CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT
by
Carolyn Brown
Admiral Harriman Nelson, Director of the Nelson Institute of Marine Research, prepared to close out a long and grueling day. He gathered his notes from the speaker's podium and stuffed them into his briefcase. A pressing matter was waited for him back at the Institute and he was running late. The Seaview was due to leave on an important mission in two hours and he had to be aboard. He assumed Lee Crane, the submarine's captain, would send a car and driver to pick him up. His assumption was confirmed when Stu Riley entered and approached him.
When he reached the Admiral, Riley grinned, took the briefcase from Nelson's hand and said, "Please follow me quickly, sir. I've parked the car at the side entrance."
Sighing, Nelson grabbed his hat and followed the young man, who was already out in the hallway. He wished he had half the energy young Riley was displaying at the moment. After the last six hours of lecture and discussion with students ranging from eighteen to twenty-two years in age, he was ready for a hot shower and his bunk. At this point, even gathering his thoughts for the French ambassador would be relaxing.
When Nelson and Riley reached the car, a campus security officer was putting a ticket under the passenger's windshield wiper blade. The man turned to leave and saw the Admiral and Riley approaching. He shook his head at the two of them, pointed at the 'NO PARKING' sign, and then returned to his vehicle and drove off.
Nelson glared at the young man and replied with a harsh tone, "Riley!"
Riley's face turned a bright red as he grabbed the ticket. "I'm sorry, sir! I'll take care of this matter immediately."
Nelson groaned inwardly and replied with a sterner expression on his face, "Forget the ticket. I'll have Angie pay it. Just get me back to the Institute."
"Yes, sir!" Riley replied opening the door and waiting for the Admiral to settle into the back seat before he closed it. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know the Admiral was furious.
Riley got behind the wheel and started the car as Nelson removed his jacket, leaned back, and closed his eyes. The Admiral began to rub his temple as he felt the start of a headache coming on. Riley glanced into the rearview mirror and saw him rubbing the sides of his head. He realized this wasn’t going to be a good trip. He started moving the car out of the parking lot and as he rounded a corner he slammed on the brakes causing Nelson to be jerked forward.
"What now?" Nelson barked out as he opened his eyes and saw a car blocking the exit from the parking lot. The hood was open and a woman was leaning inside. She wore a light blue tee-shirt and cutoff jeans that displayed long tanned legs. When she heard the car stop with a slight squeal, her whole body jerked as she jumped away from the car.
Riley turned to the Admiral and said, "Sorry, sir, she appeared out of nowhere. Shouldn’t I check to see if she needs help, sir?"
Trying to control his anger, Nelson replied, "All right, Riley, make it quick. We have to get back to the Institute by six thirty!"
Nelson continued to fume over the delay as he watched the young sailor approach the woman and begin a conversation. He couldn't blame Riley for his enthusiasm. The woman wasn't bad to look at even from this distance. Besides, those long legs would increase any warm-blooded male's blood pressure. Her light brown hair fell past her shoulders all the way to her waist. She kept pushing it back from her face with a nervous gesture as she and Riley conversed.
After a few minutes, Riley closed the hood, shook his head, and said something to the woman. Then, he hurried back to Nelson while she grabbed something from her car and followed. The Admiral rolled down the window and started to ask Riley what was going on. He didn't have a chance to get the words out before the woman opened the passenger door and was in the front seat.
She turned back to look at Nelson and said breathlessly, "Thanks so much. I really appreciate the ride. My friend is in labor and I have to get there before she delivers!"
Stunned, Nelson stared at her and then at Riley, who had a sheepish look on his face. Finally, he said, "Anytime you’re ready, Mr. Riley..... What about your car young lady?"
The woman looked at the Naval Officer seated behind her and said, "Don't worry about it. Campus security will tow it away, and Salty's more important than that stupid car. NOW, can we get moving?"
He stiffened in his seat after her demanding order and growled out, "By all means.......Riley, proceed! We can't keep Ms. Salty waiting, now can we?"
Riley paled and quickly restarted the car driving around the woman's stalled vehicle. Whenever the Admiral used that tone of voice, he knew it was best to be quiet and follow orders to-the-letter! The woman beside Riley fell silent also. She sat straight as a statue in the front seat with her eyes closed and gripped the bag in her lap as if her life depended on it. Nelson didn't feel like conversation either. His head was pounding now and he was having trouble controlling the anger building inside. That woman had some gall giving him orders. He wondered if she knew who she was ordering around.
The woman sat in the seat quietly and then glanced into the rearview mirror at him. She had seen his face somewhere before but where?
Riley broke the silence by saying, "Admiral, should I contact the skipper and let him know we may be a little late?"
Nelson opened his eyes again and looked at him saying in a quieter tone of voice now, "Probably would be a good idea. Have him send my apologies and notify the Ambassador we may be a little late for our meeting."
"Yes, sir." Riley replied as he reached for the car phone to send the message.
Meanwhile, the woman turned and looked at the man in the back seat suddenly realizing who he was. This had to be a bad dream. Of all the people to run into and now of all times.
She spoke up softly asking, "Are you Admiral Nelson, Director of the Nelson Institute?"
Annoyed and wanting to be left alone for a few moments of peace and quiet he replied, "Yes, young lady, I am. Now, can we please have a little quiet. It’s been one hell of a day so far."
She turned and sat quietly in her seat. This could be trouble if he was as sharp as Lou said he was.
Later, Riley nervously checked his watch noting the time and how late they were going to be getting back to the Institute. He now drove on a deserted part of the highway that followed along the top of Barnswell Cliff over looking the ocean.
As the car approached a sharp curve, the woman said abruptly, "Riley, this is it. You can let me out next to the railing just around this corner."
As Riley followed her instructions, the woman, with bag in hand, was out in a flash. She ran toward the railing, pulled an item out of the bag and slipped it over her head. When she reached the edge, the woman turned and smiled back at the two men in the car. Her eyes met Nelson's for a brief second and she gave him a quick salute just before she jumped and disappeared.
For a brief moment both men were dumbfounded, not sure how to take what they had just seen.
Then, Nelson unclipped his seat belt and said hastily, "Riley, there should be a pair of binoculars in the glove compartment. GET THEM!"
Riley quickly followed the order and handed him the glasses.
He got out of the car and went to the rail replying to Riley, who was following close, "Before she jumped, that woman put on a miniature breathing apparatus. I don’t know where she could have obtained it because the only source no longer exists."
Nelson looked down into the swirling waters. The woman landed just inside the eddy and was trying to swim out into the ocean but the waves were pushing her back in the direction of the cliff. He felt a pain deep in his gut as she was swept closer to the deadly rocks and disappeared from his sight. Just when he was about to turn away and tell Riley to call for help, a dolphin's body broke through the surface and he saw the woman hanging onto a halter looped around its body.
Nelson stood transfixed watching the two swim side-by-side out to sea as they fought the incoming waves. Finally, he used the binoculars to look out farther on the horizon and saw a craft bobbing in the water. It looked like a miniature submarine. A man was sitting on top. He looked like a grizzly bear. His fiery red beard was almost as long as the hair on his head, which was pulled back from his face in a severe ponytail. Nelson continued to watch the man in fascination while the dolphin towed the woman out to sea to meet him. When she reached the craft, the man threw a rope ladder over the side and climbed down to greet her. Before climbing back on board, the two removed the dolphin's halter.
As the sub disappeared below the surface, Nelson turned to Riley, who was standing quietly beside him, and said, "Get Captain Crane on the car phone."
"Yes, sir!" Riley said. "Right away."
While Riley was contacting Crane, Nelson continued to look out to sea with a thoughtful look on his face. Something about the man looked familiar but he couldn’t put his finger on it. That cat’s curiosity of his had been peaked.
"I have the skipper, sir." Riley called from the car.
Nelson took one last look down and shook his head in admiration at the courageous woman who had jumped the long distance to the water below. He kept remembering the smile on her face and the salute she gave him just before jumping. As he turned back towards the car, his foot hit something on the ground. It was the woman's bag. In her haste she must have dropped it when she jumped off the cliff. He leaned down and picked up the bag before he walked back to the car. By the time he got there, a plan began to form in his mind.
When he reached Riley, Nelson took the phone and said, "Lee, sorry about the delay but I have an unexpected errand to run. Riley and I have to go pay a parking ticket!"
On the other end of the line Lee laughed and replied, "Sorry, Admiral, but we must have a bad connection. I thought I heard you say you were going to be late because of a parking ticket."
"You heard right, Lee." Nelson responded. "Riley and I have to go pay a parking ticket. I’ll fill you in on the details later."
"Very well, sir!" Lee said. "How late are you expecting to be so I can let the Ambassador know when to expect us?"
Nelson let out a sigh and answered. "The Ambassador...ah. ..tell him we’ll be about an hour late in arriving because something urgent came up that I had to take care of right away."
Lee looked over at his Exec. with a look of concern and replied, "Aye, sir. I’ll send your apologies and reschedule. Anything else, sir? You sound upset."
Ignoring Crane’s question, he handed the glasses back to Riley and replied sharply, "We’ll see you shortly. Nelson out." With those words, he got back into the car and returned the phone to the young sailor.
"Where to now, sir?" Riley asked.
"Didn't you just hear me tell the Captain that you and I have to pay that campus parking ticket? While we’re there, I want to check with campus security and see who the owner is of that stalled car. The bag the woman dropped at the cliff is a very common one but has the initials ‘CJ’ written on the front. Hopefully, she’s also the owner of the car."
In response Riley turned the car around and headed back toward the University. Nelson leaned back and buckled his seat belt just in case Riley decided to stop again to help another damsel in distress. However, he wasn’t going to complain too much about the young man's chivalrous nature. If his guess was right, then someone was going to have some explaining to do. If the man was who he thought he was.....well, there was no way because his friend was dead. An impostor must be trying to make use of Lou’s inventions. Well, he wasn't about to let that happen. What he had to do now was find the charlatan, and the first step was determining that woman's identity. However, this would have to wait till after his meeting with the French Ambassador. Then, he would have all the time he’d need to track down the impostor and his mysterious companion. The man had to be a fraud because Lou was dead. However, doubt continued to plague Nelson as they traveled back to the University.
After paying the ticket and learning who the owner was of the car, they headed back to the Institute and went aboard the Seaview. The sub set sail for the rendezvous with the French Ambassador. Once aboard, Nelson went to Sick Bay, got something for his headache and then stopped by the Galley for something to eat. He saw Sharkey sitting alone with a cup of coffee and went over to him.
"Mind some company, Chief?" He replied looking down at the man.
Sharkey looked up at the Admiral, smiled, and gestured for him to sit down. He knew from the man’s actions that something was bugging him.
"I need some advice, Francis."
"Advice? From me, sir?" He asked a little surprised at the statement.
"Yes.......try and keep up with me here, OK?" He said as he began to organize his thoughts.
"Aye, sir." Sharkey replied with a serious tone.
"OK, Lou Emmery’s boat was lost at sea in a typhoon, right?"
"That’s what the report said. Yes, sir." He replied back.
"We searched the area and found nothing, right? He continued.
"Yes, sir." He responded wondering what this conversation was leading up to.
"Is it possible that just maybe Lou didn’t want to be found?" Nelson asked as he took a sip of his coffee.
"I’m not following you, sir. Why wouldn’t he want to be found?" Sharkey asked curiously now.
"I don’t know and it’s really bugging me. I can’t figure out what would make him go underground when we had everything going for us. It just doesn’t make sense." He replied with a tone of frustration in his voice.
"Has he been found, sir?" Francis asked in a voice filled with disbelief.
"Er....I’m not sure. It could be him or an impostor. That’s what I’ve got to determine. I just can’t believe Lou wouldn’t let me know he was still alive. If he is, WHY wouldn’t he get in touch with me?"
"Well, maybe something better came along that gave him a reason to go underground, Admiral. Or maybe he didn’t have a choice. Just a wild guess here." He remarked casually.
"Ummmmm." He said as he stared at his coffee in silent thought.
"I’m due on watch, sir. Is there anything else you need? He said with a glance at his watch.
"Ah....no Chief.....thanks." He said as he took another swallow of his coffee.
Sharkey stood and turned to leave. He paused in the hatchway and looked back at Nelson, who sat in silent thought at the table. After a moment, he turned and left. The Admiral finished his coffee and meal before going to his cabin to prepare for his meeting with the Ambassador.
The meeting went very well considering his thoughts kept drifting back to that incident on the coastal highway. He couldn’t get that woman off his mind. Something about her appealed to his curiosity. He was determined to find out all he could about her and her connection with that man.
The sub returned to port at the Institute about nine p.m. after the brief meeting fifty miles off shore. Nelson had a car waiting for them dockside. He decided to handle the situation personally since his old friend might be alive. Riley and he were soon on their way to the address he’d been given by campus security.
A hour or so later, Riley parked the car on a side street next to Rochester Height Apartments. Nelson looked up at the top floor and saw lights shining in several windows. Hopefully, he thought, one of those lights was coming from Judith Bates' apartment. The only way to find out was for Riley to check.
Nelson, feeling weary from the long day, sighed and said, "Riley, you might as well go ahead and get started."
"Yes, sir." He nodded and opened the car door to get out but stopped when Nelson put a hand on his shoulder.
"You remember what to say if Ms. Bates is home or if she has a roommate?"
"Yes, Admiral. I gave her friend a ride earlier this evening because she had car trouble and she left her bag in my car by mistake. If Ms. Bates or her roommate suggests that I can leave the bag with them, I act embarrassed. Then, I admit I want to return the bag myself because I’m interested in getting to know their friend better."
"Good lad!" He replied, removing his hand. "Oh, by the way, while you're in the apartment see if there are any clues of the woman and....."
"I know, sir--like pictures of the woman and the guy with the red beard and hair. Don't worry, Admiral," Riley said grinning, "I won't let you down. I've had a lot of experience getting information about women I want to date. You could say, sir, that it's one of the main things a sailor learns on his first shore leave!"
Nelson smiled at Riley's response and motioned for him to continue. As he watched the young sailor walk toward the apartment building, he reminisced about his first shore leave so many years ago and an Italian woman with short black hair.
Inside apartment number five, Judith Bates hung up the phone and turned on the radio. She had just finished having a serious conversation with her friend CJ. Part of the phone call was to inform Judith that her boyfriend, Rick Adams, was on his way to Barnswell Cliff to find CJ’s missing bag and might be late. Finding her bag WAS important! CJ didn’t want it to be used to track down her location. If Rick had trouble finding the bag, one of his friends might drop by to give Judith a drive downtown.
Meanwhile, Riley stood outside the door of apartment number five. He knocked but could hear loud rock music playing inside and knocked again a little harder.
In response the music stopped and a feminine voice shouted out: "Rick, keep your pants on. I'll be there in a second."
Inside, Judith pulled a blouse out of her closet and slipped it on as she headed into the small living room to answer the front door. She was fastening the last button when she opened the door to look up at a tall cute guy with light blond hair.
All Judith could think to say was, "You're not Rick." She studied his face, sizing him up quickly. "However, since he apparently had to bow out for an unexpected reason, his substitute will do just fine!" Then, she proceeded to pull a very confused Riley into the apartment and shut the door behind him.
Later, Judith laughed and shook her head at Riley when he got to the part of his story about Salty being in labor and giving this very distraught lady a ride to be with her friend when she delivered.
"Sorry, sailor, but your story has holes in it. First, Salty is a dolphin. Second, I've never seen CJ lose her cool; and, if she did, it wouldn't be because of a stalled car. In fact, she's the one person who can keep that old clinker of mine running. Also, she's not the kind of person to hitch a ride from a stranger, no matter how good looking he is. Man! Salty must be in real trouble for CJ to let her guard down!"
Riley smiled and let the young woman continue with her rambling about this woman named CJ. He couldn't believe his luck. The Admiral was going to be quite pleased. He just hoped this information helped to make up for the parking ticket they received earlier that day.
As Riley sat across from Judith with that heartbreaking smile on his face, she grinned to herself and continued on with the story about CJ and Salty. Playing the part of a dumb blond was fun and guys fell for it every time. Now, it was time to bring up Lou, by telling Riley that CJ was already involved with someone. Her main job, if possible, was to act as if that bag was very important and CJ needed it back. Hopefully, it would lead any interested parties on a wild goose chase while CJ and Lou went underground.
"Sorry, Riley," Judith replied, continuing on like a bubbling brook, "but I can't give out CJ's address to anyone. She's a very private person. Anyway, it's my sad duty to inform you, sailor, that she's already involved with someone. Lou's a very jealous and possessive dude. So, I guess you will have to leave the bag with me. I'm really surprised CJ forgot it."
Riley pretended to be wounded that CJ was already involved and said to Judith with a hurt dog expression, "Wouldn't you know it! Every time I meet a girl that seems interesting, she's already serious about someone else."
Judith smiled coyly at Riley and said, "I'm not attached at the moment, sailor."
Continuing to play his role also, he grinned and said, "What about Rick?"
"Oh, Rick is just a friend who was going to give me a ride downtown since CJ hasn’t returned my car."
"Well, in that case," he said, "why don't you give me your number and maybe we can get together on my next shore leave."
She got up and wrote down her phone number and handed it to him.
Then, he stood and headed toward the door while saying, "Guess I should be going, since you're expecting company."
As he started to open the door, Judith hurried to his side, grabbed his arm and said, "Aren't you forgetting something, sailor?"
He looked down at the pretty blond in confusion and replied, "I'm not sure what you mean!"
She batted her eyelashes and said with a grin, "CJ's bag, of course!"
"Oh, that! It's downstairs in my car. I'll have to run down and get it."
Judith's next reply would have won her an Oscar. "I have a great idea, sailor. I'll call Rick and cancel my ride. Then, you and I can hit some of the night spots. We could dance the night away and get to know each other better."
In panic, he muttered, "Can't tonight, Judith, 'cause I have to get back to my sub. I'll just run down and get the bag."
As the poor Riley rushed out of her apartment to get CJ's bag, Judith started to laugh so hard that tears began to run down her face.
While Riley was with Judith Bates in her apartment pumping her for information about the young woman, Admiral Nelson was not spending his entire time in the car with idle remembrances about his first shore leave. If Riley was successful, then it would not be necessary to have the woman watched. However, if Ms. Bates was stubborn and insisted on Riley giving her the bag, someone would have to observe her movements. So, Nelson decided to have Captain Crane send two of his trusted crewmen to stand watch outside her apartment building, but he was having trouble getting through to Lee on the blasted car phone. He was still trying to reach Crane when Riley came rushing out of the apartment building and ran towards the car.
"Admiral Nelson, I need the bag right away!" said a heaving Riley when he reached the car. "I don't have time to explain right now, sir, but I hit pay dirt. However, if I spend too much time getting back upstairs, Judith will probably be on the way down here to see what's taking me so long. She's a very aggressive woman!"
Nelson waited patiently for Riley to finish his rushed conversation and then motioned for him to get into the car.
He said, "Riley, please calm down and explain quickly and precisely what you have found out. I'm sure the young lady will not come running out into the street to find you! Also, before you take the substitute bag to Ms. Bates, we have to make sure the homing detector apparatus is working. The chemical spray that we used to saturate the bag is still in the experimental stage."
Reluctantly, Riley complied with Nelson's wishes, but he kept looking back nervously towards the apartment building during his explanation and the testing of the detector device. Finally, Nelson was satisfied and indicated Riley should take the bag up to Ms. Bates.
When Riley returned to Judith's apartment and knocked on the door, she hastily wiped her eyes and let him in. He quickly handed Judith the bag, bid her goodnight, and made a speedy retreat.
After he left, Judith examined the bag and confirmed CJ's suspicions. The bag looked exactly like CJ's except this one was missing a small scratch in the inside left corner.
Judith sighed with satisfaction and said with glee, "Mission accomplished!"
Earlier while a very relieved Riley headed back up to apartment number five, Nelson tried once more to reach Captain Crane on the car phone. This time he was successful in making a connection but the reception was terrible.
"Lee, this is Nelson. Can you hear me?"
"Just barely, Admiral." Lee replied. "We have a terrible connection! Why don't you hang up and I'll try calling you back? Maybe the reception will be better from my end."
"No. I can't take the chance. Just wanted you to know that Riley and I have made contact with Ms. Bates. At this moment, Riley is on his way to give her the substitute bag. We have parked the car on 145 Sterling Avenue, a side street next to Rochester Height Apartments, where Ms. Bates lives. What I need for you to do is to send two men to this location ASAP."
"Understood, sir." said Lee in between the crackling noise. "I'll send Kowalski and Chief Sharkey. They should arrive in about a hour at the latest."
"Fine." He replied. "Have them dress in casual civilian clothes so that they will not draw a lot of attention. Riley has obtained some important information from Ms. Bates and I don't want to give her any reason to become suspicious."
"Will do, Admiral. Any other orders before we lose this connection?"
"No!" He replied with a sigh. "Just have the men get here as soon as possible. I'm exhausted. I just hope Ms. Bates leaves the bag in the apartment when she goes out. All I need is to spend the night with Riley following her all over town. However, if she decides to take the bag, I'll try to call you on this blasted phone and give you an update on our location. Just make sure Kowalski and Sharkey keep in contact with you."
After talking to Lee, he felt better. He leaned back and tried to relax but his mind, as usual, was running fast and furious. He was really puzzled and wondered why Lou Emmery didn’t let any one know he was still alive. He remembered vividly the call, three years ago, alerting him that Lou's small research vessel, the Baton Rouge, was lost at sea near the Hawaiian Islands during a typhoon. Nelson, aboard Seaview, rushed to the area. His sub was one of many vessels involved in the search. After scanning the area for ten days without any sign of Emmery, he broadened the hunt, hoping Lou somehow defeated death. However, three weeks later following an exhausting search, he admitted defeat. When his friend and the sub’s skipper, Captain Lee Crane, gently reminded him of the pressing matters waiting back at the Institute, he nodded mutely and Lee set a course back to Santa Barbara.
It took Nelson some time to get over the loss of one of his closest friends. Many attended Lou's memorial service. Emmery, like Nelson, was a retired Admiral when he died whose inventions were legendary and his knowledge of sea life boarding on genius. In fact, the flying sub or FS-1, as it came to be called, was actually an idea dreamed up between the two of them one night when they had too much to drink. Nelson took that dream and made it a reality. He put their thoughts on paper in the form of a blueprint and after Lou's disappearance, secretly dedicated the maiden flight of the vessel to his old friend by getting dead drunk. He even reasoned that the terrible hangover he had the next day was worth it. He knew that if Lou was still alive he would be in the same predicament.
Now, here it was three years later and he spots a man, who looks like him, associated with a mysterious woman he met only briefly. Was Lou alive and why had he kept his existence secret from him? Who was this CJ that seemed to have left an indelible mark on his mind? These and many other questions dashed around in his head as he waited for Riley.
His thoughts were interrupted when Riley opened the front car door and took a seat behind the steering wheel. Now, all they could do was wait. Hopefully, Judith Bates would leave the bag in her apartment until Kowalski and Chief Sharkey arrived to relieve them.
***
The next morning Judith Bates rolled over, opened her eyes, and groaned when her alarm went off. It was too early for anyone civilized to be awake, especially after the night Rick and she had spent hitting the dance joints downtown. However, she needed to go to work early and x-ray the bag Riley had given her. The bag definitely was not CJ's and it was her job to determine if it contained a tracer. Also, she could call CJ from a pay phone located in the lobby, just in case her phone calls were being monitored. Rick was concerned about Salty and wanted to know if the baby was male or female. Judith was more concerned about the two men she'd seen standing next to the street corner near her apartment when Rick brought her home. He offered to go and talk to them but she thought it best not to, in case they were connected to Riley.
Anyway, now it was morning and Judith needed to call Rick and wake him up. He had to give her a ride to work before his eight o' clock class. After Judith dialed his number, the phone rang nearly twelve times before Rick answered with a moan and then dropped the receiver with a bang.
"Ouch!" She yelped, pulling the receiver away and rubbing her ear.
Finally, Rick was able to find the phone and groaned out a pitiful, "Hello."
"Hi, my friend." said Judith brightly. "I'm calling to wake you as promised."
"Judes, is that you?" growled Rick, knowing it had to be her because no one else dared to be so cheerful to him in the morning.
"Yes, it's me. Now, get your lazy butt out of bed and splash some cold water on your face. I need to get to work early, x-ray that bag, and call CJ with the news before Ms. Harmon arrives with a list of artifacts for me to catalog. Also, you were the one bugging me all evening about Salty."
"All right, Judes. I'll be there in about twenty minutes."
"OK, Rick, see you then. I'll wait downstairs next to the curb so all you have to do is pull over and pick me up."
Judith hung up the phone and headed towards the bathroom. Five minutes later, after washing her face and combing her hair, she quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt. She grabbed her makeup kit and shoved it into her backpack along with her purse and the bag Riley had given her. Then, she dug in her closet for a comfortable pair of sandals. Finally, she found a matching pair and slid them on while hopping to the front door.
With no time to spare, she rushed out of the apartment building just as Rick pulled up to the curb. He had the car moving again even before Judith closed the door. She put on her seat belt as he guided his car into the morning traffic. She quickly looked back to see the blue car that had been parked near her apartment building pull into the same lane a few cars back.
Later, when Rick made a right turn onto Grover Street to take a short cut to her work place, the blue car followed them. Now, her question was answered. Those two men from last evening were definitely connected to Riley.
***
Kowalski and his superior, Chief Sharkey, had spent a restless night alternately walking around and sitting in their car trying to stay awake. They both were out standing on the street corner next to Ms. Bates' apartment building when she and her escort returned earlier that morning. For a few tense seconds, the two men thought that the lady's escort was going to come over and ask why they were lurking about, but all he did was kiss the woman good night and drive away.
Then, five minutes ago the detector device started to beep, indicating that the bag was being moved. Kowalski awakened immediately and started their car while Sharkey adjusted the detector. Luckily, they were alert when Ms. Bates ran out of the building and practically jumped into a moving vehicle. Kowalski didn’t have any trouble following the car, but he stayed back far enough in the traffic lane and thought he was avoiding suspicion.
Now, they were parked across the street facing a tall older building with a sign that read 'Department of Antiquities.' Ms. Bates' friend dropped her at the front entrance of this building and according to the detector both the lady and the bag were still inside. Little did the two know that Judith had already examined the bag, using the department's powerful x-ray machine, and was at a pay phone in the building’s lobby dialing CJ's number.
***
CJ was in Salty's pool caressing little Cocoa, the new baby dolphin, when Lou entered the underground cavern and waved. She gave the little female one last affectionate pat, grabbed Salty's dorsal fin, and let the dolphin pull her to the edge of the pool. When she reached him, Lou leaned down and easily pulled the woman out of the water.
"Sorry to interrupt you, youngun," he said as he handed the dripping woman a towel, "but Judith's on the phone. She seems very eager to talk to you. I think it's about that missing bag of yours. She also said her time is limited."
CJ gave Lou a bright smile and ran out of the cavern into a side room full of very sophisticated, waterproof, electronic equipment. He followed her at a more leisurely pace. When he reached the door, she was seated in front of a panel, deep into a serious conversation with Judith. Her pretty face now contained a scowl.
"You were right." said Judith. "Our good friend, Riley, gave me a phony bag. I examined it with our x-ray machine but didn't find anything. Also, two men followed Rick and me to work and are now parked across the street in a blue Ford. I guess Lou's suspicions are confirmed. That Admiral fellow must have recognized him, after all! Oh, by the way, has Salty had her baby yet?"
"Yes, Judes." replied CJ into the phone with a huge smile on her face. "Salty gave birth to a little female and both are fine. Because of her coloring, Lou and I decided to name her Cocoa. Pepper is a very proud papa and let me know right away his feeling on the matter!"
"Great! Rick will be glad to hear that everything went well. CJ, my boss, Ms. Harmon, just pulled into the parking lot and will be coming into the lobby in a few minutes. What do you want me to do about the bag and my two friendly guys parked across the street?"
"Lou and I need to think about this and plan out our strategy. I think it best if you continue as usual with your work day and call me back when you take your lunch break. Your two friends can spend the next four hours twiddling their thumbs. I want them to be very bored and exhausted when we spring the next part of our plan."
"Fine." Judith said while laughing. "I'll call you back in four hours, and I'll let Rick know about Salty and Cocoa."
CJ leaned forward and flipped a switch to disconnect the jamming device and end the transmission. She turned toward Lou and shook her head at him in frustration and then turned back toward the panel.
"Lou, why was it my fate to hitch a ride to the cliff with your old friend, Admiral Harriman Nelson?"
Lou walked forward, bent to put his arms around the young woman's shoulders to comfort her, and said softly, "Youngun, life dishes out all kinds of challenges, and we knew it was chancy for us to move back to the mainland. I was bound to be recognized sooner or later. Just wish it would have been later. Then, Salty and Cocoa would have been able to build up their strength a little more before we had to move to our island in the south seas."
"I know. I’m sorry." She said as she put her hands on his arms and squeezed them absently.
"What are you sorry about? If anyone should be sorry, it’s me for not informing you of him in advance. I wasn’t thinking. We just knew that the Hawaiian Islands were out of the question because that’s where I was supposedly lost at sea. So the mainland seemed the obvious choice. When you met Judith while attending that seminar on ancient artifacts, our luck changed enormously. Her grandfather, Alexander Bates, assisted us with the legal technicalities involved with the excavation of artifacts. It enabled us to use the finders’ fees to help Judith, Rick and the rest of the group continue with their education and meet their financial needs for their work."
"You’re right, my friend. Our choices were limited and I’m not about to let anyone interfere with what we’ve developed here, especially someone as famous as Admiral Harriman Nelson. For the first time in years my life is on a steady course and NO ONE is going to change it."
Lou stood and grinned down at the top of CJ's head and said, "Well, youngun, we were very lucky to meet the Bates' and all of those young technical geniuses at the University. They helped us build this setup here in this Old Mansion and the newer version of Nelson's flying sub. Speaking of Nelson, what are we going to do about his curiosity? Harry's curiosity can be worse than a cat’s. Once he’s locked on a target, he doesn’t sway off course till he has all the answers he’s looking for. I think we need to put our heads together and figure out what we’re going to do."
CJ turned in her chair to look up at the man who had become her companion three years before and grinned maliciously. Her blue green-eyes began to twinkle with mischief as she answered his question with one of her own.
"Well, you know what they say about curiosity killing the cat. Where do you think Nelson would keep my bag?"
"Well, if he wanted to make sure it wasn’t easy to recover, the most secure place would be in his office safe at the Nelson Institute of Marine Research in Santa Barbara. Why do you want to know?"
"We’re going to pay your old friend a visit at his precious Institute, get my bag back, and leave him a present!"
"What type of present?" Lou said with a feeling of trepidation.
"Why Lou....don’t you trust me?" replied CJ with a straight face.
Lou stared at CJ's beautiful face until suddenly things began to click and he knew what she was planning to do. Then, the room and the entire large cavern echoed with his laughter and at that moment he felt very sorry for his old friend Harriman Nelson.
When Lou finished laughing, he looked down at CJ and shook his head. The youngun sure had spirit! It was one of her many characteristics that he had grown to admire so much. However, in this instance, he didn't think it was wise to try and break into Nelson's office. What would Lou do if Nelson caught her breaking into his safe? Heck, he knew what would happen. He’d have to come clean and admit to his old friend that he was still alive and why. Also, Nelson may have put her bag in his safe on the Seaview or it could be in his private quarters at the Institute. With all of these possibilities to consider, her odds of being successful were lessened considerably. Now, he needed to convince her the danger was too great. However, he knew how important the missing bag was to this woman. It wasn't very expensive and could easily be replaced. Yet, the bag represented something very personal and significant to her. CJ had it with her the day she found Lou injured on that rocky Hawaiian island beach three years ago and also, when she mentally joined with the two dolphins, Salt and Pepper.
"Youngun," he said smiling, "I agree with you that it's really tempting to put Harry in his place, but I won't do it at your expense! Besides, his office safe is only one possibility and security is very tight for obvious reasons. I didn't have a chance to mention he may have the bag in his office safe aboard the Seaview or at his private quarters at the Institute. It would take a major assault team to check all three areas at the same time!"
"OK, you've made your point." said CJ grinning. "However, I want to leave Nelson a message. If I come up with a way of doing it safely, will you agree?"
"Depends on what you have cooking in that devious mind of yours."
"Well, first," she replied, "I need to know the size of the gas tank for Nelson’s Rolls limousine, the type of gasoline it needs, and how many miles per gallon it will get. Oh, also I want to obtain the address of the closest Italian deli near the Antiquities building where Judes works. I'm sure we can acquire that information from our computer."
"But what has this all to do with leaving Nelson a message?" He muttered.
"All in good time, my friend!" said a beaming CJ as she moved to a seat in front of the computer and turned it on. "Now, I wonder how much spare cash Judes has with her? No matter. I'll call Rick and have him pick up the two lunches and deliver them. He usually goes to the library after his first class. I'll try reaching him there!"
Four hours later Judith called CJ from the lobby phone at noon, as they had agreed, and wasn't surprised when she answered on the first ring.
"Hi, Judes." She said. "How was your morning?"
"Hectic as usual! However, Ms. Harmon said I could have the afternoon off if you need my help."
"That won't be necessary, after all. Lou and I have decided to lay low for now since Salty and Cocoa need time to become stronger. We're going to stay here in the Old Mansion. Judes, I need to know if you have any cash on hand?"
"Well," said Judith thoughtfully, "I have a ten dollar bill and some change in my purse. If I needed more, I'm sure Ms. Harmon would loan me some money."
"No, ten dollars is more than enough for what I have in mind." replied CJ in a conspiratorial voice. "Now, my dear friend, I want you to do the following: take the money and put it in the phony bag along with a little surprise of our own and wait in the lobby till Rick arrives. He will have a package for you. Take the package and the bag and give both to the two men parked across the street. Please include the following VERBAL MESSAGE for Admiral Nelson from me.........."
Judith listened with relish to the message CJ wanted her to relay to Nelson's men.
"You can count on me. After this, maybe I'll consider acting as a second minor! Also, I'll call you back with their response. I just wish I could be a fly on Nelson's wall when he gets your message!"
"Oh! But we will, Judes." countered CJ. "That's the little present I want you to include. Do you think it will be possible to accomplish this in such a short period of time?"
"Sure. But I can't guarantee Nelson won't find our surprise if he examines the bag and its contents very closely!"
"That's fine. I just mainly want to hear his first verbal reactions. Anyway, I want him to find our little gift!"
"You mean like 'all's fair in love and war' or something similar to that?" She asked shrewdly.
"Precisely! Now, you should go back upstairs and get started, 'cause Rick will be by shortly!"
Judith told CJ good-bye and ran to catch the elevator. She got off on the tenth floor and spent the next twenty minutes preparing CJ's request. In her rush to finish on time, she almost forgot to put the important money inside the bag. Then, to add a little spice of her own, she decided to take the stairs down to the lobby instead of the elevator. She figured the zig-zag motion of the bag’s movement would cause the detector to go crazy for a few moments and wanted the two guys across the street to earn the lunch Rick was bringing them.
Sure enough, when Judith reached the lobby, she saw Rick in his old jalopy parked out front in a 'LOADING’ zone waiting for her. As she walked outside and up to his car, she noticed that the blue Ford across the street had the motor running.
When she reached Rick's car, he rolled down the window, handed her the package and said, "Do you want me to wait here while you deliver this?"
"Sure, but if you see a campus security cop, go ahead and park in the lot. One more ticket and they'll impound your car!"
As Judith took the package from Rick and started to come towards their car, Kowalski stiffened, looked across at Sharkey and said, "Now, what do you think SHE'S up to?"
"Beats me." He said with a sigh. "Maybe she's bringing us lunch."
"Chief, what's she carrying on her right arm?" He asked with growing alarm. "Sure looks like the bag to me!"
"Yeah, you're right, Ski. Be ready for anything! Riley said this was one assertive female."
"She doesn't look so intimidating to me." He replied with a grin. "In fact, I think she's rather cute myself."
"You would!" said Sharkey in exasperation. "Just stay alert."
"Sure thing, Chief." He retorted.
When Judith reached the car, she looked down into Kowalski' blue eyes, shifted the package in her hands, and said with a bright smile, "CJ thought the two of you might be pretty hungry and thirsty by now. So, she had my friend, Rick, bring the two of you lunch. Hope you both like Italian!"
Kowalski was speechless as he looked up into Judith's bright smiling face. Finally, he stammered out, "Sure, Italian's just fine, isn't it, Chief?"
Sharkey didn't respond at all but sat staring at Kowalski with his mouth open in shock.
"Well, that's great!" said Judith getting into the act and handing the package to Kowalski. "CJ hoped you both would like it and told Rick to pick up two gourmet lunches from the closest Italian deli. She also told him to purchase two types of soft drinks. That way you have more than one choice! Oh, by the way, would you please give this bag back to that cute sailor named Riley? Tell him he's made a mistake. He thought this bag belonged to my friend, CJ, but it's not hers."
Kowalski quickly handed the food to Sharkey so that he could take the bag Judith passed inside to him through the open window.
She started to turn away, then hesitated and said, "Whoops! I almost forgot the most important part of our little get-together here. I have a message for your commander, Admiral Nelson, from CJ. Please tell him he will find compensation inside the bag for services rendered. Also, unlike him, she DOESN’T take a person's personal property and replace it with a substitute. He can be sure this is the original! Now, gentlemen, please forgive me but I want to spend some time with my friend, Rick, before I go back to work. Hope you enjoy your lunch!"
Message delivered, Judith ran back across the street to Rick's car and got in. He drove across the street and parked in the lot so the two of them could watch the blue Ford. The car sat there just a few minutes and then drove off. After making sure the car wasn't coming back, they went into the building and called CJ with the news.
Later that afternoon, a very bemused Kowalski and Sharkey entered Admiral Nelson's quarters on the Seaview to give their report. His face turned very red when they told him about the lunch and CJ's message. He practically grabbed the bag from Sharkey's hand and opened it to look inside.
"I don't believe it!" He said incredulously. "She's put money inside the bag!"
"I don't understand, sir." inquired Sharkey. "Why would she give you money back inside the phony bag?"
"Why, Chief." He replied with a smile. "Apparently, Ms. CJ is paying me for transportation. This money is for the gas!"
"Sir, I have a question." said Kowalski. "How did Ms. Bates know the bag was a phony? It looks like an exact duplicate of the original."
"Well, Kowalski." He replied with a serious expression. "Evidently, we are dealing with a very intelligent group of people and I underestimated them. I won't be so lax in the future. By the way, Chief, did you EXAMINE this bag?"
"Why no, sir!" retorted Sharkey in panic. "We brought it directly to you. Do you think it could possibly be bugged, sir?"
"I wouldn't put it past Ms. Bates," responded Nelson laughing, "or her friend, CJ. Please check it out, Chief, and let me know what you find."
Nelson poured the money from the bag out onto his desk and gave the bag to Sharkey. Later, when he was alone, he opened his wall safe and took out CJ's bag. He walked over to his desk, sat down, and laid the bag next to the money. For a long time he stared at the bag and kept remembering CJ's bright smile and the salute she gave him just before jumping off the cliff.
"Some day we'll meet again, Ms. CJ," he said thoughtfully, "and you will explain to me why a man like Lou Emmery would give up everything for YOU! Till then I will keep this bag in my safe aboard Seaview where it will be secure."
Nelson sat thinking for a while longer before getting up to put the bag back into his wall safe. As an afterthought, he put the money that CJ sent him inside her bag before putting it back in the safe. Then, he left his quarters to see if Sharkey had found anything suspicious in the phony bag.
In the room next to the cavern under the Old Mansion where they lived, CJ and Lou set side-by-side listening to Nelson's conversation.
CJ smiled across at Lou and said, "You know Judes was right! It's really fun being a fly on Nelson's wall."
"Yes, it is but let’s not forget how dangerous he can be to us. We shouldn’t underestimate him or his abilities. Believe me when I say, he can BE your best friend or your worst nightmare. Keep that in mind."
She looked at him with a serious face as the reality of things began to sink in. She too was looking forward to their next meeting.
THE END!