A red tornado

It's Enid, Oklahoma this time and Tess has upgraded her lodgings from a tiny, roadside motel to a comfortable bed & breakfast. She knows she can't stay too long, but she'll enjoy the semi-luxury while it lasts.

Or at least she was enjoying it until she got the newspaper - an actual copy of the Daily Planet - and a write-up about the opening of a certain new restaurant caught her eye. Tess isn't sure what to think about that and she hates that she wasn't there to hear about it sooner. Being blindsided is not her favourite feeling.

But there's nothing to be done about it, aside from stew and plot and think, which are things Tess does very well, despite them hardly ever leading her toward anything good. And she finds herself almost wishing for a distraction.

This is so very much not something Tess would normally do, but her interest had been piqued. Beyond that, she has a feeling her new acquaintance isn't just propping up his own ego. There's something about him that has her instincts telling her to not only be cautious, but to be open to hearing him out. And her instincts are rarely wrong.

Security at the mansion is on high alert. Is it a mistake to allow someone she doesn't know into her home? Possibly. But it's the place she feels safest. And, Tess thinks, he knows far too much already to accept a meeting anywhere else.

So she sits in her study and waits for security to advise that her guest has arrived.