Chapter 2
600 Words
Chapter 2
One week prior to the murder
Linda Tanner savored the taste of the dirty martini in her mouth as she gazed over the Hudson River. She had a window table at the Pier Hotel Restaurant in Weehawken, New Jersey, and was loving every minute of it. This is the best part of living in New Jersey, she thought. She took another sip of her martini, noting the appeal of the olive juice in its flavor, while admiring the evening lights of New York City on the other side of the river. Night was descending.
“What are we drinking?” Linda looked up to see her dinner companion, Steve Hollenbeck, approaching the table. Dressed in a perfectly tailored pinstripe suit, he proceeded to sit down. A waiter immediately appeared. Before he could even inquire about the customer’s preferences, Steve said, “I’ll have what she’s having.”
The waiter answered, “Very good, sir. Would you like any appetizers?”
Steve looked over at Linda and she responded, “The shrimp, please?”
“The cocktail, ma’am, or with crab and avocado?”
“The latter, thank you.”
The waiter nodded and headed to the bar to retrieve Steve’s martini. Meanwhile, Steve took some bread out of the basket and broke off a few pieces. He asked, “How was the traffic from Rosewood?”
“Typical for rush hour, about an hour, but it should only take me about thirty or forty minutes on the way back.”
Steve, with a piece of bread in his mouth, said, “That depends on what time you leave in the morning, Linda. You’re certainly not rushing back tonight for that librarian, are you?”
“He is the director and my husband, for the record. But no, it’s for my business. I have an early meeting in the morning.” The waiter dropped off Steve’s drink. Steve said he didn’t need anything further so that he could carry on with Linda.
“Your failed business. What’s the point? You know what the plan is.”
A tough woman, Linda wouldn’t let Steve rattle her. She wanted to appear unfazed to her dinner companion.
“The plan is to go on as if nothing is about to change. If I start canceling meetings left and right, that will appear suspicious.” She tapped her foot under the table as she took another sip of her drink.
“You’re not getting cold feet, are you, Linda? I told you. You want in on my real estate development business, you need to go all the way and be my partner in every respect. No more librarian. And you need to contribute half-a-mil.”
Linda smiled and met his gaze, “That won’t be a problem.”
“Good. So what’s the meeting about in the morning?”
“It’s an old client of mine. He said he has another professional training project he wants me to lead for his company. Could be significant for my business.”
Steve c****d his head. “Again, it doesn’t sound like you’re about to dissolve your failed business, Linda. What’s going on?”
Linda sharply reacted. “My business didn’t fail, Steve. I just didn’t reach the goals I had set. With companies cutting back left and right, no one cares about training their employees anymore. Who wants to invest in a millennial when they are going to leave after two years anyway? Nobody knows how to handle this next generation, though I do have some ideas that can turn the tide.” She downed the remainder of her martini and nodded to the waiter. He proceeded to remove her glass and fetch her another. “It’s ridiculous. This generation doesn’t like to accept help from seasoned people like us.” She curled her lips with indignation.
“You had me worried for a second, Linda, that you weren’t ready to give all this up. Besides, I bet that librarian isn’t as good in the bedroom as I am.”
“As long as you keep up your end of the bargain, I am all in, Steve.” She raised her glass to him. “Frank will no longer be an issue.”
- Writer
