by Matthew Fish
“Do you know much about them?” Mark asked.
“Of course, boy,” Caesar said as he took another sip of wine and began to pour another glass from a ridiculously large bottle. “Do either of you partake?”
“No,” Mark said as he shook his head.
“Madam…?”
“I’ve had a glass or two, but only with dinner,” Maddie said as she placed a hand out to kindly refuse Caesar’s offer.
“More for me,” Caesar said as he shrugged. “To answer your question, boy, yes—I met that Zampa man once. He was a particularly nasty fellow that’s got a big chip on his shoulder. If you’re thinking he might be somehow responsible for your father’s death, then you’re chasing a neutered dog. He might have some power—if having a small time drug operation is having power…which if we’re being honest—it’s not. Really, the only thing he’s good at is making gifted daughters—he’s not particularly good at keeping them though. Only a handful of them are even loyal to the prick. We don’t all really believe that he’ll be around much longer. When the Conductors chased him out of the Milieu in France and he half-assedly faked his own death, his birth year was passed around—stupid man he was…he didn’t even change his birth name before going down the bad path. Of course his father disowned him as well. Now that was a devil of a Perpetual—I am glad I never crossed paths with him. Let’s say that not a single tear was shed when they came and turned him to pretty dust.”
“I believe that he had something to do with it though, two of his gifted daughters are after me,” Mark added. “They want me alive.”
“I’ve heard,” Caesar said as he took another sip of wine. “Dreadful business that you got roped into by that reckless numbskull Bradley—but Zampa’s more likely to be someone’s lapdog. I’ve heard the report from William…the old one that couldn’t be placed—whomever that turns out to be is the one pulling the strings on Zampa’s tiny prick.”
“How can we find out who that person is?” Maddie asked, growing more interested in the possibilities of who this mysterious ‘old one’ might be.”
“Twasn’t me,” Caesar said as he fluttered his hand about. “That narrows it down a tad. Not the comforting answer you were looking for, I know. Luckily for all of us, we will have plenty of time to sit around and wonder whom is pissing into whose pot. For now retire to your rooms—second floor hallway. I’ve labeled your names on your doors in gold leaf. You can thank me later by telling me how glorious it looks…”
“Thanks,” Mark said awkwardly. “I’m sure it’s…awesome.”
“I’ll give you all the full and grand tour after dinner,” Caesar he bade them to go away with a repeated flick of his wrist and wriggling fingers. “Now I must be left alone to prepare—go and rest your pretty little heads upon your pillows and let the worries of your journey disappear my little duckies.”
“He’s kind of an odd one, isn’t he?” Maddie asked as she and Mark made their way down a narrow curved hallway and towards a large ornate spiraling staircase in another huge room filled with plants.
“The walls do carry the words well, Ms. Willbell,” Caesar announced from the other room. “And…you have no idea.”
“Sorry…” Maddie loudly announced they began to ascend the staircase.
“I don’t know…it seems pretty on par for the course these days.” Mark said as he followed Maddie up the winding staircase.
They made their way through a long hallway with dark red paint on the walls. Old paintings of historical figures lined the walls—most of them Mark did not recognize. They reached the end of the long hallway where a large deer head was mounted against the side. Four rooms were located at the end of this hall, one of which the door was slightly ajar.
Mark peeked into the room just in time to see Emily removing her shirt—revealing her slender frame and a black lacey bra that barely covered her larger than expected, breasts. Maddie peeked in, noting Mark’s interest.
“You fucking perverts…!” Emily shouted as she noticed the two just beyond the door. With a swift gesture of her hand she slammed the door shut. She then shouted, muffled, through the door. “Hope you enjoyed the show, dicks!”
“Shut your door next time!” Maddie yelled as she looked to Mark and shrugged. “I’m pretty sure she did that on purpose.”
“She seemed…a little upset,” Mark added. His mind was still fixated on the sight. After all, he was a young man—it was a nice sight. “I mean…yeah, I don’t know.”
“They weren’t that impressive,” Maddie said with a little laugh as looked to the room directly across from Emily’s. A black metal placard was placed upon the door and in gold leaf, just as Caesar had said; her name was intricately laid out on the surface of the metal as a pair of golden roses adorned each side. “Right across from her room, of course—though that name plate is rather a work of art isn’t it?”
“It is,” Mark said as he nodded. He looked over to the door down the way just a bit and saw his own name on a similar door. There, however, were no fancy additions to the design—just his name and nothing more. “I think Caesar likes you the best,” he added as he pointed to Emily’s sign which looked very simple and even a step down from his own.
“William told me a bit about Caesar,” Maddie said as she placed a finger on her name and ran it against the raised surface. “He’s a big fan of Conductors…I think he might not see you as one yet though.”
“Makes sense,” Mark said as he let out a short sigh. “I mean you’ve had all that training and all I’ve had so far was a train wreck.”
“You’ll get there, though,” Maddie said as she placed her left hand on Mark’s shoulder. “Caesar will help—and I’m sure he’ll start treating you as awkwardly as he does me.”
“Can’t wait,” Mark said with a laugh. “One thing’s been bothering me though…”
“That is?”
“Caesar said that this Zampa guy is a dead end—that I shouldn’t be chasing after him…that we should be going for the old one that Bradley couldn’t figure out,” Mark said as he pulled Maddie away from Emily’s door just in case she was eavesdropping.
“You don’t think that’s right though…do you?”
“No,” Mark said as he shook his head. “…And I’m not trying to go all Bradley here—but, Zampa’s definitely connected to this. Even Emily said that she overheard her father on the phone with someone that he was afraid of…and it was during one of Zampa’s drug running smuggling operations that my father died. Also…it’s his daughters that are after me.”
“Even William didn’t seem to keen on or perusing that as a lead,” Maddie said as she nodded. “I don’t believe that you are being left out or lied to—it’s just that Zampa’s been nearly impossible to track. He moves residences at the drop of a hat. He trusts very few people that aren’t family…and he doesn’t even trust them that much. There’s a reason he got out of France alive—he’s tricky and he’s got talented daughters. Well…some talented daughters. Anyway, that makes him dangerous. I think that they both mock him, Caesar and William, but Zampa might just be a small time drug operator these days—but it seems like we’re more interested in doing damage control and stopping the Perpetuals he’s turned bad than actually stopping the man himself.”
“He might not be impossible to find,” Mark said as he gestured towards Emily’s door.
“Only if she’s willing,” Maddie said as she shook her head. “I’ll not stand by your side if you try anything like what Bradley did. Also…only when you’re ready and we’ve cleared whatever mission comes up through William. This might not really be about not being able to find him—but your protection. We wouldn’t stand a chance against him and his daughters and that’s not even to mention whatever hired thugs he would have with him…at least not as we are.”
“Of course,” Mark said as he nodded. “I would never force any kind of information from Emily—she’s a friend. I don’t really have many of those at the moment and she’s placed he
rself in a lot of danger on my behalf. I trust her unconditionally, and we will do things your way—or not at all.”
“You have more friends than you think,” Maddie whispered as she drew in close and gave Mark a soft kiss on his cheek. She then gestured with her head towards her room and smiled. “I’m going to make sure my room isn’t the travesty the rest of this house is. Though, I don’t hold much hope for that.”
“Thanks…for that,” Mark spoke softly as he took a step back and nodded. “I’m sure my room is full of all manner of dead, stuffed things.”
“Right,” Maddie added with a short laugh as she opened her door and left the hallway.
I felt strangely warm at that moment. My cheek still tingled from Maddie’s soft lips. I figured it was probably only a gesture of friendship, but—at the time, it felt like it meant more. I stood in front of my room for a moment as I let my mind process all of the information that was overwhelming it. I placed my hand upon the silver knob and gave it a turn and entered a brightly lit room. It was actually pretty nice. Warm yellow wallpaper adorned the walls; a large series of windows faced the driveway and the deep green forest beyond. I spent a moment, my hands resting against the window sill as I looked out to the yard. I could spot a large pond and stone walkways beneath all the overgrowth. I imagined that at one time, the garden in the front must have been rather grand. I turned my attention back to my large room. There was a large series of oaken dressers, a full length mirror in one corner, the bed was large with dark wooden posts and a bright yellow canopy hung overhead. A large bookshelf contained many different history books, an old record player sat beside the bed with a little radio. There was no television; I was a little down about that. At least I could listen to my music on my cell phone, or go into my hidden folder and watch some porn—to relieve a little tension. It had been a while. However, that day, I felt a nap would do me quite well. I climbed into soft sheets and rested my head against the pillow and drifted off.
The sun filtered in with an orange glow as a knock came upon Mark’s door. Mark jumped out of bed and cracked the door open only to see Caesar smiling rather creepily.
“It is dinnertime my duckling,” Caesar said as he looked down at Mark’s boxers and let out a short little gasp. “Put some pants on, boy. You’ll give an old man the vapors.”
“Sorry,” Mark said awkwardly as he shut the door and got dressed for dinner. He exited the room to find Maddie and Emily already standing with Caesar in the hallway.
“Follow me,” Caesar said as he raised a hand and allowed it to linger in the air as he led the small group. He had changed from his Kimono to one of those black and white Hugh Heffner type robes as a cigar trailed smoke from his other hand. “While you were asleep Captain William had your cars dropped off—it’s in the garage.”
“My car…?” Maddie asked.
“Both of your cars,” Caesar spoke as he led the group down the spiral staircase and another long hallway. “That black Mustang and that Black Charger—what is it why you Conductors and your boring cars—have a bit more flair, I’ve always favored a sparkling red. Anyway, I hope you like Chinese. Don’t worry my duckies, I didn’t order in. I took that beastly Charger out and picked quite a grand spread from in town. It’s a nice car…aside from the duct tape covering a hole in the ceiling and the scuff on the front fender. Which, might I add, I simply cannot be blamed for—I have not driven in nearly thirty years, after all.”
“That would be my car…I guess,” Mark added as he shrugged. He’d be more upset—but he didn’t exactly buy the car. He imagined that Bradley would be extremely pissed.
Caesar led them into a huge dining room with crimson red walls and crushed velvet red curtains. The dining table was huge with about twenty chairs. Assortments of random candles were lit all along the table which accommodated a large spread of Chinese food takeout bins. Four paper plates were grouped together in the center of the table with a small pile of plastic forks, knives, and wooden chopsticks.
“This looks….great,” Mark said as he sat down as Maddie sat down beside him. Caesar and Emily made their way around the large table and sat across from them.
“I do what I can, Caesar said as he grabbed a pair of cheap wooden chopsticks and broke them apart and rubbed them together. “And what I do is always fantastic. How is everyone finding their new accommodations?”
“There is no TV…” Emily muttered as she grabbed a fork and dug into a container of fried rice. Emily was wearing a black short dress that fell just above her knees with red roses imprinted on the fabric and her long black boots. There was still a little blood on her boots—Mark did not know if it was hers, Bradley’s or Maddie’s. It could have been any of the three.
“Television is a cancer on the mind,” Caesar said as he dumped some kind of chicken dish onto his paper place. “At least you’re finally wearing something more befitting of a lady.”
“You’re a cancer…on my life,” Emily retorted as she tugged at the chest of her dress and unbuttoned the top button to show a little cleavage.
“And you Maddie,” Caesar said, ignoring Emily’s remarks.
“Absolutely wonderful, Caesar,” Maddie said as she smiled. She was dressed in a long white, low cut dress shirt with long flowing sleeves that reminded Mark of her Conductor outfit and a pair of blue jeans. “I think the dress looks quite nice on you, Emily—did you know roses are my favorite flower?”
“Whatever,” Emily said rudely as she chewed on a bit of food.
“And Mark, how did you find your room?” Caesar said without turning his attention away from his meal. “Or…how did you not find a change of clothes—after I went through so much trouble to pick out much more appropriate attire for you.”
“I didn’t know there were clothes for me,” Mark admitted. He was still wearing his black jeans and t-shirt from the night before. “I didn’t check the dressers, sorry…”
“No need to apologize, boy,” Caesar said as he let out a short laugh. “It was a jape; I had simply forgotten to mention it.”
“Alright…then,” Mark spoke as he shook his head.
“Did you know, many centuries ago I once dined with the Emperor of China. It was a special treat as outsiders were rarely let into the country, but of course—he made a special occasion for me,” Caesar said proudly as he fumbled for a moment with his chopsticks and then proceeded to accidentally drop one onto the floor.
“Nice move, dickfingers,” Emily said as she laughed.
“Emily!” Maddie exclaimed in a stern tone as she shot Emily a hateful look. “Can you just stop being your usual self for one evening?”
“Take no heed of her,” Caesar commanded as he emerged from beneath the table and began using the same chopsticks. “Zampa girls are not exactly known for having a great respect for culture or manners—or for caring about much at all.
“I’m not a Zampa,” Emily said as she pouted for a moment and kicked at a table leg, causing the entire table to briefly tremble. “I’m a Stapleton.”
“Well…this is, yeah—this is definitely a fun dinner,” Mark said in a hushed tone as he picked up his fork and dished out some lo mien onto his paper plate.
“I’m surprised you’re not food blogging this beautiful meal,” Emily said as she shot Mark an unusual look and smiled. “I wouldn’t worry about it—my sisters don’t even know what the internet is.”
“I think that this is a wonderful meal,” Maddie said as she shrugged. “I was always happy when I when was young to get take out with my parents. We used to have to drive nearly an hour into town…sometimes the food would get cold by the time we got home.”
“I am, for the most part, amused,” Caesar said, not noting Mark or Emily’s sarcasm.
After we ate Caesar gave us a tour of his large, sprawling unique home. Back on the first floor we entered a huge library. Caesar said it contained the genealogy of some of the most famous Perpetuals throughout history. He mentioned that both Maddie and I should spend some t
ime here—that there were some great stories regarding Conductors and their history with some of the more affluent Perpetuals. After the library room, we headed towards a great ballroom that had a light wooden floor. The room was bright from the glow of many golden extravagant chandeliers that hung overhead. The walls were another shade of red—more of a burgundy. Arched Mirrors were affixed to each corner of the room giving the already expansive room a larger look. At the far end of the room a large slab of concrete was placed, it looked quite out of place. At both sides of the large concrete wall were a handful of striking dummies. Caesar explained that this would be where we trained. It seemed a bit too nice of a place for me to be tossing coins around—but when I objected, Caesar simply laughed and said that money was of no importance and any damage done to the room would cost a mere pittance of his vast fortune which he then claimed to have a rather large amount of gold amassed underground. I wondered how much of it was true, thinking back to what William had said about Caesar and his embellishments. Caesar definitely appeared to have very well trained talent for bullshitting. He showed us all the different bathrooms; I remember counting about four in all. He mentioned that a fifth bathroom resided on the second floor—that it would be easy to find for all the other room besides our bedrooms were merely storage for all of his artifacts that he had collected over his many, many years. His voice became very stern and unusual when he stated that the third floor was strictly off limits and was his domain and sanctuary. No one questioned him…not even Emily who seemed to have little respect for boundaries, perhaps it was because it was the first time that Caesar showed a flash of seriousness instead of his usual aloof attitude. The last stop was a large indoor pool and hot tub.
“This, my duckies, can be your sanctuary,” Caesar said as he fanned himself. “It’s always so humid in here though—but in the winter, this place is a little slice of heaven.”
