by Pavel Kornev
"Especially your mother," I sighed.
"You're biased against her!" my girlfriend reproached me and left the bathroom.
I washed up, brushed my teeth and shaved but, as soon as I went into the corridor, Liliana, who'd managed to get into her dressing gown, pulled me down to the first floor.
"Let's go. Mary is making breakfast, and we shouldn't keep her waiting."
"But..."
"No 'buts,' Leo!" Lily cut me off. "And don't worry, Mrs. Hardy took the weekend off, so there's no one home but us."
I had to walk to the kitchen, where Elizabeth-Maria was holding court in a long skirt with an apron thrown over top of a blouse. There wasn't a trace left of her long locks; the succubus was sporting a short boy's cut, which was surprisingly appropriate for her thin face and sharpened features.
When we entered, Elizabeth-Maria tore herself from the stove and opened her eyes wide.
"Original!" was all she said.
I wanted to advise her to look in the mirror, but I overpowered myself and sat in silence at the table next to the window that went into the closed inner courtyard.
"How do you like Leopold's new haircut, Mary?" Liliana inquired, setting two pieces of white bread in an electric toaster.
"You have a talent," Elizabeth-Maria repeated my words and took a pan of bacon off the fire.
"Come on, you're making fun of me!" Lily was offended.
"Not at all, dear," the succubus smiled softly. "Yesterday, Leo had a horrible nightmare on his head, but now just look at him. He's a respectable person! You'd think he just got typhus..."
The girls broke down laughing, I shook my head.
"And just when did you two get so close?"
Liliana set the plate of omelet and bacon before me, then brought some pieces of toast and said:
"Well, Mary and I found lots of shared interests."
I looked with doubt at the succubus.
"For example?"
"The cultural heritage of India," Elizabeth-Maria said with a mysterious smile.
"You're interested in Indian culture? Are you serious?" I didn't believe her. "Lily lived in Calcutta, but what do you know about India?"
The succubus led her tongue over her upper lip and smiled craftily.
"The Kama Sutra is arguably one of the most ancient tracts about sensual relations between man and woman. Mainly, we discussed that."
"Oh!" is all I could squeeze out of myself. I turned to Liliana.
Under my gaze, my girlfriend grew embarrassed, turned beet red and jumped out of the kitchen.
Elizabeth-Maria laughed uncontrollably.
"It's nice to know that our discussions weren't in vain and found a practical application. You can only be glad, Leo. You're in good... hands."
I looked at my breakfast with doubt and got up from the table.
"Well, at least someone hasn't changed," I muttered, leaving the kitchen.
It was no effort to find Liliana: she was sitting on the bed in the kitchen huffing and puffing.
"What happened, dear?" I asked, sitting next to her.
"What happened?!" Lily was taken aback and even lost the gift of speech for a moment in indignation. "Look who's asking!"
"What did I say?"
"Not what, but how! You couldn't just keep quiet? Mary understood everything!"
"Understood?" I sighed. "What exactly did she understand?"
"What I did last night!" Liliana faltered, blushed again and begged me: "Leo, please don't make me say it out loud!"
I didn't continue the conversation, just embraced my girlfriend and fell down on the bed.
"Don't! Stop!" Lily tried to escaple my embrace, but immediately giggled: "Leo, didn't you say you were in no state?!"
"That was yesterday!" I parried, covering her feminine neck in kisses. "What's more, you showed me the depths of my confusion clearly."
"Leo!"
"Alright, alright, I won’t talk..."
2
WHEN WE WENT BACK down to the kitchen, our breakfast was already cold. Elizabeth-Maria graciously agreed to warm up the eggs and shot us a curious look but held back from acrid remarks.
After that, Lily remembered she'd called a cab and ran off to get her things. I decided not to stop her and stayed where I was, drinking tea.
Elizabeth-Maria poured herself a glass of wine, took a seat at the open window and placed a long cigarette in her holder.
"Yes, I completely forgot!" she shuddered, lighting her cigarette. "Thanks for the gift. I'm touched."
"Gift?" I didn't understand.
"Your grandfather's saber," the succubus explained, shaking off the ash into a porcelain dish and guessing. "Ah! That wasn't you!"
"Nope."
"You want the saber back?"
"Keep it," I said, shaking my head and guessing why the hell my imaginary friend had decided to give the succubus such a strange gift.
Had he just been trying to get under my skin, or was there something bigger hidden behind this gesture?
Anyway, I had more than enough to worry about already, and it was incomparably more important, so I decided to leave well enough alone.
A came at the front door; Elizabeth-Maria extinguished her cigarette and headed into the entryway. I didn't show myself in my housecoat and slippers, and stood behind a partition in the corridor, cocking my revolver just in case. But the weapon wasunnecessary–it was just Liliana's cabby.
I helped my girlfriend bring her light little suitcase down to the first floor and hugged her goodbye.
"See you soon," Lily whispered, then kissed me and ran outside.
Elizabeth-Maria locked the door behind her and looked me carefully from head to toe.
"Shall I tell you about the historic value of the Kama Sutra, or will we go straight to practice?" the succubus enquired.
"I'll refrain."
"Smart boy," Elizabeth-Maria burst out laughing, going up the stairs. "If Albert gets home before me, tell him not to worry. I'm going to the airfield!"
"To the airfield?" I asked, confused. "Are you serious?"
"More than."
With a heavy pant, I went up to the second floor and followed after the succubus.
"But why?"
"Routine kills!" Elizabeth-Maria answered, going through into her bedroom. "Sure, we were deprived of the joy of flight and lost the sky, but its memory lies dormant in my bloodstream. I want to reawaken it. Flying inan airplane–I'm sure that will be something special. Perhaps no worse than pleasures of the flesh. I haven't been feeling enough passion recently. I am a loyal wife, after all, Leo. I do not cheat on Albert."
The succubus unbuttoned her skirt and threw it to her feet, remaining in short panties with lacy fringes, and I went out into the corridor.
"Are you sure that's what you want?" I asked, leaning against the wall. "Your lost power cannot be restored!"
"Don't rub salt into the wound!" the succubus called back sharply, hurt to the quick by my reply. "Do you think it was easy to part with such power so soon after acquiring it?"
"Flight will not help you forget about the loss."
"Leo, my dear! Even if I don't like it, the wife of a famous poet doing something so extravagant will certainly not be missed by the society page commentators. Albert could stand a bit of publicity and, if I can seduce one of the production participants, it will end in a duel. Although Albert is praised for the broadness of his worldview, he is in fact ghastly jealous."
"True soulmates," I chuckled and headed into Liliana's bedroom, but immediately turned back: "Who's taking you to the airfield?"
"Leo, you're behind the times!" Elizabeth-Maria laughed on her way into the corridor in a blouse and bicycle pants. In her hands, she was holding a short leather jacket. "Albert's commission for the performance in Montecalida was so shamelessly high, that he sent for a self-propelled steam carriage from the New World. I still haven't had the chance to try it out. Wanna come for a ride?"
"You know how to drive
?"
"I'm full of hidden talents. Didn't you know?"
"I need to get dressed. Can you wait?"
"I'll be outside the carriage house. Leave through the back door."
I nodded and walked down the corridor, but as soon as I came up to the thrown-wide door of the bathroom, Elizabeth-Maria called out to me.
"Leo!" she cried.
"Yes?" I turned and, at that very instant, glass shattered, and something thudded dully into the wall at head level.
"Get down!" Elizabeth-Maria threw out abruptly and, as soon as I fell to the floor, I heard another thud.
I rolled away from the door, pressed myself against the wall and pulled the Webley-Fosbery from my robe pocket.
"Stay away from the windows!" I shouted to the succubus after that.
She just frowned and ducked into the bedroom, but immediately came back brandishing the saber.
"Leo, do you want to catch the gunman, or not?" she asked, running down the stairs.
It was a gunman precisely. The bullet holes in the walls didn't leave the slightest doubt.
I shouted a curse but peeled myself off the wall and darted after Elizabeth-Maria. Racing outside, we tore off at full speed toward the building across the street. I threw up my revolver, taking the windows in my sights, but couldn't make out any movement. Finally, under the very roof, I saw a dark spot.
Elizabeth-Maria ran into the mansion with saber drawn and pressed a sickly fellow to the wall midgait.
"Where is he?!" she growled. "Speak!"
"What are you talking about?!" the poor flabbergasted bastard was scared half to death.
I glanced at the board with a list of residents and hinted:
"The tenant from the third floor, windows street-side."
"Well then, of course..."
Confidence began to return to the man, but Elizabeth-Maria instantly cranked up the pressure:
"That pervert was watching me in the bathroom through a telescope. Where is he?!"
The manager froze with his jaw hanging down and I, hiding the revolver in my hand behind me, walked over to the stairs at the far end of the corridor.
"Where is he?" the succubus hissed out again.
"He left!" the man came to his senses. And it wasn't even a resident, he just asked to take a look at the apartment!
I glanced at the back yard and hid my revolver in my robe pocket.
"Show us the apartment!" Elizabeth-Maria demanded, and as soon as the man started hesitating, she gave a sweet smile: "After all, you don't want me to make a scene, do you? Will we have to call the police?"
"But your s-saber..."
"That is a theater prop," I smiled. "So, do you want to read about this revolting incident in the papers, or can we smooth it over amicably?"
The last thing the manager wanted was for this to get out; he immediately stopped being stubborn and led us to the third floor. Elizabeth-Maria held me imperceptibly back on the stairway and reminded me:
"I didn't hear any shots."
"Me neither," I nodded, again taking my revolver out and hiding it behind my back.
"And the neighbors are not alarmed..."
"No, they are not."
That really was strange. Someone had been shooting at me, but no one had heard gunshots. How could that have been? I was immediately reminded of Bastian Moran's air rifle, and shivers started crawling up my spine. If the senior inspector had decided to take justice into his own hands, all that remained was to either flee the capital, or get ahead of him. And both options were fraught with utterly unneeded complications.
But as soon as we walked into the apartment, these suspicions dissolved all on their own. In the entryway, I could smell gun-smoke, and in the guest room it got even stronger. After running through all the rooms revolver in hand, I returned to the wide-open window, pressed an imaginary rifle to my shoulder and tried to imagine where the round casings might have flown. There was a sideboard against the wall. To look under it, I had to lie on the floor, but it was worth the bother. Right up against the skirting, I discovered a rifle casing of a very unusual caliber.
Thirty-two-twenty, Winchester. I had never seen something like this before.
Stashing the bronze cylinder in my pocket, I returned to the manager in the corridor, who had already fully given into the succubus' charms and was barely aware of how loudly we'd broken into the apartment.
"Could you describe the man?" I asked him.
"A normal gentleman, a bit over forty," the geezer answered shortly, but Elizabeth-Maria's upset grimace instantly cleared his memory.
"Average height, gaunt, redheaded," the manager began listing features. "Glasses. He introduced himself as Roy Lloyd. His pronunciation was like an immigrant from the British Isles. Whether he was an Englishman, Scotsman, or Irishman, I cannot say."
"Was he carrying anything?"
"Just a tube case. He said he works as a draughtsman."
"Thank you, my sweet. You're simply a wonder," Elizabeth-Maria melted into a smoldering smile. When we started down the stairs, she asked: "Leo, what have you gotten yourself into this time?"
"Nothing."
"Someone was trying to kill you!"
"I have no idea who or why."
I went outside first, looked around cautiously and ran across the street.
"Your death would cause quite serious changes in my life, dear Leo!" Elizabeth-Maria reminded me, locking the entrance behind us. "So, just tell me what is going on! Please, don't make me figure it out on my own!"
I just shook my head and went up to the second floor. The bullet holes in the wall were barely noticeable, but it would have been simply impossible to not notice the broken window in the bathroom. I picked up a greenish shard from the floor and turned to the succubus.
"How could the gunman even see me?"
"First of all, you shouldn't be thinking about that, but how he even knew you were in this house!"
"True," I nodded, remembering the succubus' cry and asking: "What were you going to say when you called out my name before?"
"Some nonsense," Elizabeth-Maria shrugged her shoulders. "I was either going to hurry you along or tell you to dress in warmer clothes. I don't remember!"
"Your nonsense saved my life."
"And that makes me happy. I'm on your side, Leo."
"If you really want to help, get things in order before Mrs. Hardy comes back."
Elizabeth-Maria rolled her eyes and sighed sorrowfully.
"Come on, please!" I asked.
"Alright!" the succubus submitted. "But the self-propelled carriage is already at full steam, and I won't be myself if I cannot go into town today! Where were you going to go? I'll take you. Or you can clean up here on your own."
I thought over Elizabeth-Maria's ultimatum for a few seconds, then relented and waved a hand.
"Have it your way."
"Go down to the carriage-house. And don't go near the windows!"
"The gunman is already long gone!" I objected, but the first thing I did on walking into Liliana's bedroom was draw the curtains.
I didn't necessarily believe there would be a repeat attempt, but it was ghastly uncomfortable to feel like a target at a shooting range, not knowing if I was in the crosshairs or not.
3
IT DIDN'T TAKE MUCH TIME to get myself together. Liliana had brought my things from the hotel; my evening suit and vest were hanging in the closet, and I found the rest in a suitcase on the shelf. And it would have been nothing, but the light half-boots, so nice in the summer heat, were of little use in rainy October. I didn't have any other clothes, though.
I got dressed and stood next to the mirror, looking at my reflection and first of all decided to buy headwear. My hairstyle could only be described as a spot of bad luck.
I found my sunglasses among the things packed in the suitcase, the very same ones I'd bought once upon a time in the pawnshop, with scratched-up round lenses of dark glass. And although my eyes were no longer cut by
the bright light of electric bulbs and there were dense clouds looming in the sky up above, I brought them with me.
And the revolver too. The huge Webley-Fosbery didn't fit in my pocket, and I had to stick it in the back of my pants although, unlike the low-profile government-model Colt, its drum pressed into the small of my back.
But there was no other way, I'd have to bear it.
ELIZABETH-MARIA was waiting for me outside the carriage house. I walked up to her, glanced at the gates and whistled in approval when I saw the low bright-red self-propelled carriage with two leather seats, one for the driver and one for the passenger. The headlights, axles and rims glistened with gilding. The front was adorned with the also gilded word: "Stanley."
"Climb in," Elizabeth-Maria told me, putting on her goggles.
"How well you drive this thing?" I asked in worry, doing as the succubus asked.
"It's much easier than taking out a person's brain without harming the skull," Elizabeth-Maria snorted light mindedly, pulling on the leather driving gloves and getting behind the wheel.
I sat down in the passenger seat, and the carriage-house was instantly filled with smoke, then the squat self-propelled carriage started off and rolled into the yard unexpectedly abruptly.
"Relax, Leo!" Elizabeth-Maria laughed. "Albert insisted I take lessons!"
That didn't calm me down one bit, but it was already too late to back out: the self-propelled carriage had driven out of the yard and was now bouncing on the uneven paving stones. While we were rolling down the deserted narrow alleys, everything was going fine. But after that, the roads were packed to the brim with carriages, carts and huge steam-trams. Elizabeth-Maria tacked between them, constantly lashing out with curses and slamming on the horn in rage. A few times, she only managed to avoid certain collisions at the very last moment. I don't even want to recall the curses that flew after us.
And that was with light rain sprinkling down from the heavens, so the gapers were all at home, and we didn't have to fear hitting pedestrians running across the road!
The weather really did leave something to be desired. The air was burning with a chill that was unusual for October, and the heavy clouds hanging over the city were sprinkling a fine rain. It was surprisingly easy to breathe though: the strong western wind had finally driven the smog from the city, and the drizzle brought the dust down to earth.