Noon, Friday July 23rd 2004. Christina leaning back in a chair, her legs crossed at the ankles on top of her desk. She sat in her office going over files from the Lamure case. She was to testify on Monday about how Charliman Lamure was cheating on her husband Ronald. The evidence her firm had gathered seemed that it wouldn't be a problem. She brushed a few strands of crimson hair out off her brow as she looked down at the files. Her boyfriend Bill was leaving for the weekend. She thought that for a guy that complained that she worked too much, the first time she got a weekend that she could consider being off, he gets dragged out to one of these conventions with friends.
"Christina," a voice from her assistant came from her phone, "You have someone on line two requesting to speak with you about a possible case."
"Christina Carlton here," she said picking up the phone, "What can I do for you ma'am."
It was a story she had heard before. A woman that thinks her husband is cheating on her. She had a slight British accent to her voice. Her husband was claiming that he was always at work. I had asked her for information and a time when she'd be available for an interview.
"Yes, an interview. We need to go to a place that my husband would never think of looking for me. Do you think you can make it to the Raymond's Bistro at 7 pm?"
"Why do you think your husband wouldn't look for you there?" Christina queried. Raymond's was a very fancy place. She always had a hard time suggesting to Bill to have us go there because Bill didn't like to spend money on himself to update his formalwear...to actually having formalwear.
"Because I hate to get dressed up all fancy," she responded, whatever this woman was, she must not be a fancy Brit, "Who knows, we might actually wind up catching him in the act."
Christina didn't like the prospect of actually catching the guy in the act, but if it came down to that, it might make things a lot easier on this woman, "Okay, I'll be there at 7 pm. How will I know you?" she asked.
"I'll be wearing a yellow rose on the strap of my dress, I'll have a reservation set up so we can speak away from the bar." the woman said.
"What is your name so we can start a file," Christina asked, and heard a voice in the background that she couldn't make out, "Elizabeth Markem," she replied.
"I will see you then Mrs. Markem," Christina said before hanging up the phone. If she was going to have to dress up to get into Raymond's, she better go now. She had left the office to head home and though to of what she would wear. Since Bill was gone she might as well make a fun night of it, dress up nicely, get a couple of glasses of wine at the bar. Raymond's had a great in house band that had a good setlist of music so it would be something to do while Bill was away. That bastard.
She showered and changed into a black dress that Bill always seemed to like. The smile that came on his face everytime she put it on always made her feel warm and sexy. Normally she wouldn't wear this, but the place was pretty strict when it came down to the way people dressed and this would do perfectly. After applying makeup and setting her hair the way she wanted it, she took a silver chain with a silver heart shaped locket on it and placed it around her neck. The locket never got opened because all that was in it was a bit of a crumpled rose petal from roses that she had sent him along time ago. For all of his flaws, she thought he was extremely sweet and extremely sentimental.
Of course not being around on a time she had off lacked tact, that bastard.
She entered the restaurant, telling the host whom she was waiting for, and went to the bar. "Yes, Miss Markem," the man said with a big grin on his face, "I've been told to bring you to the table she had reserved."
Christina was lead through the restaurant to a table that was far enough away from the dance floor not to get distracted by people waltzing into your table, but close enough to the band that she could watch them play their mellow tunes.
She sat down and ordered a glass of water when she heard behind her.
"Why don't you just bring a bottle of red wine over," said a masculine voice, "I think she'd prefer that over silly water."
