Trifecta (53 page)

I
var Cousin was running two blocks behind Sergi, gaining
fast.  He wondered why Sergi continued to follow Eve and Sabrina.  Ivar accelerated
as he saw Sergi moving cautiously and with utter stealth as he got nearer.  He saw
Sergi move behind Sabrina.  Ivar was astonished when he saw her throw her arms up
in the air.  It looked like an impulsive movement, because she immediately put them
down again.  He had the disquieting notion that the man was threatening her with
a gun.  Ivar started running faster. 

Ivar watched Eve walk around the front of the car.  She
was obviously following Sergi's orders because he had his gun in Sabrina's ribs. 
Even from a block away Ivar could see Sabrina trembling.  Sergi had his arm around
her now, and had pulled her close to him, as though she was a great friend that
he had accidentally met up with.  No one would be able to guess what was happening.

Ivar moved forward until he was about twenty feet away
and ducked behind a tree.  He was completely at a loss.  He couldn't shoot Sergi
in the back, and couldn't figure what the man could possibly be up to.  It looked
like he was going to abduct the two women, right here in the open, using their own
automobile.  Ivar was close enough to hear them.

"If you hurt her, I will kill you,"  Eve was
saying in a conversational tone.  She didn't sound very threatening and she looked
so beautiful and fragile it was almost comical.

"Put out your wrists,"  Sergi said to Eve.  He
had not moved the gun from Sabrina's ribs, but let go of her as he pulled handcuffs
out of his pocket and snapped them, one handed, onto Eve's wrists. 

As Ivar watched he knew how painful it was when someone
used the cuffs like that.  They had to be broken open with great force.  Eve didn't
even wince as he slashed them on her.

Ivar was afraid if he threatened Sergi with his own gun
that he might pull the trigger and kill Sabrina.  He had to create a diversion. 
He did the only thing he could think of.  Ivar had not practiced his mimicking ability
for years, but he growled ferociously and loudly from behind the tree.  It accomplished
the desired results.

Sergi visibly started and turned his head at the sound
of a mad dog about to attack.  He searched the area behind him with his eyes for
just a moment.  It was enough time for Eve to take action. 

Ivar, who had been planning to rush forward and disarm
Sergi, was stunned to see Eve, standing in front of Sergi, growl fiercely herself
and lean forward fast as a snake and bite him in the neck.  She took out a large
chunk of flesh and then turned her head and spit out skin, muscle and blood.  Sergi
yelled shrilly and covered the wound with his free hand.  Since he was concentrating
on his wound, Eve brought both of her cuffed arms down on top of the gun, whacking
it away.  She was so fast that when the gun discharged it didn't hit anyone.  Then
Eve pulled her arms apart sharply and broke the handcuffs in two.

Ivar's brain was telling him that handcuffs were made of
steel.  They could not be broken in half like that, no matter how strong a person
was.  There was blood on Eve's mouth.  She had looked, for a moment, like an enraged
animal.  It was so shocking he was immobilized. 

Sergi was holding the side of his neck and gazing in shock
at his broken hand.  He slowly sank down to a sitting position. 

At least she had not bitten into his jugular vein, Ivar
thought, or blood would have been pulsing out of Sergi's neck. 

Ivar watched as Eve went to the side of the jogging path
to pick up the gun.  She stuck the gun in the side of her shorts with the barrel
sticking out.  She walked over to Sergi and looked down at him.

"He'll be all right.  I think we should leave now. 
Before we attract attention."

Sabrina looked stupefied.  She walked woodenly over to
the car, and taking a roll of paper towels from the back seat, handed a bunch to
Sergi.  He immediately tried to staunch the blood dripping from his neck wound. 
Then she walked over to Eve and wiped the blood off of her mouth.

Ivar watched Eve and Sabrina get into the car and drive
off.  Ivar had no doubt who had broken the Steinbrenner brother's legs, now that
he had seen Eve in action.  She was a very dangerous woman.  He had visions of her
biting into Sergi's neck and breaking his hand with one violent blow, and he had
another of her laughing and talking with him after the movie they had seen the night
before.  He didn't know if he could call her as he had promised.  She was a very
disturbing and dangerous person. 

Eve looked at Sabrina as they drove up Doheny toward Sunset
Boulevard.  Eve thought she could drive.  It appeared simple, and Sabrina did not
look well at all.  She was still shaking and tears were running out of her eyes. 
Eve thought it might be because she had bitten the evil man with the gun, but she
hadn't had much choice.  It had been necessary to immobilize the man quickly and
effectively.  She had rapidly gone over all possible options and decided upon the
least expected way to hurt him enough so that she and Sabrina could get away.  If
she had threatened him with her arms or legs, he might have shot Sabrina.  Also,
Eve knew that Ivar was behind a tree.  He would have heroically tried to save them. 
Ivar might have been shot. 

Eve was sure she had been in total control of the emotions
during the whole incident.  Anyway, the Russian agent had shot Stephen as he sat
helplessly in his wheelchair.  Eve felt totally justified. 

Eve explained exactly why she had behaved as she had, and
thought that Sabrina was calming down.  Especially when she told Sabrina that it
tasted nasty to have skin and blood in her mouth, until Sabrina drove straight through
a red light.  Sabrina seemed to be totally oblivious to the cars honking at them.

Eve looked at Sabrina with concern and wondered if she
was in a state of emotional disturbance.  Eve touched Sabrina's forehead, but it
was not clammy or cold like a shock victim's.  She seemed to be breathing fine. 
She was just trembling.  And driving very slowly.  Cars were getting mad at her.

"Will you teach me to drive?"  Eve asked.

"Yes."

"Now?"

Sabrina pulled into a parking place on Sunset Boulevard
and they traded places.

"I have watched a lot,"  Eve said, to reassure
Sabrina.

"You don't have a license.  Of course you can always
use mine.  No one could tell the difference."

As Sabrina was thinking about how to teach someone to drive,
Eve put the car in Drive and pressed the accelerator very carefully.  The car shot
into traffic.  She moved the steering wheel, got the feel of moving right and left,
and then rapidly started weaving through the heavy traffic. 

Driving was fun. 

No wonder there were so many cars.  It was wonderful to
be able to move so fast just by pushing the little pedal.  She was enjoying herself
so much she didn't see the look of sheer terror on Sabrina's face. 

Eve wondered why cars drove so slowly.  She noticed that
most people were considerate.  They were quickly moving out of her way.

"Eve?"

"What, Sabrina?"

"Do you know how fast you're going?"

"Eighty,"  Eve said smiling.

"The speed limit is thirty-five.  You'd better slow
down.  We might get a speeding ticket."

Sabrina was about to warn Eve about the power brakes, but
she was too late and they spread rubber over twenty feet.  Both women were hurtled
forward into their seat belts.

"The brakes work real well, don't they,"  Eve
commented with satisfaction as she began a more sedate pace down Sunset.  "I
love to drive cars."

"Good,"  Sabrina muttered.  "Did you notice
that we were almost kidnapped, right out in the open? In the light of day?"

Eve nodded.

"And the man had an accent?"

"Russian." 

"How do you know?"  Sabrina asked. 

"I saw the movie 'Russia House' last night.  I recognized
the accent."

"We aren't safe anywhere.  The Russians and the Americans
and the Japanese want you."

"Where shall we go?"

"Home."

They drove in silence until they got to Sabrina's condominium. 
When they got to the lobby Sabrina decided they needed a hiding place.  She walked
over to Jack, the security guard, and asked him if there were any more apartments
in the building for rent.  She explained she wanted to rent one for Eve.

Sabrina had to sign a years lease and put down a security
deposit.  She hoped she would be able to sublet the apartment after the emergency
situation was over.  It was pretty expensive.

During the next hour, Eve and Sabrina moved clothing and
a supply of food and syrup into the little studio apartment on the floor above Sabrina's
apartment.  They used the stairs so that no one would see them.  When they made
their final trip and were surveying the place, Eve asked Sabrina if she could stay
there tonight.

"Sure."

"Oh, Good.  Good.  Good.  Good."  Eve punctuated
each word with a jump that took her to the ceiling.  "My own place!"

Sabrina laughed.  Eve looked pleased as a three year old
with her first doll.  "I didn't know you wanted to live alone."

"Doesn't everyone want their own place?"

Sabrina thought back to her years at the orphanage, where
she had slept in a dorm with twelve girls when she was little.  Then, during her
teens, there were three other girls in the same room.  She had longed for her own
place and some privacy.  Eve had those memories, and probably her own longing for
independence.

Sabrina nodded and smiled at Eve, not wanting to take any
of her enthusiasm away.

M
ark was remarking to Sabrina how nice it was not
to be awakened in the middle of the night by bloodcurdling screams.  They were having
their morning coffee in her kitchen.  He said it in a quasi-joking manner.  Sabrina
thought she would keep Eve's method of preventing a kidnapping a secret, for maybe
ten or fifteen years.

The intercom rang and Sabrina ran to answer it.  She pushed
the Speak button.  Jack told her there were Census Takers downstairs.  They wanted
to ask her some questions. 

Sabrina was silent for so long Jack asked, "Sabrina,
are you there?"

"Yes.  No! Tell them I'm not here."

"They heard you answer,"  Jack whispered. 

"I sent the forms in, months ago." 

"They're going to each apartment.  It only takes a
minute."

"Okay.  But tell them to wait a while.  I have to
get dressed."

It was probably government agents, trying to spy on her
and using a ruse to get inside her apartment.  Apparently Jack was satisfied with
who they said they were.  Now they had access to the entire building. 

Even worse, Eve would be coming down any minute.  They
would probably ask her where she was living.  They had the right because they were
supposedly checking each apartment for their periodic population count.  If Eve
told, their safety-escape apartment would be gone.

Sabrina ran and told Mark.

The doorbell rang.

There were three men.  One was carrying a red, white and
blue briefcase with the word Census on it.  Sabrina invited them in and asked them
to sit down.  One of the men opened the briefcase and took out the form that she
had filled out several months ago.  They were very organized; Sabrina recognized
her own writing on the questionnaire. 

All three men apologized for taking up her time since she
had already answered the Census, explaining that they were 'spot-checking' in the
neighborhood.

Mark walked into the living room and stood with his arms
folded in front of him.  He started tapping his foot.

One of the men brightly asked if he lived in the Miller
household, also.  Sabrina said he was a guest.

All the men smiled, but Sabrina was thankful Mark was there. 
They couldn't harass her in front of a witness.

One of the men, still smiling, asked her if she was indeed
Sabrina Miller.  Sabrina said yes.

He asked if another woman was living in the apartment.

Sabrina shook her head, no.

They had heard that there was another woman who was living
here.  A couple of people in the building had mentioned it because the two women
looked so much alike.  Except for their coloring.  The tenants had described a woman
with black hair. 

Even with all the care she and Eve had taken not to be
seen together, Sabrina realized her neighbors had noticed them and had been willing
to gossip.

Sabrina looked at three bland smiling faces.  Not a hair
was out of place.  All six shoes were shining with a mirror-like polish.  She felt
intimidated by snowy white shirts.  They didn't appear threatening, but Sabrina
was terrified.  She hoped she was not noticeably trembling, but could feel moisture
beginning to form on her upper lip.

Mark mentioned they had to go to work.

Sabrina said they must mean her cousin, Eve Miller, who
had just left the day before.  She had been visiting for a while. 

Mark pointedly said that he would bring the car out in
front to take her to work.  He left the apartment.

Sabrina was shocked that Mark had abandoned her, but the
three men did not ask any more personal questions.  They declined coffee and smiled
their way out the door.

Sabrina watched from the peep hole as they got on the elevator. 
When the doors closed, she grabbed her keys and ran out of the apartment, over to
the stairwell.  She raced up the stairs and made sure the hall was empty before
running to Eve's apartment.  When there was no answer to her knock, Sabrina used
her key.  She quickly checked all the rooms. 

The apartment was empty.

While she had been talking to the 'Census Takers,' some
other people had taken Eve.  She looked outside the window and saw that Mark's car
was down below, waiting for her.  She sped down the stairs to her own hallway, got
an elevator to the lobby and hurried outside, leaning into Mark's window.

"They took Eve! We have to do something right away. 
Call the police.  Get help!"

"Stop yelling.  Get in.  Everything's fine," 
Mark said.

"No it's not.  She's gone,"  Sabrina wailed as
she got in the car and Mark started away from the curb.  "You don't understand. 
They might hurt her.  Experiment on her.  We have to do something, Mark!"

"Mark came and got me." 

Sabrina swiveled around and looked in the back seat.  She
craned and saw Eve lying on the floor in the back of the car.  She felt relief so
great she almost went limp.

"Turn around and act normal,"  Mark demanded. 

Sabrina turned around and smiled at him.  "I love
you, Mark."

Assuming that the Census Takers had indeed been agents of the United States government
there was only one solution.  They had to look identical again, if only to cause
confusion and buy a little time.

Sabrina and Eve walked into a beauty salon next door to
Sabrina's Fashions at lunchtime.  Sabrina stated their hair color had to be the
same exact shade of blond.  She also wanted her's cut so that it would be the same
length as Eve's.  The air was permeated by penetrating noxious chemical odors that
caused both Sabrina and Eve to sneeze repeatedly.

While Eve was under the hair dryer she had time to think
about Ivar.  He had not called her last night as he had promised.  It pained her
heart.  When she thought about Ivar she could feel the heart skip a beat and then
thump again, real hard.  Eve wanted to see his face; his nose and chin and the way
his mouth curled up on the sides.  And she wanted to feel safe and warm again in
his arms.  She supposed he didn't understand why she had bitten the Russian spy,
and maybe she would have to explain it to him, like she had to Sabrina, who still
liked her.

When their hair was finished and brushed out Sabrina and
Eve stood side by side, looking in the mirror.  The process was a success.  The
small differences were apparent to them, but they thought no one else would notice.

When they got home that night Sabrina immediately looked
at the blinking light on her answering machine.  There were three messages from
Sato Hashimoto for Sabrina and Eve Miller.  There was a message for Eve from Ivar.

Eve started jumping around in circles and clapping her
hands.  She pushed off the ceiling when she jumped too high and almost hit her head. 

Sabrina was thinking, Oh dear, now the Japanese know where
we live.  The American were studying them, the Russians were trying to abduct them,
and the Japanese wanted to buy them.

Eve caught Sabrina's expression and stopped jumping.  "Not
very mature or sophisticated behavior?"

"I was thinking that the Japanese know where we live. 
You can jump all you want."

"Drink all the syrup you want."  Eve started
jumping again.

Sabrina looked at Eve with concern.

"I'm not going psychotic.  You say such nice things
to me.  When I drank your syrup you said, Drink all you want.  It reminded me, when
you said I could jump all I want."

Sabrina nodded.  "Maybe you should call Ivar."

"Oh, yes!" Eve ran to the phone in the kitchen.

I think I have a teenager on my hands, Sabrina thought,
and started giggling.  She knew she should be concerned because she just knew that
Eve would go out with Ivar tonight, but it was so much fun to see Eve happy.  Even
if Ivar was a creep, Eve was smart enough to figure it out for herself. 

Sabrina had to admit she was really worried, though.  It
had been horrible today when she had found Eve missing.  Sabrina had to face the
possibility that it might actually happen one day. 

Eve came bouncing out of the kitchen and started dancing
around the room, "I'm going to see Ivar in two hours!"

"Good.  Are you hungry?"  Sabrina asked.

"Famished.  Starving.  My stomach is making noises. 
Growling."  Eve made a noise that sounded more menacing than hungry.

"What shall we do about that Japanese man, Hashimoto?" 
Sabrina asked when they began eating.

"Nothing."  Eve sounded unconcerned.  "From
what I have read, the Japanese think they're very civilized.  They will try to negotiate. 
And we can put them off until we decide what to do with me."

"What do you mean?"

"Either we have to come out in the open, tell about
the computer implanted in my brain, or I'm going to have to go into hiding in another
country."

Sabrina didn’t like either option much and ate in silence. 
It was difficult to conceal that there were two of them.  They had to separately
enter and leave the building.  Then, at the shop, one of them kept to the back room
while the other was in front.  Luckily, Eve was now adept at acting normal.  The
customers believed Eve was Sabrina.  Still, even one day of trying to hide the fact
that there were two of them was becoming a strain.