CHAPTER 9 Old habits die hard
Restless nights were the norm for Lisa, spending the dark hours after her mother went to bed trying to read, write in her journal or simply wandering the house in the dark, peering out of the windows to watch the few city lights that made it over the garden perimeter. She had been looking at the faraway lights of the Chrysler building when a disturbing shadow came over the wall. Her heart caught in her throat as she saw the figure drop into the foliage of the garden. Barely able to breath, Lisa listened intently for the sound she dreaded hearing most, and only a few moments passed when the small creaking of the side door being opened met her ears.
The fear that grew in her mind was countered only by the rage she felt that anyone would dare invade her home. Keeping her ears trained on the sound of the intruder slowly making his way down the west hall, Lisa collected the pistol from atop her mantle and crept out her room dressed only in the negligee she slept in. She moved slowly, knowing exactly where to step so as not to make any noise in her naked feet.
Just over the railing she was able to make out the top of a dark head as it passed under the stairway into the north hall, towards the studio. When she heard the door open and muted footsteps pass from the wooden floor to the linoleum of her workshop, she bravely descended the stairs and peaked into the darkened room. She watched as the dark form of a tall man explored the area.
He seemed unperturbed by the lack of brightness and reviewed each piece of art as if it were presented under the full light of day. This wasn't the kind of robber or rapist Lisa expected to pay her a visit, but not allowing herself to be distracted by watching the stranger she tightened her grip on the gun and entered the studio.
When she was close enough to be sure of her aim, but not to close as to allow him the chance to lunge, she raised the pistol and cocked the hammer. At the sound, the intruder turned sharply to find her aiming squarely at his chest. It was too dark for Lisa to make out the features of his face, so he appeared only as a silhouette against the colors of the paintings and wall behind him.
After decades of living in the shadows the darkness of the studio didn't hinder his perusal. The moon beams cascading through the large windows were enough to give each portrait sufficient life, and it was life he saw in each frame, majestic and graceful in some, violent and carnal in others, that he found. Each canvas caught his attention with its vibrant depictions.
To the uninspired eye they might be mistaken for flights of fancy, but there was a story being told in every image. Gustave had described to him some of what type of artist this woman was, but he'd never imagined this. Pagan gods and Christian saints shared Greek and roman vistas. Depictions of mythical events seemed to unfold in the silver moonlight.
A raven haired Diana in her orb cradled a bleeding Christ to her full bosom, his crown of thorns piercing the tender ivory flesh of her chest and her tear's mingling with the trails of blood flowing down their bodies. Their expressions were nothing like the stoic or cherubic flat faces common in contemporary art, there was real pain and grief etched in those lines and filling the colors. If anyone could recognize that suffering it was he, and seeing it so beautifully rendered made Eric stand transfixed so that he was unaware of the other presence in the room.
"Most robbers don't take leisurely tours before stealing valuables, or maybe you're a jackass too drunk to know where he is. What are you doing here?" Lisa tried to give as much venom to her words as she could muster. The man stood unmoving for several seconds before slowly raising his hands from his sides to show he was unarmed.
"I'm not here to rob or hurt you." The man took one calculated step towards Lisa.
"Stay where you are or I'll shoot." The intruder paused only a moment before deciding that his hostess was unlikely to fire, but he nearly dove to the floor as one well aimed bullet whistled past his ear to explode a piece of pottery on a shelf behind him. "I assure you I'm quite capable of shooting you dead, so I suggest you stay put and be more forthcoming."
"I can see that now. My apologies to call on you so unceremoniously at such an ungodly hour, but I believe we have a mutual acquaintance about whom I was eager to discuss." He spoke silkily.
"I somehow doubt that we share any acquaintances." Lisa spat back.
"My son will be very sorry to hear that." Though she couldn't see his face there was a smile to his statement that somehow annoyed Lisa more than fueling her anger, but the implication of his words gave her pause.
"Do you mean to say that your Gustave's father?" she asked, and he gave her a low bow as acknowledgment.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" she asked.
"Well, perhaps he's given you a description of me." He said flatly, the smile having been milked from his voice.
Lisa took a measured step back. With her free hand she found the metal chain dangling from a lamp. She pulled it and a small light illuminated the corner of the studio where they stood. The man flinched slightly for just a moment as the light found him, but it was Lisa who had the most trouble keeping focus as his face came into view. Indeed, there was only half a face on the left side to see, whereas his right side was hidden behind a stark white mask. Two eyes, whose wide pupils made them look black as night, stared intently back at her.
He stood unmoving before her while she examined him. The sight startled her, but she had the feeling he expected the effect to be more dramatic as he waited for her to react more strongly. While the standoff continued, Lisa could hear Kara's footsteps approach and in a moment another pistol came into view next to her, held as steadily as she did hers.
"I suppose you have a good reason why this vermin is still standing?" Kara asked, never allowing her eyes to stray from her target.
"Well, if Gustave's description holds true, I believe we have the pleasure of making his father's acquaintance." Kara's only response was to snigger.
"Now that you have been assured I am who I say I am, why don't you ladies lower your weapons before someone gets hurt." he asked, his tone taking on a level of condescension one would not expect from a man with two guns pointed expertly at him.
"I would require the confirmation of your name, your real name." Lisa said. He took several moments to calculate his response. Not many people knew his real name, even though it wasn't one that had any real meaning to him since it did not denote family affiliation. He still felt that there was power in both knowing and using a person's name, and guarded his closely. Even Christine had never spoken it.
"To the general public I'm referred to as Mr. Y most often, but to family and friends I'm Erik Destler." He said reverently.
"Charming" Lisa said matching every bit of the sarcasm he projected. Erik wasn't used to having such little effect on women. Not in the romantic sense of course, but instead causing them to tremble with fear and discomfort at the sight of him.
Slowly, Lisa lowered the pistol and allowed it to rest against her thigh. It took a few more seconds before Kara followed suit, but both kept the required tension in their arms needed to raise and fire the weapons quickly.
"So Mr. Destler, why don't we forego any more small talk, and come to the point; What exactly did you want to discuss concerning Gustave?" Feigning interest in the canvas nearest to him, Erik looked away from the pair, although all his attention was still completely on them.
"My child has been spending an in ordinate amount of time here, time he'd normally spend with his only living parent and remaining family. So I was interested to know what the draw was and why a coven of lonely women had any interest in him. After all, there's very little usefulness a 13 year old boy can have to such a group." Erik took a few slow steps to gain some ground as he spoke, but Lisa and Kara matched his movements.
When Erik looked back at Lisa he was immediately struck by what he found. The few feet they'd moved was enough to frame her silhouette against the light of the lamp. It shone through her negligee revealing much of her figure. He expected to see the revulsion that he caused when his eyes touched her, but to his surprise she neither shied nor withdrew from his invading gaze. Instead she stood proudly and when Erik's eyes traveled up to find hers in the dimness the look of temerity she gave him made Erik struggle to remain composed. Erik was a man used to being on the winning end of any battle for dominance, but for the first time in a very long time he felt matched.
"I can assure you sir that there is no lasciviousness on our part. We have simply extended our kindness to a young man who seemed very much to need a friend and some compassion. Certainly, you're a person who can understand loneliness." She knew she'd found her mark as the man's eyes went wide with barely suppressed fury. One edge of Lisa's mouth twitched as she tried to restrain a grin. Had it not been for the reminder of the pistol she gingerly tapped against her leg he might have even tried charging at her.
"I can assure YOU my son does not need any of your charity, he has all he needs and more. And I don't believe it healthy for my child to be consorting with a bunch of shut in's. If you think…" he tried to continue, but Lisa cut him off.
"I think it's best you have this conversation with your child. I think monsieur that we have no more to discuss. I neither care for nor need your opinion or judgments so take them and stick them up your ass." Lisa felt more than a little self-satisfied to see the masked man gaping at her abruptness with a slack jaw.
"How dare you…" he tried.
"How dare you? You're the one breaking into my home in the middle of the night. And then you start accusing us of associating with your son for nefarious reasons. To think of how highly Gustave speaks of you, and find now that you are no more than impertinent, impudent, insolent, misogynist pig." Kara placed her hand lightly on Lisa's shoulder, the familiar hint to calm down. She'd gotten very near to shouting, which meant she risked waking her mother, and Lisa did not want to involve her mother in this situation.
Erik felt a small sense of triumph in knowing he'd caused her to be so off balance. It was a satisfying feeling that stirred something inside of him.
"You definitely have an extensive vocabulary." There was laughter in his voice, making Lisa's temper bubble anew. Erik raised his hands in mock surrender as he chuckled to himself. "I think perhaps, we are getting off on the wrong foot. A man in my position must be very wary of those who might have ulterior motives you see, especially those who might have designs on my only child." He said, regaining that smooth melodic voice he'd first used.
Lisa and Kara stood tight lipped waiting for him to continue. If his sentiments were true, on some level she could understand a desire to test them, although breaking and entering were perhaps farther than one would expect him to go. If his intention was to impress upon them he wasn't a man to trifle with he'd succeeded, but Lisa wasn't like other women who would cower under a man's threat.
"My boy has expressed to me that he thinks very highly of you as well. He describes you as courteous and kind. Perhaps we should both trust Gustave's impressions of people and not make such rash judgments. After all, we don't really know each other." Erik tilted his head to scrutinize his audience, and unconsciously Lisa mirrored the same gesture. A strained moment passed before Lisa responded.
"Agreed; although we may not have the notoriety you do, that's no reason for anyone to make unfair suppositions. I think we should give first impressions another chance for Gustave sake. If he hasn't already extended it, I invite you to visit with him one of these days, in the light of day, unless you intend to forbid his return." Though her words were charitable she said them with a level of disdain that would have been unacceptable in polite society, but this man was either oblivious to her implied sentiment or he simply didn't care about it.
"I couldn't deny him anything that might lend to his… happiness, and perhaps I can ease your mind about my reputation. Now, I think it's time I took my leave." He said.
"I think that's a good idea." Lisa replied. "You found your way in, I'm sure you need no assistance in getting out." Erik moved forward to exit the room, but Lisa and Kara were blocking him. The older woman stepped quickly aside to make way, like most people did to avoid the possibility of close proximity to Erik. Lisa only turned her body to allow him to pass, so he had to brush past her. Kara noticed the shudder that seemed to run through both forms as their bodies briefly came into contact, and she catalogued the memory.
The women followed Erik as he retraced his steps down the west hall and exited out the side door into the garden. When he was gone, Kara turned sharply to her friend.
"That man is not to be trusted. How can you consider letting him in this house again, he is obviously dangerous and capable of anything." questioned Kara. Lisa sighed deeply.
"Yes, I think so too. But for Gustave's sake I think we should give him a chance. After all, it's not like he's going to move in." replied Lisa, as she relocked the door.
"Maybe it's best the boy doesn't come back here. He seems like the kind of man that might mistreat a child if he displeased him."
"Maybe, but Gustave told me he's really a good man, just misunderstood. I'd like to trust he wouldn't lie about that. If Gustave does come again I'll find out if there's anything abusive going on. If we're lucky the devil won't accept my invitation and we'll never see him again." Lisa knew her wishful thinking was ill-advised, but her heart was telling her not to be deceived by appearances. There was more to this story and she felt compelled to allow the drama to play itself out.
Kara gave her mistress a very disdainful huff. The women parted ways and retired to their rooms, and Lisa settled in her bed trying to sleep. In her mind the nights events replayed over and over, along with the long ago memories of what had happened in Paris. Could there be a connection, and what would it mean for them if there was. Lisa fell into a fretful sleep while mulling over the possibilities.
Kara had witnessed the confrontation anxiously. In the end what had amazed her most was how the two combatants had gone from nearly biting each other's heads off to negotiating a truce? Lisa was a good girl with a gracious heart. It was one of the things Kara loved most about her. Kara even understood Lisa's attachment to Gustave since she had no child of her own, but this was overstepping the boundaries of rationale thought.
After all they'd been through together Kara felt a special responsibility to keep her adopted family safe. She'd have to keep a watchful eye on her friend, and especially this masked freak of a man. In her mind there couldn't be anything good about a man who clearly meant malice against them. Lisa might be too blinded to see the risk of allowing him access to their lives, but Kara would not be.