Where Fox and Hare say Goodnight 1

Mailin Dahl frowned when she heard a knock at her office`s door. Said door had a large glass window in it and so, anyone could see whether she was working, doing a phone call or, like right now, just having a coffee. So, her colleagues usually didn`t bother knocking and visitors usually didn`t get into that part of the small Police Headquarter of Kirkenes.

»Come in!«

Quickly, Mailin wiped her mouth and brushed over her chest, just in case the doughnut she had had for second breakfast had left crumbs on her uniform blouse. Through the window, she could see a woman she had never seen before. She seemed to have come directly from outside, for she was still wearing a black down jacket and was just taking off her cap, revealing shoulder-length white blonde hair.

»Hi! Are you Mailin? I am Linnea – Linnea Andersen!«

Again, Mailin frowned, trying to remember why that name rang a bell at the back of her head. Then, she rose and smiled.

»Ah, the new rookie! Welcome to the North Pole!«

Linnea`s smile was a bit wryly as she was addressed as »rookie«, but her handshake was firm. Mailin quickly scanned her new colleague and tried to figure out what they had sent her this time. Linnea was smaller than her, but since Mailin measured 5`11``, that was hardly a surprise. Her down jacket hid her figure, but Mailin noticed that Linnea`s hair owed its brightness the use of hydrogen peroxide and that the other woman had carefully applied makeup.

»Well, you will soon find out that things here are a bit more rural than in Oslo!«, she thought. Mailin was now at Kirkenes for five years, and though she had no intention to remain here until pension, she had gotten used to it. The town was the largest around, but still, that meant it had just some 3000 inhabitants. During the summer months, they had to deal with some problems the tourists brought with them, but so far, there had been just two real capital crimes since she had been sent here: a bar fight in which one drunkard had injured another one with a knife, and a case of armed robbery that had ended up without a shot being fired.

And yet, the new freshmen and -women had to get some practice and so, the Government regularly sent young Policemen to the North, so they could learn their job. Linnea didn`t look as if she had chosen to come to Kirkenes on purpose and Mailin decided to give her a cold introduction:

»Well, you just came in time for my patrol! Do you want to join me?«

Mailin was Linnea`s superior and besides, the way she had asked would have only left Linnea to be rude if she had refused to come with her. Mailin smiled when they walked along the corridor and she heard the clacking of Linnea`s high heels.

There were several internet memes, pretending that the Norwegian Police spent half of their time searching the forests for metal bands that had gotten lost whilst filming their video clips. Well, Mailin had never saved any metalheads during her time here, but nevertheless, her duties consisted of long patrols through the area. Most of the time, it was just about showing some presence: the Norwegian Allemannsretten allowed every man to make fair use of the environment, including camping, collecting mushrooms or fishing. However, some tourists misunderstood »fair use« for »take as much as you can«, and so, she regularly had to charge fees for things like littering or fishing too  much.

»So, since this is your first day, we are taking the big tour!«, Mailin explained as they both sat inside the Police Jeep.

»Cool!«

Mailin couldn`t tell whether her new colleague was enthusiastic or sarcastic. At least, she seemed to be no chatterbox. When she now looked closer at Linnea, she noticed some fine wrinkles around her eyes. She remembered that the Police Academy had introduced her as being 21.

»So, you are from Oslo?«

»Bergen, actually. I only attended the Academy at Oslo. Originally, I wanted to stay there, but then – then, I decided that I needed a break from the big city!«

The way Linnea said these words indicated that there was more behind her deciding to get to some outpost. However, according to her papers, there had been no irregularities in her curriculum. Perhaps, there had been an intrusive superior or just a nasty breakup. Well, during the next months, she and Linnea would have plenty of time to talk about their private lives.

The grand tour began with all the potential hot spots of crime, including the harbour where today, just one small cruise ship was docked, and the street where most of the bars were located. After some 30 minutes, Mailin stopped at a petrol station.

»Before we enter the wilderness, let`s have some provision!«

To Mailin`s delight, Linnea insisted on paying for some sandwiches and two jumbo coffees. She even joked about getting a bottle of Champaign to celebrate their first day. For a moment, Mailin was tempted to let her buy it, but then, she decided that it would be unfair to make her colleague pay some third of her first salary on a bottle of sparkling wine of dubious offspring.

»If after the trip, we still don`t hate each other, we can have dinner at my home, together with a glass of wine!«

»That would be great! But only if I won`t disturb your free evening with your husband!«

Then, noticing the slight change in Mailin`s looks, she hesitated and even covered her mouth with her hand.

»Or boyfriend – girlfriend, I mean, I-«

Mailin smiled a bit bitterly and patted Linnea`s shoulder.

»It would be a boyfriend, but – well, that`s a story for another glass!«

In unison, both girls sighed. Then, noticing what they had done, they giggled and toasted with their coffee mugs. Mailin drove on and thought that maybe, her new colleague wasn`t bad at all.

Linnea turned a bit to the right, checking in the side mirror whether her smile hadn`t become too sardonic. So far, bonding with Mailin went pretty well!

***

When Isabelle woke up at 4 am, she almost expected the other side of the bed to be empty, except for a letter from Mike, telling her that he had reenlisted the Army and was heading for somewhere in the Middle East. However, though Domesday was coming closer, he still hadn`t decided to run off from marrying her.

Carefully not to wake up Mike, she sat up and looked around in the room that was sparsely lit by what a street lantern sent through the closed curtains. They were at the house of Mike`s parents, in Mike`s old room. Since he had only been there for a few days in a row on each visit since he had finished High School, his mother had more or less left it as it had been and so, Isabelle felt a bit like in her teenage years. There were two large posters, one showing the 2005 team of Sheffield Wednesday, the other Steve McQueen on a motorcycle, a scene from »The Great Escape«. The bookshelf was topped by a plastic model of the HMS »Victory«, and Isabelle was sure that there were still some adult magazines hidden in the sock drawer.

Her introduction to Mike`s parents had been easy going. Mike`s mother was charming, though it seemed she was insulted whenever one refused to take seconds of her indeed delicious food. Funny enough, she and Isabelle had bonded about her inability to pronounce French words. Mike had left the two women alone the second day after their arrival, and when he had come back, both Isabelle and Melanie Dunbar had been sitting on the couch, taking sips from their Brandy and laughing tears whilst Isabelle said French words and Melanie tried to speak after her.

»Tomorrow, I will teach you to speak with a decent Yorkshire accent!«, his mother had warned Isabelle. Then, the two women had worked in sweet harmony, bossing around Mike to take off his street shoes and to empty the dishwasher before laying the table.

Mike`s father had also been no problem. Being 60, Paul Dunbar only worked part-time as a janitor and so, he had plenty of time for his hobby, a giant model train. Isabelle had to admit that his miniature 19th century Sheffield he had built in his shed was indeed impressive and Paul  had been kind enough to reduce his monologues about different trains to a minimum. So far, the term »parents in law« didn`t hold any horrors for her.

Isabelle even got on well with their friends. She already knew Lalita Singh, and her parents were a bit like Indian copies of Mike`s parents. Ravi, Mike`s childhood friend and Lalita`s elder brother, worked as a teacher and had only been able to come for one evening, but though he and Mike had shared old anecdotes from their youth, he had also proven to be a decent guy. The Burgess had been a bit loud, especially Mr. Burgess – Billy – who worked as an undertaker who seemed to have an endless repertoire of dark and often funny stories from his work. Isabelle guessed that Mike had learned his liking for bad jokes from him – and that if Mrs. Burgess – Maud – had gotten a Pound for each time she rolled her eyes at her husband saying something, the two could easily afford living in Belgravia.

»So far, everything went well!«

She bent over Mike, noticing the small scar on his earlobe. It was a reminder of the last time he had saved her – two inches, and his head would have blown off. However, Isabelle wondered that his ear wasn`t all bloody and sore anyway.

It had started with the shrill yell of joy when they had called Samantha and told her about their engagement. However, Samantha had cheered just long enough until she could tell her elder sister about her own sorrows: her break-up with Manu. Even worse, the reason for the break-up had been Akiko, Samantha`s best friend; obviously, the two had developed feelings for each other the moment Samantha had introduced them to each other.

»Now, I will die lonely! I always thought that would be you!«, Samantha had pouted. Isabelle had not been angry about the insult, but she had cuddled closer to Mike, so her sister could see it on the display of her laptop. Mike had showed her a friendly smile and said:

»I promise, Belle and I will visit you on every second weekend, so our kids can play with your cats!«

Obviously, Mike had a more sarcastic approach towards his sister-in-law`s lovesickness, and so, he had gotten most of her outburst. In the end, however, Mike had found a way to cheer Samantha up: he had given her Lalita`s number. Since Lalita was responsible for the wedding dress anyway, he had promoted her to become their wedding planner, and now, Samantha was not only Isabelle`s maid of honour, but also Lalita`s assistant.

»Phew! Lolly will hate me for this, but at least, she no longer thinks her live is over at the old age of 18!«

The next talk had been a bit straining, too, though nobody had become loud and there had hardly been any tears. Both Mike and Isabelle had agreed upon not only telling Lioba about their wedding, but also to invite her to the ceremony. Lioba had been together with Mike more than ten years ago, but a few months ago, they not only had kissed when Mike and Isabelle had had a break during their relationship, the two girls had also both been involved in a case of kidnapping, including both of them being tied up together, gagged and naked. Isabelle and Lioba liked each other, but it was clear that she also still had feelings for Mike.

Nevertheless, she seemed to estimate that they had told her and had accepted the invitation. However, this talk had only been the quietness before the storm, for now, they had to tell Isabelle`s mother.

Claudine Marceau was just 43, but she pretended not to understand how Discord and other videochats worked, and so, the talking had to happen via telephone. Mike had patiently answered all of her many questions, tried to show himself worthy of Isabelle and to prove that, despite being just an Englishman, he would not force her to end her live under a grey sky, eating kidney pie and bitter marmalade.

»God almighty! When you brought a boy with you, did she sit in the living room, ›accidentally‹ cleaning her shotgun? Or her rolling pin?«

»I never dared to bring a boy with me! You are the first to enter the dragon`s cave!«

»I thought I already saved the Princess!«

Actually, it ended with the dragon leaving its cave and coming to Britain. Since there was no real reason to delay the wedding, Mike`s mother hoped that they could be married by the same priest that had wed her and Mike´s Father 33 years ago. Since the man would retire by the end of the year, there were not so many dates left. The wedding was scheduled for the 17th of November.

Maman Marceau wasn`t very religious and so, her daughter marrying in an Anglican ceremony wasn`t the problem. But somehow, Mike even managed to persuade her to leave France for entering Britain for the first time in her life, though she would have less than a week between seeing Mike for the first time and watching him leading Isabelle to the altar.

»They will arrive at the 11th! Armistice Day, maybe, a good sign!«

Of course, there had been more preparations to be done. At least, the number of guests was rather small: since Vinh and Tao could not come on short notice, it would only be Cordelia and David from Edinburgh, and also Bishop, Mike`s former superior. If »former« still was the correct term.

»Bishop has talked about me about a job that sounds interesting, and yet steady enough to allow me to settle down with you. It would also mean we could live a normal life as a couple – or a family, for what that means.«

Since Bishop made a bit of a secret out of it, Mike couldn`t tell her more, but he promised not to make any decisions without her consent. Isabelle sighed. Mike turned his head and murmured:

»Oh, Mum, let me sleep! Today, I have to meet my future mother in law, aka Ye Olde Dragon!«

»Aka my beloved mother!«

Mike opened his eyes.

»Oh, it`s you! I always forget that we are not married yet and I still have to pretend that I am nice!«

»So, you are telling me what I know so far is your good side?«

Mike peeked at his watch.

»4.20 am. My Mum always wakes up at 5!«

»So?«, Isabelle responded in a drawling voice, though the touch of his hand on her breast told her where this was going.

»So? Today, I am facing a terrible dragon! A French dragon, and they are the worst! So, to stand a tiny chance, I should maybe do some sparring with the dragon`s slightly less appalling progeny!«

»Oh, how I will miss such charming words once we are married!«, Isabelle breathed and raised her arms, allowing him to take off her sleeping shirt.

***

 The patrol trip led over bumpy dirt roads, along birch forests and small lakes. There weren`t many tourists left, and Mailin only stopped once to tell a German family to take care their campfire wouldn`t cause damage, just to interrupt the monotony. Linnea, however, seemed impressed by the wilderness that Mailin had seen once to often to still care much.

»Soon, it will be Polar Night! I mean, we aren`t that far North that it will get completely dark, but in a few weeks, high noon will be like early dawn!«

Still, it sounded as if Linnea wasn`t too bored by the routine of the next twelve months, for she still kept asking questions and also had told her a bit about her own past, though she had still not spoken about what had brought her to Kirkenes.

At the farthest point of their round, Mailin once again stopped in front of some hills covered with trees. Here, the road was blocked and a sign marked the area as restricted.

»During the Cold War, the NATO had a listening post there! Afaik, they are no longer using it, but there may be a few mines left, and so, if we see any tourists here, we have to send them back!«

Linnea nodded. Then, she asked:

»And as a Policewoman – will I be allowed a minor trespassing, just for a minute?«

She smiled wryly and pointed at the mow empty coffee mug. Mailin laughed.

»Just go for it! Be ware of electric wires!«

Linnea left the car and Mailin shook her head as she watched her new colleague stagger up the hill in her high heels.

»She will definitely need a change of shoes!«

Linnea had reached the top of the hill and Mailin could see her crouch. What she couldn`t see, however, was that Linnea didn`t lower her trousers. Instead, she took out her phone and, aiming at something white protruding between the trees, she sent three short signals with her flashlight. A few seconds later, she got an answer from the white building: a single flash, looking like a reflection of the sunlight.

The white building was in fact a tower, built from concrete and looking like a mixture of a lighthouse and a hunter`s perch. On top, it had a small room with windows to all sides. There were some empty desks and one could see that there had once been computers and control panels, but these had been removed, together with the antennas and satellite dishes that had been fixed to the tower`s roof.

The woman in the black combat gear lowered her flashlight with which she had responded to Linnea`s signal and looked through her binoculars. With a smile, she said:

»From the distance, she really looks like you!«

She held the binoculars to the woman standing beside her, allowing her to watch Linnea who just rose and walked back towards the car.

»She just will have to change for some boots, it looks like she`s drunk!«

»Mph!«

The woman stared dagger at her companion who just took the binoculars from her eyes. There wasn`t much more she could do, as her arms were cuffed behind her back at wrists and elbows whilst her legs were strapped at her ankles and above and below her knees. Her mouth was covered by a padded leather pad secured by a strap buckled at her nape, holding a sizeable foam ball inside her oral cavity.

The trussed-up woman did indeed show a strong resemblance to Linnea, though her hair was really that fair blonde and she was in fact five years younger than her impostor. She had no idea who her captor or that other woman pretending to be her were, but she was the real Linnea Andersen.

Three weeks ago, Linnea had thought that the worst thing in her life, apart from the end of her relationship, had been that the Government had sent her to Kirkenes for her rookie year, instead for a real town with real Police work to do. However, since she loved hiking, skiing and other outdoor activities, Linnea had accepted her fate and started the trip to her new life two days ago.

She had never been that far in the North and so, she had been delighted when she had left the bus and a woman had greeted her, telling her that she was her new landlady and that her new superior, Officer Mailin Dahl, had asked her to take care of her before she would have to attend her new work the next morning.

Linnea had noticed the slight Russian accent in the woman`s voice, but hadn`t bothered. Kirkenes was close to the Russian border and in the times between the end of the Cold War and when the conditions had worsened again, the Norwegian-Russian border had been quite frequently used. Obviously, Olesya had decided to start a new life in the West and now lived in Norway.

Once inside Olesya`s car, she had noticed the tinted windows, but by then, it had been too late. From behind, someone had pressed a soaked rag over her mouth and nose and at the same time, Olesya had thrown herself over her, trapping her arms and holding her tight until Linnea had passed out.

She had woken up in a cell in which she had been kept for the next 24 hours or so. It had shown a strange mixture of maximum security and relative comfort. The cell only offered a bunk bed and both the floor and the walls were heavily padded with rubber panels, but it was warm and the toilet was in a small closet the size of a cupboard. Linnea had done the usual routine of a prisoner, so to say: she had yelled, even slammed at the equally padded door, but to no avail. Then, she had inspected her prison. The toilet only offered a roll of toilet paper, but beside her bed, she found a plastic box, containing a few bottles of water, some fruits and sandwiches and even a detective novel. Obviously, her captors didn`t want to make her suffer. At least, not yet.

They had taken her jacket, shoes and socks, but had left her clothes in place. So, this perhaps wasn`t a kidnapping done for sexual reasons either. Linnea repeatedly banged at the door or called for her captors, but it took until the evening until she heard a metallic voice, coming from a microphone in the ceiling:

»There is no point in behaving like a caged puma! Just relax, maybe, in a few days, everything will be over!«

It had been Olesya`s voice. Linnea had yelled at the microphone, demanding to be set free immediately, but the only answer had been the click when the microphone had been switched off. So, she had finally accepted her fate for the moment and even managed to eat, drink and to doze for a few hours before the voice had interrupted her tedium again:

»If you want some answers, today`s your lucky day, Linnea! So, if you are curious what this is all about, get on your knees!«

Only now, Linnea realized that her captors could see her, too. She hoped that there wasn`t another camera at the toilet. Looking up, she could see the camera`s eye. Linnea showed the lens her middle finger. Then, she got on her knees, trying to keep up a more or less dignified position.

»Good! Now, crawl forward to the wall until you can lean against it! Stay like this until I will see for you! Try something and you will be punished severely!«

Everything inside Linnea wanted to tell Olesya a few things, but she knew that her captor currently held all trumps and so, she obeyed and waited, facing the wall. When the door opened, she turned her head and saw Olesya, now wearing a black combat gear with boots. Her black bob framed a pretty, yet austere face with high cheekbones. In a friendly tone, she said:

»Now, I have a taser and pepper spray. Please, don`t force me to use it on you!«

She crouched behind Linnea`s back and rummaged through a bag she had brought with her. Monets later, she cuffed Linnea`s wrists behind her back. Then, she used two leather belts to tie her captive´s legs at knees and ankles, buckling them tight. Linnea could not oppress a sigh and Olesya brushed through her hair.

»Don`t you like the thrilling feeling of being helpless in my hands, Linnea?«

»Fuck off, bitch!«

»Language!«

Olesya tightened her grip on Linnea`s hair and forced her to arch her head back. When the girl opened her mouth to protest, Olesya forced the foam ball into her mouth and then buckled the attached leather pad tightly at her nape. Linnea let out a muffled scream and Olesya giggled.

»Now, you can call me all you want, Blondie!«

She added a second pair of handcuffs, forcing Linnea`s elbows closer together. Then, she reached around her upper body, cupping the girl`s thrust out breasts.

»Mhhmmph! Nnnggg!«

Ignoring her pleas and protests, Olesya fondled her breasts for some time before getting to her feet, pulling Linnea with her, still with her hands on the other`s boobs. Then, she slowly walked around her fuming captive.

»Too bad we don`t have time for playing now!«

Olesya seemed to be about the same height as Linnea with her 5`6``, but despite not looking muscular, she put Linnea over her shoulders with no difficulties. Then, she slapped the blonde`s butt, causing her to cringe and mew.

»Nice and firm, just as I like it!«

The hand remained on Linnea`s rear, groping her buttocks as Olesya carried her along a concrete corridor and then up a narrow staircase, until they were at the observation post where they had now seen a woman that was obviously faking to be her. Linnea could see a flat white building close to the tower. Both stood on a small clearing surrounded by trees. In each direction, Linnea could only see hills and an occasional lake.

They watched the Police car disappear and then, Olesya put her arm around Linnea`s shoulder.

»Now, do you already know what this is all about?«

Of course, there were a few hints: Olesya seemed to be Russian, and they had kidnapped her, obviously to replace her by some Russian agent. However, there was no way she could have articulated that through her gag and in addition, she wanted Olesya to talk and so, Linnea shook her head.

Olesya pointed at a sticker on one of the empty tables, showing an eagle.

»During the Cold War, the Americans were here. They tried to listen to every faint breath the Soviet Bear might have been doing! However, in 1992, this post was abandoned – officially!«

She stopped and Linnea looked at her questioningly. 1992 had been more than 30 years ago, so, there were parts of the story missing. Olesya smiled and the hand resting on Linnea`s shoulders wandered towards her breast. Linnea squirmed and shook her head and Olesya stopped.

»You don`t like being touched by me?«

»Nnnggg!«

Linnea vigorously shook her head and Olesya smiled sardonically at her. Then, she stepped opposite to Linnea, placing her hands on her shoulders and looking at her.

»Well, I know something you also don`t like!«

She waited for Linnea to look at her before she continued:

»You hate not knowing what this is all about. You are a young Policewoman and so, you are curious just by default! I have all the answers you desire – but you know, capitalism has contaminated my country a long time ago, too! So, everything comes at a cost!«

The last word was accompanied by Olesya once again cupping and groping Linnea´s breasts. Then, she pushed her hand between the blonde`s legs, feeling for her pubic mound.

»At least, I am still offering a payment for what I want and don`t just take it by force!«

Leaving her hand between her victim`s legs, she once again put Linnea over her shoulders and carried her back to her prison.

***

The landing of the plane from Paris was scheduled for 12, so, Mike and Isabelle left the house at 10. Whilst they were waiting for their taxi, Lalita stormed out of the house.

»Ozzy! Belle! Wait a minute!«

Mike thought that she wanted to show Isabelle some designs for the wedding dress and he prepared to look away, but with sparkling eyes, Lalita approached both of them. However, it was Mike she first spoke to:

»Ozzy, I have a great idea! Ravi also likes it, but we have a problem!«

»What is it, Lolly? Do you want Belle to wear the wedding dress of our late Majesty and I have to steal it from the Tower?«

Lalita looked as if he had asked whether she had gained some 20 lbs since the day before.

»I hope that Belle will look better than a simple Queen when she walks towards the altar. No, it`s about your stag night – and your hen night, too«, she added, looking at Isabelle. Mike grinned. He had guessed that Ravi had planned something, but he had guessed that it would end up in the usual pub tour.

»I mean, we aren`t that many people! You, Ravi and David on the men`s side, and Belle, Samantha, Lioba, Cordelia and me for the girls! That is, if you don`t want to take Roddy with you, too!«

»Roddy?«

Mike could not remember having had any friend called Roddy, and even if there had been one, it was strange to invite someone he couldn`t even remember. Lalita smiled enigmatically.

»Roddy`s short for Roderick!«

»Lolly, the only one I know by that name is Roderick Usher!«

»Maybe, you are used to call him ›Sir‹, or ›Mr. Bishop‹!«

Now, Mike needed all his self-control to keep his jaw from dropping.

»You invited my former boss – who will maybe also be my future boss – to my stag night?«

Mike knew that Lalita was exactly Bishop`s scheme of prey – pretty, dark-skinned and barely half his age. One of his last jobs had been to capture one of Bishop`s affair before she could sell military secrets to the Americans.

»Well, since you invited him for your wedding and he`s a bachelor –. Besides, the idea was originally his!«

»What idea?«, both Mike and Isabelle asked in unison. Lalita cocked her head.

»The best surprise a going-to-be couple ever got for stag/hen night! However, it isn`t that cheap and so, I wanted to ask-«

Mike sighed. Since neither Isabelle nor him had insisted on a pompous ceremony, the whole wedding had not become this expensive so far. Besides, he still could be called rich.

»How much?«

»You must know, Ozzy, it`s all inclusive, we will be ten persons, and-«

»How much?«

Lalita looked at him and took a deep breath.

»20 Grand!«

Mike coughed and Isabelle also gasped.

»20 Grand? What do you have in mind, Lolly? That we keep the stripper as a souvenir?«

Lalita just showed her mysterious smile again.

»There is only one way to find out, Ozzy!«

Isabelle wanted to say something, but Mike interrupted her.

»In one week, all that`s mine will be ours! So, let me waste my money on one last silly and expensive thing before I promise to become a decent and boring husband!«

He rummaged through his jacket and handed his credit card to Lalita.

»There`s a credit line of 50 Grand on that one! Have half of it, for the other half is meant for Mrs. Pettigrew!«

Lalita gasped on the way he easily handed her such a sum. She knew that Mike was involved in some serious business where much money was made, too. Her own startup business had profited from it. Then, she hugged Mike.

»You won`t regret it, Ozzy!«

Lalita pranced away and Isabelle shook her head.

»Who is Mrs. Pettigrew?«, she asked.

»The manager of the local animal shelter.«

Isabelle stared at him and he grinned:

»Hey, maybe, Samantha finds someone new, and what then? Do you want all her cats to live on the streets?«

The taxi`s honk interrupted their kiss and soon, they were on the way to the airport. There, they positioned themselves near the arrival gate and waited. Isabelle was a bit nervous. At the phone, Mike and her mother had gotten on quite well, but what would it be if they met in real life?

»Belle, I know that alcohol can cause double vision, but have you ever heard of one and a half vision?«

Isabelle looked at the arriving passengers and then, she frowned, too. There, walking side by side and almost synchronously, three redheads were approaching. On the left, Isabelle spotted Samantha who had also seen her and was waving her left whilst accelerating. Beside her was her mother, followed by Henri, her partner who had fallen behind because he was pulling the trolleys of both himself and Maman Marceau. Isabelle, however, stared at the woman on the right. She was five years younger than her mother, but dressed more like Samantha. Isabelle reached for Mike`s hand and, unable to take her eyes from the third woman, she breathed:

»Oh my God, it`s Aunt Veronique!«

***