A Recipe for Disaster

Chapter 1
         I looked around nervously for my contact.  Where could she be? I thought to myself for the hundredth time.  Finally I saw her smiling face as she approached me with her baby stroller.  I resisted the urge to jumped up and hug her. I was so relieved Margret was here.
“Hey girlfriend! How you been?”
“Just fine, and you?” I asked
“Right as rain!  Hey, I've been wanting you ask you, have you been to that new department store they just opened on Crestwater?” Without waiting for an answer she continued, “I went there just the other day and they have the most gorgeous shoes. I thought about getting them to go with that new peach dress I got the other day—you know, the one with the lace? Anyway, so I told Julie about them and she said…”
         Margret is a pro, I thought to myself. But still, how can she sit here talking about ordinary things when she knows what’s at stake? I just wanted to jump up and run as far away from here as I possibly could.
I let my mind drift back when this whole thing had started.  My husband, Caleb, had come home from work one night very anxious.  He wouldn't tell me what was going on—but I soon found out.  He held me in his arms while he told me he would be going away for several weeks on business.  This made me nervous, too, because I was 7 months pregnant. This was my first child and I wanted him to be here at her birth.  Little did I know what this ‘business trip’ held in store for me.

         “So what do you think, Beth?” Margret asked, drawing me back to the present.
“I’m sorry, Marge. I wasn't listening. What did you say?”
“I was asking you if you thought I should wear that peach dress next week to the get together at Daniel’s work, which you and Caleb are coming to, right?” Marge said with a smile.
“Yeah we’re planning on being there. And yes, I think you should wear the dress. Peach goes so well with your beautiful chocolate skin.”
“That’s what I told Julie” Marge said, laughing. “Well, enough about me. What’s new with you?”
“Well I found a great new recipe for strawberry shortcake.” Then in a stream of words all jumbled together I said, “The whipped cream is so smooth and the cake is very moist! I can't wait to make it again."
Marge gave me a discreet warning look.
Oh, right, I thought to myself, I need to slow down. I’m talking to fast. I need to look relaxed. Relaxed? My heart is pounding so fast I think I’ll  need a pace maker after this assignment.
"Well I'd love to try making it! It's Dan’s birthday in two weeks, I could do it then. You and Caleb are invited to the party.”
“Thanks, Marge. What should we bring?”
“Well, all he really needs is a new tie and a long vacation,” Marge said laughing. “So you can get him the tie and I’ll get him a vacation with Robbie and me.”
“Sounds good,” I replied.
Marge went on to talk about how she was going to surprise Dan and how she was going to decorate the house. All I could do was paste a smile on my face and say “uh-huh” every once in a while.
     
“They aren't doing anything-just sitting and talking about birthday parties and dresses”
“Keep watching. Let me know if anything is exchanged”
 
I started fanning myself with my hand—my signal that I wanted to be done.
Noticing my uneasiness Marge said, “Well I can’t wait for the party. It’s going to be such a great surprise!” “How about you write down that recipe for me, and Robbie and I will be on our way.”
Music to my ears! I thought we would never finish.
“Okay”, I replied. “It's an easy recipe so it shouldn't be too much trouble. Call if you have questions, though”
While I scribbled down some meaning-less recipe on the back of one of my husband’s business cards, Marge continued a long line of chatter about how Robbie was going to need some new toys that would keep his interest.
I finished writing and handed the card to Marge.
“Thanks, Beth. We'll see you at the party; it's at 3:30, okay?”
“Sure thing, Marge” I told her.

We parted ways and I walked as casually as I could toward the bus stop. Without looking back I boarded the bus. I rested my head on the window, so grateful to have that over with.
I got off the bus at the second to last stop. I walked around, looking in a few shop windows until I was sure that no one was following me. Finally, I entered the United Bank. I walked to the door marked: “Manager” and knocked. The door opened and there stood Caleb. I felt like collapsing right there but I forced myself to smile and walk to the coat closet in the back corner. He opened the door and we stepped in. I closed the door as he punched in the combination that only he knew.
 
“I lost her”
This report was met with silence on the other end. “We can’t afford any more of your mistakes. Watch them again next week. If you don’t deliver…”
The untold threat didn't fall on silent ears. Taking a deep breath and closing his phone he vowed with renewed determination to report better findings to his boss next week. 
 
Chapter 2
“How did it go, Beth?” Caleb asked with concern in his eyes. He always seemed to know how I was feeling.
“Okay I guess. Marge did much better than I did—she’s a natural!” I replied.
“She didn't start out that way” He escorted me to the debriefing room concealed underneath the bank. “Marge was probably more nervous than you were when she first started with us.”
I hoped to never get as comfortable with this as Marge was. That would mean some serious involvement time.

“Welcome back Beth! I trust everything went smoothly,” greeted Mr. Arezzo, offering Caleb and I a seat.
“Of course,” I replied, taking a seat. You never said "no" to Mr. Arezzo unless you had to. It’s not that he has a temper or anything (at least not that I knew of), it’s just that he likes to have everything done according to plan—his plan. I guess no one had ever had the heart to tell him life doesn't always go according to plan. Or maybe his life somehow always went according to plan and other people’s just didn't. It’s possible with Mr. Arezzo because there’s an aura of something different around him. Something mysterious. Of course, that could just be the job. Not many people have their office underground. In complete secrecy. Avoiding the IRS. I laughed silently to myself; of course they were doing more than avoiding the IRS. But that fact still remained in connection to their location here under the United Bank.

I was drawn out of my musings when Mr. Arezzo said, “Good report, Caleb. Now what about you, Beth?”
“Nothing suspicious, no followers.”
“Did the hand-off go smoothly?”
“Yes sir, it did”
“Excellent.” His phone rang. After a series of ‘yes’ ‘okays’ and ‘I see’s’ he hung up and turned back to Caleb and I.
“That was Margaret. She was able to get the information concerning the drug ring from the business card. All went smoothly. So you can expect another assignment in a month or so. We’ll be in contact.”

We’d been dismissed. As we walked back to the concealed elevator I reminded him about the party in Dan’s department.
“Oh, I almost forgot about that,” Caleb said. “When is it?”
“Next Friday at 3:00. Do you want me to text you a reminder?”
“Yeah that’d be great. Thanks, Hon.”
We had arrived back in his office
“I gotta get back to work. I’ll see you when I get home, OK?”
“Alright. Love ya.”
“Love you more,” he said, smiling and blowing me a kiss as he turned to go to his desk.

As I left the bank I felt I decided I could never get used to this way of life; always having to look over your shoulder to make sure no one was following you.

As the next few days passed I tried to go on with my life like an ordinary housewife, not someone who had been recruited by my husband’s employment to pass secret messages to other ‘agents’. But now this was my life and there wasn't much I could do about it.
 
Chapter 3
The phone rang. It was two o’clock in the morning. Caleb sleepily answered it.
“What!?” He sat up in bed. “Okay I’ll be there in 15 minutes.”
“What is it?” I asked, all sleep gone from my eyes.
“There’s been a leak. One of our agents is in danger. I need to go in to the office,” he said as he hurriedly got dressed. “Keep the doors locked and stay inside.”

Thunder clapped outside as the rain started pouring down. Well that’s fitting considering the circumstances, I thought wryly to myself. Turing back to the matter at hand I wondered what could have happened that would make Caleb so anxious I had never seen him so nervous before. I tried to push the matter from my mind but I found that I couldn't go back to sleep. So I laid awake, worrying.

I must have eventually dozed off to sleep because I woke up to my stomach growling at 10:30. As I ate my breakfast I stared out the window at the drizzling rain. Yup, I thought, This definitely fits the mood of the day. After I got ready for the day, I decided to call my sister to see what she was up to. Cheryl lived out of state and we didn't get to see each other very much. We talked for over an hour about what she and her family of four had been up to.
Suddenly, there was a large crash outside. I asked Cheryl to stay on the line while I checked to see what had caused the noise. There was a car parked in the driveway, and someone was getting out. That someone was my mother-in-law. I told Cheryl I had to go then hung up the phone.
After I had helped her in with her bags, Martha turned to me and said, "Now that you quit your job to stay home, I'm going to move in and keep you company. I thought to myself, 'Martha, ever since George died you've been all alone here in your house with nothing to do. But now that Beth is in the same boat, it makes since that we should be together.' Birds of a feather flock together you know!" She chuckled at her own use of the familiar saying, but all I could do was offer a weak smile. This new twist was a downturn; Caleb's mother didn't know that he wasn't really a manager at the bank. She had no idea of the 'delicate nature' of his job. Having her here would make it harder for him to come and go without suspicion.
Little did I know that more twists awaited me in the weeks ahead.