The Adam & Eve Trilogy

by Paul Preston

  “Don’t go, Bella Lisa. Please don’t go.”

  Williamson saw the fog return as the luminescence faded away into the glass. Williamson heard Buquet’s voice plead for water and he returned to the table. He loosened his restraints and sat him up to pour water into his throat.

  “Thank you, Erik. Thank you…”

  “Phillipe. Phillipe, my friend.”

  Williamson pulled the knife out of the wood and considered one last time to slice Buquet’s throat, and then pointed the tip away from the old man’s neck.

  “I am disappointed in you, Phillipe,” Williamson heard the Beast say.

  Suddenly, Williamson shut his eyes and threw the knife into the top of a chair with all his might where he imagined the Beast was sitting. When Phillipe looked, all that was left of the Beast was the hilt of the knife, quivering in the wood. Williamson put his hat and white mask back on and helped Buquet off the table. Supporting him by the arm, he escorted Buquet out from the bowels of the theater. He spoke to Buquet as they emerged out the darkness.

  “This was a slaughterhouse when I bought it years ago. I was going to leave your body to rot on the bones of the animals under the foundation of this building, but I suppose now you have a different fate in store for you. You will resign from Safe Haven as well as Cal State, effective tomorrow. Send out a press release so I can read it in the paper. Go ahead, hire a lawyer, and defend yourself if you wish. I’ll just hire a better, more expensive one and bleed your life savings dry. As you say, you will take responsibility for what you’ve done. And I will be watching you, along with my security team. If you step out of line, if we catch you within 200 feet of a child, I will be back and I won’t be merciful this time, Buquet. We will see you in court, for what you’ve done. I will testify about what you did it to me too when I was a child, if I have to.”

  They walked into the lobby, where Firmin was waiting for them. They sat down silently on a leather couch in the lobby. Firmin called two cabs to come to the club. After a few minutes they stood up and exited the theater. Firmin locked the front door. They waited outside for the cabs to arrive.

  “Andre, did you call someone about the cables?” Williamson asked.

  “Yes, Phillipe. It should be taken care of by tomorrow night’s performance.”

  “Good.”

  The first cab arrived and Williamson helped Buquet into the back seat. Williamson paid the driver in advance to take Buquet back to Safe Haven. Before the cab was about to drive off, Buquet rolled down his window.

  “Wait, Erik… I’m sorry… for what I did to you, what I’ve done…”

  Williamson breathed in and nodded once, as the cab drove off. Phillipe and Andre waited for their cab to arrive.

  “Did Christine and Carlotta make it back home?”

  “They’re safe and secure, Phillipe.”

  The cab arrived and Williamson silently stared out of the window. Soon, they arrived at the condo and Firmin paid the driver. Before Firmin turned away to go to his car, Williamson embraced him and spoke quietly into his ear.

  “Thank you for everything you did for me tonight, Andre. Hopefully, it will make a difference. I’ll have my eyes on that fucker, just in case.”

  “You did the right thing tonight, Phillipe,” Firmin said.

  “I don’t know…”

  “You did,” Firmin said.

  Williamson nodded. Andre embraced Phillipe once more and the two friends parted.

  Chapter Nine

  The Birth of Belle

  Luman drove Christine back to the condo, escorting her to the brand new apartment Williamson had prepared for her and giving her a set of keys. After thanking Luman for the ride, she went inside and couldn’t believe her eyes. She walked as if in a dream through the chic new condo, looking in the two bedrooms and bathrooms and out of the windows at the spectacular ocean views. She walked out onto the balcony and let the warm ocean breeze wash over her and listened to the sound of the surf breaking gently on the sandy shore.

  God, what a lovely place…

  Christine finally let the disturbing images from the show fade from her mind. Christine came in from the balcony and left the door open so she could hear the soothing sound of the ocean. She walked back into the living room and noticed a wrapped present on the kitchen counter, with a note next to it.

  Hi, Christine. Welcome to your new home. I hope you like it. Here’s a little gift I thought you’d enjoy. Open it while you wait for me to arrive. Go ahead, don’t wait for me. When I get back, I’ll give you the big surprise! Phillipe.

  Christine smiled. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone gave her a present. Excitedly, she ripped off the wrapping like a child at Christmas and opened the box. It was a blender and a box of straws with a note inside.

  Look in the refrigerator.

  Christine opened the elegant stainless steel door and saw a gallon of milk, with another note beside it.

  Look in the freezer.

  She opened the freezer door and took out a carton of gourmet French Vanilla Ice Cream.

  Oh my God, what a nice surprise!

  She found a spoon in the kitchen drawer and a tall glass. She made herself the most delicious creamy vanilla milkshake she ever tasted and sat down on the couch to wait for Phillipe to come home from work.

  When Williamson returned, Christine had dozed off on the couch. He bent down to pick her up and carry her to her bedroom. She woke up and embraced him.

  “Phillipe! This place is amazing!”

  “Do you like it here?”

  “I love it!”

  “How’d you like working at the club?”

  “I broke a tray of glasses.”

  “That’s no big deal. It happens. Mr. Firmin said you did a great job.”

  “He’s a nice man.”

  “He is.”

  “I see you found the presents.”

  “That was so sweet of you to surprise me like that. It was the best milkshake I ever tasted.”

  Christine took off Williamson’s hat and mask and tenderly held his cheeks in her hands and kissed him.

  “Why are you being so nice to me, Phillipe?” Christine asked.

  “I’ll explain in a moment, but first, are you ready for the big surprise?” Williamson asked.

  “Yes, yes!”

  “Stay right here.”

  Williamson went into the bedroom closet and returned with a large wrapped box. Christine quickly and excitedly opened the gift and pulled out a tiny white newborn kitten.

  “Oh my God! I love it! He’s so cute! My own kitty! Oh my God! I love it! I love it!”

  “There’s a litter box and some cat food in the back bedroom closet. The guy at the pet store said the kitten already knows how to use it.”

  “Is he a boy?”

  “Yes, I think so.”

  “I’m going to call him Phillipe.”

  Phillipe smiled.

  “OK.”

  Christine fed the kitten and put the litter box out on the balcony. She put the kitten inside the litter and watched as he scratched around inside and used it.

  “He’s so cute!”

  Christine picked up the kitten and sat back down on the couch, petting and kissing him.

  “I just wish I could keep him,” Christine said, frowning.

  “Why can’t you?”

  “My apartment doesn’t allow pets.”

  “You can move in here, Christine.”

  “I can’t afford the rent here.”

  “It’s not for rent, only for sale.”

  “How much does it…”

  “It’s currently on the market for 1.5 million dollars.”

  “What! I’ll never be able to—”

  “Christine, I have an idea. I’m going to give you the money to take a course to prepare you to take a test for a real estate broker’s license. It’s not a difficult test, I’m sure you’ll pass it on the first try. I own this building. I thought you could be my exclusive agent here, repres
enting the owners of these condos. If they’re in the market to sell, you can help them find buyers for their units. There are a few vacant condos like this one here and I need to find buyers. We could put a sign out front with your pretty face on it and I’m sure your phone will start ringing immediately. After a few transactions, you’ll have more than enough for a 20 percent down payment on your own condo. It’s a good investment for your future. You could branch out and sell other coastal properties if you like the job. In a few years, you’re going to be a very rich woman. We’ll go out and buy you some classy business suits. You’ll do great, Christine…”

  “I… don’t know what to say. No one has ever helped me like this. Why are you… Phillipe… I’m just a… I’m a whore, Phillipe…”

  “Christine, I need to be honest with you. I… met you once, thirty two years ago, in a Hermosa Beach foster home. Do you remember? My name is Erik Spencer…”

  Christine stopped petting the kitten and it jumped out of her lap. She stared straight ahead.

  “I… never lived in Hermosa Beach…”

  “Don’t you remember? I was thirteen at the time. On my first night there, you asked me for help. You passed me a note that said, ‘Save me.’ There was a… very bad man living in the house.”

  Christine did not move a muscle. She had a strange look in her eyes as Williamson spoke to her.

  “I… don’t… remember…”

  “I… helped you… late one night… against the bad man… Do you remember? Christine?”

  Williamson gently touched Christine’s shoulder and she grabbed a cushion tightly in her arms and squeezed it against her chest.

  “Don’t touch me! Leave me alone!”

  “Christine… it’s me, your friend, Phillipe…”

  “GET AWAY FROM ME! DON’T TOUCH ME! GET AWAY FROM ME!”

  Fucking Buquet. I should’ve finished him when I had the chance.

  Phillipe slowly stood up, backed away from Christine and walked out of the condo. He took the elevator up to the 25th floor. On the way he called his personal physician and explained the situation with Christine. The doctor recommended giving her a sedative to sleep. As the elevator doors opened, he saw Carlotta and ended the call. They embraced warmly in the foyer. Williamson admired how beautiful and fresh she appeared, despite the dramatic events of the evening, dressed in a sexy sheer bra, garter and stockings, with an open robe.

  “Phillipe…”

  Williamson kissed her tenderly and held her close to him.

  “Thank God, you made it back safely… What happened to…”

  “I wanted to kill him, Carlotta, I nearly did strangle him… but in the end, I let him go. But he knows now what will happen to him if he gets anywhere near a child. He knows… I’ll be watching.”

  “It must’ve been hard for you to hold back, after what he did to you.”

  “It was.”

  “I’m proud of you… Oh, before I forget, swallow one of these. You can share my glass of water. I noticed your prescription was empty, so I refilled it for you.”

  Williamson looked at Carlotta and smiled. He took a Clozapine, with a sip of water.

  “Thank you, Carlotta. Thank you for everything.”

  “You’re most welcome.”

  “Are you staying with me, even after I told you about myself, my… mental illness?”

  “Of course, Phillipe. None of us are perfect. You are mine now, and I am yours.”

  “You are an amazing woman, Carlotta. I’m lucky to have someone like you.”

  “Would you like me to show you how lucky you are?”

  “Yes, but… there’s a situation…”

  Williamson told Carlotta about Christine’s outburst and her catatonic state after he revealed who he was and brought back the bad memories. He told Carlotta about the doctor’s idea to put her to sleep with sedatives.

  “Let me see what I can do, Phillipe. Maybe she’ll respond better to a woman,” Carlotta suggested.

  Christine was seated in the exact same position on the couch, staring out, and seemed oblivious of Carlotta and Williamson as they entered the condo. As soon as she looked at her, Carlotta immediately recognized Christine as the waitress from the club she had seen in her dressing room before the show. She still had on the cute Adam and Eve uniform, but there was a painful lost look in her eyes. Carlotta sat down and put her arms around her. Williamson stood several feet away, looking on.

  “Christine? Are you OK?”

  “Do I know you?”

  “No, but I saw you tonight, in the dressing room. Remember? My name is Carlotta.”

  “You’re the pretty girl.”

  “Thank you, but I think you are an exceptionally pretty woman too.”

  Tears began to slide down Christine’s cheek.

  “He cut you too, didn’t he? In the show. He cut your legs.”

  “No, Christine. Look. Give me your hands. Feel here. It was just fake blood. It wasn’t real.”

  Carlotta stood up, turned her back to Christine, and guided her fingers over the back of her legs.

  “See, Christine. I’m OK. No cuts…”

  “He cut me, Carlotta. On my legs. For real. He cut me.”

  “I know, Christine. But you’re safe here. And that man will never hurt you or anyone else again. Phillipe made sure of that.”

  “He cut me on my legs. He cut me, he cut me…”

  Christine buried her face in Carlotta’s bosom and wept, clutching at Carlotta and not letting her go. After Christine released her deep sobs, she suddenly put her hands over Carlotta’s breasts and covered her lips and cheeks with kisses. Carlotta opened her bra for her and Christine took Carlotta’s aureoles and nipples into her mouth and suckled upon them, drying her eyes by rubbing them across Carlotta’s cleavage.

  Williamson felt he was intruding. He quietly left the room and returned to his condo. He opened a bottle of red wine, drank a glass and walked out to his balcony, looking down at the ocean below.

  I could end it now, but Bella Lisa said she would visit me. I can always do it tomorrow. Maybe she’ll come to me tonight, as she promised…

  Williamson suddenly felt exhausted. He came in from the balcony and fell asleep on his bed almost as soon as his head touched the pillow.

  Phillipe had the most amazing and vivid dream. He could see himself standing at the altar of a church, in a tuxedo, in front of a small gathering of friends. Firmin stood at his side, looking younger and handsomer then he had ever seen him.

  “Andre, do you have the ring?” Philippe asked.

  Firmin smiled and patted the pocket of his tuxedo jacket. Williamson looked out into the faces in the church. He saw his closest friends from work as well as everyone who worked with him at the condo, Mrs. Potcia, Cogworthy, Luman, his chef as well as his other trusted staff. He made eye contact with Bella Lisa’s mother who smiled and waved at him from the front row, sitting next to some other friends Williamson didn’t recognize.

  Williamson could feel his heart pound in his chest when he saw a much younger version of his foster mother, Mrs. Williamson, with her arm around her five year old son, Phillipe. Little Phillipe looked just as he did in the one picture Williamson remembered from his kindergarten school photograph, in a frame on his foster mother’s bedside. Suddenly, he heard Mendelssohn’s Wedding March play and everyone stood up to look toward the back of the church. Marc Mauricio appeared with Bella Lisa Mauricio in a shimmering white satin wedding dress, covered with shining jewels. She looked just as Williamson remembered her, before the accident. As father and daughter walked down the aisle, everyone took pictures of Bella Lisa. Marc Mauricio smiled proudly.

  He handed his daughter off to Williamson, shook his hand and sat down next to Bella Lisa’s mother. Phillipe and Bella Lisa solemnly took their traditional marriage vows together. He heard the minister tell him he could kiss the bride and Williamson turned to Bella Lisa and lifted her veil.

  “You see, Phillipe. I promised you I’d visit y
ou once more tonight. I don’t want you ever to think of harming yourself ever again. You have everything to live for. You have two women that care about you, and many great things you have yet to accomplish in your life. Now, kiss me, Phillipe. I miss the feeling of your lips so much…”

  Phillipe leaned forward and kissed Bella Lisa and felt a warm sensation spread through his body.

  He tried to put his arms around her, but the form became transparent and he was unable to hold her. The being of light began to recede along with the other members of the wedding party, drifting like spirits toward the back of the church. The cute little boy was the only one left and he approached Williamson.

  “You’re mommy’s friend, aren’t you?” the boy asked.

  “Yes,” Williamson said.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Phillipe Williamson.”

  “You have the same name as me!”

  “I do…”

  “Do you know what happened to me, Mr. Williamson?”

  “There was an accident, Phillipe.”

  “Was it my fault?”

  “No, it wasn’t your fault, Phillipe.”

  “Where’s my Mommy?”

  “She’s right there, at the back of the church, waiting for you…”

  “Mommy!”

  Little Phillipe ran down the aisle and jumped into Mrs. Williamson’s open arms and faded away.

  Williamson woke up from his pleasant dream. He opened his eyes and saw a soft glowing light. In the doorway, Carlotta stood in her lingerie holding a candle. Williamson couldn’t tell if it was another dream at first, or real.

  “Bella Lisa?”

  “No, Phillipe, it’s me, Carlotta. Are you awake?” Carlotta whispered.

  “Yes. Come in…”

  Carlotta set the candleholder down on the bedside table and cuddled up with Phillipe in the bed.

  “How is Christine?”

  “She’s fine now, sleeping peacefully. I think she’ll be alright. Why didn’t you stay with us, Phillipe? When I looked up, you had slipped away.”

  “I thought you might like some privacy together.”

  “There was a strong connection between us. I’ve never felt quite this way with another woman. I hope you don’t mind, we were… intimate with one another, Phillipe.”