A Scripta

The man known as Masonry gently folded the report closed. The wind from the bay flittered the lace curtains gently as he looked out at his small fiefdom. In the large manse next door, his benefactor, a minor Hungarian baroness, would call upon him to organize some of his “artist lessons” or other examples of his work. In the meantime, he had the time and leisure for his own pursuits, so long as they did not contradict her demands, or compromise any of her – or her husband’s – concerns.

This report had been expertly prepared, even if it was months old, it was still highly important. The first, most important thing, is that this Masonry made a mistake, but, truthfully, it was honest. Consider these strange facts: Finally, the man he wanted to exact revenge upon, Nate Greene, finally admitted to having a girlfriend. True, the man changed his name to a state (how original), he picked up an axe instead of a mace (again, how original). Now Masonry had a way to get Nate – kidnap the girl, abuse her, make her into his puppet and change her, slip a few secret traps into her, and let her go.

Imagine his surprise at reading this report that another man named Masonry was found with this same girl in the winter chalet, attempting to do the same thing. Come to find out, the girl was not Nate’s girlfriend, but the girlfriend of a clone of Nate – a clone created by Darcy, to alleviate Darcy’s “loneliness.”

“So let me get this straight,” he said. “Nate kidnapped his clone’s girlfriend. And Nate has a girlfriend who helped him with the kidnapping.”

The woman who sat in the chair across from him, a secretary that had been given orders not to speak unless spoken to directly, stared at the grains on the desk attempting to find a pattern in them. When Masonry spoke, the woman looked up.

“Is this confusing or what, Dina?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Answer my question, please.”

"Yes, sir, it is confusing."

Masonry nodded. "Two females. Excellent. I prefer working on females, their skin is more pliable. I was afraid I would have to deal with males, with Nate's preference for his own gender. Dina, I want information on Nate’s canvas. She’s in the hospital records. And I also want the other canvas returned to me. I’d like to improve my work on her.”

Dina scribbled some notes. “Once I finish with her, get that clone. It might not be perfect, but I can practice on that until I get the proper canvas.” Masonry waved his hand in dismissal. Dina slowly got up from her chair, then put one huge, swollen lump that was a foot on the floor in front of her, and used it to rock herself forward. The foot was perfect, but the one it was attached to wasn't. He'd have to deal with that, but not today.

First, he'd plan on what to do with the canvas once it would be delivered.