Lunchtime had been relatively uneventful. We had dined with Mr. Joao Gomes, the appointed delegate from Brazil, as he was one of our nine major suspects. Throughout our leisurely meal, he had not done anything that would arouse suspicion. He was his normal, quiet but kind self. As a result, Finn and I, who had observed him from beginning to end of the meal, left the dining room with little idea of future investigations into his affairs. But of course, I refused to wipe the diplomat from my mind entirely.

Ty and Dari had had a similar degree of success. The two had dined with Miss Nadya Checklovia of Russia and her escort Gregory Moskal. The always elegant diplomat had exuded her typical reserved and refined demeanor. Nothing of suspicion there—at least so far.

After discussing our lackluster findings after lunch, we resolved to review the files on our suspects so as to refresh our memories of their usual behaviors, which would hopefully equip us to notice more incongruities. And so the four of us—excluding Jax, who still guarded the hallway—spent two hours doing research, trying to commit as much as possible to memory.

It wasn't until a quarter past three p.m. when the abrasive sound of the hotel room's phone rang out. I, who had been reclining on the divan closest to the door, shoved my laptop aside, leapt to my feet, and started towards the phone on the bedside table. In the process, my foot caught on one of Dari's stray boots. I fell forward onto my bed, then proceeded to roll across it. My knees landed on the floor with a thud. Ow! Pain rippled through my bones, but I ignored it and snatched the phone off the hook.

"Hello?" I said casually. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ty staring at me in bewilderment.

"Hello, Miss Oclen?"

"Speaking."

"Xara! This is Sarah Norris, the representative of the UK. It's simply marvelous to speak to you again! It has been far too long. I was just heading out with Miss Omni and Mrs. Jebet to a tea shop down the road. I was wondering if you would like to join us for afternoon tea."

"Yes, of course!" I said, glancing at the time. "I will meet you in the lobby momentarily."

"Wonderful! See you then!"

I hung up the phone. This meeting was simply providential. Mrs. Norris, the representative of the UK, was the last of the main suspects that we needed to speak with. We had yet to speak with Mrs. Chausiku Jebet, the representative from Kenya, on this mission. And this would give me the opportunity to meet Miss Omni from Thailand, the only representative that Xara had never met before. She was definitely someone to watch closely.

I grabbed Xara's favorite, red trench coat from my bags. It had everything I should need—cellphone, euros, and gun. As I pulled the coat around my shoulders, I felt Xara's earthy scent encompass me. It was surprisingly comforting—more so that I would have anticipated. It was like Xara was accompanying me to the tearoom.

I faced the bedroom to address my crew, who was still seated on the two divans.

"I was just invited to go to tea with a few of the lady ambassadors," I announced. "You're okay with staying here while I go, right?"

Dari pretended to pout. "Aw, why wasn't I invited?"

"Maybe because you hate tea parties?" I suggested sarcastically.

"The real Xara doesn't like them either."

"But she's better at hiding her annoyance."

Dari snickered. "Yeah, perhaps all of the times that I was 'clumsy' were on purpose..."

I deadpanned. "Dari, dumping an entire pot of tea on your clothes so you could have an excuse to leave the table is way past being clumsy."

"Whatever, I was annoyed, okay?"

She crossed her arms and turned back to her computer.

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine," I said. "Anyways, I'd better be going."

"See ya in a bit," Ty said.

"See you."

I left the room and ran through the empty halls, though I kept my eyes peeled for a guest or the hotel staff, for whom I would have to slow down for. Fortunately, it was smooth sailing until I reached the grand steps that led to the lobby, then I really did need to pull the break on my speed. I proceeded down at a leisurely pace. Sarah Norris, Chausiku Jebet, and a woman I could only assume was Miss Mahlee Omni stood near the exit of the hotel. Their conversation halted at the soft thudding of my boots on the stone. Mrs. Norris turned around, her eyes searching the room for a brief moment until they settled upon me. A huge grin spread across her lips.

"Miss Oclen! How wonderful to see you again!" she exclaimed.

"You as well," I replied. I strolled up to where the ladies had been chatting.

"Hello, Miss Oclen," Mrs. Jebet greeted. As usual, she was dressed in exquisite clothes. Today she wore a long, orange-beaded dress.

"Hello," I said.

"I hope all has been well for you as of late," Mrs. Jebet said.

"Quite so. And you?"

"Yes, things have been very well."

I finally faced the final ambassador, the only one that the real Xara had never met before. Apparently, Thailand recently developed a significant, scientific project on energy saving fuel. This warranted their representative being invited to the convention to open negotiations for other countries' purchase of the innovation.

Miss Omni was a petite, slender woman, wearing a yellow-silk jacket embroidered with pastel flowers over a pink, knee-length dress. Her glossy, raven-black hair was pulled into a neat bun.

"Hello, I am Xara Oclen," I said, extending a hand.

"I'm very pleased to meet you. I am Mahlee Omni." She shook my hand daintily. "I understand that you are a secret agent for the IIA."

"Yes, I am. Though I'm not sure how secret it is if everyone knows that I am an agent."

"Well, it's a secret to the people that shouldn't know," Sarah Norris declared, a little bit too loudly. "But we diplomats need to know who is protecting us, especially when said person has been our bodyguard for more than fifteen years."

I broke a small smile. "I suppose you may know the secret."

"Why don't we talk on the way to the restaurant?" Mrs. Jebet suggested. "We don't want to miss Afternoon Tea."

"Yes, of course, come along," Mrs. Norris rushed.

I followed the ladies into the street outside. It was a cooler that I would have expected for a summer day, mostly due to a swift wind that nipped at my ears and fingers. I pulled my coat a little tighter. If this is June weather, I would hate to see what it's like in the wintertime.

The tea room was only a few blocks down the road. Despite being located in a bustling metropolis, the shop managed to separate itself from the urban environment by a narrow, dirt lane, decorated with yellow and white wildflowers.

The exterior was that of a European-style cottage, with a triangular thatched roof and smooth, peach-colored sides. A thin plume of smoke rose from a stone chimney in the front.

The wooden door creaked as the four of us entered the café. My eyes immediately fell on a rustic fireplace, which burned a gentle fire. The interior was nothing fancy, only a few tables and chairs for people to recline at. But its simplicity was a smart move on the developer's part, as it added to the cozy and comforting ambiance.

Mrs. Norris marched up to the hostess standing behind a computer at the front of the restaurant.

"I would like a table for the four of us. We'd like Afternoon Tea," Mrs. Norris told her.

"Of course, one moment please." The woman typed a few things into her computer before grabbing four menus. "Right this way," she said. She led us to a booth on the other end of the room, overlooking the garden path outside.

"Thank you," Mrs. Jebet said. I allowed Mrs. Jebet to slide into her seat first before I followed. I needed to be on the outer edge, just in case there was trouble. Miss Omni took the inner seat on the other side of the table, and Mrs. Norris sat across from me. The waitress handed a menu to each of us.

"Please select your sandwiches and tarts of choice and I will be out momentarily to receive your order."

I opened the menu and skimmed the choices. Hmm, what would Xara get? For a moment, I considered ordering a chicken salad sandwich. But I quickly remembered that Xara would not have approved of the unhealthy mayonnaise that is the base for the salad. Why is this, of all things, so stressful!

I made my selection right as the waitress returned. I quickly turned my attention to what the others ordered. Not even a simple detail such as what the diplomats ordered could be missed.

"Are you all ready to order?" the waitress asked.

"Yes," Mrs. Jebet said. "I would like the cucumber finger sandwiches and one berry tartlet, please."

"I would like the smoked salmon finger sandwich and a cream puff," Miss Omni spoke softly.

"I'll have the tuna salad sandwich with a Victoria sponge cake," Mrs. Norris said.

The waitress nodded as she jotted everything down. I waited until she was finished before giving my order.

"I will have the turkey and cheese sandwich on whole grain bread with a plain scone."

"Of course! Your tea and orders will be out momentarily."

The waitress disappeared to the kitchen.

"So, Mrs. Jebet, how is everything with your family?" Mrs. Norris asked.

"Oh, Keisha and Lysha are doing very well. They just started primary school a month ago."

"How adorable! I remember those days with my daughter, how cute she was at that age. Now she's already going into high school."

I kept my ears perked for any sign of discrepancy in the descriptions of their families. My attention was especially trained on Mrs. Norris. Sure, she had her usual, abrasive manner. But there was something about her that seemed slightly off. For one thing, she was the one who had called to invite me to the outing. I couldn't imagine why since the last time we had seen each other in December, when I was assigned as her bodyguard for three weeks. Besides, we just arrived yesterday. Why had she invited me when we hadn't even seen each other yet? I supposed she did have a close bond with the real Xara. But it made sense that I would be targeted by WAOIC in order to make me think that it wasn't them. At the same time, they may want to stay as far away from me as possible.

Or, perhaps they would try to remain neutral, not invite me to anything if I wasn't there already, but be very friendly when I was around. That seemed most logical, but then again, the mark of a true spy is being able to contradict logic.

Another question floated into my mind: how did she know that I had arrived?

The doors to the kitchen swung open, jolting me from my thoughts. The waitress wheeled a serving cart with tea, sandwiches, and pastries to our table.

She placed a navy blue teapot with white, intricate flowers on the table, along with four teacups and saucers. She unloaded our plates of food and desserts, and finished by placing a large basket filled with croissants in the center of the table.

"Let me know if you need anything more. Please enjoy!"

"Thank you," we chorused. I waited until the other three ladies had begun to eat before taking a bite of my sandwich. It was a dainty rectangle, only about the length of my hand. And my perfectly circular scone was slightly smaller than my fist. They really like their portion control. I suppose that many upper class women like to have some accountability when they go out to eat.

Miss Omni stood and poured our cups full of tea.

"Thank you," I said.

She dipped her head. "My pleasure." She quickly sat and nibbled on her finger sandwich. I watched her in my peripheral. She had a very dainty manner, her movements fluid and graceful. She reminded me of a ballerina with her exquisite garments, physique, and bun. She wasn't outspoken, and kept herself in the background. The most I had heard her say since we had left the hotel was fourteen words―two words now and twelve while she was ordering. I wondered how she had met Mrs. Norris and Mrs. Jebet and if she had spoken much with them.

"So Mrs. Norris, what have you been doing now that you arrived in Belgium?" I asked.

The question was innocent enough. It shouldn't have been any cause of worry. And yet, Mrs. Norris froze mid-chew. She searched the table for a moment before quickly swallowing her food.

"Oh, just various things." She forced a smile. "Some tourism to lighten the atmosphere."

"The atmosphere?"

"Yes, well, you know how these sorts of conferences are. They can be very stressful when you are trying to prepare lots of presentations and conduct many negotiations between countries." She paused, glancing at the two other ambassadors. "I don't mean that you are difficult to work with. I just mean that there's a lot of governmental pressure."

"Don't worry, I didn't take offense," Mrs. Jebet assured her. "I understand what you mean completely. We are constantly receiving calls from the leaders of our country, asking us to include terms in treaties, then they ask us to remove them, then they tell us to completely scrap the whole thing, then they want to go back to the original."

"They are quite the indecisive bunch," Mrs. Norris commented.

"I agree."

Mrs. Norris sighed. "But it's a living. And I would rather be doing this than teaching my daughter in school. How those teachers keep track of all of their students is beyond me."

"Especially in primary school," Mrs. Jebet agreed. "They can be very rambunctious, especially boys."

Mrs. Norris and Mrs. Jebet spoke together about their children's schooling for much of the tea time. I couldn't help but notice, though, that Miss Omni didn't say word the entire time. She simply stared at her plate, chewed her food exceedingly slowly, or sipped her tea. She didn't seem the slightest bit interested in joining in with their conversation, though her ears were perked, so she was clearly listening. She either was hurt that she was excluded from the conversation, or she was a quiet type of person. I assumed the latter.

I hoped I wasn't being rude, but I ended up drinking six cups of tea with my delicacies and two croissants. And yet, even after all of that, I was still hungry. I remember Professor Endals telling me that I had Xara's fast metabolism.

Once I finished the last bite of my second croissant, I glanced at my watch to see that it was a quarter past four in the afternoon. Mrs. Norris saw me checking the time, and must have read that as a sign that I was eager to leave.

"I hope we're not boring you," Mrs. Norris said, a hint of concern in her voice.

"Oh, no. I've been enjoying listening to all of the latest news." It has been most informative, I added silently. Throughout the conversation, Mrs. Jebet seemed like her usual self, calm and motherly. Mrs. Norris, however, was a slightly different story.

She was always rather opinionated, talkative, and had a forceful manner. But I couldn't help but feel that she was a bit too much, like she was forcing herself to be a type A personality.

Furthermore, I couldn't help but pick up on the fact that she hadn't mentioned her two older sons even once throughout the entire conversation. Normally, she spoke of her children with a similar frequency, or at least discussed all three anytime she was catching someone up on the latest news in her life. But she hadn't even mentioned the names of her sons once over the course of nearly an hour. Red flags had been waving in my head for a long time. I had been waiting for her to mention them, to acknowledge their existence at the bare minimum, but she hadn't.

Perhaps something bad had happened to them, and she didn't want to speak of it. Perhaps she forgot. Or perhaps, she was the imposter.

"Waitress, the check please!" Mrs. Norris called.

Am I just being too picky, or is she being too commanding in her tone?

"Yes of course, Madame." The waitress placed the check on the table. All three ambassadors reached for it, but Mrs. Norris got to it first.

"I'll pay the bill," Mrs. Norris said.

"Please allow me to pay for my meal," Mrs. Jebet said.

"No, no, no, I insist! This was my idea, so it shall be my treat. I shan't hear another word about it."

Mrs. Norris does like to be generous, but it just seems artificial...so forced. Her name rose higher and higher on my suspect list by the minute.

After writing the check, Mrs. Norris and Mrs. Jebet rose from their seats, laughing as they chatted. I followed them to the door. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Miss Omni remained a few paces behind us at all times. I was slightly disappointed, as I had barely found out anything about her.

I will have to have to dine with her sometime. Maybe then she will be more open. She probably would have been a prime target since the real Agent X didn't know her. But then again, if she had been targeted, WAOIC wouldn't have had as good a reason to kidnap Xara. It could go either way.

Thoughts swirled around my head, so many statistics, so many probabilities, so much information. I wasn't sure if I could take it. Agent X can handle it, so you can too. I tried to console myself with this thought, but sometimes, it just seemed impossible.

"Oh, yes! Anthony is attending University right now!" Sarah Norris exclaimed.

"How marvelous!" Mrs. Jebet commented.

"Yes. We hope that Henry will attend law school, too, in a couple years. But first he needs to finish high school."

Finally! After nearly an hour, Mrs. Norris finally mentioned her sons.

So now the question remained: did she mention her sons because she just remembered to? Or was it merely an afterthought―something to add credibility to the role she was playing?