind company for a few more minutes, Miss March? It is quite enjoyable to step away from the noise and bustle of the Gala, don’t you agree?”
“Yes. Large gatherings can be quite disconcerting for me. It’s been a year since my accident, but I still find big crowds difficult. To have bodies pressed so close is somewhat claustrophobic.”
Noise spilled out the open door, a stark contrast to the quiet we had been enjoying. “Teresa, I saw you out here and noticed your jacket was still draped over the chair. I have it in my hands, Sweetheart. If you turn around, I’ll help you into it.” I didn’t have to fake the shiver that shuddered over my body.
“Just drape it over my shoulders for now. It’s too cold out here for me, and I’m ready to go inside.” I purposely gestured a little too far to the left, to emphasize my lack of sight, as I introduced the Captain and David to each other. “Please take me inside, Hon. We can leave our boy out here for a while to explore. Mr. Witherspoon will be happy to let him back in when he’s ready.”
I watched David sign to Red to leave lights on until he returned to the table.
“Wow, you have your dog trained for hand signals, that’s pretty impressive,” Captain Morales said.
“I just let him know he’s on break; otherwise, he’ll think he has to come indoors right away,” David explained. “He’s pretty social, so he’ll probably keep you company while you’re out here. He’s a sucker for ear scratches.”
“Oh thanks. Leave me with the loser, why don’t you?” Red pouted, even though he was fully aware this was the plan all along.
“The music is about to start, Love. You promised me the first dance.”
“I’ll probably step all over your toes,” I warned with a grin.
“I’ll take my chances,” He laughed, and curled an arm around my waist. I leaned into his body heat and held my jacket closed with my free hand. “Captain, it was nice meeting you. Thank you for taking good care of my girl.”
“Thank you, Captain Morales,” I called out, as David led me away.
To our doorman, “Henry, Red needs a little time to unwind, when he comes to the door, can you let him inside. He’ll head straight to the table when he’s done inspecting chairs out here.”
“Not a problem, sir.”
As we exited, the woman in black squeezed thru the closing door onto the patio.
“We need a quiet spot to talk so that I can concentrate on the mind vision,” I said. I was going through that confusing clash with David leading me in one direction, while Red was feeding me images of someplace else. I truste
d David to keep me from stumbling around. We had talked at length about the disorientation of being in two places at once, so he knew I’d concentrate better if I could be stationary. David stopped abruptly, and I almost tripped.
“Sorry, Teresa. Didn’t mean to stop so suddenly.” His supporting arm gave me an affectionate hug. “Bas is here too.”
“I have a glass of white wine for you,” so it looks like we’re standing here and socializing. “I watched Morales approach you after you split off from Melody.”
“Red noticed him standing in a deserted alcove with the blond woman on the balcony with them now. He made up a story about a lost earring, in order to chase after us. He was concerned about whether I was blind or not. I didn’t notice anything, and Red didn’t have a chance to tell me what caught his eye about the couple. He turned on the visual feed without me asking. It could be because he wanted me to see the woman, or that he saw something happen.”
I stopped speaking as I concentrated on Red’s mind sight. “They are making a big production of pretending they don’t know each other. Introducing themselves and shaking hands.”
“And the Oscar for the worst performance by a Commissioned Officer goes to… you got it, Captain Morales,” Red mocked. “Geez, could they be more obvious?”
“Red tells me they are pretending to be meeting for the first time. As far as I can see, there are no other people outside.” I concentrated on what I was seeing. “Red is approaching the captain, and head butting to get attention. He’s looking up at both of them.” I started laughing, “Oh my goodness; the look on her face! The woman looks like she swallowed a bug. Definitely not a dog person. She and the captain are speaking, but Red hasn’t started talking to me yet.”
“We have company coming,” David warned, as Dexter and Fritz joined us.
“Any luck?” Fritz asked.
David started to give him a rundown just as Red said, “Her name is Major Stark. She says I probably have fleas.” Red sounded offended at the idea.
“Major Stark,” I parroted.
“Holy shit!” Dexter exclaimed. “She’s out of Arizona. Tucson, I think. Wasn’t on our list of suspects. This is huge.”
“It’s nothing definitive, the only suspicious thing so far is pretending they didn’t know each other before they got to the balcony,” Bas snorted. “Could just as easily be an affair.”
Red started a stream of words and phrases that I simply repeated for the guys. At one point, I was aware of Fritz saying he would record the conversation (one-sided, though it may be). “Assault rifles, grenade launchers, AK 47, ‘something’ 5 or 7 caliber? The Major’s angry because pins missing from last shipment. Something about Private Walker, accident- brake lines? Phoenix, gang violence. Laundry? Hotel Baltimore, card key, room 427.”
Red had a short pause, in which I tried to explain that some of what he heard, he may not be able to put into context, so there may be some code breaking needed.
I continued to repeat the words and phrases Red fed to me. “Confiscated M4’s. Impound, Burbank PD. Officer Crowder. Detective Boo? (Sorry Teresa, I didn’t understand the word). Wednesday. Shipment to Phoenix…”
During the course of the fifteen minute conversation on the balcony, Major Stark and the Captain gave up six names that the military would need to question regarding their involvement in the disappearance of confiscated weapons. Three locations were discussed that may lead investigators to where the stolen caches were now, or where the smugglers meet to exchange guns and/or money. No arrests were made at the gala, but Bas and David were pretty confident that Major was about to have every inch of her house, car, phone, and office bugged before her plane even left San Francisco.
When the music started, I danced the first waltz with David. He was a beautiful dancer, all grace and elegance. Bastian claimed me for the second waltz (I know, who knew Mr. Muscled Macho could dance?). Bas was surprisingly graceful, powerful and sweeping. It was quite a contrast between the two men. We stayed until midnight, then made our goodbyes to our hostess.
I was tired when we returned to our hotel and the long ride up to the eighteenth floor seemed to take forever. Bas retired to his room in our suite as soon as we arrived, citing emails he needed to send off. Janey, Ken, and Jason/Jinx shared a suite next door, but we were pretty sure we beat them back to the hotel.
It was a relief to slip out of the heavily beaded gown. The thing weighed so much it would likely keep me grounded in a tornado. Yeah, okay, exaggeration, but if we threw it on a scale, it would probably come in at a hefty ten or fifteen pounds. I took a quick shower and fell into bed. David told me he’d join me shortly, he just wanted to type up his notes while they were still fresh. He told me he was concerned about Private Jean Walker, the alert soldier who pointed us at Morales, thinking her whistleblowing had been exposed and she may be in danger.
****************
Jinx didn’t win the Drag Show’s top award, but she did win for best female impersonator. Ken and Janey tell me she really hammed it up for her performance (is anyone surprised it was the ‘Happy Birthday, Mr. President’ song?), and they thought she should have placed in the Top Five. They took lots of pictures. David promised to make a picture CD that each of them could play on their personal computers.
Just like our work with the Spokane Police, we will never know what happens with the information we gathered at the gala. Let me rephrase that: I may never know what happens. David and Bas, on the other hand, will probably know all the details down to what color Major Stark’s toothbrush is and the brand of deodorant she uses.
Red and I really enjoyed the assignment, and we are hoping the military can use us again. Gil called while we were out, and let us know he has some evidence for Red to look at when we get back to Spokane tomorrow afternoon. We plan to stop by on the way back from the airport.
Chapter Twenty-Four
We decided to exchange one present on Christmas Eve. Through Red’s vision, I watched David unwrap a dark brown leather computer carrying case. He had complained a month ago that his current case was coming apart. I looked up the brand and model with help from Ken. Luckily, I was able to order an exact replacement for him. I sat back on our living room couch, and watched with a wide smile as he transferred everything from one case to the other. I could have gotten something different or fancier, but, I noticed, for work items especially, David had a tendency to prefer tried and trusted over new and improved.
“Teresa, I need to take a break. My head’s starting to hurt,” Red said, apologetically.
“Hey, no problem, Red. You did a great job today, and you held the sight link for a long time when we practiced this afternoon.”
Red withdrew from my mind, and I heard the whoosh as he dove through his dog door.
David fiddled around with the case, probably setting a new combination for the dual locks. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect. I appreciate you going to the trouble of getting me the same style. I really like this style. It’s so much easier that trying to fit all my stuff into new pockets and compartments.”
It seems I guessed correctly for this one. “You’re welcome, Lover.”
“So,” David started, then paused, as if considering his next words carefully. “That five-piece jewelry set I gave you before the ball? I never gave you the fifth item.”
“Mmm, I wondered about that. I figured you counted the pair of earrings as two pieces.”
He grunted, as if I’d answered an unasked question. “That explains your lack of curiosity,” He said, licking over the outline of my lips before pressing forward and slamming a deep, wet, carnal kiss against my mouth. He had pressed a small box in my hands while his lips had kept me otherwise occupied.
“It’s a ring box,” I said, stupidly.
“Two-carat solitaire with two smaller diamonds on either side. Some of the same decorative scrollwork as the bracelet and necklace.” He paused for another moment. I stilled, understanding where this conversation was going. “It’s an
engagement ring, Teresa.”
I closed my eyes, and drew in a deep breath. Holding it in like I wanted to hold this moment in time.
“Breathe, Lover,” David chuckled. He waited for me to exhale, and he smoothed my hair back from my face.
“I figured I should wait another half-year, because a sane man would never propose after only seven months; but Sweetheart, I can’t wait five more months to satisfy appearances sake. I love you. You love me. I’ve waited a lifetime for you, and I don’t need any more time to be sure that you’re the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I want to marry you. I want to wake up every morning knowing that we belong to each other. I have this insanely possessive need to look down at your hand and see proof of our commitment to each other. I want my ring on your finger, and I want a ring for me to wear, so that everyone knows I have found a woman that wants me enough to bag and tag me.”