Storm Chaser: Chapter 17

Just got back from visiting the family for Christmas. hope everyone had a good holiday. val

Chapter 17

Elena hauled her groceries to her apartment and as it was close enough to the time estimate she gave Kiera, she decided to pick up her mail before starting on dinner. Elena crossed the hall and knocked. She heard foot steps padding lightly towards the door and wondered if Smith had heard her approach the other night as she tried to be stealthy.

“Hi,” Kiera said tugging her door open. She was wearing a tank top and yoga pants. Her honey blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail and sweat was beaded on her forehead.

“Did I interrupt?” Elena asked. Kiera shook her head, the pony tail whipping the air with the movement.

“Just finished,” Kiera said waving Elena inside and closing the door behind her. “Desperately need water though, if you don’t mind.” She led Elena towards the kitchen. “This is yours,” she said tapping a stack as she passed. She filled a glass from the tap. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Nope I’m good,” Elena said. The sound of a yoga tape playing in the background caught her attention. Kiera grimaced.

“Okay I was mostly done.” She clicked off the television. “Sadists,” she said to the now dark screen before taking another sip of her water. Elena laughed.

“I’m pretty sure attending Torture 101 is part of the pre video recording requirements for all instructors.” Elena said with a smile.

“Good to know. It would probably have helped if I would do the workouts more frequently rather than when I realize my baggy jeans aren’t quite so baggy anymore. I am really going to be sore in the morning.”

“If you take a hot bath tonight it might not be so bad.” Elena said sliding the stack of mail from the counter and into her arms. “How much do you want to bet that at least half of this goes straight into the trash?” She said looking at the random circulars sticking out.

“That’s a sucker bet,” Kiera said with a laugh.

“Oh well, Thanks for taking care of this for me. It helps not having to get them to hold my mail at the post office every time I leave town.”

“No sweat.” Kiera paused. “So is that military guy going to come around every time you leave? The angry looking one?”

“I hope not.” Elena said. She figured it was time to try out her basic cover story. “He is kind of a friend of a friend of the family type thing. They were looking into some smuggling things and wanted to know how a business like mine that imports from around the world would fare against some of their new systems. They like to stop by every time they come up with a new scenario. I’m hoping they will run out of questions soon.”

“Oh,” Kiera said. “So are they almost finished?”

“I hope so,” Elena said. “Did they bother you? I know they can get pretty hyped up. I thought I was through with them so I didn’t let them know my travel plans. It kind of made them a little crazy.”

“It wasn’t too bad; I’m just not overly fond of the military. Or cops. Or algebra teachers with stern features. Any kind of authority figure really. They make me think I’ve done something wrong even if I know I haven’t. And then I start wondering if I really did do something wrong and just don’t know it. That sort of thing.” She waved the concern away. “Just a minor phobia.”

“Well hopefully they will go away soon,” Elena commented. She walked towards the door. “Thanks again,” she said as she let herself out. Kiera smiled and wished her a good night as she closed the door behind her. Back in her apartment Elena dumped her arm load of mail on the kitchen table. She spared a second to glare at the space she knew the bug to be located on her kitchen table lamp and then rolled up her sleeves. Many of her groceries went into the fridge. The rest she lay out on the counter next to the propped up recipe card. Before setting to work Elena turned on the radio.

Traffic reports filled the air as she began to slice, dice, mix and cook Consuelo’s version of Garan shul fedal with chicken and potatoes ala gedoswa. Seductive smells filled her kitchen and Elena smiled at the results. Tonight she would have a meal and not just fast food. Idly she ran her conversation with Kiera over in her head. She thought her story was weak but might hold up if no one questioned it. Something still nagged her about the conversation though. Normally she would just talk it through out loud and sort out her thoughts. She frowned at the kitchen lamp again. Spin meandered into the room, sniffing at the smells of cooking chicken.

“Oh no,” that chicken is not for you.” Spin mewled plaintively. Elena shook her head. “You will turn into a butterball with too much people food.” Elena filled the cat’s bowl with a mix of wet and dry food. Spin sat down and stared resolutely at the stove. Elena recognized the classic battle of the wills and wondered which of them would crack first. She strongly suspected it would be her.

“Perhaps it is a phobia,” she told Spin. She closed her mouth and kept the rest of her comments in her head. After all if Kiera was that nervous around authority then perhaps there was a reason. It would be a poor way to thank a neighbor by setting Smith and Co. on Kiera’s trail. ‘Then again,’ Elena thought. ‘Maybe Kiera is just the kind to keep a couple of loose joints around.’ She shrugged and poured the bubbling sauce over the chicken. She placed the cover on it and set the timer as directed by Consuelo’s card. The entire dish would need to be re named as well as the ingredient title’s changed. Elena leaned against the counter as the time ticked away and ran possible names through her head. None of them seemed quite right and she wondered if she could pass this type of thing on to Andre.

“After all he did so well with some of the ingredients that stumped me.” The timer dinged and Elena pulled the lid off of the pan. A billow of delicious steam rose to greet her and Elena’s stomach rumbled, reminding her that she had skipped lunch instead of hitting a fast food place on the way to meet Consuelo. She turned off the burner and transferred a portion of the chicken to her waiting plate.

“There will definitely be leftovers for tomorrow,” she said. She scooped out some of the potatoes and put it on the plate. She was missing a green vegetable to round out the look but she thought she had done fairly well. There were plenty of potatoes left for later as well. She placed the steaming plate on the table and decided to add a lovely glass of white to the menu. She pulled one of her nice glasses out of the cabinet and uncorked the bottle stashed in the back of her fridge. She set the chilled glass next to the plate. The hot plate and the cold glass made a pleasing contrast. Spin arranged herself so that she could watch Elena eat. Elena sat down and unfolded a paper napkin. She laid the napkin on her lap and picked up her fork.

“You are not going to spoil my meal with those pleading eyes,” she told Spin as she speared a potato. She blew lightly on the steaming spud. A knock sounded on her door. She arched her eyebrow and looked at Spin.

“I’m going to ignore that.” The knock sounded again and Elena put her fork back down on the plate. She sighed and looked at the ceiling. “Why?” she asked. “Why always at meal time?” Her only answer was her stomach growling. The knock came again and Elena thought of Kiera. She shook her head and pushed away from the table. She walked
Over to the door and yanked it open. She stepped back to dodge as Smith, prepared to knock again swung his hand down.

“Good evening Ms. Calabrese,” Smith began. He tried smiling at her and she was almost willing to swear she heard cracking. The smile was somehow more disturbing than his habitual frown. “Jonathan has apprised me of the situation and we have discussed matters.” Elena caught movement in the shadows and turned. Jonathan gave her a weak smile.

“And you couldn’t have called to set up an appointment?”

“You don’t always answer your phone.” Elena bit back a comment and simply stared at Smith for a second.

“I was about to eat my dinner.”

“This won’t take long.” Smith assured her.

“You have exactly five minutes.” Elena stepped aside and they entered her living room. Smith looked around as if this was his first time in her apartment. “Cozy,” he said. Elena snorted.

“Speak.” Smith indicated Jonathan was to take the lead. The younger man stepped forward as Smith let his gaze wander. Since the only thing out of place in the living room was the photograph of her and her grandfather on the Wind Dancer.

“We realize we have put you in an awkward position with the guild and would be willing to compensate you for your time and trouble so that a record would be available to justify your assistance.” Jonathan began. Elena thought the lines sounded memorized and she wondered if there was a lawyer hiding somewhere.

“I don’t see either of you carrying one of those wand things to detect electronic bugs.” She said. Elena saw Smith’s mouth tighten around the edges.

“At this time we know of no such…” Jonathan began. She had to give him credit for sticking to the script. Elena turned and walked towards the kitchen. Both men followed her. She pulled the bug out from the lamp and handed it to Jonathan.

“You can take that with you,” she told them. “And my dinner is getting cold. Your time is up. You can return when you are willing to deal fairly. Until then it is best you leave.” Elena ushered them towards the door and to her surprise Smith went fairly docilely. “You know where my office is located and you even know the office number. I suggest you call and schedule your next appointment there.” Elena closed the door and stalked back to her dinner. The meal was still hot but before she took a bite, Elena took a healthy swig of the wine. As she set the glass back down on the table she noticed something off. Her eyes scanned the counter and she counted bottles. The jar of powdered geras was missing. She thought of Smith and the fact that for the first time he didn’t protest being thrown out.

“Son of a bitch.”