Dedication

      Dedicated to Mike, Akiyo, Steve, Kelly, and Ava

      Chapter One

      “Have you had sex yet with Mr. and Mrs. Rolstad? Or either one, for that matter?”

      Mia Parker fidgeted with her purse strap on the table beside her and cast her eyes around the hotel room. They were in Richmond, a large city that bordered Vancouver, and the room was a dayroom rented at the last moment to protect them against any electronic surveillance.

      Normally their meetings were brief and took place in a parkade or city park, but today was different. The use of the hotel room made her feel that this would be more of an interrogation than a quick exchange of information.

      She was not surprised that this was the first question her secret contact — or case officer as he was known in the trade — asked. She had correctly guessed that the meeting was to analyze her lack of success.

      She felt the subtle brush of his knee against her knee, prodding her for a response. Mr. Frank, who was an expert at interrogation, sat in a chair drawn up facing her chair. His eyes locked on hers and she consciously steeled herself not to be intimidated by his hard, cold stare.

      She knew him as Mr. Frank, but suspected that was not his real name. He was a head taller than her and had an athletic build and a pockmarked face. She guessed he was twenty years older than her, putting his age at forty-eight. Today he wore a pale green suit with a tie that had yellow daffodils imprinted upon it. Suitable for the first day of spring, she thought, before realizing her brain was deliberately avoiding the subject matter.

      “Your hesitancy to answer tells me you have not,” said Mr. Frank, flatly. “Therefore the question remains, why not?”

      Mia smiled apologetically. “The right opportunity has not presented itself.”

      “The right opportunity?” scoffed Mr. Frank. “You’ve lived in their basement suite for eight months. I would have thought you would have had plenty of opportunity?”

      “I need to correlate opportunity with trust. There are other issues. I’m not certain if Mrs. Rolstad could be cajoled into such a relationship.”

      “You have told me that she is extremely insecure and prone to be a follower, rather than a thinker. I’m guessing you could convince her to experiment in that department.”

      “I admit she has confided in me that she is perplexed at her husband’s lack of desire with her, but that does not mean she is ready to enter into the type of relationship you mention.”

      “Perhaps her husband is bored with her. He, at least, should be easy to seduce.”

      “There is no indication that Mr. Rolstad is not loyal to his wife. For an intimate relationship to develop as the benefactor desires, it may take longer than —”

      “Please, do not insult my intelligence, or that of the benefactor,” said Mr. Frank. “Today, Mr. Rolstad has his fortieth birthday. His wife is eight years younger. They are both attractive people, yet we know from their medical records that they have been having sexual problems for a year. His doctor prescribed Viagra, but a lack of renewed prescriptions indicates that he is not taking it. Going by what his wife has told you, there is something wrong.”

      “There has to be desire to start with, otherwise Viagra will not work,” noted Mia.

      “Their therapist believed it was simply stress-related,” persisted Mr. Frank.

      “He does appear to be under a great deal of stress,” Mia agreed. “With his position in Maple Leaf Consulting, he travels constantly back and forth to their office in Ottawa. Combined with his lack of performance in the bedroom with his wife … it serves to add to his stress, creating a downward spiral.”

      “Yes, yes, but we both know that sex is also a release for stress.” He leaned back and looked down at the open-toed heels that Mia was wearing, before letting his eyes drift up her slim white slacks to her waist. Mia nervously crossed her legs and his eyes lingered over the ample cleavage of her breasts that protruded from her red satin blouse before making eye contact again. He saw that she blushed. “You are an extraordinarily beautiful woman who has poise and charm. Are you telling me that Mr. Rolstad has not cast his eyes upon you with desire?”

      Mia paused. She knew she was beautiful. Her father was of English heritage. She was only three years old when he died in a hit-and-run car accident while crossing the street, but her mother had several pictures of him. She knew he was tall, good-looking, and had red hair. She felt anger with the knowledge of what her mother had told her about the accident. The police knew who did it, but never laid a charge due to political influence.

      Mia’s mother was of Chinese heritage and Mia, who was their only child, had physical qualities from both parents. She was slightly taller than most women and had long black hair that glistened with crimson highlights in the sunlight. Her skin was slightly darker than most Caucasians and a hint of Asian qualities around her eyes gave her an exotic appearance. She was well aware that men stared longingly after her. Mr. Rolstad was no exception.

      “I am waiting,” prodded Mr. Frank.

      “Yes, on a biological level, he desires me,” admitted Mia. “However, a quick dalliance may well backfire. It could cause guilt, leading him to reject me from his circle and therefore put our primary objective at risk. I need to build trust and not come across like some call girl in the night.”

      Mr. Frank nodded thoughtfully. “They quit going to their therapist two months after you moved in. I take it they appreciate that you received your master’s in psychology before switching over to political science?”

      “Yes and no.” Mia frowned. “Mrs. Rolstad has opened up to me completely, but Mr. Rolstad has been hesitant to confide in me, which is not unusual. To achieve our aim, I need to have his complete confidence as well.”

      “I would think his concern about his marriage would grow with every passing day. Mrs. Rolstad is younger … a trophy wife … he must worry that she will find a lover. She, too, must feel abandoned and frustrated.”

      “She does. She still works three days a week for her husband’s office in Vancouver and the occasional weekend when he is away.” Mia’s face brightened and she added, “Which reminds me, last Saturday I went to the office with her for an hour before we went out for lunch.”

      “Did you have time to install the latest software?”

      “Yes, I told her I wanted to go online to check my test results from university. It only took a minute.”

      “Good.”

      “She has also been spending more time volunteering with different charity organizations.”

      “A sign that she is unhappy?”

      “She isn’t happy, but the charity work could simply be a way to bring in new business.”

      “I thought their frequent house parties were for that.”

      “That, too, but I think the real reason she is unhappy is because she wants to have children … something he has now decided he does not want.”

      Mr. Frank shrugged indifferently. “How many people will be attending the party tonight?”

      “Mrs. Rolstad indicated about thirty, but she was not forthcoming with the names.”

      “You reported that at Christmas the Rolstads indulged in cocaine for the first time.”

      “Yes, they smoke pot a couple times a month, but cocaine was something new for them. I think using cocaine is a manifestation of the stress they are under.”

      “Interesting they would do that, when the psychological profile we have indicates