Skating on Thin Ice

Chapter 2: Opportunity Knocks

Upper West Side. Friday, January 12, 2007.

Mozzie opened the door to the building when he heard the welcoming buzz. El hadn't expected to see him, but he'd discovered from a subtly-guided chat with her assistant Yvonne that she'd be working in the storeroom that afternoon.

Her new facility on West 95th Street was so much more convenient for him—it was as if she had him in mind. And in a certain sense, she had. For years, he'd cultivated a friendship with June's chef Emil. The Haitian maestro not only had a rare talent for adapting recipes to suit his lactose-sensitive palate, but he also played a mean game of Warri, a Haitian strategic game that Sun-Tzu would have liked.

When El lost her lease to a facility in Brooklyn, he mentioned her plight to Emil. The chef was a good friend of El's since she often used his catering service. The lease on Emil's restaurant included a loft-like space on the second floor. It could eventually become an addition to his restaurant but any expansion was many years away. An advantageous solution for all was reached when Emil offered it to El at a bargain rate.

Although the storeroom wasn't convenient to Brooklyn, most of El's events were in Manhattan. Her new pied-à-terre was also only a short distance from Mozzie's new apartment in June's mansion. Exchanging recipes while sampling wine—or organic tea, given her current state of impending bliss—was more convenient than ever and also rewarding. Constant vigilance was necessary to ensure his latest initiative wasn't torpedoed. He'd learned long ago that when engaged in deep-dive maneuvers, a firm hand on the helm was needed to avoid depth charges.

The elevator opened onto a short hallway. El had the entire floor except for Emil's office. At one time the space had been subdivided into apartments. When it was reconfigured, a kitchenette had been retained. The upper levels of the building continued to contain apartments.

She was waiting at the door to greet him. "Welcome!" she said. "You're my first guest. Please excuse the clutter. Yvonne and Vanessa worked wonders over the holidays to move everything from the old storeroom, but the new shelving units were only installed last week."

"Are you here by yourself?" he asked innocently as if he didn't know.

"Yes. Yvonne and Vanessa are managing today's event. I'm glad to have a chance to putter in the storeroom."

"You'll have my help for the rest of the day," he promised. "Plus, I brought a tin of a new Lilikoi Hawaiian organic tea the Aloha Emporium is carrying." He gazed around the space. A long worktable was near the kitchenette which was about the size of the one Neal had in the loft before it was remodeled.

"I'll brew a pot," El offered.

"Excellent suggestion. We'll have a tea party. I also brought along pineapple shortbread cookies."

"A tasting party!" She smiled. "Did I ever tell you that the first time we met, you reminded me of the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland?"

"I remember it well. I was attempting to solve Azathoth's first mystery when you arrived like Alice with a basket of goodies. I'm rather surprised you didn't think of me as the hookah-smoking caterpillar."

"That came later." Under her smile, he detected the signs of weariness on her face.

"Since I'm the White Rabbit, you have to follow my instructions and I order you to sit down and put your feet up. I'll make the tea." He'd already spotted the tea kettle on the stove.

"I should protest but the thought of sitting down sounds too good."

He shoved a storage bin next to her chair to use as a footstool. "Has morning sickness started?"