Chapter Fourteen
Narrowing the Field

"Bad news from Lamont, Dominic."

They were on their way to pick up Mina the next Monday. Dominic glanced at his employer in the rearview mirror. "Yeah?"

"He won't be able to get videotape of Liang. She lives with an elderly father, who would be very difficult to shift out of the house without suspicion, so the cameras can't be placed.. I'm afraid that the father also gives her a negative mark. Apparently she's run late a time or two, and he called the job, fussing and worrying."

"How'd you know that?"

"That prissy snot who runs the mail room made a note of it in her file. He LOVES to report anything the slightest bit negative. I don't call him on it because it can be very useful, like now."

"Is she out of the running?"

"No, not yet. I won't make a final decision for another few days. Once I choose and take her, I'm stuck with her."

Dominic shrugged. "You could always get rid of her and start over again."

Stephen frowned. "I told you before, Dominic, that isn't an option. I do not kill my pets. That would be cruel. I tend to their needs for as long as I have them. It's just unfortunate that not all of them do well in captivity. It isn't that I don't appreciate you. I don't know what I would have done without your disposal of my last two pets after they passed on, but really, I can't just put them down like an unwanted puppy."

"Well, if you ever change your mind, all you have to do is ask. What's on the agenda today?"

"Nothing much. Another gift for the ladies."

"Flowers again?"

"Yes. I'm afraid that anything more substantial would attract too much attention. Perhaps later, when I have it down to two candidates, and then I'll send it privately, away from the office."

"Okay." They had arrived at Mina's building. She was waiting in the entry hall, and started out when they pulled to the curb. "Should I tell Shy Girl that her car is fixed?"

"Certainly not."

"Thought so." He got out to open the door for Mina. She slowed as she approached him, watching him with a hint of wariness. He gave her an unapologetic smile and said, "Sorry, but the part isn't in yet. It's gonna be another couple of days." She made no comment, but her shoulders stiffened slightly, then drooped.

As Mina entered the back seat Stephen said, "My dear Miss O'Connell, you look as if your best friend just died."

"I'm sorry, it's that damn hunk of junk automobile. I'm tempted to get a sledgehammer and sell whacks at it."

"Frustrating, eh?"

"You have no idea."

It was a general statement, one she'd made hundreds of times, but Stephen Baxter took it seriously. "You're right. I've had automotive troubles before, of course, but there's always been a spare available, or else renting a substitute was no trouble, so I can sympathize, but I can't say I empathize."

She tried not to stare at him. "Right." God, imagine never being stuck without a ride. I wonder if he's ever had to do the dishes, or wash a load of his own laundry? Shit, it's almost like riding with a member of the royal family. She leaned forward slightly, speaking to Dominic. "Have you got an estimate on how much this is going to cost?"

He glanced at her in the rear view mirror. "Don't sweat it. What ever it is, we can work something out."

She didn't like the sound of that. "Look, I'll try to pay you at least a quarter of what the parts cost to start with, then shoot for ten percent each payday, but it may take a little while. Expenses come up."

"Will you quit worrying?" His eyes flicked to Stephen, and his voice was amused. "She acts like she thinks I'm going to try to take it out in trade."

Mina didn't have time to be offended, because Stephen promptly said, "Apologize, Dominic."

Dominic's voice was the verbal equivalent of a shrug. "Sorry, lady. No harm meant."

"Yeah. Right." Mina settled back on the seat grumpily. Baxter snaps, he jumps. But neither one of them sounded all that serious. It's sort of like... I don't know. I get the feeling that Baxter's just protesting because that's what's expected of him, and he doesn't really disapprove. Maybe he's being common vicariously through Dominic.

At work Mina went to her cubicle, while Dominic went with Stephen to his office. Once inside, Stephen began to sort through the correspondence Donald had left on his desk. "I have at least two tasks for you today, Dominic. Mr. Lamont should have gone in to retrieve the tapes from Mina's apartment after we collected her, so I'll want you to pick those up. Then I need for you to arrange the flower delivery. You'll find the vases I want used in the trunk of the car."

"Sir, you didn't purchase them this weekend, did you?"

"I'm not a fool, Dominic. No, I'm not leaving a purchase trail for anyone to follow in the future. They're part of my mother's collection, they were bought years ago. It isn't as if I actually NEED them, so I see no reason why my prospective pets shouldn't have a treat."

"Fulham is going to wet her pants."

"It will be less for her to dust, and you know very well that she won't say a word to me."

"Not to YOU, but I'LL have to listen to her bitch."

"I'll write out what type of flowers I want. You'd better go to different florists for each one, and definitely not the one you used for the roses. Be sure to pay cash..."

"Mr. Baxter, now don't YOU act like I don't know how to go about this."

"I'm sorry, Dominic. I'll reimburse you, of course."

"Any cards?"

"Not this time. Paper evidence is always ill-advised, don't you think?" He frowned at a sheet of paper. "Another begging letter. When will they learn to send these to my attorney? I have a set amount for charities each year, and he disburses it. All these things do is feed the shredder."

When Mina heard the tap outside her cubicle that afternoon, she almost flinched. Flower deliveries, a photographer, what now? If it was still on the air, I'd almost expect a 'This Is Your Life' crew, that's all I'd need to have my privacy completely invaded.

It was another messenger, with another flower, and he didn't have any more information about where it came from or who sent it than the first one did. Hollachuck had come to her door so quickly that the man had to maneuver around her to leave. "O'Connell, I'm really not sure you should be accepting personal deliveries at work." "It's not my fault, Miss Hollachuck. It isn't like this is anything that I'm ordering."

"Aren't you going to open it?"

No point in delaying, I suppose, except the pleasure of knowing you'd be almost as anxious as if you had sand in your knickers. Might as well get it over with. Mina carefully unwrapped the white tissue paper.

It was an orchid, in the classic shape. The delicately scalloped and unfurled petals were creamy white at the edges, shading through increasingly darker pinks as they neared the center, finally moving into crimson, then almost maroon at the plant's core. It was the most exotic thing Mina could remember ever being this close to, and it almost frightened her. "Somehow I get the feeling that no high school kid could afford that for his prom date's corsage."

"I seriously doubt it. It's exquisite. And the vase..."

Mina studied the container. It was pink tinted, and etched with delicate vines and leaves. "It's not Waterford," she said, feeling some relief.

"I should say not. It's Lalique, and it's even more valuable than the Waterford." Mina's heart sank, even as she recognized the note of envy in Hollachuck's voice. "I've been collecting most of my life. I didn't manage to find a piece like that for years, and it was even longer before I had comparable pieces of both Lalique and Waterford. How have you managed this, O'Connell?"

Mina regarded her in astonishment. That sounds almost accusatory, like she thinks I'm working some sort of scam to get these things. "I have no idea, ma'am. There's just someone out there with a really bizarre sense of... of... I'm not even sure what to call this. If it's a practical joke, it's an awful expensive one. Did the other girls get these, too?"

"I don't know, but it shouldn't be hard to find out. I'm going to go call around." There was a determined glint in her eye as she went back to her desk.

Mina considered following her out and listening, but decided there was no point. Hollachuck would not be able to resist telling her exactly what she found out. Mina remained at her post, working away at her transcriptions. Sure enough the older woman returned in a few moments, and she was wearing that smug 'I-know-something-you-don't-know expression, but there was a bit of puzzlement, too.

Mina decided to put her out of her misery, and asked immediately. "Well? Did the other four girls receive the same?"

"Only two others got flowers this time, Mina. Su-lin Liang and Adrianna Baranski also received orchids, though they were different types, and different vases instead of similar, like last time."

Mina studied the flower with much less pleasure than she had the rose. "I don't understand this."

"Well, kiddo, it looks like you made the last cut." Both of the women looked up to see Axel Turner leaning through the doorway, a grin on his face.

Mina frowned at him. "What do you know about this?"

"I saw the guy bring them in. I remembered last week and thought I'd come up here and check, see if the same ones were getting them. So, whatever is going on, Schulburg and Potter are out of the running. Nice poesy."

Mina almost squirmed in her seat. All this attention made her horribly uncomfortable, but she couldn't very well throw everyone out. Finally she said, "I need to get on with my work."

"What's going on?"

Mina closed her eyes briefly. Oh, crap.

The other office workers had been gathering outside her room, but now they parted quickly, allowing Stephen Baxter to come to the front. "Miss O'Connell, I just wanted to tell you that we'll be leaving about a half hour early today." He looked at Miss Hollachuck, "You won't mind, of course."

There was an instant, obsequious smile. "Of course not, sir." Mina wondered exactly how sour the taste in her mouth was, having to allow Mina that little advantage.

"So, what's caused such a mob scene?" Mina indicated the flower. "Ah. Another gift from your secret admirer?"

She scowled. "What was considered courting in the last century is considered stalking today. I don't like this. I don't like this at all."

Hollachuck gave her a condescending look. "That might be the case if you were being singled out, Mina, but you have to remember that there are others involved in this."

She shrugged. "So maybe it's a group stalking."

"There is no such thing."

Mina allowed annoyance to peek through her usually bland air. "Look, there wasn't such a thing as stalking till someone named it. There weren't such things as serial killers till the term was agreed upon. You can't say something doesn't exist just because it hasn't appeared in the Encyclopedia Britannica or Webster's Dictionary yet."

Turner and Hollachuck just stared at her, but Stephen felt a glow of pride. The woman was a lot more intelligent than she let on to the public, and he was pleased that he'd picked her to be part of his pool of choices. If he chose her, there was the chance for some more than physical interaction. Oh, it wouldn't be for awhile, At first all the pets seemed capable of was pleading and crying. In fact, he'd had one or two who never moved past that initial phase. Those didn't last long.

"Has there been any incidents outside the office, Miss O'Connell? Any peculiar phone calls, or suspicious people hanging about your home?"

She shook her head. "No, nothing that I've noticed." The only thing she could think of that might have been suspicious was the vague sense of something out of place in her apartment that time Dominic had walked her up, but that had just been... oh, an aura. There was absolutely nothing concrete.

"Then it's probably nothing to worry about, not yet, anyway. If there's any other occurrences, then you might consider speaking to someone about it, though I doubt the police would do anything, since you haven't been threatened. You might have to resort to a private detective."

Yeah, like I can afford that. "I suppose so."

Stephen glanced around at the office workers. "I thought that you staggered your breaks on this floor?" They scattered hastily. Alex didn't move off till he received a particularly pointed look. Stephen had to speak to Hollachuck. "You know, Hollachuck, you're a comfort to me. It's nice to know that I have at least one section I don't have to worry about. I can always be sure that you're at your post, assuring that things are running smoothly. She took the hint, went back to her desk, and recommenced being efficient. Once he'd dispensed with the audience Baxter entered the cubicle.

"That's an interesting vase. My mother collected crystal and china. Lalique, isn't it?"

"So says Hollachuck. I have no idea, and I'm scared to death to tip it enough to get a look at the base."

"Doesn't matter, I suppose. No roses, this time."

"No. Whoever it is must have been going for something a little less cliche."

He smiled. "Interesting observation."

She grunted. "It's pretty, anyway, I suppose." She cocked her head. "Almost too pretty to be natural. I'd almost believe it was silk, if I didn't see water in the vase."

"No, it's real, all right. A particularly good specimen, too. Are you familiar with the paintings of Georgia O' Keeffe, Mina?"

Mina frowned in thought. "I think so. She did southwestern themed, and florals, didn't she?"

"There were some southwestern elements, such as cattle skulls, but she's best known for her large flower paintings. The colors and forms were quite extraordinary. She could reproduce the intricate blossoms with a clarity and conciseness that was almost beyond realism into surrealism."

He reached out and stroked the orchid with a fingertip. "The canvases were filled with the soft, lush folds. They almost seemed to glisten, and pulse." He looked at Mina, stroking the petal. "Did you know, many people consider her paintings almost pornographic? They believe that they are subtle representations of female genitalia."

Mina stared at him silently, shocked into speechlessness for once in her life. Is this sexual harassment?

He smiled, stepping back. "Ridiculous, of course, but some of the critics were terrible prudes. They no doubt held her unorthodox private life against her. Will you be bringing it home with you?"

"I suppose so."

"Splendid." She froze in surprise when he took her hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed it briefly. As he released it he said, "Then I will have two beautiful things in my car tonight. Don't forget: a half hour early."