It had taken the trio weeks of nonstop work to arrange all that they needed. Birth certificates (Bella's, Elizabeta's, and Gilbert's), photographs, adoption papers, and newspaper clippings. Of course all of them were fake, but they were so well-done that not even a professional could tell the difference. They had also done endless research about the tragic life of Gilbert Beilschmidt (the last name was of his adoptive parents. His real last name was Jameson. ), about how his parents couldn't take care of him due to extenuating circumstances, and he was given up for adoption at age six. His adoptive mother had written an autobiography and of course, her son was included.
It wasn't until just recently that he had found out that he was adopted; his parents never decided to tell him about it since they had already considered him their own son. They also never told him about his parents or any other possible family members, which just made their job even easier.
"Alright, so we have to call the guy and make it as convincing as possible." Elizabeta stretched her neck, since being hunched over the computer all day was a body-numbing thing.
"I would do it, but, I'd probably giggle and break down somewhere. And then you'd probably smack me. So it'd be better if you do it." Bella passed her friend a disposable phone she had bought. They'd only use it for contacting Gilbert, but anything other than that was a no-go.
Elizabeta gave a heavy sigh. "Alright, give it to me." She took the phone from her fingers, taking a few deep breaths before dialing the number that she had (painstakingly) found.
The phone rang a few times before someone had picked up.
"Hello," The voice sounded wary. But Elizabeta couldn't confuse that voice to being someone else's. It was unmistakingly Gilbert's.
"Yes, is this Gilbert Beilschmidt?" Elizabeta's voice shook, even a few tears coming to her eyes. For it to sound convincing, it had to look convincing.
"Yes, this is he. Are you okay?" His tone was sincerely concerned.
"I just-oh my God, I never thought I'd hear you." She let a few sobs escape from her and gave Bella a wink.
"Hear from me? Do I know you?"
"I'm sorry, I'm being terribly rude." Elizabeta gave a small laugh and got up to get a hair tie-it was just that her hair was getting in the way. "My name's Lissa Jones, and you're-well, you're my cousin. From your mother's side. My dad and your mom were siblings, you see."
The other end of the line was completely silent for a few minutes.
"Look, I'm not in the mood for a goddamn joke, so fuck off." Gilbert's voice was shaking with rage, and Elizabeta could tell that he wouldn't hesitate to hang up the phone and not answer if she dared call again.
"Please, wait! I-I know this may seem out of the blue, but I've read your blog." Well, that wasn't far from the truth.
"You have?" He sounded dubious.
"Yes, and I know you've been trying to find your parents, and I have a clue about where they are. I know you're going to be in the U. S. to look for them, and I live in the city where they are. We could meet each other at the airport and I'll explain everything, so please. All I ask is that you trust me." Those same words of trust that Elizabeta had spoken to Bella were completely sincere, and Bella could tell that Elizabeta didn't sound as earnest as before. But, it could still convince anybody.
The line had gone silent again before Gilbert had murmured a few words of agreement: he didn't blindly trust them, but having an open mind was always helpful.
After that, Elizabeta explained about Bella being his other cousin, and where they should meet in the airport. They had kept in contact for a few weeks before Gilbert would actually come over to the states and meet them both finally.
And that's how they ended up in the situation right now, standing in front of the man that they would try to con thousands of millions of dollars out of.
"Do you mind if we go find somewhere to sit and talk because it feels kind of uncomfortable just standing around, you know?" Elizabeta gestured behind her and beamed at Gilbert with Bella nodding in agreement.
They had decided eventually decided on a cafe with a considerable amount of clients. It didn't have any doors, but it still felt like an establishment nonetheless. Greens, browns, and beiges covered each wall, and soft jazz music played in the background as a young, quiet woman would ask what coffee a patron would like. High tables and tall swivel chairs dotted all over the place, the wood of both being a light brown. The trio sat at a table on the way edge of the shop, both Elizabeta and Bella sitting next to each other and across from Gilbert. A woman with dark hair pulled up in a sloppy bun and brown eyes came over and asked them what type of beverage they wanted. Elizabeta and Gilbert ordered a type of sweetened coffee and Bella chose an herbal tea. A few minutes later she arrived with their drinks, and the waitress parted with a smile and that if they needed anything else, all they had to do was ask.
After she left, there was silence in between all three of them. The clatter of cups and the chatter of the people made the silence even more endless.
"So you, uh, said you had proof that we're related. It'd be meaningless if there wasn't any, and you expected me to believe you two just because." Gilbert had put air quotes around 'just because', his facial expression now one of pure business. Huh. If his father had taught him anything, it was to be serious in a serious situation, Elizabeta thought.
"Of course; we wouldn't be that foolish." Elizabeta gave a quaint laugh. It was right then that she had been foolish.
She'd left the documents at home in her purse like a damn idiot.
"It seems I've left my purse in the car," She said smoothly. Of course it was a lie! But she couldn't let Gilbert know that. The first rule of deception was to fool the deceived, and themselves.
Elizabeta shot a knowing glance at Bella. I've got this under control, just stall him for a few minutes, got it? Her look seemed to say. Bella gave an imperceptible nod and turned towards Gilbert, her hands clasped together under her chin and a bubbly smile on her face.
"I'll get my purse and be back in a minute; it's no problem at all." Elizabeta bowed her head apologetically and moved from her seat swiftly, making a bee line for the outside doors.
"So Gilbert, you've been with Mr. and Mrs. Beilschmidt? I bet Auntie and Uncle would be awfully proud, don't you think?" Elizabeta could hear Bella's cheerful voice in the distance.
Fuck, how could she forget about the papers? Being excited towards everything would be her downfall, and she knew it. But she knew when the time came, she'd go down fighting tooth and nail.
The skies were just starting to turn into a light blue hue, a sign that the afternoon was close by, but still dark enough to show that it was still morning. Elizabeta drew in a huge sigh and stopped on the sidewalk. People were shuffling in and out, lugging in large or small suitcases of all types of colors behind them. Taxis would wait impatiently, the cabbie always reminding his passengers that the meter was running.
Elizabeta was about to grab a Taxi and try to make it to her apartment and back to the airport in a reasonable time when a taxi stopped suddenly in front of her, almost knocking her on the ground with its proximity. She swore under her breath and was about to give the passenger and the cabbie a piece of her mind when Roddy popped out of the yellow car, a dark brown sling-on purse in his hands.
"Is that what-"
"You mustn't be so foolish. You have to make sure you have everything if you want to do things without a hitch." Roderich cut off her question and shoved Elizabeta her purse. He wagged a finger at her, one foot already inside the cab.
"Oh, uh, right. Thanks, Roddy." Elizabeta smiled at him and was already making her way back inside the airport.
"Elizabeta," Roderich called after her. When she looked back, one of his hands was extended towards her.
"Yeah?" Curiosity was the most prominent emotion on her features.
His hand closed around air. "Nothing. Never mind." Roderich went back into the Taxi and it sped away with the rest of the yellow cars.
"Odd," Elizabeta murmured. Roderich wasn't the type of person to chicken out of things. Or so Elizabeta had assumed he was trying to do. Oh! Before she could forget, she took out her cellphone and dialed Roderich's number. She should've asked him before he left to save time, but it slipped her mind.
It rung once before Roderich picked up the phone hurriedly.
"Elizabeta?" He sounded breathless. Double-odd.
"Ah, yeah, Roddy. I know I should've asked before you left, but could you stash all those gadgets that we have lying around the apartment? It'd be a wreck if it was out while Gilbert visits, and I can tell that's going to happen." She twirled a brown lock between her fingers, her eyes going to the gum on the sidewalk. A person or two would always amble along in front of her and their shoes would block her view of the black gum.
The line was quiet for a few seconds before Roderich responded with a small, "You got it" before he hung up.
Well, now that that was finished . . .
She slung the purse over her shoulders and walked back to the cafe, Bella still chatting happily and Gilbert looking slightly uncomfortable. He looked kind of relieved when Elizabeta offered her apologies and set the purse on her lap, shuffling through the papers in a manila folder to make sure she had all that she needed.
"These are newspaper clippings and photos?" Gilbert shuffled through the papers that Elizabeta had passed to him. He seemed a bit skeptical, but it faded in place of fascination from all the strips of paper in front of him.
"Well, Bel and I have done a little digging in our parents' things and we found all of this stuff. I thought it'd be okay to show you." Elizabeta glanced at Gilbert and then at the pictures, her pointer finger grazing the table.
It was incredible what Bella, Elizabeta, and Roderich were able to accomplish in a few weeks. They had photo shopped images of Gilbert when he was younger with pictures of Bella and Elizabeta. Both girls of course had known each other when they were smaller, their toothy grins proof of their close camaraderie shown in one of the pictures. The blonde and brunette were holding hands, Band-Aids covering their faces and a forest, bright and green behind them. And right next to Elizabeta, almost as if their shoulders were touching, was Gilbert, a wide smile plastered on his face and a Band-Aid on his forehead.
"I-I feel as if I remember this," Gilbert murmured in awe. He rubbed his chin in thought, and Bella noticed that he had some stubble.
"Yeah, it was when we went to Lake Michigan over the summer, and we thought we could go hiking by ourselves." Bella pointed at the picture and looked up at Gilbert, her eyes alight. It wasn't a complete lie; Elizabeta and Bella had gone to Lake Michigan, but Gilbert hadn't.
Even though he thought he did.
"And we'd fallen all over these branches and our faces were completely filled with scrapes. You had fallen after us, so you weren't as hurt." Elizabeta clucked her tongue at the memory, and Gilbert shuffled through more pictures.
He'd always point at a picture and ask what happened there, and they'd recount it with so much detail, anyone would believe that they were there. Even the newspaper clippings were only a piece of the puzzle, and the girls' stories were the missing pieces.
And Gilbert believed them.
Bella had learned about an experiment some psychologists had done to show that memory was subjective. They had shown some volunteers pictures of themselves in situations, but in actuality, they had never experienced it. For example, if the researchers had shown a participant an image of themselves (when they were younger) in a hot air balloon, they would actually think that at one point in time, they were in a hot air balloon. Even wording can affect a person's memory.
That was why Gilbert could believe anything that they said. It was Bella's idea to use that technique since, of course, the mind of a human is very subjective.
"Wow, and my mom and dad; do you remember them well?" Gilbert brushed his messy white hair aside nervously, his eyebrows drawn together with worry.
"Aunt and Uncle Jameson were very . . . kind. They had an opinion or two on things we could never even imagine! I mean, when they told stories, it was as if I could take to the stars." Elizabeta had this look on her face as if somebody had struck a chord within her. Her green eyes, usually filled with mischief and witty intelligence, was now covered in an endless sorrow.
"They really did do amazing things, Gilbert," Bella added on, hoping that her voice would break Elizabeta out of her reverie.
Bella knew who she was actually talking about, but right now wouldn't be the best time to confront her about it. They had messed up so many things so far; another slip up would be completely catastrophic. Actually, she felt kind of embarrassed that they were acting so amateur-ish in this situation when they've done this so many times before. Bella supposed that when they got home, she'd have to sit down and give Elizabeta a talk, a real talk. One of the few times when the blonde would lecture the brunette and not the other way around.
"I see. I guess that's really great." Gilbert had a hand on his mouth, his eyebrows pulled together with . . . pain? No, it was more like longing. The biological parents that did wonderful and great things that he had imagined of them to be were fulfilling his dreams.
Bella gave Elizabeta a hard pinch on her leg, and she jumped, startled. She then patted the same spot to show that she could take it from here.
"Listen, I know this is really out of the blue and weird, but we sincerely love and care about you. I mean, you're our cousin for heaven's sakes! Our own flesh and blood! And because of that, we want to help you find Auntie and Uncle." Bella leaned over and patted Gilbert's hand. He had now pulled his hand away and looked at both Bella and Elizabeta, as if he could find something hidden in their eyes if he looked deep enough. But nothing came off odd from them.
"You mean they just up and disappeared? How long ago?" His tone had a hardened edge to it.
"They were free spirited, Gilbert. And they didn't up and disappear; they're still in the state, but we haven't been able to find them easily since we don't have the technology for it. They're hidden real well, last time my mom had mentioned them." Liar liar, plants for hire, Bella sang in her head. Better play the damsel (or damsels in this case) in distress so he wouldn't get suspicious.
"I got it. So you figure I could help you since you helped me. I scratch your back, you scratch mine." Gilbert contemplated the thought and nodded to himself.
"Yeah! And you could stay with us for a while, so you won't have to worry about having to stay at a hotel or anything and we'd be close by." Bella smiled at him, and it was somewhat sincere.
"Sounds like a plan," He replied excitedly. His eyes were lighted with a hope that he hadn't felt before.
"Agreed," Elizabeta added on quietly, but enthusiastically.
The plan was coming along wobbly, but nicely.