A Chance Encounter Pt. 01

"So, do we have any idea who the other players are in this?" I asked.

"Well, I've ran into some dead ends there so far, which tells me a lot. These are careful and dangerous people. The less you find, the more 'efficient' the element you're dealing with."

"Efficient equals ruthless," I clarified for Dannie.

"Right," Griff continued, "those characters that visited Danielle at her home were probably contractors hired by whomever her husband's company was doing business with. And I'm guessing that when the principles of his company got wind that their days were numbered, they bailed and failed to deliver on existing contracts, neglected to refund monies advanced - or a similar scenario. Of course, it could be something else, but something equally problematic for her husband and his partners, hence their disappearing act."

I nodded agreement, "Yeah, now we just have to figure out how to negate any fallout for Danielle in this mess."

Griffin added, "Oh, I have a piece of personal information for Danielle," he turned to her, "which you may or may not want to hear."

"Dannie, please, and at this point, I think I need to know exactly what is what. I already realize, my world isn't what I thought it was, and that whatever it was, it will never be that again."

"Hmm, yes, of course. Okay, well, when I was researching your husband, I found out he has his name on the title of four vehicles - three of which, your name is also on. The fourth has the name of another female, which I discovered was his personal secretary..."

"Margot?" Dannie interjected.

"Yes, that would be she. But it doesn't end there. His name was also on a condo lease, and again, with her."

He sat quiet and let her absorb.

She said, almost in a whisper, "He was having an affair...long hours at work, frequent trips. Probably started about two years ago..."

"As a matter of fact," Griffin added, "The condo lease was executed just under two years ago."

Elise put a comforting hand on Dannie's arm.

Dannie gave a small nod and a brief, brave smile, "Well that answers a lot of questions. And, I know now, I owe that son of a bitch nothing!"

Griffin asked, "So, what are your arrangements for getting his docs to him?"

"I'm supposed to call him this morning and he'll tell me where to meet him."

"Okay, we're going to control the meeting time. I need time to review those documents before we make any tactical moves; and I need to make arrangements for managing the meet. You'll call him as planned, but tell him you won't get to town until after noontime."

"We'll need to see if he has fleas," I added.

Griff replied, "Right. Well, I need a few hours shuteye so I'm sharp enough to know what I'm looking at before I dig into those docs, and you guys look gassed. Get some sleep. We'll wake you to make the call, about eight o'clock?"

"Yes, that's fine," Dannie agreed.

"Everybody, sleep fast. Dannie, you and Quinn have a jack-and-jill between your bedrooms. You should find everything you need in there. Goodnight."

"Thanks, brother, thanks, Elise," I added and we headed to our rooms.

As we walked down the hall, I told Dannie I was going to take a quick shower; I was crawling.

"Yeah, me too. You go ahead. I'm sure you'll be faster than me," she replied with a wan smile.

"What did you mean about fleas?" she asked

"Surveillance. If he's being followed, we don't want you walking into a trap," I explained.

She nodded, "I guess I am in good hands."

"The best."

She stopped me and leaned up and gave me a kiss on the cheek, "Thank you."

I smiled and nodded. Dannie was calmer now, seeming to come to terms with her situation. As she turned to go to her room, my gaze lingered on her form - quite a form. I felt a little pang, a stirring - I could be attracted to this woman...okay, I was attracted to her.

When I was done in the bathroom, I knocked on the adjoining door, "All yours."

"Okay, thanks," she answered through the door.

I crawled in bed and was asleep in seconds.

I was roused awake shortly after falling asleep. I felt movement in the room, and tensed momentarily, then realized it must be Dannie. In the darkness, I saw the vague shadow of her figure come around my bed and stop in front of me, where I was lying on my side.

"Quinn?" she whispered.

"You okay?" I asked.

"No...I...I couldn't sleep. I..."

I scooted over and pulled the covers back. She crawled in and lay on her side, facing away from me. I threw the covers over her, and she scooted closer, spooning into me.

"Is this, okay?" she asked.

"Of course," I answered, "I understand."

"Thank you," she sniffled, and reached back, found my arm and pulled it over her.

We went to sleep that way. It took me a while - feeling her warm, shapely body pressed into me, smelling the lingering scent of shampoo in her hair. I felt a stirring but suppressed that, and gradually drifted off to sleep.

What felt like a few seconds later, there was a knock at my door. My eyes popped open; light was streaming in through the blinds. I rarely sleep past sunup, regardless of when I go to bed. I had a suspicion that the combination of exhaustion and having a warm, feminine body curled up against me, had something to do with it.

"Just a sec," I answered.

Griffin's voice came from the other side of the door, "Breakfast in thirty. I'll let you wake up Danielle."

"Okay, thanks."

Dannie hadn't stirred.

I gently jostled her shoulder, "Dannie, it's time."

"What...where...oh, um, okay," she remarked, disoriented at first. "I'll get dressed." She seemed a little embarrassed.

She got out of bed and headed to the bathroom door. I watched her walk away, and couldn't help but admire her lovely form. She was wearing a short, but conservative, gray nightie that ended just below her hips. Her long, firm legs were simply perfect, and the bottom swells of her buttocks were just peaking from under the hem of the nightie. She had on a matching pair of panties that cradled and defined the bottoms of her firm, rounded cheeks. I felt more than a stirring, and was glad she wasn't still spooned up against me.

As she entered the bathroom, she said, "If you don't mind, I'll use the bathroom first. I'll be quick."

"That's fine. Just let me know when you're done."

I got out of bed and stretched, then went to the window and raised the blinds. My bedroom was at the front of the house, and I was looking out at the blue Pacific in the distance - beautiful.

Dannie's voice broke my reverie, "All yours, hon...Quinn."

The slip didn't escape my attention. It did puzzle me.

When we got to the kitchen, they were plating French toast and bacon with accompanying fruit bowls. My stomach growled.

"Perfect timing," Elise greeted us, "Good morning, I hope you were able to get some rest."

"Slept like the dead," I answered.

"Yes, very restful, thank you," Dannie added.

Griffin put in, "Let's get the phone call out of the way, before we dig in."

"Oh, I'll get my phone," Dannie said over her shoulder as she quickly went to retrieve it.

Elise observed, "She is quite lovely. Her husband has to be an idiot for, well..."

"He is, and yes she is quite lovely...quite lovely," I said, the last a bit wistfully, and louder than intended.

Griffin gave a knowing smile and the slightest nod of his head.

Dannie got the location for the meet and agreed to a time of two p.m. as we requested. Then we settled in for breakfast, with casual conversation, catching up on things and generally tabling any talk about the business at hand until after eating.

When breakfast was over, Griffin headed into Del Mar to his office to take care of some agency business and to make preparations for the afternoon.

Elise busied herself with her normal morning routine, and Dannie and I went to take showers and get ready for the day. As I went to my room, Dannie followed me in.

"Quinn, thank you for last night. I just felt terribly alone. I couldn't get my head around the fact that, for all intents and purposes, I no longer had a husband and was all alone for the first time in 12 years."

"You're not alone," I immediately replied.

"Oh, I didn't mean it that way, I..."

Before I realized it, I had grasped Dannie, pulled her to me and kissed her, with an urgency and passion that caught me completely off guard. Before I could stop myself and recover, I found Dannie clamping her arms around my neck, pulling me to her and kissing me back. I felt her tongue against my lips and parted them. We kissed for what seemed like minutes, neither of us wanting it to end. When we finally relented, we stood there, frozen in each other's arms.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...I didn't plan that..." I stuttered, trying to apologize.

Dannie, her face in my chest, was shaking her head, "No, no apologies," and lifted her face up to me, "that was...we both...felt that, that emotion...And, Quinn, I needed that, more than you can know. I needed to know that someone who matters to me, feels like that about me. I don't regret it, not one bit."

She pulled me down and kissed me again, gently, sweetly; then released me and headed to her room.

"I'll get my shower first, if that's okay?" she said over her shoulder.

IV. EXPOSED

Dannie was instructed to meet her husband at a Starbucks in a strip mall in La Jolla Shores. He would be sitting in the outside seating area. Griffin did recon of the location before he went to his office and called me to let me know it was a workable set-up for us. We would be able to scope things out pretty well and spot any surveillance, unless they were exceptionally good. And egress was favorable if we had to bail for any reason.

After Griffin left, Elise said she was taking Dannie shopping and for some 'girl time', and that they would be back by lunchtime. She gave me a key and their alarm code so I could come and go. I decided to get a run in and get the kinks out after several days on the road.

They lived in a beautiful area, so I just ran through the housing areas in the foothills, enjoying the changing terrain and the serenity of the place. After what I guessed was about five clicks, I headed back to their house, let myself in and killed the alarm. I was going to jump straight in the shower, but saw the pool through the rear sliders and thought, "Why not?"

I walked through the rear slider onto a large covered patio, and took in the backyard. It was a fairly large, well-manicured space with a swimming pool and a small cabana towards a back corner of the pool. The mature landscape included several large date palms and quite a few lush shrubs outlining the perimeter of the yard - serene and beautiful. The pool was a free-form shaped, curvilinear affair, but had some length to it, so I grabbed a towel, and leaving my running shorts on, I dove in and did some laps. The water was surprisingly warm, obviously heated, considering the outside temperature was only in the mid-sixties. After a bit, I got out, and since nobody was home, I stripped down and toweled off on the deck before going in the house. Griff had a nice place here. The deep lot was covered in thick, dark green grass, bordered by curbed planters with a variety of shrubs, flowers and succulents.

"You're looking pretty buff, Bruiser," Elise's sprite voice cut through my fog.

I was facing the back of the yard and briskly toweling my hair.

"Well, crap! When did you sneak in?" I laughed as I quickly whipped the towel around me, and turned to find Elise and Dannie standing at the patio door - Elise grinning, Dannie with her eyes wide and a hand over her mouth.

"Oh, we've been here long enough," Elise said, still grinning.

"I usually charge for a show," I lamely joked.

"How about lunch, in lieu of payment? Griff's on his way home."

"Lunch sounds good. I've worked up an appetite. Hi Dannie, sorry about, um..."

She shook her head and smiled, "Nothing to be sorry for; just surprised. And Elise is right; you're pretty buff," she finished, her smile breaking into a grin.

"Wait till you see Dannie in the swimsuit she got. We did some shopping!" Elise added, grinning.

I hit the shower and dressed, and when I came out, Griff was waiting.

"We're all set. I borrowed a car from my maintenance guy for the meet. It's his son's, a 64 Biscayne with dark-tinted windows. Nobody will see us coming. We can check everything out before we expose ourselves. Oh, wait, you've already done that," he zinged me, then laughed.

"I guess you've had a chance to chat with the girls."

He nodded, grinning at me.

Griffin is a small guy, at least, compared to me - 5-'10, 160, trim and fit. I think he's a handsome guy, too. If you didn't know him, you would think he was a banker or wall street denizen - has an 'Ivy League' look to him. When we were partners, we were the classic 'Mutt and Jeff' pairing, which worked well for us. If intimidation was needed - my role; if finesse - his. Not that he couldn't be intimidating or that I couldn't do finesse, but it was often convenient and effective to trade on our physical attributes. And we complimented each other in other ways - he was gifted at analysis, sifting mounds of data, piecing clues together; I always had a gift for reading people. I can tell you when somebody's lying, and I can tell what somebody's good or bad intentions are, almost before they know, themselves. We made a great team; and still would, if Griff hadn't been in his awful wreck.

Just dumb luck - a delivery truck came out of an alley cutting off a car coming down the street at a good clip. The driver of the car swerved to miss the truck and plowed head on into Griff's POV - a classic 67 Mustang convertible. He suffered a lot of injuries, including cracked ribs and a broken wrist. The engine forced the firewall in and crushed his right foot and lower leg, and he suffered injuries to his neck that still give him trouble. His rehabilitation went well, and all things considered, he had a pretty good recovery; though his reconstructed foot and leg give him away when you see him walk. He worked hard at it, and most people probably don't notice. But, as a result of his physical impairments, he decided maybe it was time to go a different direction, and at 16 years, he took a disability pension and moved on.

After lunch, we went out to the patio for lemonade and a briefing.

Griff started, "Okay, Quinn will be riding shotgun, looking for unwanted company. Dannie, you will be in back, watching for your husband. As soon as you spot him, point him out to me. Then you're going to call and tell him the meet is off, that you're scared and nervous, and you'll call him back, later. See, we want to follow him when he leaves, and his shadows, if he has any; find out where he's holed up, and get all we can on anybody else involved. Then we go from there. Regardless, you're just going to tell him that you'll call him later with a new time and place."

"What if he doesn't want to cooperate? What if..." Dannie started.

I interrupted, "We're in the catbird seat. We have the documents. If he could do without them, he'd already be gone. He's still here because he has to have them. Today is all about getting set up for tomorrow, when we take him down, so to speak. Today we have to assess the situation, figure out how to deal with surveillance if there is any, and then meet him on our terms, under our control."

"Okay, do I let him know you're with me?"

"No, not even a hint that you're not alone," Griff answered.

Dannie was looking a little pale. Elise, put in, "Don't worry honey. This is child's play for these two. It'll be fine."

Dannie nodded and smiled, "I know. It's just getting very real."

V. FLEAS

The Chevy Biscayne was sitting in the drive. It was a big boat. The last paint color had been some kind of anemic sky blue, but now it had almost as much primer gray on it. It was obviously being restored to some facsimile of the original as it hadn't been chopped or lifted, and had been updated with some good-looking chrome and glass, the latter with what I assumed was the darkest, legal tint you could have, which was good for us. In southern California, this was about as close to invisible as you could get.

A little after 1:30, we piled in and headed to the strip mall. When we arrived at the strip mall, we began cruising the parking lot, checking the area over. On our first pass near the coffee shop, Dannie pointed out her husband, sitting at a table under the shade of an umbrella. His eyes were searching the lot, presumably for Dannie's Volvo. There was no one on foot that looked out of place, but after going up and down a couple lanes of the busy parking lot, I spotted a late model, light gray, Maxima sedan parked towards the back of the lot, but where it had line of sight on Dannie's husband. The motor was running, the windows were cracked, and cigarette smoke was coming out. By the front passenger door, there were a couple of discarded cigarette butts. We looped the long way around and came by one more time to check the plates. The license frame indicated it was a rental. Very strong chance Richard had fleas.

"Go ahead, make the call," Griffin said, "and don't get in a conversation with him. Just say you're not comfortable with this and you'll call him back later to meet somewhere you feel better about, then hang up. And you can sound as nervous as you want. If he calls back, don't answer."

"Got it."

She made the call and hung up. Her cell rang within 15 seconds. She let it go to voice mail. Richard was standing now, pacing around his chair at the table, looking around the parking lot, while he called. It took three times before he quit trying, shoved the phone in his pocket and headed to the parking lot. As he approached a red Mercedes EQS S, Dannie said that was his car.

As soon as he backed out of his space, the Maxima pulled out. Bingo. Traffic was heavy and Griffin had to keep a pretty tight tail on them, but we were pretty comfortable this car would be in their blind spot. They followed the Mercedes to a hotel a couple miles away, and when it turned into the parking lot, they passed on by, gunned the engine and headed down the street to the light, turned right and went a half block to another hotel and pulled in.

Griffin passed the entrance, went fifty yards and pulled in at the next drive and parked in the first available spot out of site of the entrance to the hotel.

"I'll go and see what room they're in. Take the wheel. If they come out or anybody else comes out and gets in that car before I get back, you tail 'em. We'll hook up later."

I nodded and got in the driver's seat as Griffin beat it to the entrance. I backed up and drove around till I found the Maxima, then parked a distance away and waited. In three minutes, Griffin was back and motioned for me to stay behind the wheel. I moved the seat back, while he crawled in.

"Let's sit here a few and see if anything happens."

After a couple more minutes, two guys approached the Maxima and got in. We followed them and they went straight to Richard's hotel, pulled in the parking lot and set up shop. We headed home.

The End of Part One of Two

Of

A CHANCE ENCOUNTER