Chapter 17 – A Promising Evening

“It seems like everybody comes to this restaurant now, doesn’t it?!” Caroline laughed.  

“The owner is quite the visionary.  I’m not surprised.”  Duncan drank in the site of her.

“So I’ve heard.”  She responded distractedly.  Nostalgia taking her down memory lane. The two had been quite close at one point and there was many a fond memory shared between the two.  “It’s been so long, funny how life gets in the way of things isn’t it?”

“There was a time when the two of us were inseparable.  How times change.” Sharing in a similar walk down memory lane.  “But please! From the looks of that dress it appears I’m delaying you from what promises to be an enjoyable evening!”

“Oh yes!” She laughed. “Well we’ll see, our start was rather inauspicious.  So we’ll see if the night goes anywhere.”

“He’s lucky, whoever he is. Please let me get the door for you.  I must be on my way anyways.  Truth be told, I didn’t leave something here so much as my boss has me playing errand boy, best not to keep her waiting either” Holding open the for her, Duncan ushered Caroline into the lobby. 

“Always so charming.  I see your silver tongue has not grown rusty in the intervening years.”  She handed her coat to the man behind the counter.

“For you Caroline? Always.” He paused a moment longer.  “Well,  I must get on with business.  I hope you have a lovely evening.  Best not let this opportunity go to waste.”  He handed her his card. “My cell is at the bottom.  Give me a call later this week, maybe the two of us can find time for lunch.  It’s been too long.” 

Caroline took the card, slipping it into her purse.  ‘It truly has.  I’ll call you soon.”  

Duncan smiled, before taking his leave.  As Caroline returned to the task at hand and retrieved her ticket for coat check.  She could hear Duncan ask the hostess after Mr. Gomez. Wasn’t he the owner? Turning around she saw Duncan being led off to the back of the restaurant.

“Do you have a reservation miss?”  The other hostess inquired.

“Umm, yes, it should be under Emerson?” Her voice went up slightly at the end, almost unconsciously afraid she had been stood up. 

The woman tapped a few screens on the pad in front of her. “Ah yes, and it appears the other party is already here.  If you’ll follow me.  I’ll show you to your table” 

Was she late? Caroline checked her watch. The watch on her wrist informed her she was right on time.  It appeared then Mr. Emerson had arrived early.   That was a promising sign.

As the two women walked through the restaurant, Caroline took in the scene, while it wasn’t a large space, it certainly was a grand one.  From the low quiet lobby, one stepped into a double height main dining space.  Towards the front she was greeted with an almost unobstructed view of the streetscape and city beyond.  Towards the back, and apparently their destination, was the kitchen and a mezzanine level above.  As they began to climb the stairs, she noticed how the feel of the space began to change.  While the main floor was vibrant and a symphony of conversation, dinnerware, and glasses, this upstairs area was more intimate, with booths nestled into darker corners, providing their occupants a bit more intimacy and privacy.      

‘Here we are.”  The hostess had stopped beside a table.  Caroline had been so busy taking in the view, she’d lost track of where they were headed.” She turned around as Emerson was beginning to stand.

“Good evening Caroline.  A pleasure to see you again”  The man held out his hand to take hers. 

It appeared her memory had served her well, the man was quite dashing.  This was turning out to be a promising evening.  “Good evening Emerson.  A pleasure seeing you again.” 

The two smiled and took their seats as the hostess began to go over the night’s specials. This was going to be a promising night indeed.  

Several courses later, the two occupants of the booth sat in satiated silence.  Caroline was enamored with the man across the table.  The past few hours had been beyond enjoyable.  Emerson as it turned out was not only devilishly handsome, but capable of holding a conversation as well.  

“Well Caroline, thank you for a wonderful evening.  It has been quite sometime since I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy the company of an individual so elegant and charming as yourself.”  Emerson smiled as he sipped at his espresso.

She laughed.  He’d spent all night showering her with niceties and compliments. She could get used to that.   

“Tell you what.  I’m loath to see such a wonderful evening end so soon.  Why don’t we share a cab and I’ll see you home.  Buy us at least that much longer longer to enjoy your company.” Setting down the empty cup, he raised his hand to signal for the check.

Smooth, the man was smooth.  “A wonderful idea.”

Turns out little of the cab ride, would be spent in actual conversation.  It also seemed to Caroline the cab ride was entirely too short.  Before she could stop herself she was inviting Emerson up to her apartment for a night cap.

Climbing up the stairs she tried to recall what state she had left her apartment in earlier this evening. Hoping it was at least a little presentable.  Reaching her apartment.   She ushered Emerson in.  Closing the door behind them.  

Once inside Emerson turned and grabbed her around the waist and sweeping her up against the door for another passionate embrace.

Transfixed in the moment, it felt as if the air had been stolen from her lungs when he pulled away.  “You were saying something about a drink?”  He grinned at the woman he had pinned up against the door.

‘Y-y-yes. She stammered.”  Still heady from the kiss.  “The bars in the kitchen.” Extricating herself from between Emerson and the door, she headed in that direction. 

“I’ll see to it now. The bathroom is just down the hall if you need” She pointed in its general direction as she moved off in the opposite direction. 

“Ah. Thank you.  I will join you momentarily.”  Emerson removed his shoes before heading in the direction indicated.

Caroline put her hands on the kitchen counter trying to steady herself.  “What was she doing?! This was crazy?!” She grinned though. Opening the cupboards to find two clean glasses.

It was then she heard a buzz coming from her purse.  Walking back into the family room she rummaged through the clutch to find the buzzing phone.  

Well that was weird.  Her phone showed several missed calls, all from Avery Aquitaine. Surprised to be hearing from the woman at all, she shuffled through the phone to listen to the one voicemail she left.

‘Hello Caroline.  This is Avery Aquitaine.  I apologize for bothering you at this time of night, but you had asked that I call you should I have any information regarding my father.  Henry Aquitaine.  I’m not sure if it’s important, but I had a rather curious conversation with an employee of mine this afternoon.  It appears my father’s head of security is back in town.  I’m not sure what the relevance of that is, but it did strike me as odd.  The man goes by Emerson.  His last name is eluding me at the moment, but…”

Caroline didn’t hear the rest of the message, as her the wheels in her mind began to turn. Emerson?…Emerson?! That couldn’t be a coincidence, could it?

“Well now that’s a pity.  We were having such a good evening.”  Caroline jumped, dropping her phone.  She turned to find Emerson a length of wire held loosely in one hand. Somehow the man had snuck behind her without attracting her notice.  The look in his eyes and his demeanor had changed completely from only moments before.  

Fear welled up from the pit of her stomach, as the realization of what was to come dawned on her.  Before she could even move, Emerson was on her.  

She struggled to resist.  Scratching at his arms, his face, anything she could reach at.  Tears streamed down her face, even as the terror and the darkness consumed her.

Emerson’s expression was unmoving and unapologetic as he held the piano wire taught.  He watched as she flailed, but his grip was unyielding.

Slowly her struggles became less exuberant.  The life was leached out of her body. Until finally he was left with nothing but a corpse.  He held a moment longer before letting go.  

He sighed as he stood up, secreting away the piano wire back into his pocket. It really had been such a pleasant evening up until now.