chapter:5

"And I'll have the Maffalde in Cartoccio, please,"Kate told him, and he wrote it all down.

"Very good. Your salads will be out momentarily." He took their menus and left.

"Now, where were we? Oh yes. What gave you the idea for Derrick Storm?" Angela asked.

"I used to write children's mystery books. I didn't make much money doing it, but it was enough. One of my characters was similar to Derrick, so I used him and gave him a new name, a new look, and a new job. That way, my old publisher doesn't sue me."

"That would be bad," Angela agreed. "How many chapters have you completed, and when did you start?"

"I started about three days ago, and I've completed three chapters so far. I have about thirty chapters to go still. But I have a year to accomplish the task. They're, ah, they're paying me 1.5 million dollars to finish it," Kate mentioned.

Angela nearly choked on her wine. "Did you say 1.5 million? Dollars?" She was stunned. She was in the wrong line of work if she did. She watched as Kate nodded. "You're RICH! Forget about us going Dutch, you're buying," she laughed.

"I put all but a hundred thousand in a money-making portfolio offered by my CFP. So I'm not that rich."

"I was only joking with you. We'll still go Dutch, but that's amazing, Kate."

"I was shocked, just like you, Angela. I didn't believe it until the check showed up, and I cashed it the very first thing. I still don't believe it. I started looking at better apartments. Just looking, mind you."

"Apartment nothing, girl! You should buy a mansion with that kind of money."

Kate shook her head. "No, I just want a better apartment than the one I live in now."

"Okay, suit yourself. I know you could buy a Ferrari with that kind of money."

"A Ferrari? What would I do with a Ferrari?" Kate stared at her. "I crawl around town in taxis as it is now."

"Good point. No Ferrari," Angela agreed. Then she changed subjects. "Does your book have a name yet?"

"No, not yet. I haven't figured that out yet. But I will."

Angela offered some options off the top of her head. "You could call it Storm Warning. Or maybe Storm Front."

Kate turned it over in her mind. "I kinda like Storm Front."

Angela's face lit up. "It's yours. Glad I could help."

They were served dinner, sank into silence, and ate.

~~~~~~

They split the check, each paying for their meal, and took a taxi back to Angela's place. "Are you coming up? I could make coffee."

"Who can say no to coffee?" Kate was addicted to the stuff and followed her up to her place.

Kate sat on the sofa since there wasn't anywhere else to sit. However, she noticed the TV was front and center over the bed, which seemed odd.

"What do we talk about?" Angela asked as she handed Kate her cup of coffee and sat on the opposite end of the sofa. It was more of a loveseat than a sofa, so she was still pretty close.

"Tell me about yourself since you can't talk about work." Kate smiled at her while she sipped her coffee. "Maybe who was your first kiss with? Who you lost your virginity to?"

"Getting pretty personal there, but all right. My full name is Angela Elle Lansbury. And no, we're not related. I'm 25 years old. I was born in a small town in Kansas, so small you've never heard of it. My parents are Robert and Lucille Lansbury. I moved to New York City when I was just 20 years old. I found a job with the FBI quite by accident.

"They realized I had a penchant for computers, so they hired me. I've been with them ever since. Now, I work downtown behind locked doors. A pass and a pass key are necessary to get in. And that's after you get past security." Angela rolled her eyes at that.

"I've worked for the department I'm in for about two years. Let's see, the first boy I ever kissed. His name was Guy something or other. It was an okay kiss, I guess." Remembering, she made a face. "I didn't like it much."

"I lost my virginity to a guy whose first name was Bruce. That's all I remember about him. And that's about it. Now tell me about you."

"My full name is Katherine Houghton Beckett, and I'm 25. My parents were Jim and Johanna Beckett." That was all the further Kate got with her story when Angela interrupted her.

"Were?"

"They're both dead now."

That got Angela to move in closer, and she put an arm around her. "Oh, Kate, I'm so sorry. What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Dad and I were waiting at a restaurant for her to show up, but she never did. So we went home and found a policeman waiting for us. He told us Mom was found stabbed in an alley and that she died there.

"Dad took her death hard and started drinking. I couldn't get him to stop, and he eventually drank himself to death." Kate no longer had tears; those were long gone. "I was only 19 at the time."

"That's terrible. I can't imagine the pain you had to go through." She put her cup of coffee on the coffee table and hugged her.

"I won't lie; it was bad at first. But I resolved to pick myself up and get on with my life."

"Good for you. I'm not sure I would have your strength," Angela told her while hugging her still.

"Let's see, where was I? I was born in New York City, lived here all my life. I don't think I've ever left it. Except for a trip to Montreal when I was a teenager. Oh, I went to Kyiv and spent a semester there. I speak Russian."

"Really?" Angela was surprised to hear that. She still hugged her.