He hit a few keys and looked at the dots from a different angle.

“I spent my childhood looking at maps of naval formations. I can tell you about amphibious assault ships, cruisers, destroyers. I grew up around this. And this here is a big deck amphibious assault ship. No way that’s there for a training exercise.”

She looked back at the image. The dots were located just north of Maraicabo, the port city of Venezuela. “That seems unusual?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said emphatically.

“Like it’s a little threatening?”

“More than a little.”

They were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell followed by keys in the lock and two sets of feet walking upstairs.

“I’ve never even heard of cashew crema, what on earth is that?” Natalie heard General Harding’s voice as he climbed the stairs.

“It’s sauce made out of cashews instead of cheese,” Anne Harding replied.

The couple emerged in James’s living room, carrying bags of takeout and dressed looking ready for dinner at the country club: crisp khakis, pressed golf shirts, blue for him, purple for her.

“James, your mother is making us eat vegan,” General Harding declared, wearing the stern look of a grandfather who’d let you sneak ice cream when your parents went out.

“It’s much better for your cholesterol,” Anne said, one hand holding her tote, the other on her hip.

“VIMOM,” the general replied and headed for the kitchen.

“What does that mean?” his wife called after him.

“Vomiting in my own mouth. It’s what the kids say at my office.” The general gave Natalie and James a mischievous smile as he passed.

Ignoring her husband, Anne walked to Natalie and leaned in to give her a light hug. She was elegant with high cheekbones, hair swept up in a tight bun and only small laugh lines to show for her sixty-plus years. “Lovely to meet you, dear. I’ve heard so much about you.” She smiled in a way that put Natalie at ease. “And I’m sorry about your terrible mix-up on television. Don’t worry, reporters get it wrong all the time.”

The blood rushed to Natalie’s cheeks. For some reason it hadn’t occurred to her that James’s parents would be aware of her screwup. Now she was sure the Hardings must see her like something that had escaped from a petri dish. Behold the accursed woman who was transformed from rising cable star into cautionary tale in less than two weeks! Shame all that great hair is going to waste.

“You know, you weren’t entirely wrong,” Anne continued. “Anita does have a drinking problem. Karima hosts her all over the world and any time Anita stays, she has to have the house cleared of everything. No liquor on the premises, not even wine!” She winked.

Why did I leave the apartment? Natalie, wishing she could vaporize, shot James a look that said SOS.