Hothouse Orchid

27

Teddy Fay went busily about preparing for Lauren Cade’s dinner visit. He put the duck into the preheated oven and laid out the ingredients for their first course, then he cleaned up the mess he had made during his preparations and adjusted the light in the kitchen to a more welcoming level.

He set the table in the living room for two and put new candles into their holders, then he opened the bottle of cabernet he had selected and left it on the table to breathe.

Teddy enjoyed not just cooking but all the preparations that went into having a woman over for dinner. When she arrived, he wanted to look well prepared and have everything go smoothly.

An electronic chime sounded from his study; a car had turned into the driveway, the first time that had happened since he had installed the warning system. He was happy to know it worked. He took off his apron and hung it next to the stove, then went to the door to greet her. She was just getting out of her car with a bottle of wine in her hand.

“Good evening, Lauren,” he said and pecked her on the cheek. “Come in.” He opened the screen door for her.

“I thought this might be useful,” she said, handing him the wine.

It was a very nice French burgundy. “Thank you so much,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind if we don’t drink it this evening; I’ve already opened a bottle. Can I get you a drink?”

“Scotch, if you have it,” she said.

“I’ve got Johnnie Walker Black or a single malt, Laphroaig.”

“Johnnie Walker would be lovely.”

He seated her on the couch and poured them both a Scotch.

“Something smells good,” she said.

“I hope you enjoy duck.”

“I do.”

They chatted idly for a few minutes, and he poured them a second drink.

“Why don’t you come into the kitchen while I prepare our first course,” he said, and she followed him. He put her on a stool at the kitchen counter, then proceeded to dust the sweetbreads with flour, drop them into a pan with hot clarified butter and sauté them. When they were ready, five minutes later, he transferred them to a small platter and led her to the table. He lit the candles, then poured a little wine into his glass, tasted it, and then poured them both a full glass.

She tasted the wine. “Oh, this is better than what I brought,” she said.

“You chose well, and it would have been just as good with our dinner as mine.”

Teddy sat down and watched for her reaction as she tasted the first course.

“Delicious!” she said. “But I don’t know what it is.”

“Sweetbreads,” he said, stopping himself from telling her that they were the thymus gland from the neck of the calf.

“I’ve never had them, but I like this.”

“I’m glad.”

They ate the first course slowly, sipping their wine. When they finished, Teddy glanced at his watch: perfect timing. He cleared away their dishes, put them into the dishwasher and then removed the roasting duck from the oven, crisp and juicy. He cut the duck expertly into pieces and arranged them on two plates, leaving room for the small potatoes and haricots verts he had already prepared, then he served them.

“It looks wonderful,” she said.

“I hope you think so when you’ve tasted it.”

She signaled her approval with her first bite. “No one has ever cooked me a dinner as good as this,” she said. “Certainly not a man.”

“Cooking is one of my pleasures,” Teddy replied.

“What are your other pleasures?” she asked.

“Shooting, building technical things and…” He stopped.

“What?”

“I was about to go too far,” he said.

“You were going to say sex, weren’t you?”

Teddy laughed. “You don’t know me well enough for that, yet.”

“I like shooting, too,” she said, “and…” She stopped, and they both laughed.

She reached over and touched his hair. “This isn’t original equipment,” she said.

Teddy laughed. “I’m vain, and I look better with hair, even if it isn’t original equipment.”

“It looks good on you,” she said, “but my guess is you’d look just as good without it.”

“You have a liking for bare scalp, do you?”

“On some men it looks good.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Teddy said, “but I’ll keep my hair on, at least in public.” Especially while he was in the same town as Holly Barker, he reflected.

He took their dishes away and brought them both ice cream, then he put a coffeepot and cups on the living room coffee table.

She took a seat on the sofa, near the center, and he sat close to her. They were both warm with the Scotch and the wine, and it didn’t take long before they were kissing.

“It’s been a long time for me,” she said.

He knew from his research that she meant since Bruno had raped her.

“I won’t rush you,” he said.

She kissed him again. “I think I’d like to be rushed.”

Teddy picked up the tempo.

When he awoke the following morning she was in the shower, and she came back to the bedroom toweling herself, but naked. He liked it that she wasn’t modest about what was a very beautiful body.

She lay down next to him for a moment. “I’d really like to make love to you again,” she said, “but I have an early staff meeting that I can’t be late for.”

“I understand,” he replied. “Is this about the rapist/murderer you’re looking for?”

“Yes. We’re having everybody sit down together at the same table: the local cops, the medical examiner, the forensics people. Maybe we can get a little synergy going.”

“I hope so,” he said. “I’d like to see you clear this thing and get it off your mind.”

“It’s constantly on my mind,” she said. “Sometimes I’d just like to go out and shoot Bruno. No trial, just execution.”

“I read about his court-martial on the Internet,” Teddy confessed, “so I know what he did to you. You won’t have to have the burden of explaining.”

“I’m glad you read about it. The newspaper accounts were accurate and pretty much told the whole story.”

“There was another woman who was a witness against Bruno,” Teddy said.

“Yes. Her name is Holly Barker. She managed to fight him off, and she was a good witness, but the deck was stacked against us.” She got up and began dressing.

“I hope you get him,” Teddy said.

“We will,” she replied. “This time we’re playing with a new deck.” She kissed him, said goodbye and, telling him to stay in bed, left.

Teddy lay there, thinking about how he would like to end this whole thing for her.