by Marie Astor
“That’ll keep him busy for a while.” Dennis poured out the cognac. “The French know how to make a good drink,” he added, inhaling the aroma from his glass.
“They certainly do,” Mrs. Chapman agreed as she sniffed her glass. “Smells delicious. My late husband loved his cognac,” she added, “but enough about the past. Here’s to the young couple. May your life together be as wonderful as your honeymoon.”
“Thank you.” Janet raised her glass and took a sip.
“Thank you indeed, Mrs. Chapman, although I don’t think I could handle that much walking on a daily basis,” Dennis added.
“Oh, please!” Janet waved her hand in dismissal. “Stop complaining. And you did enjoy it.”
“What’s this, a lovers’ quarrel? You know, it’s forbidden to quarrel in your first year of marriage,” she said jokingly.
“Dennis is being overly dramatic,” Janet explained. “We just did a little sightseeing.”
“If you call covering the entire span of Paris and Antibes on foot ‘a little sightseeing’,” Dennis countered, “then that’s what we did. I don’t think there’s a corner of Paris that we missed, or Antibes for that matter.”
“That’s because there was so much to see,” Janet retorted. “The Louvre in Paris took two days by itself and we still didn’t see everything there. And then there was the d’Orsay, and the Eiffel Tower—”
“Did I mention we climbed to the very top of the Eiffel Tower?” Dennis cut in.
“That must’ve been so exciting,” Mrs. Chapman gushed.
“It was,” Janet confirmed. “And Dennis enjoyed it too—the view was breathtaking.”
“As was the climb,” Dennis wouldn’t relent.
“Says the guy who can run five miles hardly breaking a sweat,” Janet countered. “Just think of walking as a workout.”
“I prefer to limit my workouts to the gym, thank you very much,” Dennis shot back. “By the time we reached the top, I had holes in the bottoms of my shoes.”
“I think Dennis has discovered a talent for comedy during our honeymoon,” Janet said. “And he just won’t stop.”
“You got me.” Dennis held up his hands. “I’ll admit it. It was nice and I enjoyed every bit of it. How could I not with my wonderful wife by my side?”
“Oh, how sweet you two are!” Mrs. Chapman cooed.
“You’re too kind, Mrs. Chapman.” Janet paused—truth be told, she did enjoy the back and forth bickering with Dennis because she knew it was never serious. “Antibes turned out to be such a quaint little town,” Janet continued. “We found the most delightful art gallery there where we bought a wonderful painting. The owner didn’t want to sell it to us at first, but then he changed his mind and we got it.”
“How exciting—I can’t wait to see it.” Mrs. Chapman’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.
Janet rose from the couch and went to get the carryon case with the painting. “Here it is,” she said as she began to open the zipper. “I fell in love with it the moment I saw it.” She carefully removed the painting from the case and propped it on the reading table, holding it up with her hand.
“Oh, my!” Mrs. Chapman exclaimed. “The sea looks absolutely dazzling.”
“That’s what I thought. We’re going to hang it up above the couch,” Janet said.
“The perfect spot for it.” Mrs. Chapman rose from her seat to take a closer look at the painting. “Who’s the artist?” she asked.
“An unknown,” Dennis said. “But he did a good job.”
“That he did,” Mrs. Chapman agreed. “And the frame is very lovely too. It looks old—it could be worth quite a bit on its own. You might want to take it to an antiques specialist to learn more about it.”
“I was thinking about that too,” Janet said. “Not that we’d ever sell it, but maybe there’s a story behind it. I’d love to know what it is. The shop where we bought it was most peculiar.” Janet proceeded to tell Mrs. Chapman about their visit to the art gallery.
“That sounds like an adventure in its own!” Mrs. Chapman gushed after Janet finished her story. “You’ll have to tell me more about the rest of your trip later. I’m afraid I must run now,” she added, glancing at her watch. “I have a date.”
“He’s a lucky fella. If your date isn’t being a perfect gentleman, you just give me a call, Mrs. Chapman, and I’ll straighten him out,” Dennis added in all seriousness.
Mrs. Chapman waved her hand demurely. “Oh, I think I’ll manage. I appreciate the offer though. Now, you two, unpack and unwind.” Mrs. Chapman headed for the foyer.
“Mrs. Chapman, wait a minute.” Janet followed after her. She reached down and picked up one of the bags from the duty free shop. “We got this for you,” she said, handing Mrs. Chapman the bag.
“Oh, you shouldn’t have,” Mrs. Chapman said modestly.
“It’s a bottle of cognac,” Janet said. “The same we just had.”
“In that case you should have.” Mrs. Chapman smiled. “I’ll save it for special evenings.”
“Enjoy.” Janet knew they’d gotten the right gift for her neighbor—if there was one thing Mrs. Chapman enjoyed, it was a good nightcap. “Thank you again for taking care of Baxter.”
“Don’t mention it, dearie. We take care of each other.” Mrs. Chapman twirled her fingers and disappeared behind the door.
After the door closed behind Mrs. Chapman, Janet pulled her hair into a ponytail, ready to get to work. “Let’s unpack first. Then we can walk Baxter and hopefully get to bed early.”
“Wait a minute,” Dennis said, “did you hear that?”
“What?” Janet asked, busy opening one of the suitcases.
“There’s a voice calling to us from the bedroom,” Dennis said.
Janet listened, but silence was the only thing she heard. “I didn’t hear anything.”
“Just listen,” Dennis insisted. “It’s there.”
Janet walked to the bedroom and swung open the door. She looked around. “You hear voices? I don’t hear anything.”
“Just listen. The pillows are saying, ‘come, Janet and Dennis, rest your tired heads and close your eyes.’ Their tiny voices are begging us to do as they say,” Dennis added with a mischievous grin.
Janet burst into laughter. “Would you stop? You scared me. I thought someone broke into our bedroom.”
“And you stomped in there so loudly to scare him away?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking. I just want to finish unpacking.”
“Let’s get some sleep and unpack tomorrow,” Dennis said. “The pillows are calling our names, and the mattress is joining in the chorus.”
Janet grinned and shook her head, looking at the doorway. “I don’t think your plan is going to work.”
“Why not?” Dennis asked, turning around. “Oh.” Baxter was standing in the doorway, his leash in his mouth, looking pleadingly at Dennis—the kind of look one couldn’t say no to.
“You take him for a walk and I’ll unpack. With any luck, we’ll be in bed by ten,” Janet said.
“You know something,” Dennis said, as he fastened Baxter’s leash. “I think I like it when you organize things. You have a real knack for it.”
“Told you.” Janet grinned.
“From now on, I’ll leave the organizing to you, even if it does involve lots of walking.”
Chapter 3
On Monday morning Janet followed Dennis out of the elevator and into the hallway leading to the offices of Kirk & Associates.
“Back to work,” Janet muttered, a deep sigh escaping her throat. This morning she had missed her sundresses and her sandals as she put on her pencil skirt, blouse, and office pumps.
“What was that?” Dennis asked. His back was erect, with his head thrown back. There was an extra bounce in his step—he couldn’t wait to get back into the office.
“Nothing.” Janet bit her lip, inwardly reminding herself that she loved her job—once behind her desk, she would get right back
into the swing of things.
Dennis stopped and looked at her. “It had to be something or you wouldn’t have said it.”
“I’m just a little bummed out our honeymoon is over.”
“Who said our honeymoon is over?”
“Well, it is. We’re back to work,” she said, her shoulders slumping in spite of her.
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean our honeymoon is over,” Dennis pointed out. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m married to the woman I love, so the rest of my life is going to be a honeymoon.”
“Dennis Walker, did anyone ever tell you what a sweet talker you are?” Janet teased, already feeling her spirits lift.
“Many times.” He flashed her a smile. “But I don’t just talk the talk. I walk the walk. How about dinner at LaVerne tonight?” Dennis suggested Janet’s favorite French restaurant in Greenwich Village.
“Mmm, yummy and romantic. But we don’t have reservations—”
Dennis wagged his finger. “What’s that I hear my dear wife? Doubting your husband already?”
“It’s just that they book up so far in advance. We can go somewhere else instead.”
“If I say we’re going to have dinner at LaVerne, we’re going to have dinner at LaVerne. You just leave it to me, little lady.”
“LaVerne it is then.”
Dennis grinned. “Ready to go in?” he asked. “We don’t want to be late on our first day back.”
Janet nodded. “Let’s go. I’m sure Peter is dying to see us by now.”
“You read my mind. The poor guy must be drowning.” Dennis opened the door for Janet and followed her into the reception area.
It was only one minute past nine, but the agency’s receptionist, Anne Waters, was already behind her desk, busy peering at her computer screen. Her hair was pinned into her usual bun and the thick cardigan she wore at the office, regardless what time of the year it was, was draped over her shoulders. With her gray hair and thick-lensed glasses, Anne might look like a harmless old lady, but she was anything but. Behind those thick lenses, her eyes never missed a thing.
Seeing Dennis and Janet walk in, Anne lifted her reading glasses onto her forehead.
“How was the honeymoon?”
“Wonderful. Just wonderful,” Janet said dreamily.
“It’s good to be back,” Dennis replied, his voice overlapping Janet’s.
Anne eyed them in turn. “Sounds like you two enjoyed yourself. But you look a bit scrawny, excuse my saying so,” she added.
“It was all the walking—we did a lot of sightseeing,” Dennis explained, skipping the complaining as he caught Janet’s glance. “How was it at the office? Ham must’ve been swamped without us.”
“It was busy,” Anne said, “but we managed. Peter Laskin is very sharp. He hit the ground running.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Dennis rocked back on his heels. “He certainly is.”
“And the new girl is very good too,” Anne added.
“The new girl?” Janet asked.
“Oops,” Anne grunted. “I thought Ham told you. Figures. You’ll meet her soon enough—she’s in the office already. First one to come in, last one to leave—real work ethic. The name’s Christina—Tina—Sloan. She’s a bodyguard with a PI license. Ham thought her skillset would come in handy for when things get dicey. And I must say I couldn’t agree more.”
Dennis’s face reddened. “A bodyguard? I can’t wait to meet her.”
“I’m sure you’ll like her,” Anne carried on. “I wish we had her onboard when you got kidnapped by that two-timing hussy. I was so worried about you, I nearly had a heart attack,” Anne added, alluding to their latest case, which had been more bumpy than most.
“Thank you for your concern, Anne. But as you know, I can take care of myself. Well, we’d better get in there before the agency changes so much we won’t recognize it. Good day to you, Anne,” Dennis threw over his shoulder, as he dashed down the hallway.
“Wait a minute. Wait a minute! You young people are always in such a hurry. Here, I brought you breakfast.” Anne reached for her large tote and produced a paper-wrapped parcel. “Apricot Danish—I baked it last night. It ought to fatten you both up.”
“Thank you, Anne.” Janet grabbed the package from Anne, as Dennis was already halfway down the hall. “I don’t think Dennis is too keen on the idea of a female bodyguard,” she whispered.
Anne cackled. “He’ll get used to it. I’ve seen that girl do a self-defense demonstration on Peter and she can pack a punch.”
Janet grinned. “It’ll be nice to have another girl at the office. Now, I’d better get to my desk before Ham starts looking for me. I’ll see you later, Anne.” Janet headed for her office.
On the way to her office, which was next to Dennis’s, Janet was surprised to see Dennis standing in the doorway, looking ruffled.
“What’s up?” she asked, wondering why Dennis was lingering in the doorway instead of sitting behind his desk.
Dennis crossed his hands on his chest. “It seems there’ve been lots of changes while we were away. Apparently, my office has been given away,” he added, sounding furious.
“I’m so sorry,” an apologetic voice interrupted, as a young woman got up from behind the desk that used to be Dennis’s and walked toward them. “My name is Christina, Christina Sloan. My friends call me Tina. I didn’t know this was your desk—I only started last week. Ham said the seating arrangement was temporary.”
“Tina, it’s so nice to meet you.” Janet did her best not to look stunned, realizing this must be the new hire Anne had been talking about earlier. Christina Sloan didn’t look anything like a bodyguard. Well, at least not at all like Janet imagined a bodyguard would look like. She was tall, about five nine, with shoulder-length auburn hair, dark green eyes, high cheekbones, an upturned nose, and full lips that stretched into a wide, open smile. She had a solid, athletic build and was clearly in great shape. She could’ve been a lean, mean machine, had her chest not been so well endowed, which she tried to downplay by wearing a simple outfit of a loose-fitting blouse and black pants.
“It’s nice to meet you, Christina,” Dennis said dryly. “I’m going to take this up with Ham. This office is clearly not big enough for two people.” He gestured at the second desk that had been put inside the office.
“Dennis, I’m sure Ham has a rational explanation,” Janet said quietly, as she stepped inside, nudging Dennis to follow her. It was ridiculous to keep standing in the doorway.
“I’m sure he does,” Dennis muttered, “and I intend to hear it.”
Ignoring Dennis’s grumbling, Janet put on the most welcoming smile she could manage. “I’m Janet Maple and this is Dennis Walker. We just got back from our honeymoon, so excuse us if we’re a bit out of touch.”
“Ham’s told me so much about you,” Tina said excitedly. “It’s so nice to meet you both. You’re practically legends around here,” she added.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Dennis said gruffly, “but we’ve certainly been around the block.”
“You’re too kind.” Janet shook Tina’s surprisingly wiry hand.
“Won’t you sit down? I feel so bad taking over your desk. I’ve been sharing this office with Peter. He’s been showing me around, but I can’t wait to work with both of you,” Tina added.
Dennis nodded. “Yes, well, that’s lovely. Thank you for filling us in. In the meantime, I’m going to camp out in the conference room, as there’s clearly no room here.”
Janet shot Dennis a side glance, wanting to smack him. She had no idea what had gotten into him. As far as she was concerned, an extra pair of hands would be welcome—especially if that extra pair of hands could keep them safe when cases got hairy, as they often did. She was about to say something to break up the ice when there was a sound of footsteps down the hallway. “That must be Ham,” Janet said a little too loudly, thankful for the diversion.
A few moments later Ham Kirk appeared in the doorway. He was fol
lowed by Peter Laskin.
“I knew you’d be jetlagged, so I got coffee.” Laskin held up a tray with four cups. “It sure is good to see you guys. It’s been crazy busy around here.”
“Busy is good, right?” Ham winked. “It’s wonderful to see you both!” Ham shook Janet and Dennis’s hands in turn, embracing them quickly. “I see you’ve met Tina already. She’s been a wonderful addition to our little family here. And Peter, as you know, has been holding down the fort so to speak. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to give you the update firsthand. It didn’t seem important enough to bother you during the honeymoon, so I thought I’d tell you once you were back. I’ve just come back from a meeting with the leasing agent—we’ll be moving to new quarters by the end of the month. There’ll be four offices with plenty of room for everyone. But in the meantime, I hope you and Janet won’t mind sharing Janet’s office. Peter has been sharing with Tina, like a real trooper.”
Dennis opened his mouth and Janet hurried to cut in, before he put his foot into it, “That sounds great, Ham. We’re so thrilled to see our little agency grow.”
“Oh, we may be small, but we pack a big punch,” Ham said proudly. “And everyone on the street knows it. And now with Tina on board, we’ll have someone to watch your back when you need to.”
“That sounds great, Ham, but I can’t think of a situation when we’d need that,” Dennis said.
“Really?” Ham sounded surprised. “Because I can. The time when you got kidnapped by a suspect—a girl—you were trying to get close to under cover.”
Oh, brother, Janet thought, as Ham dredged up an embarrassing incident when Dennis got blindsided by a suspect and was lured into a minivan where he then got Tasered and knocked out unconscious with chloroform gas.
Dennis smiled wryly. “Granted, that wasn’t my finest hour, but please don’t make it sound like it happens every time. It was a one-off and I’m going to be much more careful from now on.”
