Eva Maria Koons was chopping tomatoes for her dinner, when the phone rang. She wasn't expecting a call. Eva Maria dried her hands on a towel and answered. It was her friend Coldham Fintan Noose III. He was making her an interesting offer. "Okay, I'll do it. There's just one more condition." Fin, as Coldham Fintan was nicknamed, asked what it was. "You owe me a dinner." "No probs. What do you prefer? A restaurant or Casa Fin?" "Casa Fin." There was no doubt for Eva Maria. Of course she could have chosen the most expensive restaurant in town, but Fin had a reputation as an excellent cook, and since she once had tested a selection of home made desserts by him, she wanted more. In fact she had a very sweet tooth and could have lived from crème brulee, cakes and chocolate mousse alone. Unfortunately too many desserts weren't good for the waistline or teeth’s, so Eva Maria took care she had a balanced diet, whenever possible. Eva Maria's job was hectic, irregular, thrilling and boring at the same time, so it was difficult for Eva Maria to keep up her healthy eating habits.
Eva Maria Koons was five ft 1 in tall, had green eyes and reddish brown hair. She was two years older than Fin, who was twenty two. Both worked in the same profession.
Eva Maria began with the investigation first. Fin had provided her with some details to go on with. He wanted to dig up some dirt about his grandfather. Fin had been named after him and to make things easier, the oldest Coldham Fintan was called Coldham F., who was a famous surgeon.
When Eva Maria broke into the hospital, she was disappointed to find only the most recent personal file from three years ago shortly before Coldham F. retired. It didn't help her cause. She had to think about a different tack.
Eva Maria checked out the internet and newspaper archives. She saw Coldham F. and his wife had been quite active in the community.
After spending hours reading about Coldham F.'s successful life, she was fed up and getting restless. It seemed Coldham F. was squeaky clean. Eva Maria's eyes hurt from staring at the screen so long. By now she had covered the last thirty years. It was disheartening. Eva Maria was about to give up, when she scrolled over an article about the hospital Coldham F. had worked for most of his life. It was about a settlement outside court. A patient had been given medicine she reacted allergic to, even though it was stated in her file. The doctor's name at fault was Coldham F. Noose. "Ha!" Eva Maria shouted, garnering her some angry or startled stares and a shoosh from the librarian. Eva Maria researched the incident carefully and found more background information. She made copies of the newspaper articles and tried to find out, if the hospital had destroyed the old files or maybe kept them. Suddenly Eva Maria was re-energized. Working hard she figured out there must be the personal file or at least a copy of it somewhere. Eva Maria managed to befriend an older lady at the law firm, which had represented the hospital during the settlement process. The lady was cheap and easy to bribe and got her the desired documents.
Eva Maria was surprised Fin's grandfather hadn't been fired. When speaking with former employees of the hospital it emerged why. Coldham F.'s father Allman Gregory was himself one of the best surgeons in the country, sitting on the board of directors at the hospital and could influence the decision. Coldham F. was only suspended for six months. While talking to the former work colleagues, a picture emerged of Coldham F. Generally he was liked. Most described him as very thorough, concerned about the well being of his patients and overall friendly, but also as self-righteous, pompous, image conscious and short tempered. One or two also remembered when Coldham F. showed up drunk at work. He was saved by a friend and fellow doctor, who realized in what condition Coldham F. was and changed shifts with him.
Next Eva Maria broke into Coldham F.'s house, making a copy of his engagements. She then contacted Fin to ask, what appointment she should sabotage, since Fin was involved in a heist abroad. He thought he would be able to wrap up in Taipei in January or February, so they decided on a date in February, just to be on the safe side.
Shortly before Coldham F.'s travel, Eva Maria "visited" Fin's grandfather's home a second time. She stole a passport.
On the day of Coldham F.'s departure she followed him closely, and when the chance came, she nabbed Coldham F.'s passport. He had been careless, when grabbing sugar for his coffee, leaving his jacket unattended on a chair, so Eva Maria replaced Coldham F.'s passport with his dead wife Lil's. Fin had told Eva Maria she could keep his grandfather's travel document. She sold it at a later stage at the black market.
Of course Coldham F. was refused to pass the security check point and was asked to organize a valid passport. Coldham F. called somebody and was nervous and impatient, while waiting. The closing of the gate approached and went; Coldham F. had missed his flight by the time his son Stamford arrived with his driving license.
Eva Maria's job was done.
Fin took over. He had returned from Taiwan and inquired about the lecture his grandfather should have given. When he contacted the college, Fin claimed to be a student, wanting to know, if it had been rescheduled. He was told the date and location, so Fin broke into Coldham F.'s home - he enjoyed his grandfather was just a few steps away - and photographed the lecture Coldham F. had prepared. There was also a stack of copies about statistics belonging to it. Fin took one of them for his own purposes. He also checked out Coldham F.'s brief and suitcases. Fin calculated Coldham F. was taking his smallest luggage piece, because Coldham F. stayed only two nights in Los Angeles. His friend Augustus Shelton, a hacker, had found out which flight Coldham F. was taking and where and how long he was staying.
Fin bought the same brief case and luggage as his grandfather owned. He made sure they looked identical by adding the same scratches and dents to his. He also changed the statistics a bit, adding all the information Eva Maria had unearthed.
He stocked up on sex toys, too, and packed the suitcase with them.
On the day Coldham F. was flying out, Fin met Reggie Smith, his mentor and friend, at Logan International Airport to hand over the luggage. Augustus had made sure Coldham F. and Reggie were sitting beside each other. Reggie's job was to make Coldham F.'s journey as unpleasant as possible and to exchange the brief and suitcases.
Coldham F. didn't get his peaceful flight. His nerves were frayed at the end. Reggie alias Monday Scannell wouldn't shut up, telling Coldham F. all about his fake life story. Since Reggie had the middle seat, he left first and grabbed Coldham F.'s briefcase. At baggage claim Reggie's suitcase arrived first. He ignored it and waited patiently for Coldham F.'s.
Fin followed them on the next flight. He went straight to the college and was pretty sure his presents would upset and unsettle his grandfather. When the students were going to question Coldham F.'s past, Fin guessed his grandfather would loose his temper and accuse Fin. If Fin managed that, his grandfather would look like a total fool and uncontrollable. Everything went according to plan and Coldham F.'s career was destroyed.
Fin kept his promise and invited Eva Maria to dinner. He just created it for her. It made feel Eva Maria very special, when she was served a very delightful three course meal with a sweet component in every course.
©2012
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