Texas, August 1890
Albrecht Loesing was nervous and excited. Finally he had
achieved his goal: To gain the hand of beautiful Genevieve Dominique.
He had spied her at a chili festival.
Now exactly two years and a month later he was waiting at
the altar to be wed.
Genevieve's parents had chosen their own parish church. It
was simple with a large glass stained window, depicting the sun. The interior
was flood lit. Outside it was hot.
Genevieve entered with her father Jean-Rene. She was tall,
thin and stood erect. Her light blond hair was hidden beneath a white hat and
veil. Genevieve wore a white silk dress with flower prints. The top was tight
fitting with puffy sleeves. The skirt was ruffled and bustled at the back.
Genevieve's gloves were made of lace, and she held a bouquet of white roses,
red carnation and lilies. Albrecht knew the symbolism of each. Red carnation
stood for love, the roses for joy and beauty and the lilies for majesty, truth
and honor.
Before Albrecht knew Genevieve was standing at his side. She
seemed to have glided to the front accompanied by the Wedding March. They
exchanged vows and a kiss. The ceremony passed in a blur.
Genevieve was happy with the match. She was eighteen and her
new husband looked strapping. At least in her opinion. Albrecht was around 5 ft
9 in tall, had blue eyes and was dark blond. He was a German immigrant from a
small town near Regensburg in
Bavaria , but Genevieve's father believed
Albrecht was a suitor and Genevieve was glad about it. He was only five years
older than her. There had been other parties interested in Genevieve, because
she was not only beautiful, but also a good catch. Her father owned one of the
largest cattle farms in the area. Jean-Rene had been considerate, because he
could have easily agreed to Rafael Cornejo's proposal. Rafael was a neighbor
and had an equally large farm. He was fifty seven and recently widowed. Rafael
needed a wife, who could take care of the household and maybe give him finally an
heir. Knowing both well, Jean-Rene didn't think Rafael and Genevieve were
suitable as a couple. Genevieve was very sensitive and cried easy. Sometimes
she could be high strung. Rafael was a hard man and might not react sensible to
Genevieve's feelings and needs.
Having heard only positive things about Albrecht, Jean-Rene
considered agreeing to a betrothal between his daughter and the nephew of the
town's banker. What swayed Jean-Rene was the kindness Albrecht showed towards
Genevieve and that the young man was ambitious. When asking for Genevieve's
hand, Albrecht had promised to take care of Genevieve and to provide her with
everything she ever needed.
Having worked that out, Jean-Rene offered Rafael instead his
younger daughter Sylvie, who was sixteen and much better suited. She loved the
country life and had shown talent managing a large household by helping her
mother. Sylvie was also stable and easygoing. Rafael was pleased enough and as
soon as Sylvie was turning seventeen they were going to be married.
Albrecht and Genevieve were delighted with the outcome too.
The newly weds and their guests made their way to Albrecht's
house, where the Groom Cake had been already baked, cut into pieces and
packaged for the guests to take home as a memento. Some also believed that a
maid sleeping with the cake under her pillow would dream about the man she was
going to marry.
Lunch was served after everyone had settled down. It
consisted of wedding soup, roasted suckling pig with sauerkraut and potato
dumplings and Charlotte Royale. There was dancing afterwards, followed by
coffee and a two tiered cake with chocolate at the bottom and white cake filled
with cherry jam on top. Both were sugar frosted. The frosting was very white,
showing off the family's status. Sugar was expensive, so the whiter the icing
the better off the family was.
The festivities continued with alcohol. Genevieve and
Albrecht were a bit tipsy, when they retired to their bedroom.
Albrecht threw his top head away and loosened his cravat. It
was red with golden dots, perfectly matching his new vest. His white dress
shirt had a high stand collar and a bib front. It was tight fitting. Genevieve
was a bit nervous. Her mother Candice hadn't told her a lot what was going to
happen between husband and wife or how babies were made. Candice had simply
said the woman had to bear the attention her husband was paying her.
Genevieve swallowed hard, when Albrecht began to open his
shoe laces. "Could you help me with my boots, please?" Albrecht
asked. She knelt down and pulled hard on the calf leather ankle boots. The
leather felt soft. Finally Genevieve managed to get them off. She placed them
neatly beside the large commode with a marble top. The room was furnished in
Biedermeier and Victorian Renaissance style. The furniture was made from walnut
wood. The headboard of the four poster bed was intricately carved, depicting a
hunting scene. On one of the walls hung a painting of St. Mary. There were two
night stands, too. Genevieve's eyes returned to the bed, where she was going to
end up sooner or later. She was suddenly frightened. Albrecht read her mind.
"Come here." He motioned her to sit on his lap. Genevieve was shy.
After hesitating shortly, she took a seat. It was slightly uncomfortable with
the whalebone hoop skirt she was wearing. Albrecht hugged her and drew nearer.
His lips closing on hers. He smelled of onions, sauerkraut and beer. She liked
being kissed. It caused Genevieve to feel a light flutter in her stomach.
Albrecht withdrew for a moment. Genevieve moaned, disappointed the kiss ended
already. Albrecht smiled and dipped down again. His hands started wandering
along Genevieve's hips. That was nice too. "I'd love to see your
body." Albrecht whispered into Genevieve's ear. Genevieve blushed. She had
been brought up not to show off, so was a bit uncomfortable. Albrecht kissed
her some more. It relaxed Genevieve. She snuggled closer to him, putting her
arms around his neck. In the end Genevieve felt giddy and was ready to get rid
of her garments. Albrecht started to unbutton her dress, followed by her leather
and lace boots with five inch heels and helping Genevieve out of them. In turn
Genevieve helped Albrecht with his vest and shirt. He was sitting bare chested
on the bench. For someone who was working behind a desk, he was fairly
muscular. Brown hair covered Albrecht's chest. Genevieve was surprised and
liked playing with it. The hair continued in a thin line down to Albrecht's
navel, below it was hidden by the trouser. Genevieve still wore her camisole,
corset, hoopskirt and bloomer, so she wasn't too conscious of her state of
undress yet. Albrecht removed only his stockings, because he didn't wear any
underwear and was worried Genevieve would be scared if she saw his manhood.
Careful Albrecht pulled the camisole over Genevieve’s head, revealing
high breasts underneath the corset. Albrecht was happy with what he saw.
Checking if his new wife was alright, he touched them, lightly. Genevieve had
overcome her shyness and removed her skirt from alone. "Now you." She
said. When Albrecht didn't move, Genevieve got hands on. Her small fingers
struggled with the top button. Albrecht leaned back a bit to make it easier for
Genevieve. Her fingers were hooked between his skin and trousers, making
Albrecht shudder. Button after button opened up. Albrecht was afraid how Genevieve
would react. Genevieve knew what a manhood looked like, having seen the farm
animals sometimes in action and taking care of her younger brother Jules, when
he was small. Jules was fourteen now, so nearly a man.
Genevieve was happy about her husband's size.
Finally both were undressed. Genevieve expected to go to bed
immediately to consume the marriage and make it official. Instead Albrecht
looked at her, admiring Genevieve's beauty. "Wait a second! I have a gift
for you." Albrecht went to the commode and withdrew a black velvet box. He
opened it and removed a fragile 24 karat gold chain with a 3 in pendant. It was
shaped like a chili pepper and also made from gold. The pendant was decorated
with flowers. The stems were made from white gold, the center of the flowers
were colored diamonds and the petals rubies and sapphires. "I love you
very much, Genevieve. I loved you from the first moment I saw you... I hope you
wear it to remember..." Albrecht stepped behind Genevieve, putting the
chain around her neck, touching the soft skin, when he closed the clasp. His
touch set Genevieve's skin on fire. She admired the jewelry. It was really
beautiful.
Hand in hand they went to bed. Albrecht taking his leisure
making love and after the first few times sex was enjoyable for Genevieve.
Dallas, Texas, 1903
Wallenstein Loesing was ten. He watched in fascination how
his mother Genevieve got dressed for a ball she and Albrecht, his father, were
attending. "Wally, please do me a favor and get the black box from the top
drawer of the commode." Wallenstein obeyed. He enjoyed spending time alone
with his Mom.
Normally he and his younger siblings were banned to the play
room, their bedrooms or the kitchen, where they took their meals, but once a
week their mother spent an hour with each child alone. Today was his.
Wallenstein liked being in his mother's dressing room. It was small, but bright
with high ceilings.
He loved it when Mom told him the story behind the jewelry
piece kept in the black velvet box he was carrying to her.
"Please tell me again how you met Dad."
Wallenstein begged. "... and so he gave me the pendant as sign of his
love. The End!" His mother smiled, remembering being a young bride. She
turned serious. It had taken her ages to get pregnant. In fact Albrecht and
Genevieve had given up hope they would ever have children. Genevieve had
received advice, if she liked it or not - for example drinking a potion
containing powdered wolf's penis, to carry a charm made from a quail's heart
with her or not to sweep under the bed.
Albrecht's and her relationship had gotten strained with the
pressure, sex became mechanical. Then they moved to
Dallas , where Albrecht opened a new branch of
the bank he had inherited. It changed everything. Within a month she was pregnant,
Wallenstein was the result, followed by Albert two years later, then Ashley and
Tianna and three years ago John.
Thank goodness the bad times were behind Albrecht and
Genevieve.
"When you are getting married you can give the pendant
to your bride." Genevieve said.
Dallas, Texas, 1915
Wallenstein Loesing didn't believe his eyes. Barbara Vanger
was walking down the aisle to marry his brother Albert. She was wearing the
chili pepper pendant he wanted to give to his fiancée Melva Detreille. He had
been more than once promised by his parents he would receive it, when he
married and now this!
At a suitable moment Wallenstein approached Albert, asking
him to return the jewelry. Albert laughed at him and said: "No, Mom has
given it to me, and Barbara is going to wear it, so bugger off!"
Wallenstein was hurt and felt betrayed. It was senseless talking to Albert.
Genevieve Loesing had decided to hand down the heirloom to a
son or a daughter, who was in love with their partner and would appreciate the
heritage and meaning of the pendant.
When Wallenstein confronted her, she explained Melva's and
his marriage was out of convenience and not based on love, so his newly wed
wife might appreciate the beauty of the chili pepper, but not the story behind
it.
He had a chat with Barbara and tried to convince her she
needed to give the pendant to him. She refused.
It left Wallenstein bitter.
Dallas, Texas, February 1939
Patsy McKeever looked up to Baxter Loesing, very much in
love. Baxter had light brown hair and blue eyes.
He had just proposed to her.
Instead of slipping a diamond ring on her finger, he gave
her a gold pendant in the shape of a chili. "It has belonged to my
grandmother Genevieve. It was a wedding gift from my grandfather."
"It's beautiful."
Baxter had received it from his mother Barbara as a sign she
approved the wedding between Patsy and him. She also told him the story. Baxter
wasn't very romantic, but thought his future bride would love to hear the
story. He was right. Miss McKeever was only 5 ft tall and had dark brown hair,
fair skin and an uncountable number of freckles. She was a good dancer, despite
tending to be a bit on the plump side. Both enjoyed dancing and soon realized
they had much more in common. They both loved music and had an interest in
politics. Baxter liked Patsy's boldness. She was outspoken, honest and
energetic.
The wedding date was set for summer.
Dallas, Texas, June 1939
Finally it was Patsy's time to walk down the aisle. She was
nervous. Her father Signy squeezed her arm re-assuring. Signy McKeever couldn't
believe his daughter had grown up. It seemed like only a blink of the eye ago,
when Patsy was still little and came rushing towards him when he returned home
from work to get a hug.
Today she wore an ivory satin dress with a train. The train
had a mini bustle at the top. The skirt was scalloped in the front and had a
nice cut. Patsy wore the pendant Baxter had given her at their engagement
clearly visible.
"Ready?" Signy asked. Patsy nodded.
Patsy was concentrating on walking in her high heels. She
didn't want to remember her wedding, because she fell on her nose.
The attack came out of the blue. Patsy found herself
sprawled on the floor half way before the altar, where Baxter was already
waiting in his best tuxedo.
A relative of Baxter's was sitting on top of her, trying to
snatch the chili pendant. Patsy wasn't the tallest or the strongest, but she
wasn't willing to give up the gift, though, and struggled with Wallenstein
Loesing. Signy grabbed the man. He wasn't strong enough, so the groom got hands
on. Baxter pulled his uncle up and punched him once. He then shoved Wallenstein
out of the church door and shouted: "Don't ever dare to return! You aren't
welcome." That issue solved he was ready to get married.
Patsy was shaken and close to tears. She pulled herself
together. In the end Wallenstein hadn't been successful in his attempt to steal
the pendant.
The wedding went ahead and was remembered long afterwards -
not necessary for the right reasons.
Since the incident Wallenstein's and Albert's families were
on the war path. They hated each other with gusto.
Albert and Wallenstein believed their descendants had the
right to the pendant and no one was willing to give in.
Dallas, Texas, 17.04.1992
Wallenstein Loesing was still alive. His burning desire to
get his hands on the heirloom hadn't burned out. In fact it burned even
stronger.
Since he was nearly 100, he believed his days were numbered
and he wouldn't see any results. Wallenstein would have loved to hand over the
chili to Shana, his great-great-granddaughter, so she could wear what belonged
to her on the day of her wedding.
Wallenstein was sure he wouldn't see her grow up.
All pleas to Baxter, Patsy and their son Kenneth had fallen
on deaf ears.
Wisconsin, 10.07.2001
Averell Loesing and his great grandfather Wallenstein had
been scheming. If their relations didn't want to give them the pendant - which
belonged rightly to the Wallenstein branch of the family - Averell and
Wallenstein had to find a different solution and if necessary they would use
illegal means.
Wallenstein was not even a month away from his 108th
birthday and bed ridden by now. Wallenstein wished his mind would have gone
with his body, but that wasn't the case. In this regard he was as fit as a man
half his age or even younger.
Wallenstein was glad to see Shana growing up. She was now
twenty two and in a stable relationship. Her partner and Shana were talking
about marriage.
Wallenstein had to get the pendant before he died and before
Shana's wedding, so he had sent Averell to meet with somebody in
Wisconsin , who knew
someone who would be able to get the jewelry piece.
Averell was not sure, if he was at the right place. He was
waiting at an abandoned farm house. The contact hadn't arrived yet.
Averell was about to leave, when he heard a car approaching.
Soon it came into sight. It was a SUV. The man was in his forties, like
Averell, tall, lanky and dark haired.
"Are you looking for Damien?" The man asked.
Damien was the code to identify them. Averell nodded, suddenly feeling nervous.
What if it was a trap?
"Come on in." The man said. He held two cans of
coca cola in his hands and went into the house.
"Okay, so you are looking for a master burglar, who can
organize something for you?" "Yes." Averell nodded.
"Okay, let's look... There is Christopher Crison. He's
from Arizona ,
at the very beginning of his carrier and twenty.
Anita Nadler, aged thirty, fairly good burglar from
Washington
State .
Dasianae Coffin has a lot of experience and I'd say her
place in the top one hundred is nine. She's from
Colorado and forty nine.
Jory Benjaminsson from
Delaware is twenty eight. He's quite famous
in certain circles and can get you what you need.
Teresa Maartkamp is nearly forty. I think her best time is
over, but she knows what she does and still ranks in the top twenty.
Charles Fox, originally from
West Virginia is in the top five, but more
famous for museum burglaries. He's thirty three.
The last candidate is Coldham Noose III. He's a Floridian,
aged twenty three. He is also in the top 5, I'd say. He's versatile and gets
the job done."
Averell dismissed Christopher Crison, Anita Nadler and
Charles Fox. Christopher was too inexperienced; Anita not good enough and
Charles might not be able to pull it off, because his job was specialized.
"Whom would you recommend?" Averell asked about
the remaining candidates. "Well, it's depending how much you want to
spend. You shouldn't forget that most of them are busy, so it might take a
while until they can accommodate you. So maybe start with Jory or Teresa."
"Can I meet any of them?" "Jory's very shy, so he won't do it.
The rest isn't going to be a problem." Averell was sure Wallenstein would
want to meet them, so he could make himself a picture of the person, who was
going to take care of their issue. Jory was out of the window.
"Could you please contact Dasianae, Teresa and
Coldham?" "Sure." "How will I know?" "Either I or
they are going to be in touch. Don't worry."
Naturally Averell worried.
Vientiane, Laos ,
17.08.2001
The heat and humidity was unbelievable.
Averell and his wife Petra
didn't like the dirt, cuisine and the obvious poverty. Their daughter Shana was
in her element.
Of course Averell and Petra
were well travelled, but their favorite destinations were
Switzerland and
Italy .
Shana didn't know why she and her parents made this trip so
suddenly and out of the blue.
They were staying at the best hotel in town. While Shana
thought it was great, Averell and Petra believed
it wasn't as good as a luxury hotel in the
US .
The Loesings and Coldham Noose III had agreed to meet. The
only condition was that they came to him, because he was working on another
case in Asia and couldn't leave his position
for too long.
Of course Wallenstein didn't like the idea. He couldn't
travel around the world in his condition. Wallenstein said to forget about
Coldham. "What is going to happen, if Dasianae isn't what we want? Teresa
has already refused. We should leave all our options open." Averell
suggested. "Alright, you and Petra
go." Wallenstein sighed. He still didn't like it.
Mr. Noose had told Petra
and Averell he would meet them at a certain hawker stall. They left Shana at
the pool of the hotel.
A black haired man was sitting on a rickety chair, nursing a
Lao beer. He wore dark sunglasses and was completely dressed in black. He
looked a bit out of place with his designer clothing. Averell estimated the man
was in his twenties. Previous to the meeting they had agreed on a sign, that
they had the right person. The man was reading the bible, so he was the one
they were looking for.
When they approached he got up and introduced himself.
Mr. Noose removed his glasses and revealed blue grey eyes.
He gave his potential clients a once over glance. He was evaluating them as
they were him. Normally Mr. Noose was light ash blond, but having been
previously in Asia , he knew he caught too much
attention with his fair hair - not good, when he wanted to be inconspicuous -
so he had changed his appearance.
Mr. Noose guessed Averell was in his early forties and his
wife slightly older. They looked typical American with their same outfits. Both
were wearing white t-shirts, blue jeans, white sneakers and Texas Rangers caps.
It was very obvious where they were from. They were also loud and brash. The
Loesings didn't make the impression they would appreciate Lao cuisine.
"I'll order lunch for you, while you make yourself
comfortable." Mr. Noose said. "But..."
Petra protested. "Don't worry, I'll pay.
Would you prefer a beer, juice or water? The coffee's pretty good too or maybe
some tea?" "Is there any Coke available?" Averell asked. Mr.
Noose frowned, but nodded.
He came back with two cans of cola and two baguettes. They
looked delicious, but since they contained raw vegetables the Loesings weren't
too sure, if they could eat it. Averell and
Petra realized they would offend Mr. Noose,
if they wouldn't at least try.
"I'll be back in a sec." Mr. Noose said.
He went to the neighbor stall and ordered for himself. The
Loesing's were impressed. They thought he spoke Lao, but it was Mandarin.
Mr. Noose returned. He inquired how their journey had been,
if they liked Laos
and what they had seen so far.
"Well, the flight was long, but we like that."
Petra replied, sipping
from her coke. "We're only here since the day before yesterday, so we
haven't seen too much. The heat is hard to get used to. The people are
friendly..." said Averell.
While they were describing their experiences Mr. Noose's
lunch arrived. It was a little feast of rice vermicelli soup, Lao pork sausage,
some kind of deep fried algae snack, tam mak hoong (papaya salad), grilled
fish, diverse dips and sticky rice. There was only a spoon, so the Loesing's
were trying to figure out how Mr. Noose was going to eat. To their disgust he
was using his right hand after using disinfectant.
With trepidation Averell and
Petra took a careful bite from the baguettes.
To their surprise it was delicious, filled with cheese, pate, mayonnaise, pork,
cucumber, daikon, cilantro, celery, carrots and chili sauce. "So, how can
I help you?" Mr. Noose asked. His face was unreadable. Averell and
Petra told and showed him
photographs of the pendant. They didn't want that the burglary was immediately
discovered. Mr. Noose said: "I have other commitments, so it can take a
year to a year and a half until I can work on your case." "What so
long?!" Averell protested. "If that's too long, I can't unfortunately
take on the job." Mr. Noose's eyes were cold. It seemed he didn't care.
Petra tried to save the
situation. "Mr. Noose, it's not because we don't want to give you the
time... Averell's great grandfather is getting weaker by the minute. Because of
his age we aren't sure if he won't die tomorrow." Mr. Noose looked
Petra straight in the
eyes and replied: "I can understand why you want the pendant as fast as
possible, but as I said I've taken on other jobs. Those clients wouldn't be too
pleased, if I would drop everything for you. They also had to wait and it's
only fair." "Money is not an issue. Name your price and you'll get
it, if you do it earlier." "Mr. Loesing, I'm not bribable. Either you
agree on my terms or we won't have a deal." "We'll have to discuss
this with my great grandfather." "Okay, that's fine with me."
Petra asked: "If we
would give you the job, how much is it going to be?" "500.000
USD." "What?!" Averell nearly had a heart attack. He had thought
about spending a few thousand dollars. "Mr. Loesing, I'm not a small time
criminal and if you really want that the break in goes unnoticed, I have to
invest more time, energy and money. If you look for someone cheap, you are at
the wrong address." "Mr. Noose, I don't doubt your skills. It's just
a bit surprising how much you charge..." Averell said. "My
grandmother was a wise woman. She always told me that you get what you pay for.
I promise I'm going to deliver what you ask from me." The Loesings needed
to discuss the details with Wallenstein Loesing and would let Mr. Noose know if
he got the job.
Dallas, Texas, May 2002
Dasianae Coffin had to admit defeat. She had worked hard,
but she hadn't been able to penetrate the building. Security was too high for
her taste, so she had to tell her client she wasn't able to the job.
Averell Loesing was unhappy and sad, especially since they
had lost so much time and Wallenstein was really sick. He was in hospital,
because he was suffering from pneumonia. The doctors weren't sure, if Wallenstein
was pulling through. Considering Averell's great grandfather's age it was
amazing he was still alive anyway.
To make matters worse Shana and her partner Tor had
announced they were going to get married the next year.
The Loesings hadn't contacted Mr. Noose, so he thought they
had found somebody else and forgotten about it. He was surprised, when he
received a call in Ireland ,
where he was working on his last job, before taking a longer break. Since Mr.
Noose had promised them to deal with their case, he didn't refuse them.
Mr. Noose sighed. He wasn't looking forward to telling his fiancée
Frieda about the job. She wasn't going to be happy to hear there was going to
be a delay with their plans. Mr. Noose was glad Frieda understood his
reasoning. Naturally she was disappointed.
Dallas, Texas, December 2002
Finally Wallenstein Loesing held the chili pepper pendant in
hands. It looked as he had remembered it all those years. Wallenstein's eyes
filled with tears. He hugged the blond stranger, who was a bit taken aback.
"Thank you so much! You don't know what this means to me, Mr. Noose."
The stranger shrugged. He replied gruff: "You are welcome." It was a
bit embarrassing, because Mr. Noose hadn't done it from the goodness of his
heart.
Dallas, Texas, February 2003
It was a happy and sad month for the Wallenstein branch of
the Loesings. Shana married Tor as planned. She wore the beautiful pendant
Albrecht had given to Genevieve nearly one hundred thirteen years earlier.
Shana was very proud and touched her great great grandfather had given it to
her.
He attended the wedding in a wheelchair.
Soon afterwards Wallenstein Loesing succumbed to an
infection and died in his 110th year.
©2013
