Knowing where Lance had parked, Daniel made his way back to the Cadillac. Moving the car within eyesight of the Jag, he waited there to see where they would go.
Sassy’s Old Towne Café was a popular place. Home of the best filet mignon in town, it also catered to the younger crowd with gourmet salads, organic French fries, and an imported beer selection that rivaled any restaurant in the county. The décor was relaxed California Surf; beach scenes with lots of flowers and palm trees were painted on the walls by local talent.
Lance was greeted warmly by the owner, Steve. “Ah, Mr. Brentwood. Delighted to see you again. Will you be dining with us tonight?”
The two men shook hands. “Steve, this is Ms. Waldron.”
Steve’s sharp blue eyes quickly appraised her beauty while gallantly kissing the back of her hand. “Enchanté,” he murmured over her fingers.
“Merci.”
Lance rescued Kimberly’s hand from Steve’s eager grasp. “Steve.… Yoo hoo, Steve? You can drop the formalities. We’re all friends here.”
Bedazzled, Steve backed up against the entry podium. “Ah, cool. So, what’s been happening, Lance?” Recovering his composure, he grabbed a couple of thick leather-bound menus and lead them to a quiet table in the corner. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”
Lance looked at Kimberly and then back to Steve. “Oh, we have a little project we’re working on. It’s been keeping us busy.”
Purposely misunderstanding, Steve smiled broadly, his blond eyebrows rising a little. “Awesome. Hope that works out for you.” He followed Kimberly’s every move.
“Down, boy,” Lance muttered good-naturedly to him as he accepted the menu.
Taking it all well, Steve chuckled and got back to work. “Can I bring the lady a drink? And your usual Single Malt, Lagavulin?” Just then he turned his attention to the entry door. There seemed to be a bit of a commotion. Glancing over, Lance saw Daniel as he tried to push his way in. He pointing at them and gave the hostess a difficult time. “You know that joker?” Steve asked Lance just before Daniel strode to the table and pulled up a chair.
“Yeah. Let it go, Steve.” Lance and Kimberly exchanged an exasperated look.
Daniel was all smiles. “This is a cute little dump. I’m glad I saw your Jag out front, Lance. Didn’t want to have to eat all by myself again tonight.” Since Steve still hovered protectively over them, Daniel thought he had better add, “You don’t mind, do you, Lance?”
Steve’s Nordic ancestry began to bubble to the surface. He would have loved to grab a broadsword and gotten rid of this obnoxious lout. He looked to Lance for direction.
Kimberly smoothly took over. “It’s all right, Daniel. We weren’t sure you would want to join us. Lance and I had some business to discuss and didn’t want you to get bored.”
Steve hid an amused grin. You gorgeous little liar! “I’ll send over your drinks.” He walked off, wondering yet again where Lance found all these beauties. They needed to start hanging out again.
When Steve came back to take their order, Kimberly decided on the California Dreaming Salad which had romaine lettuce garnished with figs, blue cheese, walnuts, dried apricots, and a raspberry vinaigrette. Lance decided to have the Cajun Salmon. Daniel figured it was time to show them that he was not a man to be trifled with. As Steve held his pencil ready, Daniel started in.
“Do you serve anything else but beer here?”
“We have a full bar, sir.” The last word was stressed in such a way that Lance and Kimberly could tell he had mentally substituted another, less desirable word in its place.
Oblivious, Daniel forged right on ahead. “Good. I want a good Scotch. Not just any old stuff. Do you have Dewars?”
“But of course,” Steve muttered between his teeth. “Will that be all?”
Daniel threw him a nasty look. “I’m not done yet. I have to make sure you do it right. I want the bartender to make it as a Martini, up, naked. You do understand what that means, don’t you?” He gave a smug look to Kimberly. Without waiting for Steve to say anything, Daniel continued. “It means I want a martini glass chilled in ice. Then the Scotch should be poured into a shaker with a scoop of shaved ice. Shake it vigorously for approximately thirty seconds until the Scotch is cold, but not diluted by the ice. I hate it when that happens. Then pour the Scotch into the cold martini glass. See? Simple. Naked means NO vermouth, just Dewars Scotch. Lance, I know you drink Scotch, but you pay far too much for that Single Malt. I drink blends and save a bundle, and when you order it this way it tastes the same as Single Malt. You should try it. Or would you rather have an Appletini?” Laughing alone at his joke, he made a show of collecting himself. “Oh, gosh, that’s funny! Now, for dinner I want the filet mignon. But I’d prefer you to handpick a good one. And don’t try to pass off some other cut like an eye of the round and try and tell me it’s a filet. I can tell the difference, you know. I want it two inches thick, wrapped with bacon, and have your cook prepare it medium rare. Not what you tell me is medium rare. I want it pink in the middle. Not red, not brown, but pink. You know what pink means, don’t you? If you want me to explain it to the cook, I can. Most cooks overcook their meat and if it comes overcooked I will send it back. The top should be seared in a crisscross pattern. I want the juices sealed inside, not running out all over the plate. And don’t overdo it with the spices. I just want salt and pepper on it. Got that? Just salt and pepper. Oh, and you’d better bring me a new bottle of A1. I can already tell I’m going to need it.”
Lance could see Steve’s fingers tighten on the pencil. He was afraid it would snap. “Daniel, they know how to do filets here. It is one of their signature dishes.”
Daniel waved him off in what he thought was a suave manner. “Oh, all dives say that. I don’t want to have to send it back after the first bite.” He looked at Kimberly and shook his head sadly. “That happens so many times, you know.”
Steve was ready for him. “I’ll tell you what. I will go in the back and personally hold your filet over a flaming match until it is seared just right for you. How does that sound?”
They could see that Daniel actually considered that as a viable option. Lance grabbed up all their menus and gave them back to the owner. “Thank you, Steve. I know you’ll take good care of us.”
With a wink at Kimberly, who was desperately trying not to laugh, Steve drawled, “Exactly!” as he disappeared to put in their orders. Kimberly heard him mutter something under his breath. It sounded as though it might have been ‘arm hole,’ but she didn’t think so. She lowered her eyes and pretended to look for something in her purse until she could compose herself.
When Lance tapped her leg with his foot under the table, Kimberly looked over at him with a questioning on her face. Saying nothing, he just gave her a knowing look. They would have to be careful in what they discussed with Daniel there staring at them. Any mention of Columbia or Lance’s finds would have to be vague. He would go over all the details with Kimberly when they were alone.
Daniel, bored, wanted them to get on with it, and started the ball rolling. “So, Lance, was your trip to Columbia successful? I haven’t heard the details yet.”
Lance swallowed a curse. Of course you haven’t heard details. We aren’t going to give you any…. Then his head snapped up. How did Daniel even know about his trip? He hadn’t had time to even mention it to Kimberly. His eyes narrowed. Perhaps she knew all along where he had to go, and had discussed it with Daniel.… No, that couldn’t be it. She acted like she could barely stand to be in the same room with the man. She wouldn’t discuss something as important as the next clue.… Lance then remembered the odd things in his apartment, the chair being out of place and the pictures moved on his bed. Had Daniel been in his apartment? Why that dirty….
Kimberly waited for Lance to say something as a variety of emotions played across his handsome face—and none of them pleasant. After squeezing some fresh lime juice into her water, Kimberly took a sip to stall for time. She had to
be careful how she worded things. Daniel couldn’t know she was as much in the dark as he. She wasn’t even sure Lance had been on any trip, let alone one to Columbia. But, since Lance hadn’t corrected Daniel’s assumption, she decided to run with that idea. “It was and it wasn’t successful, Daniel. I believe Lance found what he needed, but we still have to figure out all the details. It seems to be very complex. We aren’t actually sure what was meant.” She looked over at Lance and got a surreptitious nod in return. She could tell he knew what she was doing.
“Like what? I would be glad to assist again.” Distracted, Daniel looked around for Steve and his drink.
Again? Lance repeated, mumbling to himself. When have you helped yet?
Kimberly knew she needed to diffuse the moment and had an idea. “You know, I just had a brainstorm! Daniel, give me a twenty-dollar bill. I saw this trick in a movie and I think it might work here.”
Daniel hesitated. He wasn’t sure if he had twenty dollars in his wallet. That wouldn’t look good…. “Oh, here you go.” He found it nestled in among the ones.
Kimberly took the twenty, and then looked back and forth at the two men. “Oh, please, just go on chatting. I don’t know if this will work and don’t want you staring at me. I have to remember how to do it.”
When the two men reluctantly turned away as she started folding the money, they more or less just glared at each other. Steve brought their drinks, and watched a moment over Kimberly’s shoulder. He walked off with a huge smile on his face.
After five minutes to work with the twenty, she sat back with a beaming face. “That’s it!”
When the men eagerly turned to her, they expected an answer to the latest mystery. She held out her hand and they leaned forward to see what secrets were revealed in the folded twenty dollar bill.
“It’s a frog,” Lance said flatly.
“Oh, it’s not just a frog.” She gave him a bright smile. “If you push in its hind legs, it jumps.” She looked back and forth at the two men who were less than amused. “What? Oh, you thought I meant the clue?” Kimberly frowned as she shook her head. “Nope, sorry.… I got nothin’.” She sat back in her chair with a wicked grin on her face as she pocketed Daniel’s last twenty.
“Wow, dinner and a show.” Lance took a sip of his single malt Lagavulin.
Without another word, Lance decided not to mention anything else about the Columbian trip and his discovery of the crests. After Daniel excused himself to go to the men’s room, Lance told Kimberly about his suspicion that Daniel had broken into his apartment. She was about to stick up for him, so he asked how Daniel could possibly know where he had gone.
When she had no reasonable answer, he said no more and let it sink in. By the time Daniel returned to the table, Lance and Kimberly just talked about minor things going on around Disneyland: Some changes to Tom Sawyer Island that were coming up and needed to be analyzed and watched; a new direction for the Fantasyland Theater; an upcoming new design for the Monorails.
Daniel, bored and disgusted that he had not learned anything helpful for his own plans, ate his filet in welcomed silence. He didn’t dare comment on how each bite melted in his mouth and was superb when compared to what he usually ate. When he spotted a chance to jump into the ongoing conversation about changes in the Park, he decided to show off his brilliant vision for the Park’s future—with himself at the helm. “Those changes you mention are cute, like adding a Princess station in Fantasyland. But the Park really needs a defining hand at the wheel. It needs to move into the twenty-first century.”
With no desire to hear what he had to say, Kimberly still felt she needed to be polite. “What did you have in mind, Daniel? Sounds like you’ve put some thought into this.”
Daniel sat straighter in his chair and smirked. “Well, working as closely with your father as I did.…”
You were the chauffeur, Daniel…, both Kimberly and Lance thought at the same time.
“…I could see some big mistakes he had made. No offense, Kimberly.” He held up a hand when her eyes narrowed in anger. “It’s obvious that a younger viewpoint is needed. Take the Pirates ride, for instance. It’s like what? A hundred years old? It’s time for that boring old ride to be torn down and something exciting put in. Like a high-voltage roller coaster! Bring in the mobs of teenagers and give them something exciting. Same with that Small World ride. And most of Fantasyland, now that I think about it. I mean, who wants to go on stuff like that any more?” Ignoring the looks he was being given, Daniel was warmed up and just kept going. “I would even consider a full-service sports bar in New Orleans Square. Serving girls in tight shirts.… You know where I’m talking about…where all those boring bands play. Nobody likes Dixieland music any more. There could be a whole range of alcohol available. None of that Dole Whip pineapple junk…. And get rid of the security guards. No offense, Lance, but, really, who wants them breathing down their necks day and night? Every time I turn around I see a security guard.”
Kimberly looked to Lance to see if he wanted to jump in here. When Lance eyed the steak knife, she decided to take over instead. “Well, those are some interesting observations, Daniel. But, what about Walt’s vision that Disneyland was a family park? There has to be rides and attractions for all age groups.”
Daniel waved her off. “Walt’s gone. It’s time for a new direction.”
“You don’t think Walt’s ideals and concepts are valid any longer?” Lance wanted to know, a distinct edge to his voice.
Daniel shook his head back and forth as he stuffed another bite of potatoes au gratin in his mouth. “They were cute in his day, but times change. Disneyland is sitting on a prime piece of real estate. Another line of reasoning would be to think of what could be done with that!”
“But Daniel, the real estate is prime because Disneyland is sitting on it. Didn’t you think of that?”
“Doesn’t matter. Chicken. Egg. Same thing. The possibilities for change and profit are endless, that’s what I am saying.”
Steve came back to their table and ended Daniel’s wild dissertation. Kimberly could have hugged Steve for interrupting as Daniel’s ideas and plans almost made her ill. He had learned nothing from all the time he had spent with her father. At Steve’s inquiry, dessert was declined by all. And, as Daniel looked down to try and wipe away a stain on his slacks, Lance quickly whispered to Steve for separate checks. Steve bit his lip and retained the formal demeanor he had lapsed back into with the other customers. “As you wish, sir.”
Steve returned with two leather-bound folders. “Your checks, sirs and Madame.”
With a straight face, Lance handed a white-faced Daniel his portion of the bill. “There ya go, buddy.” Lance then pulled the chair out for Kimberly as they said good-bye to Steve, handed him the origami frog, and walked out without a backward glance.
Kimberly asked Lance to stay once they arrived at the mansion. Not wanting to make a rash decision, she again asked him about his suspicion of Daniel breaking into his apartment. Lance repeated what he had said earlier. “It can’t be anything else, Kimberly. He couldn’t have known by any other means. He’s not that sharp.”
She had to smile at that and certainly couldn’t argue the point. With a weary sigh, she looked away for a moment. “He’s a relative,” her voice resigned.
“I still don’t see how you can possibly be related.” Lance gave an unbelieving shake of his head.
“Father used to say the same thing.” She smiled at the memory. “But,” she stressed, coming to the issue at hand, “I can’t have someone close to me who does things like breaking and entering.”
Lance’s eyes got wide with guilt. That was exactly what he and Adam had done in San Francisco. And possibly Marceline…. He wasn’t sure where she was going with this.
“I’m finding more and more reasons to part company with Daniel. What we are involved in is just too important to not be able to trust someone. And, what he said at dinner about his plans for Disneyland just mad
e my blood run cold.” She stopped to rub her arms.
Not sure of his standing, Lance said nothing to allow her to finish her thoughts.
She looked directly at Lance. “I want Daniel gone from here, but I don’t know that I can do it alone. With your legal training from Harvard, how would you suggest I proceed?”
Lance was just glad she wasn’t talking about him being gone.… ”I’m not sure. Do you have any agreement with Daniel in writing? Did your father?”
She shook her head. “Not that I know of. It was all done more as a favor than a lasting, lifetime job.”
“Does he own anything here? Car? His part of the house?”
“Heavens, no. He’s given a healthy salary that he seems to blow through pretty quickly. I don’t know on what.… He doesn’t seem to have any friends.”
“Do you think he has any idea of the scope of your father’s work? Any real idea of the value?”
Kimberly had to think on that. “He probably knows there’s a lot of money ‘somewhere’ that keeps this house and the equipment running. He doesn’t know about Walt, thank heavens.”
“Do you think he could be bought out?”
Kimberly pursed her lips and looked away. That might work. Someone as greedy as Daniel would always go for a nice, big paycheck. “Perhaps,” she answered slowly.
“Then I suggest you draw up a two-week notice with severance pay for Daniel. I’ll sign it as a witness. Make three copies—one for him, one for you, and one for the real lawyer your father used, just in case.”
“Just in case what, Lance?”
“Just in case he doesn’t take the news very well.”
“Well, we can be assured that will happen, but we don’t have a ‘real’ lawyer, as you said. We are anonymous, if you remember.”
“Clergy? Police you have worked with? Security guard?”
She shook her head negative for each suggestion. “Hmm, then I guess I’ll keep the third copy.” He didn’t see that part going over very well with Daniel, either.
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