Saturday, September 15th, 1984 – Las Vegas
As Anderson packed her bags, she couldn’t help but wonder about this man she was supposed to entrust with her life. Riddle had briefly described him as a widower with one son, but not much else. Since her divorce five years ago from a dominating husband, she hadn’t spent much time dating. She just couldn’t seem to find the right man to fit into her life. None of the repeat dates she had ever lasted more than three as the chemistry just wasn’t there. It wasn’t that she hadn’t tried. She was a woman who needed a man to love and be loved. Her heart was aching to find the right one to complete her life. Now, here I am being asked to play pretend wife to a man I have never met and follow his every instruction to keep me safe in a dangerous project. That is weird to say the least!
Anderson met Riddle at the airport in Las Vegas. The terminal was busy with those who were on their way in to see if they could make their fortune at the world famous casinos and those who were on their way out having found that their fortune wasn’t here. They had first class seats on a flight to Dulles International. From there they would go directly to the NSA facility in Northern Virginia and meet with Kurt Stillwell who was on his way up from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with his son.
The flight was uneventful, conversation limited to small talk, although Anderson did manage to get some more information out of Riddle on Stillwell. He described him as being six-foot one-inch tall, light brown hair and sky-blue eyes. He was muscular and according to Riddle, very handsome. Her heart pounded every time she thought about meeting Stillwell.
They landed at Dulles International in the early afternoon where they were met by a driver from the National Security Agency who drove them to the NSA headquarters near Langley, Virginia. Once in the car, Mary turned to Riddle and said, “I still can’t believe what happened to Leonard Hackney and Cathy Colby. Leonard was such a nice man, always so helpful, and after he met Cathy he seemed to be even nicer. Always so cheerful – and Cathy, such a sweet girl, bubbly personality and she completely adored Leonard, at least that’s the way it seemed. I just can’t imagine her being a spy, it just blows me away. What a horrible way to die. I know the papers said that Leonard fell asleep at the wheel, but I can’t help wondering if it wasn’t suicide.”
“Cathy Colby was totally dedicated to her mission, Mary. She led two lives. The life with Leonard Hackney was just a part of her mission and she was extremely well trained. That’s the kind of people we’re dealing with.” Mary visibly shuddered.
Upon arrival, Riddle led Anderson straight to the conference room where Stillwell was waiting with his son. Riddle walked through the door first and Stillwell got up from his seat at the table to greet them. Riddle noticed Stillwell do a double take when Mary followed him through the door and Riddle smiled to himself. Mary Anderson was dressed in a light blue business suit, which enhanced her blue eyes and short blondee hair. Stillwell could readily see that there was more under that suit than met the eye. Her skirt was cut three inches above the knee. She carried herself with confidence and the air of someone who had a lot of class, he thought. “Hope you haven’t been waiting too long Kurt, we came straight from Dulles.”
“Actually, no Bob, we’ve been here about fifteen minutes. Your secretary has been entertaining my son with stories about how much of a slave driver you are and how your mommy dresses you funny.” Everyone laughed and Stillwell then turned to Mary, “Bob Riddle has no manners to speak of, so I’ll introduce myself. I’m Kurt Stillwell.”
He put out his hand and Mary smiled at his humor, picked up on it, winked and shook his hand. Oh my gosh! Why did I wink at him? He must think I’m a brazen hussy. What is the matter with you, Mary? My heart is pounding so hard it feels like it will come right out of me. Oh rats! What a way to meet him. The professional engineer winking at a total stranger. I can’t believe I just did that. I’m so nervous I’m shaking! He’s even more handsome than Bob Riddle said he was. What a hunk! I think I’m coming apart at the seams. Instant attraction isn’t even a word for it. His name should be McDreamy, not Stillwell.
Stillwell, of course, didn’t notice anything about Mary except that she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever laid eyes on. Her eyes seemed to sparkle when she put out her hand to shake his. His hand was warm and she could feel the strength in it, even though he only held her hand lightly. She felt a tingly sensation as they made contact, which only made her breath seem non-existent. Stillwell was put at ease by her winking at him and thought only that she was going along with his humor at Riddle’s expense.
Anderson thought that she should at least continue the humor and said, “Hi Kurt, I’m Mary Anderson. I understand we’re married with a very handsome son named Brian. It’s nice to meet you. Sorry I can’t explain how we seemed to raise him without ever having met before. Bob Riddle sure works wonders, doesn’t he?” She let go of his hand slowly, not really wanting to let go and then turned to Brian and said, “Hi Brian, I’m very pleased to meet you.” Brian was already standing like the gentleman his dad had raised him to be. He shook her hand and knew that he liked her right away. She seemed to have a great sense of humor and she seemed to like what she saw in his dad. Even as an early teenager, Brian could see the instant attraction between them.
“Okay, now that you’ve had your fun at my expense,