Dutch Treat
The Evil Queen picked up the phone and dialled. “Carl? Yes, have my driver bring the car around… right away… I’ll be down shortly.” She hung up the phone, snubbed out her cigarette, and rose from the desk. Then she put on her long black coat, picked up the portfolio full of papers, grabbed her purse, and put on her hat. She turned and looked back at her office, just as she was turning out the lights… she was pleased with the renovations on this part of the building, she made a mental note to send the contractor a nice bonus, then locked the door and pocketed the keys.
On the elevator ride down, she checked her appearance and straightened the collar of the coat. The doors opened and she stepped out. Carl waited by the front door and nodded to her as he opened the door. Outside the Pierce Silver Arrow sat curbside, the driver standing by holding the back door open for her. She took her place in the car and waited for him to get behind the wheel.
“Where to this evening?” he asked.
“To the airport… KLM gate… we have an important guest arriving from the Netherlands. I’ll wait in the car,” she said, handing the driver a business card with the name of the arrival. The driver wrote the name on the placard, then pulled away from the curb and headed for the airport. The Evil Queen opened the bar cabinet in the back and poured herself a drink… Jameson’s, a fine Irish whiskey.
Outside, the rain continued but the wind had calmed. She sipped on her drink, watching the sights of the City go by as they made their way to the airport. The Dutch had made many in-roads into the Market, she was hopeful some sort of trade agreement could be reached which would be mutually beneficial. Next week her colleagues would be back from their business trips, and she had meetings scheduled with the Tea merchants, which meant a chance to travel to the Far East. She was looking forward to the trip.
Unfortunately, it also meant her meeting with Reilly would be postponed. An involuntary sigh escaped from her lips, fogging up the window.
