3 The Albuquerque Client

Adam landed in Albuquerque in the night. The flight had been short and painless but over crowded as expected. It was as if everyone wanted to escape Nebraska and get a tan in New Mexico. He took an atrocity in the name of coffee from a vending machine and took a break. Albuquerque International Sunport wasn't the busiest of the airports in the country. The rush was entirely because of the flights coming from the icy states. The airport witnessed a brief surge of traffic before going back to normal after a few minutes. He took a breath and stepped out of the airport. He had planned to take a cab but he caught a driver waiting for him in front of the entrance. The driver was a black man in his sixties with a bald head and a faded mustache. The old man was fighting his sleep while holding a large card that said “Mr. Peterson”. The state the driver was in, showed that he had been waiting for a while. Adam felt bad for making the guy wait that long. He hadn't expected to be received at the airport. He approached the driver who was over the moon on seeing someone finally come his way. They shook hands and drove off. The roads didn't have a lot of traffic and the streets were dimly lit. The city was infamous for all sorts of dangers that lurked in the nights so the lack of activity was understandable. The driver didn't wear any specific uniform for the job and the car was definitely not a cab so Adam assumed that he was probably an employee of the billionaire that was charged with the chores and other petty matters. The ride was a long one and Adam was getting tired of the silence.

“What’s your name?” Adam tried to break the ice. The driver looked just as willing for a conversation. The long roads with a lack of details were taking a toll on him. 

“Albert.”

“It’s my first visit here. What’s the city like?”

“Oh it’s fine. The people is nice, the police don't harass nobody and there’s a lot of opportunity.”

“And Mr. Cole?”

“He fine too. Been working for him for the past eight years. Didn't see or hear nothing bad about the man,” Albert responded. It was a relief for Adam. 

Albert drove on at a pleasant pace. He was in no hurry. The city was warm. The car’s AC blasted on full. Adam felt a drop of sweat trickle down his forehead. Living in a colder state had made his body incompatible to heat. He fanned his face with a magazine he had bought from the airport kiosk. He peeked outside to divert his mind from the heat. The car passed a few modest shopping  malls. There were a few ATMs in the vicinity. The men that withdrew the money from them had women anxiously waiting for them across the street. The women wore signature outfits obvious enough to let a blind man guess their profession. It fascinated Adam. He checked his watch and it was past midnight. The car entered a posh neighborhood with luxurious yet simple looking houses. The simplicity was of the expensive kind. From roads to streetlights, everything was spotless. Adam wondered if his client lived there but the car didn't seem to slow. The estates started to get bigger and bigger. The car slowed down at the very end of the neighborhood in front of a large metal gate. A plump guard woke up from his slumber by the headlights flashing on his face. He irritably got up from his chair and adjusted his pants. The car was immediately recognized but he knew that the big guy was home so there was no haste. At least none from his side. He took his time getting to the gate and opened it. The car drove inside the estate. Adam was in awe. A huge expanse of lush greenery with exotic flowers and freshly trimmed hedges surrounded him. There were several luxury vehicles peeking out of the garage. A large fountain stood at the entrance and at the center of it all, was the massive white mansion that looked right out of a fairytale. It was just a few signature features away from being a palace. Albert stopped the car beside the fountain and the mansion. He stepped out and opened Adam’s door for him. He got out of the vehicle, still gawking around like a kid in a candy shop. He was staring at the extremely detailed marble mermaid in the fountain. The mermaid stared back at the spectators while pouring water from a vessel over her shoulder. The thing looked to be a part of a museum. 

“You like it?” Mr. Cole spoke from behind Adam. 

The voice shook Adam out of his imagination. He hadn't met his client in person. All the communications had been either via phone or internet. He turned to face Mr. Cole and found a six feet tall, elegantly dressed white man in his forties. The man had a genuine ear to ear grin. It wasn't everyday he hosted people who gave two craps about the piece of art Adam clearly admired.

“Yeah. It’s breathtaking craftsmanship!” Adam spoke his mind and turned back to face the fountain. Mr. Cole stepped beside him and placed his arm on Adam’s shoulders. 

“Some forgotten legendary sculptor from ancient Rome made the fountain on the demand of his King. The King’s love had left him in his teenage years and dishonored him. So he wanted something to remember her by. The artist took the job as he knew the King closely. When the fountain arrived, the king took one look at it before running away in tears. The mermaid closely resembles the woman the king had loved but there was something sinister hidden in it,” Mr. Cole explained and Adam listened attentively. 

“What?” Adam curiously asked while looking for the hidden meaning. 

“At certain times of the day, the shadows make it look like Medusa and the smile on it turns ominous if you stare at it for too long,” Mr. Cole responded. Adam tried to see it and found it. 

“The fountain was doomed to spend centuries in different storages before my great grandfather bought it in an auction in Greece. It has been in the family since,” Mr. Cole concluded and the two of them kept on staring at the fountain. Adam suddenly remembered that he was there for a job. He hurried to the car and pulled out his bags. He hadn’t taken his client very seriously but his views had dramatically changed. Mr. Cole on the other hand was loving Adam more and more. 

“Let’s head inside. If you liked the mermaid, the stuff inside is gonna blow your mind,” Mr. Cole said and invited Adam inside the mansion. Adam had his bags hanging on his shoulders as he followed Mr. Cole. 

“Albert will take care of those for you,” the rich client spoke, pointing at the bags and Albert offered to relieve him of the burden. 

“But Mr. Cole, the plans…” Adam was making up the words when the client interjected.

“Firstly, call me Simon and secondly, we’ll talk shop in the morning. You must be exhausted. Your room is ready but I wanted to share some of the art before you hit the sack,” the client said, wondering if Adam had the energy for the tour. 

“I’d love to,” Adam responded and gladly gave his bags to Albert. Adam lived for art. It was the reason he had chosen the profession.

“Splendid!” Simon happily exclaimed and headed inside with Adam by his side. 

The entire mansion was filled with paintings, sculptures and antique relics. Not an inch of any wall was left abandoned. The artworks belonged to all sorts of regions and cultures but had only one thing in common which was the jaw dropping worths. It seemed as if the family got their hands on anything that landed out of the national heritage bracket of any country. The tour lasted an hour and Adam enjoyed every second of it. They had a few pints of an exotic champagne and shared their thoughts for a while. 

“So what brought you into this profession?” Simon pried. Adam stared into nothing for a moment before responding.

“I had a thing. My brain used to reverse engineer everything I saw. It worked particularly well with buildings so here I am,” Adam spoke. It made sense to Simon so he nodded his head. 

“Me, I’ve never been sure about choosing a profession. Whenever I chose a path, the grass turned greener on the other side, y’know?” Simon said, sounding slightly intoxicated. It was a bit too personal of him. Adam played along and just nodded. 

“In the end, I just started managing the family businesses like my father and his father before him and so on,” Simon added. There were a few more nods from Adam in response. 

Adam caught a glimpse of the clock that looked just as expensive as the rest of the stuff that surrounded it and realized that it was high time he got some shut eye. He excused himself and headed outside. Albert escorted him to his room. 

It was going to be one of those restless nights for Adam. He had grown too accustomed to sleeping with his wife. He felt like he was missing a piece of himself when he couldn't feel Jessica in his arms. He grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly to fade the feeling of loneliness. The image of that medusa flashed in his eyes and the words of Simon Cole echoed in his ears. It wasn't the fear of betrayal that troubled Adam but it was guilt. He wondered if he was the medusa manipulating the unmindful prey. He wondered if what he had done could ever be forgiven.