Trifecta

by Pam Richter

  "You'll need a warm coat, even if you can't feel the cold," Sabrina said, folding a parka into one of the suitcases. "You could freeze to death and not even know it."

  "I can buy the clothes I need. Really Sabrina, I'll be all right."

  Sabrina was on the verge of tears again. Her mood swings were erratic. Mark knew she was still under the influence of the drugs, even though it had been almost four hours since they had taken her out of that hotel room.

  Mark vowed he would not let her out of his sight for at least a week.

  After the meeting with Burgess Whitcomb, the three of them drove to the bank so Eve could withdraw funds for her journey. Then Eve insisted that they put a deposit on the commercial space on Wilshire Boulevard for the new Sabrina's Fashions.

  After that they went to Alexander and Stephan Steinbrenner's residence in Bel Air. Eve went in alone. She told the two lawyers if they ever told anyone about her computer and special abilities, she would expound on the story, revealing that they had provided a baby for experimentation. And then she would get really vicious. By that time both men were taking little steps backward, distancing themselves from the women who broke legs.

  Eve had handed the brothers fifty thousand dollars in cash. She said that was for their broken legs. They were open mouthed with surprise. She apologized for their discomfort, saying she had been too new to realize the consequences of her actions. Eve promised them that each six months they would get another fifty thousand dollars, for a period of two years. In return for their silence.

  When Alexander suggested that they put the promise into writing, Eve declined, but she reminded them that if they broke the silence there would be severe repercussions. The two brothers looked at each other briefly and came to wordless accord. They promised solemnly and smiled greedily at each other.

  Now, Mark thought, it looked like Eve would be leaving in a few minutes and Sabrina was extremely unhappy about it.

  "Let Sabrina pack anything she thinks you need, Eve," Mark said. He was sitting in Sabrina's bedroom on the bed, strewn with clothing, watching the two women. "You know she will obsess and obsess about your not having everything necessary for your well-being if you don't."

  "Syrup! I almost forgot your syrup." Sabrina left the bedroom abruptly.

  "Now she's going to cry," Eve said. She saw Mark getting up to follow Sabrina. "Wait Mark. She needs time alone. I wanted to talk to you, anyway."

  Mark stared after Sabrina worriedly. "You think she'll be all right? She may get dizzy and fall."

  "I'll hear it if something happens. We'll go check in a minute."

  "Okay." He slumped down, pushing clothing out of the way. Eve sat down beside him.

  "I have all Sabrina's memories and have sorted through them year by year, chronologically," Eve said. "I know all her dreams and what her subconscious mind tells her to do. Since her childhood Sabrina has always been afraid to care for anyone. It's a recurring theme."

  Mark nodded and looked at Eve. Her eyes seemed to shoot out sparks of energy. He was surprised by the thought that Eve didn't look anything like Sabrina. The extraordinary resemblance was just superficial. They were identical, but very different.

  "When Sabrina was six the only family she knew gave her up and sent her to an orphanage. She believed it was punishment because she was a bad little girl. She never got over it. She's always trying to change herself. Trying to gain weight. Trying to hide in pretty clothes. You know how beautiful she is."

  Mark nodded, "Yes."

  "She thinks she's a freak."

  "What? No." Mark shook his head.

  "Because of her height and unusual white hair. See, she believes men only want her for sex, or to use her to make money. So she pushed them all away. Even the ones that might have loved her. Even you."

  Mark nodded, waiting for Eve to continue, knowing instinctively what she said was true.

  "She had to push away anyone she cared for, for fear they would do it to her first, and then she would be hurt again. She always rationalized, found reasons for the rejection. Then you took her by surprise. She tried not to care, but she did. She couldn't deny it. So she waited for you to flee or reject her. And she began to wait for the hurt she knew was her due. Her punishment."

  "Punishment?" Mark said frowning.

  "She doesn't believe, truly, that she deserves to be cared for. Like she's innately flawed in some way that repels people. But, Mark, do you know what she wants most in the world?"

  Mark smiled, "To show her fall line in Paris."

  "Her future will be very successful, vocationally. But what she wants most is your baby."

  "Mine?"

  He looked so startled Eve almost laughed.

  "She's already presumes you're going to leave. So she's been planning to have the baby. I have to say, this is self-fulfilling prophecy. It will be very painful. But I'll bet that nine months after you two break up, she'll have a baby."

  "I don't understand."

  "She's a human being, flawed by her past. She doesn't think, deep down, that anyone will ever want her. To make up for her lonely childhood she wants a family fiercely. Even if her children never have a father, she's determined to do the whole thing alone."

  Mark was shaking his head. "She's beautiful and talented. Anyone would want her. She's sweet and funny..."

  Eve stood up and looked down at Mark. He couldn't stand the staring. Eve was not blinking again.

  Finally Mark said, "What should I do?"

  "What Sabrina needs," Eve said bluntly, "is a commitment."

  "We're practically living together."

  "On your terms, Mark. Pretty soon that won't be enough and she'll push you away forever."

  "You're serious?"

  "You know what to do. But only if it's what you want. Otherwise, you should let her go. She's been waiting for years. She won't wait much longer. This isn't a threat. It happened last night."

  Mark nodded.

  "She made it happen, didn't she?"

  "Yes." Mark was so still he looked mesmerized.

  "The important thing is, she will make the dreams come true, because she can't help it. Even after the commitment, if you choose to make it, it will cause so much anxiety, because it goes against everything she believes deep down inside, that it will again seem like she's rejecting you. She'll even think there's something wrong with you. So you will have to be patient and remember that she really loves you."

  "Really?" Mark couldn't stop his smile, although he was trying to be serious.

  "Believe it," Eve said, smiling back at Mark. "I know because I get her emotions when I see you suddenly."

  "Bizarre." In a way it was extremely flattering.

  "When it first happened, I wanted you so badly I couldn't believe it. I was a computer first, before I got Sabrina's memories, and I couldn't understand how I could want anyone so violently. It was totally illogical. Her thoughts and emotions, even her memories were so vivid it seemed like they were mine. I thought I was going crazy. Luckily I met Ivar, and fell in love with him. Lucky for you too," Eve said, smiling at Mark impishly, "or I might still be stuck on you."

  "No way, Eve."

  "A few days ago...I had a real thing for you. I would have loved to just squeeze you to death and suck your breath out."

  The statement was so dramatic and funny that both Mark and Eve were laughing hysterically when Sabrina came into the bedroom. She smiled at both of them, not understanding, but happy to see they were finally getting along.

  Mark and Sabrina started lining up the packed suitcases on the floor in the hallway, while Eve tried to call Ivar. She had called his apartment several times. Now she was worried and finally tried Burgess Whitcomb's office. When she spoke to the receptionist there, he said they were looking for Ivar too, and if she found out where he was, to give them a call.

  Eve wondered if Ivar was, indeed, in trouble. Why would the CIA be looking for Ivar when he was off duty? Then something clicked in her mind. He was Russ
ian. He had known who Sergi Malcovich really was. He said he would get their final interrogation with Burgess Whitcomb to the KGB. It all snapped together. The fact that he had talked about her on the phone the first night he had met her, when he thought she was asleep and could not hear. It seemed so obvious, now, that he had not been speaking to anyone in the CIA. He had been talking to his real boss. The KGB.

  Ivar was now on the run.

  Eve walked into the entrance hall. Mark had managed to pick up two suitcases and then put one down, placed the smaller bag of syrup under his arm and picked up the second suitcase again. He staggered toward the door.

  "You're sure you'll be able to carry these, Eve? They're pretty heavy, altogether."

  "Yes, Mark. But I need to have some tea and talk to you both, first. I think you two better sit down."

  Sabrina was happy at the reprieve, wanting a little more time before she left. Eve sat down at the kitchen table because she knew that Sabrina wanted to fuss over her and make her tea. Mark sat down too.

  "I will sure miss this place," Eve said. The clock was making it's usual noise and Morris had jumped comfortably into Sabrina's lap, circled a few times and hunkered down. Eve looked around the kitchen, at the potted plants, the tea kettle shaped like a cat and the empty shelf where her own supply of sweets had been.

  "I was planning to tell you all that I'm going to say on the way to the airport. But now I need you to stay here. I'll take a taxi."

  "We want to take you," Sabrina protested.

  "I know. And I'll tell you why in a minute. See, I want cats, like Morris. And dogs and babies. I want to see all the sunrises and sunsets, and learn to ski, and see the whole world, and own a farm and watch things grow. And, most of all, I want to be free. Remember what Ivar said? He said that he truly knew what being free meant."

  Eve paused when the tea kettle whistled and she waited for Sabrina to pour the boiling liquid into cups.

  "I didn't catch what he was really saying. Because Ivar did sacrifice everything. For us."

  "I don't understand," Sabrina said.

  "He blew his own cover to save us. What I'm telling you is very secret. The CIA is looking for him because he's not an American citizen. He's Russian. With the KGB. And now he's on the run."

  Sabrina felt shivers of alarm go down her arms, "How do you know?"

  Eve explained the clues that had led her to that conclusion.

  "But he can't be KGB," Mark protested. "I mean, I can tell he's very tough. But KGB?"

  "I think he was placed in deep cover for a long time. He speaks French as well as Russian. Probably came here from Canada. But now he has to disappear. Both from the CIA and the KGB. He's in serious trouble with them both. I think he gave up Sergi to the CIA, and it implicated him."

  Eve paused for a moment and then continued, "You know how I feel about him. And he will try to contact me. I'm going to ask you both to do something very dangerous."

  "What is it?" Mark said.

  "When he calls, I want you to persuade him not to leave at once. I'm assuming that there will be a gigantic manhunt. They'll be watching all the airlines."

  Sabrina nodded.

  "The dangerous part, is that I am going to ask you to hide him in the apartment upstairs for about a week, if the hunt starts right away. No one knows about that apartment. Tell him I'm going to the Bahamas and that I will be there for two weeks, doing business. I think he'll come after me."

  "We'll stay and wait for his call," Sabrina said. She was thinking what a gigantic relief it was that Ivar would be with Eve. He would certainly know how to protect her.

  Mark stayed in the apartment to await Ivar's call, and to let Eve and Sabrina have a final few minutes together. Eve said good-by to Mark quickly and hugged him at the door. His breath went out with a big whoosh when she squeezed his ribs and they both laughed.

  Sabrina walked with Eve openly for the first time, to the elevators, and then down into the lobby. They now could be seen together without fear and it was such a relief. It would also be less dangerous for Sabrina if people noticed Eve leaving.

  Jack called for a taxi and helped Eve with the bags, taking them out front under the round awning at the doorway. He clucked over the two them until Sabrina thought he would never leave. How cute they were together. How beautiful and identical they were. Finally he went back inside.

  "I hate this," Sabrina said.

  "And now we have nothing to say. I know what you're thinking, so you don't have to say it. And you don't want to be thanked again for rescuing me from what could have been a terrible fate; being displayed and probed by scientists. Or even something much worse."

  "You rescued me today."

  Eve shrugged. "You see those two men across the street?" Eve was looking past the heavy street traffic. "Staring at us."

  "CIA? KGB? Hashimoto's people?" Sabrina asked, alarmed.

  "Naw. They're just staring at the two beautiful babes." Eve was laughing. "See, they just waved."

  "You're trying to say something, Eve?"

  "What I'm wondering, is if you think I'm repulsively, disgustingly skinny."

  "No. And I see where you're going."

  "I want you to remember that, because we do look exactly alike."

  "I don't believe I look like you."

  "Jack thinks so, and he's known you for years. He couldn't tell us apart."

  Sabrina smiled at Eve. "I remember when I first saw you at Ferd's. I thought you looked exactly like me. And then you went into the bathroom and saw yourself in the mirror. You said you liked looking like me. Now I like looking like you."

  "Would you check up on Ferd?"

  Sabrina nodded. "The first time I was drugged I got you. The second time, a tattoo. Life is really strange."

  "Strange and extremely wonderful. I have a present for you, since we don't want to say good-by. Two really. When I went into Hashimoto's safe, I took a lot of money. Hundreds of thousands. I'm putting it in your name. Ivar agrees and said you should have it for what was done to you today. That's why I'm going to the Bahamas. Tax advantages are excellent. We'll be a corporation."

  Sabrina was speechless.

  "The second present is nothing tangible. But something much more important."

  "How mysterious. I hope it's that you plan to come back next week."

  "Not next week. But you'll see me again. We'll have a vacation together. With Mark and Ivar. At first, someplace out of the country. Maybe Australia or Switzerland. We'll find a way. But you already know that. The present is something you don't know. It's about Mark."

  "Oh, no."

  "Something good," Eve said smiling.

  "Tell me quick."

  Eve could see by the way Sabrina's shoulders hunched and her eyes narrowed she was waiting for a lethal blow. Even her heart rate had gone up alarmingly.

  "Mark is madly in love with you. He adores you, is totally passionate about you, delights in the way you look, loves everything about you."

  "No," Sabrina said, shaking her head, looking sad.

  "Yes."

  Sabrina just stood there shaking her head for some time. Finally she said, "I was just brainwashed today. A few hours ago. Please don't do this to me."

  "I would never hurt you by telling a lie. Mark's hearts skips when he sees you. He has trouble telling, so he has shown you in many ways. He thinks you already know and that you are rejecting him. Mark does love you. And he will do anything you want. Even leave you. So give him a chance, Sabrina. And try to believe me."

  "I can't," Sabrina said almost helplessly.

  "You have to. You know you love him, but you're pushing him away. Just let him."

  Sabrina was still shaking her head as if she could not stop.

  "He said just today that anyone would want you. His words were, 'She's talented and beautiful. She's funny and sweet.' So give you and Mark a chance. Promise me."

  "It's really true?" Sabrina asked, starting to smile.

  "How's that for a pre
sent!" Eve asked triumphantly.

  Sabrina shook her head helplessly and laughed.

  A few horns blared when a yellow taxi with black and white checks on the doors spun across several lanes of traffic and skidded to a stop in front of Sabrina and Eve. The taxi driver got out and helped put the bags in the trunk of the car. It was all happening too quickly and Sabrina felt tears stinging her eyes.

  Eve winked at Sabrina and got in the back. She rolled down the window and leaned out, waving as the taxi started moving. "Remember what I said."

  The traffic was jammed and Sabrina watched as the taxi was slowly immersed in the heavy flow. She could see that Eve was talking to the driver. She was leaning over the seat. Sabrina watched as Eve climbed over the front seat to sit next to the driver. Her long legs had trouble and she seemed to be laughing.

  CHAPTER 37

  Sabrina felt tears falling on her cheeks, so she walked quickly around the long block, wiping her eyes on her sleeve and muttering that she should never have let Eve go. It was too dangerous. Eve would probably eat gigantic amounts of food in front of people, forget herself and growl when she got angry, or hurt someone unintentionally. It was scary to contemplate. She could imagine Eve gulping syrup out of the pour spout in the wrong place, revealing her genius to the wrong person, or forgetting to blink for minutes at a time. She still did that when she was concentrating.

  On the other hand, Sabrina laughed out loud at the memory of Eve's ungainly climb over the front seat of the cab.

  Sabrina was back at the front of the building before she realized it. She walked around the block again slowly.

  She wondered if what Eve had told her was true. Mark's heart skipped when he saw her? He thought she was funny and sweet? And beautiful and talented?

  Then what about last night? He had left her. Sabrina found herself tearing up at the memory again and blamed the drugs for her highly emotional state.

  She took a deep breath, trying to be logical. Eve could certainly hear it if someone's heart beat accelerated. But as for the rest of it, it was hard to believe. Mark had been upset because she had been drugged and near death. It was easy to feel extreme emotion that way, after someone was dead, Sabrina thought self-righteously. Mark probably said those things when she had been unconscious and they didn't know if they could revive her.