On Saturday morning, Scott offered to take Matthew to the Norfolk Zoo with Alice, who was excited to spend the day together, and his guilt could be assuaged for spending so much time at the office. She eagerly dressed in jean shorts and a summery top while he kept it simple in Khakis and a polo shirt. Though late August, the temperature stayed rather warm and humid. Scott wanted to enjoy some downtime outdoors before the weather turned cooler, so he hoped to avoid work for a couple of hours. He wasn’t sure how long he had before a call came in.
They arrived at the zoological park on Granby Street, which consisted of 53 acres adjacent to Lafayette Park. It was bordered by the Lafayette River and its oyster reefs. Scott had good memories here and hoped to create them for Matthew. Once inside the gates, the blond boy was full of energy and pointing at the plaza fountain near the entrance, where they let him giggle in delight with the other children, who ran in and out of the splash pad. Alice snapped a few pictures while Scott did his usual surveillance out of habit. Quite a few people roamed about, taking pictures or reading maps to find exhibits.
Fate sometimes played a dirty hand. Of all people he sometimes ran into, it was rarely someone from a case. Wearing her signature pink Converse, Ninon wandered twenty yards ahead of him. He was certain it was her, but wanted to get a better look. Her hair was down and not pulled back, so he didn’t get a view of her face from that angle, but this woman was the same height and build. It had to be her.
“Stay with Matthew for a second.”
“Oh, do you see someone you know? Someone from work? Tell them hello for me.”
“I will” he said, feeling it was simpler to say that and wouldn’t involve further questioning. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Wait here.”
“Okay,” she said with a soft smile. “Matthew is perfectly content right now, though I hope you’ll be back soon. He gets cranky when he is tired and I’d like to show him some animals before he gets worn out.”
But Scott was already on his mission before she finished talking. He took the path to the Africa-Okavango Delta section, where the bigger animals were kept. Up ahead, he spotted her shoes and got closer, trying to remain in her blindspot. Field work always excited him. Plus, this place reminded him of when he was a kid. Back then though, the animals were kept in iron cages, but now they had larger scenic habitats to explore.
He kept her in view. Wearing Converse with black shorts, she wandered around the caged creatures, taking her time to appreciate each one. A few bracelets hung on her wrists. He took a moment to watch her, trying to figure her out. She gave off a rebellious and nonconformist vibe. That didn’t bode well towards authority figures. He took his chance.
Ninon happened to glance to her left from the giraffe enclosure and saw a handsome man with a blue ball cap, staring at her from beside another nearby display, as if he knew her or maybe wanted to know her. A little frightened, she turned her head, but slowly looked back out of curiosity. He was about twenty feet away and had All-American good looks, and probably could be a model or a lawyer. A little stiff, maybe cautious, he seemed to study her. The way he was self-assured and fearless in stance, not caring that she caught him focused on her momentarily took her breath away. After getting a better look at him, he reminded her of the intense customer from the other day. It had to be him. Fate can be cruel.
Why did he cross her path again? The thought intrigued her. She composed herself, though felt all fluttery inside, as she slinked away like a mink almost desiring to be in the jaws of the stealthy coyote, whose brutal beauty captivated her. Perhaps he felt the same.
Before she got out of hearing range, she turned around and asked, “Do you have a name? I didn’t see which one you answered to, the other day.”
“Yes.”
Smiling bashfully, she replied, “So do I…have a name.”
“Good to know.”
“Really? Did you see my name tag? What do you know?”
“Unfortunately, not much, not even your name.”
Shrugging, she told him, “I guess I’m not much different than these poor creatures on display for the pleasure of voyeurs.”
“Perhaps.”
“What are you doing here?”
“The same as you.”
“Looking at those who have no freedom?”
“Does that include you and whatever you feel is caging you?”
“Are you a psychiatrist?”
“No,” he answered, grinning so much that a dimple showed. “And I probably shouldn’t have sounded so presumptuous.”
“You were just remarking on my comment,” Ninon told him. “No offense taken.”
“Are you working tomorrow?”
“Are you a cop?”
“Jeesh. I was just hoping someone else was making the coffee. The one I had the other day was terrible.”
“Mine might be even worse.”
“I guess I’ll have to find out.”
“You must like misery, to purposely seek it out.”
“Are you a part-time psychiatrist?”
“No,” she said with a soft laugh, covering her mouth, “I just don’t want the pressure of your expectations.”
Her face reddened. Maybe she was embarrassed, he wondered.
“It's just coffee.”
“It is never quite as simple as that.”
“Life is complicated enough,” he remarked, “At least bad coffee isn’t the end of the world.”
“I wasn’t talking about coffee,” she muttered. “But I’ll let you get back to the animals. They are more interesting than me.”
“And more dangerous?”
“We haven’t established that yet.”
“So you either make bad coffee or you are dangerous?”
“Or both. Like you said, life is complicated.”
“I’ll try to find out.”
“Then I’ll try to meet your expectations.”
Smirking, he turned and proceeded the other way, towards the rhino enclosure, while she paused before the lions. She liked them the best, but this stranger set her orbit off balance. Because of the strange chemistry brewing between them, she wanted the encounter to last longer, but didn’t want devastation that would erupt from the feelings he evoked in her. Instead, she touched the glass of the lion’s enclosure. It panted as it rolled over and then yawned. The beautiful golden beast laid in the sunshine, unconcerned of her existence. Of course, once freed, that would quickly change as each would size up the other to determine who was stronger, and whether to fight or to flee. Perhaps, that is what the strange man was doing, assessing her, but for what reason?
While deep in thought, Ninon rounded the corner and spotted the striking man sitting on a bench beside a woman with glistening red hair in a beige dress, and a cute toddler hopping about in a blue outfit while they watched. Admittedly, she was disappointed, but she knew he was out of her league. Though the man’s eyes didn’t directly meet hers, she sensed that he was aware of her presence. She did the same, pretending that she didn’t notice him and made her departure. Deep down, she knew that some unseen thread tied them together like two predators who must eventually face each other in a match of cunning or else live in the constant worry of being pounced upon when one’s back was turned.
When the couple and their son headed toward the exhibits, she headed for the exit, wondering if she should be worried. People like that were never interested in her unless they wanted something from her. As for Ninon, she just liked the zoo because she could commiserate with the animals.
Whether a good idea or not, Scott went to her workplace again. It wasn’t as busy as the last time. After their chance meeting at the zoo, they would no doubt zero in on each other. He wasn’t wrong. He wanted answers. Maybe he could get them. A rapport might be the right move. Jan struggled with obtaining one. He ran the idea by John Hillman, who okayed it.
Ninon glanced over the counter at the good-looking man. Recognition caused tingles that she tried to quell. She couldn’t hide it. Her face reddened slightly. What was he looking for? An affair? Just liked picking on her?
Standing tall, his command presence intimidated her, but there was a calmness surrounding some mysterious center that she longed to penetrate, as if hiding the heart of the man. What might that contain? Oozing authority in a hawkish manner, he met her eye, which she struggled to maintain, but discomfort caused her to break the contact. She reached for a tall cup and proceeded with the next order. Her secrets were her own. If he were some sort of Law Enforcement, how dare he trespass!
When it was his turn, she asked him his order, which was cappuccino, nothing pretentious, which suited him.
“So, we need to determine a name for your order,” she told him, holding up a cup and marker. “Kind of a necessity now.”
His expression was unreadable, but his smile seemed friendly enough. Almost sincere.
“Scott.”
“Yeah, you look like a Scott,” she sighed, thinking back at kids in her high school who had a name like that and were out of her league like he happened to be. He probably sat with the popular kids. She sat with the outcasts or alone.
He pointed to her nametag and said, “I guess we now determine that you are Ninon.”
“I guess so,” she remarked with a shrug. Her dark eyes assessed him. “I’m not sure that it matters.”
“It does,” he said, moving to the end of the counter, where a few others waited, though stared at their phones.
She wanted to ask why, but didn’t. While she proceeded to make the order, she had the urge to glance back at him, but didn’t. After all, she had seen him with a woman and child. She wasn’t about to be a homewrecker, no matter how magnetic she found him to be. Several moments later, she put a lid on his cup and called out his name. For some reason, even saying his name felt forbidden and intimate. It felt electric on her tongue.
“Scott.”
When he approached her, his probing gaze unsettled her. His eyes had flecks of blue or green. He was too far to get a good look. Everything about it felt wrong as if an invisible fence ran between them and they faced a nasty shock if it were crossed. If that were the price of pleasure, she’d consider it.
“Enjoy your coffee,” she said, not knowing what to say, before turning away to finish another order.
He nodded and headed toward the door, like any other customer, but something told her that there was anything but ordinary when it came to this captivating man, whose confidence and fearless demeanor taunted that he might even go where angels fear to tread. For him, that would be meeting with his in-laws.