The CIA Lost Archive Files - Project Rumpelstiltskin

No-Trespassing Easement Part 5

No-Trespassing Easement

They drove right through a wide strip of tall weed-overgrown fallow land with pretty prominent signs everywhere on it – 'No Trespassing.' This was easement land between adjoining properties, two quite large estates really, but someone had gone to some lengths to make out the easement was their exclusive private property. Which it wasn't.

And then quite suddenly, the vehicle reached well-kept flat ground and slowed up a touch before entering the vast circular courtyard at the front of a neat and modern retro-'Gilded Age' style mansion, which was evidently their real destination.

There was a very well-dressed woman standing out front on the main steps. Silver-grey haired, she wore a taupe organza long dress with lilac embroidered flowers here and there up and down the whole of its length. White ruffled lace bodice blouse top with high collar integrated seamlessly from the rest of the coloured silken fabric of the dress. She was tall and erect in moderate high-heeled shoes, making her seem even taller still. Not young; sixty-five, even seventy maybe.

The side door of the SVRV popped open again with a slight hissing sound.

Once again Vera-Lucien got out first and the others followed.

The woman on the steps strode down and forward towards them.

"Welcome. Welcome." She addressed Vera-Lucien directly. "You must be Vera. I am Odilette Guitry." She held out a gloved hand and Vera-Lucien took it. There was something odd about her, well not odd perhaps, just a little something about her that set neurons firing off in Vera's mind.

"Yes. Yes. I'm Vera. And this is my colleague, Professor *." She gestured towards Stevie.

"Please do all of you come in." Odilette Guitry turned curtly and moved smoothly and briskly on her shoes towards the steps and then up to the large front door.

Vera-Lucien half-stretched out one arm to her accompanying small group, palm open, and nodded for them to proceed.

Ah, that was it. How silly... This 'Odilette' bore a remarkable facial resemblance to her own self she realised, and it had probably been noticed by the rest of them too, and perhaps even a touch quicker.

Odilette Guitry opened the large doors and bade them all enter.

She turned to Vera-Lucien and leant forward a little. "Yes, I'm sure you are thinking that we have an uncanny resemblance. It's possible -,"

She stretched forward a hand and it seemed she was asking for their capes and dominoes. "...It's possible that we are distantly related I believe." She took their capes and masks. "You shan't be needing these in here I don't think. That is – unless you make the decision that I don't think you will make."

"What decision is that?"

"Over there, down that corridor, is the sex party."

She said it quite loudly so that all of them could hear it.

"While over this way, down this corridor, is the best food in the world..."

She raised her eyebrows at Vera-Lucien and the other three people.

"Up to you."

"No contest." Vera-Lucien said, flatly.

"Except they are serving one of the Trump Winery things, I believe."

"We'll suffer." Vera-Lucien retorted. "You said best food, anyway."

"Yes dear, you are right. And we wouldn't want the wine to over-power the food now, would we?