Chapter 3: The Lieutenant

We were still sitting around the table on the bridge discussing what had happened when the Admiral pulled a CD from his pocket.

“Here,” Admiral Bouchard said, handing Reggie the CD. “I had them make this last night. The official one should follow next week, but I thought it might be beneficial for you to know what you’re dealing with.”

“So if this guy was not from the State Department, does that mean that there is someone else besides the US government that’s interested in Alex?” my mom asked.

“It would be hard to keep what Alex did to those Navy ships a secret, so I’m sure that the list of interested parties is growing, even as we speak. However, no one has come forward yet and the Foundation has its ears out for any unusual inquiries concerning Alex. Outside of his golfing, of course. That seems to have blown up over the last week when he disappeared after the tournament,” Reggie replied.

“Well, I don’t know about you all, but I’m getting hungry. It’s a shame that we’re here in Martinique and cannot enjoy some of their fine restaurants,” Archara said.

“I don’t know about that,” Admiral Bouchard said. “If Mr. De’bushe approves, and you won’t mind a military escort, I would be glad to take you to one of my favorite restaurants, as my guests, of course.”

Reggie just shrugged his shoulders.

Craig stepped out on the fantail to make a call. When he returned, he said, “They can seat us for lunch, even though it is New Year’s Day, but it will be about an hour. If you’d like to get ready, we’ll simply walk across the park. It’s a lovely walk and we have the time.”

Everyone was excited to be going out to lunch and scurried around to get ready. Then, with a platoon of French Marines as our escort, we all walked down the pier and crossed the street and entered a beautiful park.

La Savane is a twelve-and-a-half acre park located right across the street from the naval pier. It was formerly known as Jardin du Roi (Garden of the King) and its first purpose is said to have been to harbor scientific experiments on plants that were new to the colony at that time.

We took our time walking along the beautifully manicured trail as Admiral Bouchard told us about La Savane Park. Its Caribbean-style gardens faced Fort Saint Louis (formerly known as Fort Royal) and the Fort-de-France Bay on its east side. On the west side, the park borders the Bibliothèque Schoelcher (or Schoelcher Library), a Romanesque-Byzantine building initially part of the Paris Exposition of 1889, before it was dismantled, shipped to Martinique and re-built in Fort-de-France. Craig also told us that La Savane is also home to a marble statue, created by Vital Dubray, of Josephine Tascher de La Pagerie, who was born on Martinique in 1763, and later became known as Josephine de Beauharnais, first wife of Napoleon and Empress of France.

When we emerged on the opposite or west side of the park, there was our restaurant. I was expecting more of a taco stand or some other small Caribbean-style tourist trap this close to the base, however The Mark Restaurant* was a true delight. Because of the size of our group, not including the platoon of Marines (Admiral Bouchard explained that the Marines would stay on watch and eat later), we had to wait in the bar while they cleaned enough tables on one side of the dining room to accommodate us.

While we were waiting, Craig’s aide, Joc, and another female officer entered the bar. When they came in, most of the men in the bar stopped talking and stared. So I wasn’t the only one. She just ignored the stares and with Joc, walked straight to the admiral. They both came to attention and saluted the Admiral before relaxing.

“You have all met my aide, Captain Hautier. May I present Lieutenant Danièle Le Cloierec, who is my ... how do you say, my chief researcher.”

Everyone said hello, then Craig motioned me over to him.

“Lieutenant, this is Alex Masters and he has a story that I’m sure you will be fascinated to hear,” he told her. Then to me he said, “Mademoiselle Le Cloierec’s parents are very prominent researchers at The French National Centre for Scientific Research. I’m sure that if you spoke with her, she might know someone there who could assist you to better understand your ... er, gifts.”

“Oh, shit!” I thought to myself. “I’m in TROUBLE now! as I ignored the alarm bells going off in my head.

The Lieutenant looked to be in her late-twenties and probably stood about five-foot-six, with her brown locks pulled back in a braided bun which served to highlight her oval face. The word that jumped to my mind when I looked at her was... ‘soft’. She had soft eyes that sparkled when she smiled. And lips that looked like they would be so soft to kiss. She had what I would call a slender, athletic frame, but it was hard to judge the size of her breasts in her naval uniform. Her khaki uniform skirt came to the tops of her knees, but the part of her legs that showed looked trim and toned. Her feet were tiny and encased in naval standard, black, low-heeled pumps. Overall, it was an attractive package when she smiled, which wasn’t often I discovered.

“I’ll look forward to speaking with you, Monsieur Masters,” she said as the sound of her voice seemed to just float over me.

“Well, just don’t take too long to do it, Lieutenant. Alex and his crew are scheduled to fly out on Tuesday,” he told her.

Suddenly, my fantasy bubble burst.

“Oui, Admiral. I shall proceed as directed,” she said with a sour look on her face as if she had just eaten something disgusting.

It wasn’t what she said, but how she said it. I had just became an obligation she had to fulfill. Orders she had to follow. And it showed. Though not overtly. But I could tell.

That’s the trouble with romantics. We fall in love and then get our hearts crushed on a frequent basis.