Stratemeyer Shorts

A Secret Meeting

Robert "Red" Randall sat down at a table close to the front of the cafe and took a quick sip of his cappuccino. It was still rather hot, so he let it sit a bit while he watched the door. He could tell out of the corner of his eye that a few people were glancing at him. That barista must have been telling everyone who came to pick up their orders that his red hair was natural, not dyed. Red was used to it by now. Besides, he was here for an important meeting for his employer, Mr. Hughes, he wasn't going to let a few curious stares distract him.

He did come with his best friend and co-worker, Aadav "Sunny" Swarna, who was now in line for his chai. The two hadn't wanted to take a chance on missing their contacts when they came in. Sunny had insisted that Red go first, it would have been hard to miss a red-headed Asian. Red took a sip of his cappuccino, a smirk beginning to form. If they didn't see him when they came in, the curious stares would totally point him out. He took another sip, looking odd had its ups.

The door chime jingled as more customers came in. Red tried to look at them inconspicuously. It was a couple of young men, fresh out of high school he assumed. The chime jingled again and three young women walked in. Red subconsciously shook his head, these weren't the group he was meeting. He was looking for a group of three young women, one with violet eyes, the other two identical twins. But he was slightly glad of one thing, the five had paused to chat close to the doorway which would slow incoming patrons, he could watch people coming in without looking too creepy. Well, at least he hoped. He took another glance at the fivesome, there was something familiar about those three women, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

He shot a quick glance at the line, hoping Sunny was on his way back. He glanced at his watch, it was now five minutes past nine, they were going to be here any minute. The chime jingled, and Red's head snapped up. He blinked, was that them? Two were obviously identical twins, but the third had her back to him. Please turn, he mentally asked, please turn. One of the twins touched her shoulder and pointed towards him. She turned, that was her, here was the group. He rose as the three walked towards him.

"Robert Randall, better known as Red for . . ." she paused, looking at his hair, ". . . for his natural red hair?" The violet-eyed woman spoke with a soft English accent, indicating the years spent at a school in England.

Red grinned. "That's me. Are you Miss Violet Strange, daughter of socialite Helena Strange and entrepreneur Peter Strange?"

She nodded. "I am." She glanced around. "Weren't you bringing a friend?"

Red nodded at the line. "He's in line for chai, should be back in a minute."

Violet glanced at the line. "I see."

Red indicated the chairs. "Would you like to sit down, or do you want to get in line?"

Violet nodded at the table. "We'll sit. We have other appointments to attend to."

Red nodded. "Understandable, ma'am." He pulled out a chair for her, and she sat. Sunny came back at that moment and helped Red pull chairs for the twins. When the two men were seated, introductions were made. The twins were Connie and Kit Blair, childhood friends of Violet. Connie was wearing blue while Kit was wearing pink. Red was glad, he wouldn't have been able to tell them apart otherwise.

"So," began Violet, "would you care to explain to me why Mr. Hughes contacted me for a meeting but is having his pilot and his chauffeur meeting us?"

Red leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Because he believes he is in grave danger and didn't want to risk coming here himself. Having the two of us come here to meet you was a risk in and of itself. We can trust the rest of the staff to keep an eye on him, but the two of us would have had more time to do so as we don't have to cook, clean, or tend to the gardens."