The Dark Lady Ch. 10

She stopped and I leaned over for a tender kiss. There was a loud cheer from behind us.

Kim rushed down and gathered Susan up. "That is marvelous. What a thrill. And a whole recital to follow!"

The rest of us grabbed fresh coffee and followed into Kim's office.

Karen said, "No leaks so far. We told the press not to say anything this morning about the recital because it is oversold."

She went on, "We have people here from both the organist's guild and the organ historical society. They will have a colored button on their name badges. There is incredible enthusiasm about what we are doing, Theo. Poor Susan is going to be underwater trying to respond to all the interest."

Susan was laughing and smiling and leaning over me. "Theo, this is more than the incidental music for kids you had in mind, isn't it?"

I held her close. "Hey, you and the rest took a crazy idea and made it real. Stand there and take some credit!" We all clapped and she blushed a lovely shade of pink.

Clara described how the building was going to be closed as soon as the last recital guests were gone, and the windows would be obscured with black paper.

"That will keep the press and paparazzi at bay. The garage is also going to be guarded and every automobile checked."

"The display contents stay in the vault until tomorrow?"

"Yes. I suppose you and the tiger are going to bed down here again tonight?"

Every eye in the room was on me. "Hey, she had my sweats on. I didn't even get a kiss."

Everyone was hyper, but smiling. Laura handed out an updated set of individual schedules and the meeting broke up.

Kim and the twins and I stayed behind, collecting our thoughts. She stared at me and I said, "This is your night, Kim. Almost every important person in the area is going to be at the Inn. You should delegate every detail and every worry, so you can be the most gracious hostess in Arizona."

Sarah and Laura wiggled against me on the sofa and said, "Yes. Delegate! We are here for you."

"Mom, the security is going as tight as possible without the guests being aware of it. The Chief is going to attend in his uniform, along with the Mayor and City Manager. I will take responsibility for working with Clemmie and Greg to make sure all the law enforcement and security personnel are up to date with any developing news."

I walked to her and got a tight hug. "God, Theo, you are so strong and determined."

"We owe it to all these hard working people to bring it off in style. I have a new idea, let's find Clara."

In the open area of the gallery, chairs were being set up for the recital overflow under Clara's direction. She looked at me and knew trouble when she saw it.

"Give that chart to someone and come outside for a moment." We walked down the sidewalk toward the coffee shop.

"We want the guests tonight to feel special. They are special and we need a way of letting them know we understand. The three of us realize that Karen's identity is going to come out sooner or later. Let's turn that into an advantage rather than a problem.

"When the time for short talks comes after dinner, she will be the last speaker, and will come out from behind a curtain, having changed into a different evening gown, with the auction necklace resting on that magnificent chest."

Silence. Their hands were squeezing mine. Finally, from Clara, "That's incredible. It will cause a sensation. We'll tell them it is absolutely a secret until Saturday, and not to spoil the surprise. If we are very lucky, it won't leak. Even if it does, it will just add to the attention on Saturday."

Kim asked, "How do we break this to the poor woman?"

We sat down and ordered coffee. I added eggs and toast, and the women also decided a real breakfast was necessary. Clara pinched my ear and said, "He doesn't get to say a thing to her. His punishment is that he is to be the MC for the evening. In a tux!"

Oh shit. Me and my big ideas. Kim kissed the back of my hand and bent my fingers back and forth. "Yes. We will tell Karen we are making him suffer for another of his rude ideas."

"I don't know if you want to tell her this in advance, but a uniformed guard with a sidearm is going to have custody of the necklace before and after she wears it, and will stand visibly to the side while she is at the mike."

Kim said, "We need to wait until after the recital to tell her. Clara and I will get sandwiches and take her to Keeler for lunch, so she can beat on us if she needs to."

The food arrived and we ate quietly. "Wouldn't it be a nice touch, after the excitement with Karen, if we asked her to introduce Martin Sanchez to describe the Bridges program? Send the audience home with a gentle little cultural message?"

Kim smiled at me and said, "Theo, you have no fear about taking risks and I love you for it. That is the perfect way to end the evening."

I left them to talk more about convincing Karen this was a good idea, and went looking for the twins. They were busy helping with the new gallery furniture. I said we needed a few minutes to coordinate the evening schedule and they followed to my office.

I sat on the sofa and said, "Sit here, I need to get tight with my best girlfriends."

After a couple of breathless minutes of making out, Sarah said, "What is this about? You aren't supposed to be playing with us. Today of all days."

"Ok, here is the deal." They scribbled as fast as they could, to create the plan for tonight. I saved the Karen detail until last and they gasped in surprise. "Theo! That is wild! Will she do it?"

"Kim and Clara are taking her to lunch at Keeler after the recital, when she is vulnerable, and talk her into it."

Laura said, "Theo, she is one tough woman from her principal years. She will complain and then do it. Do it really well."

Sarah added, "Oh, this is going to be such fun. I wouldn't miss it for anything."

As they were leaving, I asked them to send Maria to me.

She had never been in my office and entered hesitantly. "Theo, this is where the President does his important things?"

"Maria, mostly this is where Clemmie beats me and practices her karate. I've never won a round with her."

The eyes were dark and dancing. "Theo, you are not an ordinary boss, I don't think. How many secretaries give boss karate lesson?"

"Sit down here and punch my arm."

She did, gently.

"Not good enough. Pretend we are on the street and I insulted you with nasty Anglo remark."

This time was nice and hard. She looked at me quizzically, wondering what was going on.

I arranged a pillow on my lap and said, "Make yourself comfortable, we have to talk." I held her hand, massaging the fingers.

The voice had an edge to it. "Theo, if we were in school, the next thing would be your hands in forbidden places."

"I know. I am on my best behavior." At that moment, my phone rang and I pulled it out of my pocket. It was Clemmie, heading back. "I have lots of news, but not for the telephone."

"You'd never guess who is with me, resting on my lap."

Maria gave me an angry look and grabbed the phone. A torrent of Spanish followed. I could hear both of them laughing at the end.

She handed it back and said, "I am to keep you under strict control until she arrives!"

I had to hurry up. "Maria, you are one of the most capable people I know. There are several things I need help with for tonight."

I described the Karen idea, which made her sit up and get out of my lap. Then I described the change in order of presentation regarding Martin and asked if she could get together with Martin's wife and the two of them gang up on him to deliver the news about not spending his time at the podium looking at Karen's chest.

"Si, we will have fun with that."

Finally, I said, "We want to hold down the chance of leaks. With your fine artist hands, would you make a big poster to go at the entrance tonight which says, in English and Spanish, that out of respect for fellow guests, phones and cameras are strictly not to be used. Put a nice border on it, but make the words strong enough so they know we mean business."

"Si, that is fine idea. May I leave before there are any more fine ideas?"

Before we could move, Clemmie burst through the door and flipped full into us.

"Thank god, I got here before he could attack you!"

For a minute, there was wild kissing and hugging.

Maria stood and said, "He tells me he loses every karate match?"

Clemmie hugged her, "You better believe it, but he is getting better."

Maria walked away, saying "He has given me many important things to do."

The blond bombshell pushed me down and settled in my arms. "Manuel better not hear she was in your lap."

"You remember I told you that Kim said Susan had to be on our team?"

"Yes. Maria is another one. All that talent!"

"I read in a management book that recruiting is the boss's most important job. Am I doing ok?"

"Are you fishing for compliments? I suppose, as one of your Presidents, I am to bow and grovel?"

"That's just before you kick my legs out from under again?"

She jumped up. "Come on, take me home to get proper work clothes on."

I finally noticed that with the wild blond hair and color in her face, Clemmie looked fantastic in my sweats.

She struggled in my arms. "You are mine and I am taking you to a hideout in the desert."

The kiss was soft, "You get me revved up, and start kissing, and doing your bandit thing, and I'm all yours."

"Yes, but we have to get through two more days."

In her kitchen, I made breakfast. She sat at the counter, fresh from the shower in yellow bra and panties. The look in her eyes dared me to come after her.

"Greg says they have narrowed the suspects down to something called Argonaut Mining. Mostly offshore, but has small exploration effort in the U.S. Has been caught in industrial espionage activity in the past. FBI has several agents working on it. Biggest issue today is identifying the hoods they are using at the mine, and finding out whether they plan trouble at the Gallery or the Inn."

"Causing public trouble doesn't help their scheme, does it?"

"Doesn't look like it, but Tom and Greg are working that angle."

She pointed a finger at me. "You are a mess. Go clean up and get into nice clothes. Then pick me up and take me to the gallery while you hurry and line up that tux for tonight and get back in time for Karl's performance."

Can you look and sound Presidential in your underwear? My lover was laughing and giving orders at the same time.

I walked into the gallery at ten forty-five. The room was full, with a few last guests being seated as Susan played quietly on the organ. Precisely at eleven, she faced the audience and introduced Karl. She was brief, because there was a biography in everyone's hands.

He began with a variety of flourishes designed to show off the organ. The room acoustics were incredible and the hush in the audience total. The program was bold, as only a skilled, confident organist could create. A mix of new and old. The mandatory Handel, but also little known artists. An adaptation of a Copland piece that carried desert harmonies into the room. A flawless performance with not a sheet of music in sight. At the end, he received a standing ovation.

He signaled for quiet and spoke clearly, "Thank you very much. It is a great pleasure to play this marvelous instrument for you. The Parsons family deserves your great appreciation for bringing this historic organ to your community." He turned to Kim and clapped his hands and the audience joined in.

Susan and Karl shared the bench and played a four handed encore as people filed out slowly. I was standing in the back and got an elbow in the ribs. "You better be proud." Karen linked her arm in mine and kissed me lightly. My hand on her hip pressed firmly. "You and Susan and the kids are going to have a lot of fun with organ music in your programs."

Kim was by our side. "Karen, you and Clara and I need to talk about tomorrow. I have some sandwiches and we can go to Keeler to relax for a few moments in the sun."

She looked at me. "You are responsible for keeping bad things from happening. Please tend to your duties here. You are going to be dressed appropriately tonight?"

I smiled. This was old style Kim, giving orders to teenage son. I loved it.

"Mom, everything is under control. Go relax."

(cont'd in Ch. 11 - Terror in the Night Turns to Joy in the Morning)