Dangerous at Night - Part 5 - Sarah Turns Reward into Another Success
After the tumultuous events of the previous evening, wherein the Met Police apprehended members of a drug cartel after assistance from MI5 in the form of agent Sarah Morrison, Alan arrived home at dinner time to find his beloved sound asleep in their bed. He tiptoed out and poured himself a drink, rehearsing the series of events that had brought a dangerous gang of crooks to account.
It was simply amazing that the exceedingly intelligent brain of his betrothed had seized a lucky surveillance opportunity to bring down the miscreants. Whatever the Director had in mind to provide public recognition, he owed her something special.
Picking up his mobile, he called Geoff. "I am sitting here with a drink while Sarah has a nap, thinking that I must myself do something special for my girl. Give me some ideas."
"Alan, I am as dumb as you are about gifts for the women in our lives. But back when I was courting your sister, she really enjoyed the trip we took to Paris. Getting there is very quick now on Eurostar and drops you right at Gare du Nord."
"Geoff, you've hit the nail on the head. I will coordinate with Reggie and the Deputy Director to keep them from a new assignment for a few days."
He peeked in the bedroom. Sarah was dead to the world. Deciding she needed sleep more than dinner, he fixed himself a salad and a glass of wine.
As it happened, Sarah awoke at dawn, wondering what happened to her nap. Alan's backside was warming her and he seemed well out of it.
Slipping away to the bathroom, she drained and decided coffee and breakfast were necessary to quell the rumbles in her stomach. Minutes later, she was checking the morning paper for news of the drug bust when Alan appeared, not at all bright eyed.
"I slept through," she said.
He leant for a tiny kiss, "Yes, I decided your sleep deficit required more than a simple nap."
She took his hand in both of hers. "You are such a kind lover. We might marry one of these days."
He snatched her up and danced around the room. Both of them were near tears. He wondered whether the end of assignments would always have these tender moments.
He sat them back down and said, "Lover, we must have a special celebration of your latest success. What would you think of a trip across the Channel for a long weekend in Paris?"
Her eyes widened, "There would be romantic moments?"
"Certainement, cheri!"
Chapter 16 - A Romantic Weekend in Paris Turns Into Much More
Afterwards, Sarah wondered how a simple weekend with her fiance could possibly have become so complicated and full of international intrigue. To begin with, Alan's calls to friends for assistance encountered no end of well intentioned help. A rush of advice on where to stay, what to do, and how to romance your loved one.
Reggie, as he was wont to do, intervened mightily. A family friend, meaning French nobility, just happened to have a townhouse apartment available that was situated near the Place Vendome and many attractions of the city. Natalie just happened to have a Lebanese cousin who lived in Paris and could obtain reservations at the hard to get restaurants.
Alan tried to keep details secret, but some leaked out, especially when Sarah discovered they needed permission to leave the country because of their covert agent status. Alan and she were required to submit an itinerary with addresses and call numbers.
Administering a kiss, she exclaimed, "Alan! It seems there are no secrets for secret agents?"
Getting up in the dark for the early train, she was excited beyond measure. Her first trip abroad!
Pulling up in a cab to the elegant Victorian front of St. Pancras station put a special stamp on their trip. As did the rush of the Eurostar train reaching more than a hundred miles an hour before hardly leaving London.
The apartment building to which the Paris cab delivered them had both a doorman and a concierge, who had them settled in elegant surroundings in no time. On a sideboard in the parlor was a steaming pot of hot water for tea or coffee. The woman, whose name was Aimee, instructed the two lovers to call for anything they needed and departed with a smile for her young guests.
Sarah fell into Alan's arms in the middle of a sofa with a view to the south where the Eiffel Tower rose majestically. "You've got me here to the City of Love! Am I to be naked the entire time?" He leaned down with a scorching kiss.
"Yes, of course. Although, wouldn't a proper mistress have a gauzy wispy thing covering her charms?"
She pulled him tight. "I am afraid, lover, that your fiancee does not fit the mistress mold. My busy brain says we must use this sunny day to be out and about!"
Dressed for walking, and with a snack and refreshments in Alan's leather backpack, they were about to leave the apartment when the door bell sounded. Alan answered it and was looking at a slender man of modest stature who extended a card. The two immediately launched into rapid French as Alan led their visitor to the main room and its sofa.
"Sarah, this gentleman is Boris Frontenot, who holds an important position with the Surete. Reggie has suggested we may be able to assist with a perplexing problem they have."
Boris bowed slightly and said to Sarah, "A pleasure, Madame. Are you as well versed in our language as your partner?"
"I am afraid not, sir. My college lessons leave much to be desired. But Alan keeps after me, and whispers little translations in my ear."
"Mon Dieu! Pity the poor man or woman who receives a wicked translation. Sir Reginald tells me you are already a decorated agent for exploits at night"
"Yes, sir. The night hours activities are my specialty..."
Alan interrupted, "Boris, she is known among us as "Dangerous at Night!"
Boris detected that they were about to go out and suggested that the subject of his visit could be explained on a short portion of their walk. He guided them down a side street that opened into the Place de la Concorde, with its imposing obelisk.
Pointing to his left, he suggested a stroll through the Tuileries gardens. Spying an unoccupied and private bench, he sat in the sun and began to explain his mission.
"Dear Friends, Sir Reginald instructed me to forego any formalities and just talk as one policeman to another. We have a situation with young couples where the wife is kidnapped and taken away. The husband is left in one of our parks in Paris having no idea why this has happened or where his wife has been taken."
He paused, seeing many questions in their eyes. "If I may continue just a moment more, then we will have questions.
"This sequence has happened five times in two months. Our investigations have been fruitless and the families are justifiably upset. The husbands have hired their own detectives, with no results."
Alan asked, "No links to local crime, which means a well organized outside force?"
"Thank you, we are on the same page. But there are many missing pieces of motivation and intent. Is this simply for purposes of white slavery? We have carefully analyzed the backgrounds of the victims. No common links, no celebrity or other means of identification. But each of the women was physically attractive. All five were employed in professional capacities. Two accountants, one media reporter, one finance consultant, one research scientist."
Sarah asked, "Nothing kinky? No sign of contacts with sex underworld?"
"Nothing we could discover."
