“They are all eligible. It will be a party with food and dance, that’s it. You are right, we have to prepare suitable invitation cards before it is too late. We have only six days to do it. Just let’s buy the stationery at the shop by the corner. And I recommend: keep it quiet. You can frighten your belle with your harsh manners.”
“I’m just stupid, Sylvanus. I’m looking forward to the day of the party It is the ideal moment to declare my love for the girl then.”
“What a sentimentalist! Now let’s get on.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Samantha was as busy and under strain as usual. She hoped to see again the man she encountered at lunch the previous day but there was no trace of him. Samantha started to be nervous. “What is happening to me? I barely know him and I am missing him as if he was not a stranger to me,” she thought. Now she was sitting on her sofa distressed and anxious when the doorbell rang. “The man,” she thought. And she was right. He came in a Ferrari.
“I have to apologize. I had a strenuous work commitment at lunch time. That’s why you have not seen me. Sorry again. I’m here to be forgiven by you. Is it enough, a dinner at Mayfair?”
Samantha burst out in a cry “Nobody loves me.” And she didn’t stop moaning aloud until the man calmed her down. “What are you saying? I’m so sorry. I am just exhausted for my day at work.” Samantha started again to see things clearly. “Give me the time to have a shower and I’ll be with you,” she said, repenting of her scene.
“That’s fine. I will wait for you here,” the guy answered meekly.
Actually, Samantha was waiting for a call from Lucia and she didn’t want to disclose it to the man. The mobile phone didn’t make her wait so long. It rung just on time. “Hi Samantha it’s Lucia. How was work?”
“I hate the usual question. Anyway, it was surprisingly enchanting. Have you arranged the deal as agreed?”
“Oh yes. I went to Sotheby’s to arrange the auction for our biggest diamond necklaces. I want to leave the topaz one for another day. They bombarded me with questions. They wanted to know the provenance of the gems and the warrant of originality. I told them that I had to close the shop for bankruptcy and I am giving the remaining jewels away at the auction. At the end of the day I think that the guy was satisfied by my information and assured me that my jewels will receive the right sum of money. Be careful. Tomorrow we have to be ready to face the Sotheby adventure.”
“Sure. Now I have to be ready to go out. The man I encountered at lunch in the bar near the Versace shop is waiting for me outside. He apologized for having not come during my lunch break at the point of our meeting and he told me that he was heavily under strain for a job commitment. To be forgiven he is taking me to dinner in Mayfair. I’ll ask him to bring me back home before midnight.”
“Be careful: men are so disgusting here in London. They just want to get laid and they are absolutely not available for a love commitment. And don’t forget to change the telephone number and to forward it to me and to our creditors abroad. Now I leave you alone. You must be in a rush.”
“OK. See you tomorrow, Lucia.”
Samantha left the flat biting her nails. The man had half dozed off while waiting for Samantha. He looked up: “You look beautiful,” he said spontaneously.
“Thank you. So we are going to Mayfair now?”
“Yes. There is a typical Italian restaurant where the food is terrific. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it,” he said hiding a bit of mischief.
As soon as they reached the quarter, they watched astonishingly a crowd of people and the police opposite a luxury building. There was a lady on the pavement in a pool of blood with a disfigured face. It was a case of a suspicious suicide according to the police’s first approach to the deed. The police asked the man for his driving licence and the registration document.
“Everything is fine. You can go. But be careful: the street is closed to traffic on the left. As you can see there has been a serious accident today.”
The man had to apologize again, “Samantha, don’t worry about the scenario. We will be at the restaurant very soon. But let me scold you: don’t you think it’s normal you are going out with me and you haven’t asked me my name? I am Phil. Phil Morris.”
“Now it’s me who has to apologize. Actually, I was waiting for you to tell me it. Now I am shocked by that horrible accident. Don’t you think we’d better have a walk nearby before going to the restaurant? For me any direction is fine as long as you don’t forget to bring me back home by midnight,” said Samantha.
“Don’t worry about that. I know you have to go early to work tomorrow. I don’t want to frighten you prematurely but there will be some surprises in the days ahead. Samantha are you listening to me?”
“Yes. I am simply still shocked by what I saw right now,” she answered with a bit of melancholy because of Phil’s lack of sensitivity for the case of suspected suicide. She only noticed he bit his tongue in front of all that blood. Anyway, she was there to enjoy herself. She forgave Phil in her heart and she was ready to enter the restaurant. “That’s gorgeous!” Samantha exclaimed as soon as they entered the place. It’s very Italian, isn’t it?”
“You look so naive Samantha. Didn’t you take for granted that I would bring you to a proper place for you? And it doesn’t finish here. You will give me your feedback when we taste the food,” said Phil with genial manners. “A table for two,” he said to a waitress who let them sit at the right corner of the restaurant.
“Here is the menu,” he said feeling a bit guilty to have been quite coarse with his guest. “I would like to suggest that you should take the specialty of the chef: smoked salmon, caviar and champagne.”
“Oh, lovely!” answered Samantha excited.
“But now tell me about you. How was work?” he asked.
“It was very stressful. A movie star ordered a wedding dress purposely made for her and we had we had to work on the cloth available. She is a perfect ten and they used me as a tailor’s dummy. The actress never insisted on formality when she kept on asking me stupid questions. But at the end of the day she was happy with the result. She was the only VIP who came to the shop but it was bustling all day long. I don’t know how long I’ll stay in that bloody place. You know sometimes there are menaces from sinister persons. I have been trained to do something else in my life. But what matters to me most now is that the job is very well paid,” Samantha said, nearly forgetting to bring her fork to her lips.
“What were you doing before you came in London?” said Phil apparently very nosey.
“Oh, I was always busy making after school courses. The one I enjoyed most was related to photography. I was also learning about a system to create painting out of photos. A sort of Andy Warhol. Warhol: poor guy. He left us in 1987, that damned date when aids deprived the world of such a genius. Apart from this I had a very disgusting boyfriend who never missed the opportunity to beat me. From then on, I was fed up with boyfriends. I am enjoying the single status at the moment. I am not used to your well welcomed gallantry.”
“You make me feel special. A woman like you has only to choose among thousands of men wooing her. Oh! The cake. Do you want to try it? It’s all whipped cream and cooked strawberries. It’s terrific.”
“I have to make a sacrifice not to resist the temptation. I have to be fit for size ten all the time I work for the Versace shop. I have also to love myself. I shouldn’t be condemned if I want to look good for the sake of looking good.”
“You inspire in me so much tenderness Samantha”
“It’s half past eleven. Do you think it is time to drive me back home?”
“Sure. I’m still glad you tasted the cake.”
Samantha and Phil went on their route towards home as if they were teens who had to take account of the time to be back home to their mums. Samantha was so excited. As soon as she was back home, she relaxed her feet in the bathtub with warm water while looking at old photographs of her.
Phil
went back home agitated. He went to the fridge and took some acid. He suddenly was sick and blamed himself for having said goodbye to the dinner so early. There was a fake identity behind him and he didn’t want to reveal it to Samantha for the moment. Now he felt safe. That stupid joint was a bloody temptation for him. He waited for his eyes to close and face the night calmly.
Van der Baast was very busy doing his own business. He wanted absolutely to know who the woman was who contacted him. She phoned ten days before. He dialled the number and found that the line did not exist. He remembered well the sound of a sweet, warm voice. He was troubled by the fact that somebody needed his help and he couldn’t reach her. It was obviously one of those cases of simulated abortion. He kept secret those activities of helping women to have regular menses again. He was alone and forlorn in his office. He wanted to drive Araon on his line of investigation keeping him quiet that maybe somebody was not dead. It emerged that the DNA of the traces of blood Araon brought to him didn’t match with any DNA of the women who simulated an abortion. He kept on being cool and he contacted his friend to inform him of the recent situation. “Hi Araon. It’s Van der Baast speaking. How are you?”
“Very well, thanks. It’s always a joy to hear from you.”
“Actually, I’m calling you because there is something new that can be useful for your investigation. A woman contacted me a few days ago. She hung up immediately and when I dialled her number to call her back the line was telling me the number is not existing. I think it is one of those cases of simulated abortions. Do you think this will match with the blood at the Van Gogh Museum?”
“I cannot imagine how a woman could leave the blood of her own menses by a painting. Relax yourself and use your logic for your own judgement and, after all there is something that I haven’t told you purposely: On the floor the blood marked the imprints of a hand. The same hand imprints that appeared on the handkerchief full of blood. It’s this fact that prompted me to think that there must have been a corpse that instantly disappeared from the scene.”
“Why haven’t you disclosed to me these facts?”
“As you told me the other day, friendship grows with time. I think now is the appropriate moment to tell you about this particular.”
“You are right. But now tell me: how is Jill? She booked an epidural so in advance. I don’t want to disappoint you but you must know that the epidural can give a sense of blindness and it doesn’t calm pains down very well. The only thing we have to wish is that the labour won’t last long, poor woman. She is so frightened.”
“I am more frightened than her. I must hope that everything will go well. But now let’s talk about you. Where are you?”
“I am in my office. I had to replace the head of the maternity department. He is in bed with a flu. I’ll go to see my sheep and then I’ll go home to have a rest. I think I deserve it. Now I have to leave. See you soon, Araon.”
“See you soon. I’ll contact you as soon as I have news of great importance.”
Van der Baast went to do the ordinary checkup of the patients in the hospital. There were two terminally ill patients. One of them refused to believe she was going to die and she didn’t accept the Extreme Unction. She had a cancer in the ovary. The other one was more tranquil. She just asked if she could die listening to the music of Pink Floyd. Van der Baast obviously didn’t object and he was shaken to assist to such a quietness in front of death. Then he went to the delivery room where a twelve-year-old girl was going to have a baby. She was crying because of the threats of her parents who didn’t want allow her to study any more. Van der Baast comforted her by saying that her parents. wanted to be harsh simply because of the sense of huge responsibility she had to undertake as a mother. “Look,” he said. “Your parents are outside this room waiting for you to give birth ready to forgive you. They are human, believe me.”
The last commitment of the day was to go and have a look at the room where the priest celebrated the mass. He was there alone and anxious. Usually the room was crammed with people fifteen minutes before the mass started. But that day nobody was there yet. “Maybe they forgot it’s Sunday,” joked Van der Baast to distract the priest’s attention from the severe reality. No sooner had he finished talking than he saw about forty people claiming to deserve the weekly mass. “It’s the Divine Providence father. Have a nice day. I’ll go home now.”
Meanwhile, Araon reached Jill at home. She was not housekeeping as usual because of a splitting headache. “Hi sweetheart,” said Araon kissing her on her lips.
“You are here already! You didn’t find anything interesting I guess.”
“The truth is that I wanted to stay with you. I have a wish: to bring you to see the Grand Canal near the Amsterdam Museum. It’s very romantic.”
“God bless you. I’m under the strain of a pre-give-birth depression and what I need is just to unwind with you. Moments of elation alternate moments of depression and this without a real reason. But to have a child brings us such a joy! I will forget all these bloody moments as soon as I hear a strident faint voice crying.”
“I’ll stand by you as much as I can. Now dress you up and let’s go.”
The two got on an underground train to arrive at the place. Jill was so immersed in the reading of the underground newspaper. She was focused on the assassination of a twenty-five-year-old lady in the London trendy quarter of Mayfair. The main suspect was her boyfriend. He might have thrown her from the third floor of the building and run away as quickly as he could to make disappear any trace of the crime. “What’s so special in the newspaper?” asked Araon to an absorbed Jill.
“Crime, crime, crime. Sometimes I am so distressed from what I read. I call any newspaper a coarse paper. They are sort of fetid things.”
“But what do you expect from magazines I call candy? Just have a look at them and carry on your own way. I am not attracted by what I consider trivial mess. Now we have to get off. Put that paper on the other side of the wagon. Somebody else will enjoy it.”
They found themselves hand in hand in front of the beauty of the clean, slightly agitated water of the canal. “Look at this,” said Jill with exuberance.
“It seems a carrion crow.”
“To be honest with you, I don’t know a lot about birds. I just hope that they are protected in the proper way.”
“Yes, it’s true. I am so in love with the wildlife stuff. I never stop wondering about the mystery of their existence.”
“Jill, Jill. What a romantic. To add a touch of glamour to our sight I remind you that you have to inform your parents of your pregnancy. I know they live abroad but they have not to listen about the happy event too late.”
“Oh, Araon you are the usual pet cock.” And kiss after kiss followed to finally satisfy their senses.
It was Sunday morning. Jill had the routine duty to wake Araon up after she got up with an overwhelming breakfast. “Darling it’s eight o’ clock. What are you doing still in bed?” she joked.
“Sorry sweetheart. I had a horrible night. I have slept at the most for four hours.”
“That’s great. We have to be used to be awake in the night just to cuddle a crying baby. Look: this is your favourite breakfast. Enjoy it while I finish my make-up. Do you remember we have to go to Albert and Sylvanus party today? There will be a lot of things to eat.”
“Never mind. We also have to hurry up to be at the Presbyterian mass by ten am. We have to be ready soon.”
Jill sipped a cup of coffee and grabbed a croissant while Araon was committed to his eggs and sausage. They went quickly to dress and they were ready to go out. The church bells rung steadily. That gave the vibe something more than the emotion inspiring duty. The mass was boring as Jill’s yawning let understand. She prompted other people to do the same. The priest was a terrible preacher. He talked of the sins somebody told him about during the confession. He repeated infinite times the falseness behind the love for money. Hopefully the ceremony wouldn’t last long. Araon and
Jill had the time to breath some fresh air at the park before going to Albert and Sylvanus party.
“Do you know what Jill?”
“Just stop being mysterious. I hate enigmatic people.”
“It’s as simple as that: I would like to raise our baby in the Presbyterian faith leaving him the choice of his belief once he turns eighteen. Do you think that is sensible?”
“I am not thinking a lot about this matter. To be parents is a very difficult task. But I see myself in the same position as you. At the end of the day each religion preaches the same basic things. This week some Jehovah’s Witnesses stopped me for a chat. They started telling me that Hell does not exist, that our Lord would never let us suffer in the flames of Hell for all eternity. They consider themselves the bearers of the sacred truth. Never mind. I hope that Rakin will do his or her best to attach himself to a credo. Now sorry, Araon. I feel a bit weak. I need some orange juice with sugar for the sake of my blood.”
“There is a bar right in the corner. It will do.” They sat at the table waiting for the orange juice to arrive when they saw in the distance Mark Ward. “Hi guys,” he said with vehemence. “It’s a long time since we have seen each other. I’m still waiting for you to come in the riding school. Actually, I’m really busy lately. And to add on top, I pledged my girlfriend that I will take her holidaying in the heat of the Caribbean Sea,” he carried on.
Araon was impressed by Mark’s fashionable dress in khaki coloured tweed. “We will be pleased to come in due time to your school. But I have to remind you that Jill is pregnant and she cannot ride a horse (as if she was so interested in that sport).”
“Oh. There is my foal. It will be easy for me to look after Jill with him. By the way there has been a tragedy at my school. Somebody entered clandestinely and fed my foal with improper food. It took me a long time to detoxify him. I saw him in my dream the other night. Thank God he is alive and healthy now. Now I am afraid I have to go. I’ll pay for the orange juice for you. And I recommend you: come and visit me as soon as possible.”
The Red Box Page 33