The Loyal Lieutenants Act Seven Scene Three Sub Scene Two

 

Act Seven

Scene Three

Sub-Scene Two

Familiar, I be damned.

 

In the private chamber at the Madi Gras Club, Elliot took the second glass of the drink offered to him, the daiquiri, a cocktail whose main ingredients are rum, citrus juice or lime juice, and sugar or another sweetener. Place all in a cocktail shaker add all ingredients. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Add ice and shake. He had sat there for an hour then, and twice he had been to the restroom.

“I am sorry to keep you waiting.” The figure stepped into the chamber. He was dressed in a loose shirt and tight, long pants that seemed to wrap around his legs. “My name is Mardian. I am the overseer of Mardi Gras Club and all that is owned by Egypt.”

“Elliot Ness, Treasury Agent. I am here...”

“I can assure you, Mr. Ness. The Mardi Gras do not have any illegal booze here. We are legit in the business.” Mardian smiled. “And to your friends from Rome, they are entertained by my girls in the adjacent chamber. We removed their guns; it's not allowed here. Yours is an exception. Treasury agents do not shoot wild.”

“I …… Thank you, Mr. Mardian. I was in the area, and I thought I should come in.” Elliot struggled to find the words to say.

“My pleasure, indeed.”

“How did you know I was in...” Elliot was cut off.

“In Egypt, we make it for us to know.” Mardian smiled.

“Egypt is not the city name.” Elliot looked at the other. “Yet, you...”

“Egypt is the namesake here. In Egypt, you are connected to everyone.” Mardian continued smiling. “Please feel free to...”

“Was Lucas Perry here before?” Elliot lacked the finesse to query properly.

“Lucas …... I do not recall. Maybe he came here with an alias. They do it in Egypt. We do not trumpet their names here.”

“Oaky, maybe he did. I was told he was here with Moses from Rome.”

“The only Moses I know was from the Book, but I am not one of that faith.” Mardian laid out his smile. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious. I know Lucas Perry and was wondering where he was then.” Elliot, in turn, smiled.

“Lucas Perry? I will check with the staff here. I am sure they would not say it here too loudly, but I will inquire. He may not have come to Mardi Gras, but to some other places. We do not check where our clients may go.” Mardian was hospitable.

“He is a...” Elliot mumbled.

“Another drink for you? I liked the martini here. The Vesper Martini comprises three shots of London dry gin, one shot of vodka, and half a shot of dry French wine aperitif, shaken but not stirred. That is a man’s drink.”

“I may pass on that. I ……” Elliot politely refused. “I do not like it shaken. It becomes too fuzzy.”

“I guess men like them shaken while they get stirred at times.” Mardian had his tongue licking his upper lip.

“No, thank you. I think it is time for me to leave. I may have to use your restroom again.” Elliot stood up.

“You could pee into the bucket there. It is faster.” Mardian motioned to the bucket, half filled with ice. Elliot shook his head and left the club. Outside the place, he gagged on the drink that was welling up his throat.

“Mr. Ness, are you fine?” It was Albert who approached Elliot. “We arrived too late and were scared of our guns. But they entertained us inside. The lady was charming with the constrictor around her neck.”

“I ……” Elliot was still trying to keep his stomach down. “Even if I were not, would it have mattered then?”

“There is no reason to get nasty, Mr. Ness. We made some progress on our task here. We knew where Lucas Perry stayed, or rather, slept.” Castella smiled.

“Who told you? The constrictor?” Elliot was upset.

“Actually, the lady with the constrictor. Chapin charmed her with his cane, and she was all wordy towards him.” Castella smiled. “I know some new tricks with the cane now.”

“Tell me then.” Elliot asked. “Of where Lucas was?”

“No, we will show you, and this time with our guns.” Castella looked at Elliot and then added. “I think you need another pair of pants.”

 

 

 

The Loyal Lieutenants Act Seven Scene Three Sub Scene One

 

Act Seven

Scene Three

Sub-Scene One

Family issues

 

Lady Fulvia tossed the China bone cup across the library, barely missing Mark in the face. They met at the library at the mansion, and Mark told her of Cicero in Rome.

“I knew the snivelling fox would return to the old lair when Caesar left for Egypt.” Lady Fulvia was upset. She was dressed for her afternoon tennis lessons—the white dress that reached her knees and the high socks with the rubber shoes.

“Where is he?” The lady screamed out.

“I do not know. He may be gone by now.” Mark was exasperated by the lady’s anger. The conflict between the lady and Cicero was to be over, but she was still upset. “Cicero is not a threat to you anymore. Why are you still upset?”

“Cicero smeared my name and that of my family. I will not rest until he is dead, or... castrated to be a eunuch.” The lady rang the bell for the maids. It was Jeeves who stepped in, holding a new cup for the lady. He was used to the lady’s tantrums and offered to pour her more tea.

“Jeeves, where is Cicero?”

“I do not know, my lady. He was...” Jeeves lied then.

“I know you are not telling me the truth here.” Lady Fulvia snapped out.

“I am telling the truth, but... not all of it. The truth, but not the whole truth, my  lady." Jeeves stepped back. “Mr. Cicero is not here, and that is the truth. He was seen in Rome recently, which is also the truth. The other truth is here. I have not seen him lately. Another truth of mine.”

“Leave us, Jeeves.” Mark told the staff. Jeeves took his leave, and Mark then approached his wife.

“Cicero threatened Enobarbus, and I was told. He wanted to know about the case I was investigating for Caesar.” Mark looked at the lady. “I am trying, but we have no clues or evidence to pin on anyone.”

“You are not Sherlock Holmes or... the latterly famous Hercule Poirot by the lady author.” (Sherlock Holmes was first published in 1892, while Agatha Christie’s work on Hercule Poirot: The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published in 1920.).

“Exquisite work they both are.” Mark praised the authors, although he had not read any.

“Do not patronize me, Mark. All of you men are fake in your praises for women’s works. You did not read Agatha’s book.” Fulvia looked at Mark and saw the hurt in the other’s expression. “Okay, maybe you did.”

Mark leaned down to kiss the lady on her forehead.

“I will confront Cicero for his foolhardy act on Enobarbus.” Mark told the lady.

“And you should be careful. Cicero is close to Brutus and...”

“Brutus met me recently and told me some interesting news. It seems that he knew more about Egypt than we were told.” Mark looked at the lady. “Do you know anything there?”

“If you were not my husband, I would have shot you between the legs.” Lady Fulvia looked at Mark. Sometimes, it was difficult to determine if the lady was serious or pulling a prank.

“I would not know much. I knew of Egypt through Lucius. He was there some weeks ago. He did not tell me why he was there, but I think he was into his gig with the locals there. He stayed at the Mardi Gras Club; there they will entertain you with whatever you may fantasize about.”

“I knew of this because he asked me for money to pay his bills.” Lady Fulvia sighed. “Lucius could never live without his anus inserted.”

That was the lady’s profanity words she will utter instead of quoting the book in Jude 1:7–8.

“As Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh, are set forth an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise, these filthy dreamers defile the flesh." Mark recited the words from the passage.

“Lucius took offense to Moses quoting that paragraph in the sermons, but they were good friends, though not to bed.” Lady Fulvia smiled. “I like Moses too; his fierce sermons and his wife, Eva, cooked the best lemon meringue cake. She never knew of his work, thinking he was doing the irrigation work. If only she knew.”

“Lucius knew Moses?” Mark was surprised.

“Yes, Lucius knew Moses and the other guy, Lucas Perry. They will meet for the occasional smoke. They keep vain friends near them.” Lady Fulvia said. “I do not condone Lucius’s friends, but he is a grown man and needed his own realm, even though I disliked it.”

Mark had met Lucius a few times, and his opinion was that Lucius was not one he would get close to.

“Ask Jeeves where they go. He will tell you. Nothing evades Jeeves attention or side glances. He does peek at me when I am in the pool with the swimsuit or without.”

“He did?” Mark was upset. He was not sure of what—the part of Jeeves peeking or his wife swimming naked.

“Do not worry about that. I am more concerned about Cicero.” Lady Fulvia looked at Mark. “Will you kill him for me?”

 

 

 

 

The Loyal Lieutenants Act Seven Scene Two Sub Scene Two

 

Act Seven

Scene Two

Sub-Scene Two

Egypt does not muddle.

 

“The very first food trucks date back to the chuckwagon. These covered wagons sold perishable food to cowboys and loggers in the wilderness. There you will find beans, cured meat, coffee, and biscuits. It would also carry water and wood to build fires. Some also functioned as mobile barbershops and dentist’s surgeries.” Elliot sat there by the truck, listening to the truck operator lay out his tale. He turned towards Albert and then to Castella. The latter was keen to invest in the business upon his retirement.

“Thank you, Mr. Roscoe. Please tell us what you know of the name Moses.” Elliot decided to move the subject.

“Oh, yah. I heard that name.” The food trucker smiled. “He was seated where you are now. He was with one other guy, named Lucas. They were met by this handsome guy. Mardian was his name. I saw him around.”

“Roscoe here has a good memory of people.” Castella smiled. “I was introduced to him by some friends who knew of Moses here.”

Some of the older guys retired here and were looked up to by Castella. He asked Moses, and they told him he was there.

“Moses, yes. Nice guy. He was here.” The food trucker smiled. “I took two bites of my hot dog and ordered two more to takeaway.”

“Mr. Roscoe, what did you remember of Moses?” Elliot felt like he was wasting his time.

“Moses? Ya, Moses. He was here with that other guy named Lucas. They spoke with this Mardian about some numbers and how they were going to go down. Roman numbers, it was.” Roscoe smiled. “Do you know the Egyptians invented the first ciphered numeral system, and the Greeks followed by mapping their counting numbers onto the Ionian and Doric alphabets?”

“Yes …... But what are Roman numbers?” Elliot pressed on.

“He did not make any sense then, but I knew the meeting was to take place that evening at the Mardi Gras Club.” Roscoe said. “They went there soon after.”

“Thank you, Mr. Roscoe.” Elliot got up from the seat. It was then that Castella saw the old boys from Rome rushing towards him. He met the older guy midway.

“Castella, I was just told that Rodney was shot as a warning to us. Leave Egypt alone. They know.” The older guy told Castella in between breaths. “Rodney told me before he died at the infirmary. Leave Egypt now.”

The older guy then pushed Castella and walked away. The former approached Elliot and told him the message.

“How do they know we are here?” Elliot asked.

“It is the same for us in Rome. The words will spread when any of the other gangs arrive. They will be met by one of us and asked questions.” Castella looked over his shoulder. “Egypt knew of us then.”

“Let us return to the hut.” Albert told them. “We need to be ready.”

“For what?” Elliot asked.

“To pack our things and leave, or get ready for a shoot-out.” Albert looked at Elliot.

“We could seek the coppers for assistance.” Elliot explained. “I could tell them my badge.”

“Mr. Ness, I am not keen to be killed by the coppers or Egypt. I am going back to Rome.” Albert shook his head. Castella and Chapin nodded in unison, but Elliot was not leaving.

“Go on ahead. I am staying here. I am going to Mardi Gras Club now.” Elliot walked his own path.

“Can I shoot him in the back?” Castella asked Albert.

“I will call Rome and ask for instruction. Meanwhile, Chapin. Gather all guns into the bag and meet us outside of Mardi Gras Club. Castella, you tag along, Mr. Ness.”

Mardi Gras Club adhered to the Spanish Mediterranean Revival style of architecture, with decorative columns, arched windows, clay barrel tile roofs, rough stucco walls, wrought iron, and spindle gates guarding picturesque courtyards. The only exception were the guards at the gates.

“I am Elliot Ness, a Treasury Agent. I am here to inspect the place.”

In almost all the cities then, the bootleggers flooded cities with prohibited booze during the Prohibition Era. The differences at Mardi Gras were the flappers: a woman with a short “bob” hairstyle, cigarettes dangling from her painted lips, and dancing to a live jazz band. There was also the "Pansy Craze," where gay, lesbian, and transgender performers graced the stages of nightspots. Female impersonators were the mainstay of the shows, enjoyed by all, including the straight gender.

“This is a private club, Mr. Agent. You need to get authority to come in.” The guard there stopped Elliot.

“Mr. Ness. Please do come in. I am Senor Pancho Santos, the club manager. We welcome you to Mardi Gras.” The gentleman approached Elliot. He was dressed in the white three-piece suit with the greased hairdo.

“Please come in and enjoy the cool air we have inside.” The manager offered the entrance to Elliot. “Mr. Mardian will join you shortly.”

 

 

Preys and Predators 1 of Part 4

 

4              The Researcher

 

Doctor Jekyll heard the mention of the doctor, and he turned his focus towards the direction. He caught the eyes of another. He recognized the identity of the person.

Sherlock Holmes.

It was a rarity to recognize the detective, but some prints had his sketch on them. It was not difficult to not match the real person to the sketch with the hat and coat, with the hawkish eyes and hooked nose. He had known some detectives in his works and readings; the more poignant ones were dressed in the fine tweeds and pompous attitude. Their mastery of these detectives was demure or aristocratic in the description, like Holmes; they worked on eliminating the clues. It was unlike the more adventurous detectives from the other western continent called the Pinkerton, or the Secret Services; the hunt and the shoot-out.

Doctor Jekyll then turned to leave the place. He hails a passing coach and boarded it in haste. When on the coach, he turned and saw the detective standing on the street. He turned his attention to the murder.

Two hours ago, Doctor Jekyll was nearby to meet an associate he met from the southern continent to discuss matters that were of interest. He was there three months ago, and the guest was back in the city. It was time to meet again.

Their last meet was eventful.

“You must try these flowers to extract the ingredients. It is practice there among the natives to pound the flowers to get the juices. It was supposed to make them invincible, but the correct amount to be administered to avoid any complications.” The guest was seated at the café table laid out on the pavement, serving tea and scones.

“What complications, Edward?” Doctor Jekyll leaned towards the adventurer he had befriended. He had known Professor Edward Challenger, who held beliefs in his works; the other was also embroiled in controversial issues like his discovery of the Lost World. He was rebuked as a mad explorer or delusional in his works, a reflection of the other doctor’s work.

“How could I explain it? I was there at one of the sessions, and the ‘Sangoma’; they are the traditional healers as we recognised them as such, but their actual contributions are somewhat difficult to categorise.” Professor Challenger, as he preferred to be named for the public, or the ones who saw him as the brawn among them.

“Come on, Edward. Please skip the trivialities and tell me about the real effects.” Doctor Jekyll pressed on.

“Henry, I was to tell. Please hold your patience.” The guest smiled, but his expression was hidden by the thick beard. “The session I was in was attended by three young warriors. They were there to undertake their next adulthood challenges. These were not the typical adulthood challenges: to be a warrior there, to bring back the feed, and to protect the tribe. This new level of challenge was to be the ultimate warrior—one that can defend from any adversaries. The issue was not all adversaries were of the physical realm.”

“Edward, I can sit through the night listening to your adventure, but can we skip the narratives...”

“Henry, I will be brief. The results were... crazy. Of the three warriors, two of them slipped into a... trance will be word.” The professor frowned on his eye brows.

“Trance? Come on, Edward. We have seen the effect of that. Tell me more.”

“There was more to the trance. The warriors I mentioned went into a frenzy and then the transformation. Their body frame expanded…”

“Please, Edward. It is impossible for the...” Doctor Jekyll felt his excitement dwindle there.

“Seriously, Henry. The body frame doubled in size, and their strength tripled.”

“Were you hallucinating, Edward?”

“No! I was sober. I had no whiskey that day. The session became intense, and one of them managed to pull the tree trunk from the ground. It was a huge tree.”

“It cannot be.” Doctor Jekyll shook his head. “I am...”

“Unsure? Seriously, Henry. You asked me, and I told you. I brought you the flowers here.” Professor Challenger pushed the bag he had on him. “It is the flower, or ‘impi isopoki’ by the natives. It's rare, and only the brave can find it or ever bring it back.”

“Are you sure this is not a hoax?” Doctor Jekyll looked at his friend.

“I am to leave now, Henry. My ship awaits me for another discovery.” Professor Challenger stood up. “I will be back in three months. Share with me the results.”

Professor Challenger knew that Doctor Jekyll was looking for a solution to enhance the body from pain. He had brought the flowers for him to try.

Doctor Jekyll did that, and the result was amazing. He developed a fear for it but found himself drawn to improve more on it, to the extent he had lost his mind over it.

Obsession.

Doctor Jekyll was obsessed with it, having experimented with other chemicals, and made starling results. He was still doing the random testing and made some extras of it into the vials he had locked in his lab.

The results were baffling.

He came to look for Professor Challenger. He was not sure of the flowers although he had extracted the juice. It was left in some vials when he had other important matters to handle. It was already three months since he met the Professor. He needed mor clarification before he tests the flower’s juice/

He had a fear to check with the professor.

The recent murders were one reason. It was claimed to be done by a monster.

Could the extracts make a monster?

Like a vampire.

Or a deranged warrior.

 

 

The Loyal Lieutenants Act Seven Scene Two Sub Scene One

 

Act Seven

Scene Two

Sub-Scene One

Cicero

 

Brutus was upset at being disturbed during his sauna, but he made an exception when he listened out on Cicero’s issue. He was at the Hot Bath House in Rome, a favorite haunt of his for his early morning sweat, with eight guards manning the doorway to the bath and the entrance of the house. He was being careful after Mark Antony’s attempt. He was alone, graciously, for he was not keen to be seen in an act.

“Cicero, there is a dress code in the sauna.” Brutus then had the towel over his lap, but he also has a gun beneath the seat wrapped in the towel in case it gets too hot to handle.

“I am... The bastard Enobarbus could have shot me.” Cicero had taken the bench across from Brutus, clad in his loose pants but without his shirt. His chest displayed the whip marks, which were his affinity for the somewhat more commonly known act of having a fuck.

“What did you do?” Brutus asked while he crossed his legs. He was not keen to be peeked at by that other person. It was not a teenager’s insecurity about who is with whom but the self-preservation of modesty.

“I approach him with an offer, since Moses is dead.” Cicero sighed. “A hasty move of mine and it...”

“You offered him to join you with money. Dearie, advocate of the law, you are fucked there. Enobarbus is always loyal to Caesar. He will not sell his soul to the devil if he knows Caesar is to be harmed.”

“I offer him to tell me about Mark Antony.”

“Mark Antony? The dark horse in Rome.” Brutus leaned back on the bench. “Do me a chore, Cicero, to atone for your error. Pour some water on the stones.”

Cicero did as he was told.

“Mark Antony is an enigma to the Romans. He is a loyal soldier, made his way up the ranks, and was sent off outside of Rome. He, according to Caesar, did a good task with the Sicilians, or we will all be speaking Italian by now instead of Latin. Godly nefarious of my mother’s intention to educate us with Socrates and Aristotle’s wisdom, we might as well learn the codes of conduct from the Tongs; they are more educational there.“

“Brutus, I am not here to listen to your mother’s rambling.” Cicero was the one getting upset.

“As such, I am not one to listen to your hasty action to recruit Mark Antony. I had my session with him recently, but he was... unapproachable. Untouchable will be the word; care to suggest that one day that will be the conduct of others, but Mark Antony for now is one.”

“Brutus, I am not here to listen to your oratorial skills. I am talking about Mark Antony. He pulled a gun on me.”

“And he is your enemy’s husband. Which technically made you his favorite enemy too. Did you fuck her before?”

“Leave the bitch out of the conversation.” Cicero was not bringing Fulvia into the conversation. “And no, we never fuck in the physical sense.”

“So, you did have fantasies of doing her.” Brutus smiled.

“No. I did not.” Cicero lashed out. “Stop baiting me. I fucked whoever I fucked. Now back to Mark Antony... I meant Enobarbus.”

“Why Mark An... Enobarbus? 上帝 (Shangdi—God in Chinese).” Brutus exclaimed. He saw Cicero looking at him. “Okay, I did pick up some of those words. I dine at their shops. You should try their dumplings.”

“Yes, why did you approach Enobarbus?” Brutus brought the focus back.

“They were investigating the case of Moses and Isaac. And I was told it was leading to Lucas Perry. Those three are linked to us. I need to know what they are planning on.”

“Do you know I spilled the beans on Moses that he was in Egypt?” Brutus looked at the surprised Cicero. “I also told Mark that there was a revolt in the plans for Rome. All that...”

“Will lead to us.” Cicero sighed.

“Not necessary, if you know how tall the olive tree grows. Not very tall. Just as our whisperings will not go far, but deep rooted in their minds of Mark Antony and soon Enobarbus. He may question me further or take the bait to go towards Egypt. I am not expecting him to get much from there, but it will occupy his time. And avoid our plans here in Rome.”

“Egypt is our friend.” Cicero looked at Brutus.

“For now, but if we played our cards well, Egypt may be a minion of Rome. That will be up to Caesar there. If Mark and Caesar are in Egypt, we are without bounds.”

“What of the other lieutenants?”

“Among the trio, one or two are with us. They can be convinced to join the victors of the war.” Brutus smiled. “My other concern is Lady Fulvia. She holds a part of Mark Antony’s power here. You must take care of her... permanently.”

“I would not ……” Cicero sighed.

“Try Lucius. I hear he is delicious.” Brutus smiled.

 

 

 

The Loyal Lieutenants Act Seven Scene One Sub Scene Three

 

Act Seven

Scene One

Sub-Scene Three

I was fucked.

 

Elliot sat on the porch of the hut they rented at the beach, overlooking the sea and the strong breeze that blew from the sea. It was not his call to get the place, but the trio who accompanied him had the final choice. He had traveled to Egypt; they all called it that name, although it was neither the name of the city nor the district.

“Are you looking for Egypt?” The toll collector had responded to their query for directions. “Take a right after five miles and proceed on till you see the swamps. Then you ask directions from there. Be careful when you drive on those roads. I would not suggest you speed, or you might end up in the water. Them alligators do not prefer on their diet; they just chomped your leg first or your pelvis.”

Albert thanked the toll collector, who had a protruding hair piece that looked like a pecan pie, wrongly baked with the insides protruding out.

"You should be smart there, and do not do any rubbernecking there. They might just get it removed faster than you can say no to them.” The guy there swung his ascent to the southern drawl. “Me? I am going to Memphis soon, but golly, they need a fresh dose of music there.”

“What’s his name there?” Castella asked.

“I did not ask. The way he pressed to the window makes me think of Lucille when we did it in the shower.”

“I thought it was Grace Nelly.” Castella said.

“No, it was not.” Albert defended his choice of who was in the shower and almost collided with the alligator crossing the road. He swerved in time and avoided the collision.

“That was some fine driving you did.” Elliot, having lost his gall bladder, then recovered in time to praise Albert.

“It was that, or we get rubber-necked by others on the road.” Albert turned his focus to the road. “And she was not Grace Nelly. With her, it was on the rooftop.”

Chapin was then stomping his feet and nodding his head vigorously.

“Shut up, Chapin. You were not there.” Castella told the silent one.

“I did, I saw, and I came.” Chapin's rare words made Elliot laugh for the first time they met. Elliot was not smiling on the porch when he saw Albert seated next to him on the porch.

“Why are we here? Why can't we stay at the motel or even the homes?”

“Mr. Ness, sir. If we did, by then, Egypt would know we were in their territory. Here it is safer and more to it; we wanted to enjoy the sunset.”

“Just curious, Albert. Who was it in the shower?” Elliot thought of starting a conversation.

“It was Patty Marianna Carli; she is Castella's ex-wife's sister. Not Lucille. Patty was the one I married after Albert divorced his wife. We had a jolly reunion at the wedding that day. Boy, was he fucked to see me married to his ex-sister-in-law? His ex walked up to him and said that is ‘one lady you would never get to fuck’. He cursed at her, and her beau punched Albert. Soon, we had a rumble among the guys and some other drunken ladies, but it was fun.” Albert laughed. “Chapin was there. He was charming, like an ape in a glass shop. He swung his cane at everyone. He got Lucille after the ball that night.”

“I am sure that was fun.” Elliot smiled. He had never had a wedding yet.

“The fun was later when Grace and I were in the shower. There was Tabitha too.” Albert smiled. “It was... earth-shattering.”

Elliot was to challenge Albert for the lady’s name but declined. He was not to disclose that he was still a virgin then.

“Ever done that?” Albert asked.

“In the... barn, and...”

“I meant the wedding fight.”

“Nope.” Elliot felt fucked then. He was saved by the timely arrival of Castella.

 

 

The Loyal Lieutenants Act Seven Scene One Sub Scene Two

 

Act Seven

Scene One

Sub-Scene Two

I am no virgin.

 

Enobarbus unlocked the door to his house; it had been emptied since Jeane’s funeral. He sends his daughter to his sister to live there. At that place, there were three other kids her age. He had stayed at the mansion after the funeral, but that day, he returned to collect some things.

And to leave some other things behind.

“Hello, Mr. Enobarbus.” The voice greeted him on his return.

Enobarbus stepped in and adjusted his sight to make out the figure seated there. The figure was seated in his favourite chair, facing the radio. He sat there to listen to the music played. He took one more step in before closing the door. If he were to be shot, he would not be standing there at all.

“Hello, Mr. Cicero.” Enobarbus looked at the short, stubby figure seated there. He saw the two guards standing on the opposite side of the ex-Roman boss.

“I heard you are back in the city.” Enobarbus reached for his overcoat, and the guards were attentive to his action. “Welcome to my house.”

“Nice place. I liked the décor.” Cicero smiled.

“Was it a long wait for you, Mr. Cicero? I was out in the city.”

“No. I was informed that you were coming back in the afternoon.” Cicero looked towards Enobarbus. “I still hold some influence at the mansion.”

“Jeeves…… Yes, I told him in case Mark was looking for me.” Enobarbus laid the overcoat on the nearby chair and pulled another one for himself.

“What can I do for you?” Enobarbus was direct.

“Join me, Enobarbus. I can be a good man like you. Julius Caesar is away, and the Romans are at each other.” Cicero remained smiling. “I can...”

“As you did with Moses? I am sure he needed a bigger pay than what was offered by Caesar.”

“I am sure we can work out a package for you.” Cicero crossed his legs then. Say, take what was Moses, and I will add in another chunk there.”

“What did you offer, Moses?” Enobarbus smiled. “Was it a retirement in Egypt?”

“Egypt? Who is Egypt?” Cicero asked. “I do not know anything about Egypt.”

“I said retirement. Moses wanted to go there. It was ideal for him there. He was from Egypt and moved to Philadelphia, but he liked Rome the least, but they buried him here.” Enobarbus continued his smile. “Where do you want to be buried, Mr. Cicero?”

“Are you not being abrupt, Mr. Enobarbus? I do not intend to die just yet.” Cicero was annoyed. “I came to you with an offer, and you rebuked me with malicious remarks on my life.”

“I was merely asking, and just to stop you there, I did not reject your offer. I was considering it, but...

“But what, Mr. Enobarbus?”

“What was I to do, Mr. Cicero?”

“Stay close to Mark Antony and report me on his activities.”

“And if I say no, then what?” Enobarbus looked at the two guards. “They will shoot me.”

“On the contrary, I will have others do it.” Cicero looked at Enobarbus. “I do not shoot anyone myself or by my boys. I get others to do it. Like the Muddles or even the Coppers. They disliked you when you became a Roman, and you disrespected them.”

It was true that when Enobarbus became a Roman, he was protected and made no qualms about it with the others. He made such enemies of them that Caesar had sent him off to outside of Rome to check on the others.

“It looks like I am out of options.” Enobarbus looked at Cicero. “It is not my first fuck on loyalty. When do I begin?”

“Tell me of Mark’s findings on Moses.”

“Not much. He is still collecting clues, but he is stuck. Moses kept to himself, but he was with Lucas Perry. They went to Egypt, and both are dead. Mark has the Treasury agent on his books now. That was all he knew.” Enobarbus looked at the bottle of wine. “Can I have a drink, please?”

Without waiting for Cicero to reply, Enobarbus walked to the table where the bottles of wine were kept. He poured himself a drink and took a candle there. He lit the candle. The guards were alert to his act then.

“I light my cigar with it.” Enobarbus carried the glass and lit a candle over it. “Let me show you.”

Enobarbus stood there while taking out a cigar from the table. He took a drink and then proceeded to light the cigar over the open flame. He looked at Cicero and smiled.

In an instant, Enobarbus spat the wine contents from his mouth over the open flame and created a burst of flame at Cicero. It shocked the man, and before the guards could react, Enobarbus had his gun out.

“I will leave the guns holstered, boys.” Enobarbus had the gun level at Cicero. “Please leave my house with my regrets.”

“You will regret this, Enobarbus.” Cicero hissed at the other. “I will have you dead soon.”

Enobarbus motioned for them to leave, and when they did, he locked the door. He smiled at the trick he learned from the circus friend to entertain his daughter on her birthday.

That was not his maiden act.

Nor was he setting fire to the house he shared with Jeane.

 

 

 

Preys and Predators 1 of Part 3

 

3              The Detective

 

The man with the deerstalker hat stepped off the coach that brought him to the street of his destination. He was dressed in the ulster coat and cravat wrapped across this neck. He carried a walking cane with the silver top. He took two steps forward while looking at the gathered crowd across the street, blocking the alleyway there. There were too many coppers there, stopping the crowd from entering the alley.

“You could give me more space to step out, Holmes?” The man who followed the gentleman with the Ulster coat spoke. “I am about to get my rear swiped by the coach.”

“Sorry, my dear Watson.” The man addressed as Holmes moved to the side. “I was observing the scene.”

“Elementary, Holmes. It is pretty much my observation there, but the safety rules state that I need more space to avoid being pulled by the coach.” The other gentleman dressed similarly with the ulster coat and had the bowler hat on the head. He did not carry a cane but a medical bag that gives him a resemblance to a medical person.

“You could step off the other side.” Holmes commented without looking away from the crowd. “The traffic flow denotes that you get off the left.”

“I would if I could, but there was the puddle there on the pavement. I am wearing my new shoes.” Watson replied.

“And new socks. Red and black do not match your personality. I would suggest all black.” Holmes counted the curious observers there.

“Are we going over there or shall we step back to the pavement, Holmes?” The gentleman named Watson took the initiative to be more civilized or was safety conscious. The coach had since left after dropping them. He stepped back from the street to the pavement, but Holmes was already sprinting across the street. The latter sprint had him barely missing the horse-driven coach driver cursing at the reckless man who was running across the coach’s path.

“Are you bonkers or got a death wish, Guvnor?" The coach rider screamed out. “If I'm not home soon, I'm in a lot of Barney.”

Holmes ignored the cockney comment and proceeded towards the crowd. Watson followed on, but he watched for any approaching coaches. Holmes stood behind the gathered and made his inquiries. It was not his usual mode of detection, but these murders had eluded his thinking. He had read all the reports, from the paper clippings to the police reports, but none had given him any clue to the cause of it. He had sat by the window playing his violin, risking himself to be shot by any shooter like Colonel Moran in the case of ‘Adventure of Empty House’.

“I saw the body. It was sliced open like the others.” The chap in the workmen's clothes: baggy overall and ash-covered shirt.

“I saw that, but where are the body parts?” The chap on the left asked.

“I am a butcher. Probably get eaten by now.” The chap dressed in the apron and covered with blood spots. The ones who heard him gave him the stare. “I will know. I am a butcher. There are...”

“Could you have done it?” The first chap asked. “I meant removing the parts and...”

“Hey, I take them out, and then it gets shipped to the kitchens to make...” The butcher frowned then. “Perhaps sausages, or stews.”

“I am not eating them anymore.” The one who spoke was a lady dressed in the blue gown and holding the bag with the red tassel. She was an odd one there, for women were rarely seen at the macabre scene. She saw the stares on her and levelled out her reasoning.

“I am... I was nearby and more to it; I am a... writer, and dead person crime scenes are... interesting.” The lady looked at the scene. Her explanations shut the curiosity, and Holmes could not resist studying the lady, but his attention was pulled away by the appearance of an interesting person.

Doctor Henry Jekyll is a renowned chemistry researcher; his pursuit of the works had made him a recluse from the fraternity. His peers had called him ‘a man of madness;’ however, he defended his works as pioneering the works in chemistry.

Holmes was intrigued by the appearance of the doctor, whose workplace was across the city. It would have taken him an hour or more to get here. More to it, the Doctor Jekyll label of madness was rumoured by the prints to hold multiple personalities. In the prints, it was reported that the doctor displayed aggressive behaviour in one of the seminars where his peers had salvaged him on his presentation. The doctor flipped his calm composure and threw the chair there before he stormed out of the hall. Since then, he was not invited to any talks and remained a recluse.

Doctor Jekyll was dressed in the dark grey coat over his regular attire then. He was wearing a bowler hat over his head.

“Holmes, is that...” Watson also saw the unusual onlooker.

“Yes, I saw. He may be in the area and heard of the murder. All of them here are... Well, most of them should be, as I will say, curious, but we would not know. The killer could be here too.”

“Your assumption may be right, for I heard from the copper there, the body was found an hour ago, and...” Watson stopped when he saw the concentration expression on the other. Holmes had a peculiar knack to slip into his own madness—a manner of words here. His mind will be eliminating the trivial and focusing on the main clues.

“Doctor Watson, may I have your professional advice?” That invitation came to the attention of Doctor Watson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Loyal Lieutenants Act Seven Scene One Sub Scene One

 

Act Seven

Scene One

Sub-Scene One

I am a virgin.

 

“Well,’ he said at last. ‘It’s as your ladyship likes. If you get the baby, Sir Clifford’s welcome to it. I won’t have lost anything. On the contrary, I’ve had a very nice experience—very nice indeed!’–and he stretched in a half-suppressed sort of yawn. ‘If you’ve made use of me,’ he said, ‘it’s not the first time I’ve been made use of, and I don’t suppose it’s ever been as pleasant as this time, though of course one can’t feel tremendously dignified about it.’ – He stretched again, curiously, his muscles quivering and his jaw oddly set.

‘But I didn’t make use of you,’ she said, pleading.

‘At your ladyship’s service,’ he replied.

‘No,’ she said. ‘I liked your body.’

‘Did you?’ he replied, and he laughed. ‘Well, then, we’re quits, because I liked yours.’

He looked at her with queer, darkened eyes.

‘Would you like to go upstairs now?’ he asked her, in a strangled sort of voice.

‘No, not here. Not now!’ She said heavily, though if he had used any power over her, she would have gone, for she had no strength against him.

He turned his face away again, and he seemed to forget her.

‘I want to touch you like you touch me,’ she said. ‘I’ve never really touched your body.’ (https://www.historyhit.com/culture/lady-chatterleys-lover-chapter-12/)

Lady Cleop placed the book on her heaving chest. It was a rare book, Lady’s Chatterley Lover by D.H. Lawrence, banned that year from public sale, but she got her copy from friends.

“Tell, Alexas. Tell me what it is like to be loved.” The young lady asked the older maid. Alexas was in her thirties, the elder of the three maids assigned to Lady Cleop. Iras and Charmain, who were the others, were busy preparing the lady’s bath in the private chamber.

“I would not...” Alexas looked away. A few years ago, she was assigned to the young lady as the personal maid and to supervise the other two maids.

“Come tell, Alexas. I am sure you were in love before.” Lady Cleop pinned on the maid to tell. She heard the giggles from the other two maids but ignored them.

“Sit by me and tell.” Cleop moved some space from the divan for Alexas.

“I was…… I was then. It was a man in my town.” Alexas had come to serve the Pharoah over ten years ago. Her family was debt-ridden, and she was bonded to pay the debt.

“Was he handsome?” Lady Cleop asked. Alexas saw the book on the divan. She was not a reader, but she heard of such books that were unsuitable for the younger ladies.

“He was about my age, and we used to go to town together. We were... or rather liked each other. We used to...”

“Make love?” Cleop was curious. As the lady in Egypt, she was protected, and when outside, she was chaperoned by the maids with the guards. She was hardly into any parties, as they deemed her too naïve or young.

“No, we... touch each other. Kissing and some touching.” Alexas’s mind slipped to the past. “We were in love.”

“Was it nice?” Cleop asked. Alexas nodded. “But you did not make love?”

“No, we did not.” Alexas smiled. She was a virgin when she was sent to the pharaoh. He was her first, not her last. It was not love, but a need to survive.

“Oh …… But tell me, how was it nice?” Cleop asked.

“Well, the body feels... nice.” Alexas smiled. “Every part of your body feels the tingle.”

“Like when I touch you?” Cleop grabbed the right breast of the maid and pressed hard on it.

“No….” Alexas pulled away. “Not like that.”

“You need to be gentle, and... you are not a man.” Alexas told the lady. “There is a difference.”

“I am unsure. Sometimes when I grab at Charmain, she will laugh with delight.” Cleop looked at Alexas.

“She is silly. She does not know... what it is.” Alexas smiled. “You would one day meet a man you love.”

“I will, but how will I know how to love him?” Cleop asked.

“Maybe... Lady Cleop, all you need is a teacher.” Alexas looked at the lady. “Not that book, but a teacher who will show you.”

“Who will that be? You?” Lady Cleop asked.

“A woman has her needs too.” Alexas smiled. “I will... you will see how it is done... properly. But you must keep a secret. It is only to share in this chamber. “

Lady Cleop nodded.

“Mr. Mardian, please step in. And you too, Iras.” Alex called out. “Charmain, you take my place on the divan.”

“Now we will do a series of shows for the lady for her lessons.”