The Woman in Red: Chapter 24

24. Cecile

          Jean-Pierre and his female companion had arrived at the beginning of the afternoon at the place where Katarina’s friend lived. Jean-Pierre had experienced a lot since the day he met her, but he still was very surprised when the door of the house opened to where the taxi had driven them.

            Before him stood a perfect replica of Katarina. The only difference was that the woman wore her hair in a ponytail while Katarina’s this time hung loosely. His mouth dropped open, and both Katarina as the woman in the doorway laughed because of his shocked look.

            ‘Watch out, Jean-Pierre, next you know there’ll birds flying into your mouth,’ Katarina smiled. ‘May I present you to my older sister, Cecile? She bore five minutes earlier than me, and I’ve heard this already umpteenth time.’

            The woman stretched her hand and welcomed him. Jean-Pierre woke up out of his trance. How strange. Even her gestures, her laugh and her voice, he almost couldn’t notice a difference. He shook her hand a bit speechless, but she pulled him near and gave him two smacking kisses. Katarina loved his reactions. Obviously it wasn’t the first time this had happened.

            After Katarina had told their experiences during which Cecile frowned a few times as if she couldn’t believe what she heard, they both were assigned a room on the second floor. They would stay till the situation was a bit clearer.

            ‘Have you heard of mother yet, Cecile?’ Katarina asked while she was relaxing in an easy chair. She had kicked out her shoes and obviously felt at home with her twin sister.

            Cecile was pouring a drink for them while she looked up from her work. ‘You know, mother and I aren’t hand and glove at all. I just call her when it’s highly necessary and so I wasn’t aware of this situation.’

            Katarina was worried, and Jean-Pierre saw it whole over her face. He suspected her to think about her mother. With the answer of Cecile that her relationship with her mother wasn’t so good, he realized that he didn’t know how it was between Katarina and her mother. He supposed it had to better than Cecile’s otherwise Katarina would never have worked together with her mother at the Chateau.

            ‘May I propose something?’ Cecile suddenly asked when she passed the drinks around. ‘Maybe I can get some information. I may look like Katarina, I also can legitimate myself as Cecile. By the way, the police know I’ve my distance concerning the activities of mother and Katarina.’

            She explained she absolutely had no problem with those activities, but the bad understanding had come into existence because her mother had always some comments about the man she brought home. After the umpteenth quarrel, Cecile had closed all the doors and had left the house. Meanwhile, all things had been regularized with her mother even if their contacts were limited to the minimum.

            ‘If you would do that, Cecile, I would be relieved to know if she’s alright. She’s not the youngest anymore, and she has to take her medicine for her high pressure. I don’t know if she got them with her wherever she may be.’

            Cecile went to Katarina and put her arms around her sister. ‘Don’t worry, tomorrow I inform myself and ask around, we surely know more by then.’ Katarina let her sister hug her while she blinked away a tear.

            ‘I’ll never forget this, Cecile, thanks. I owe you one.’

            Cecile smiled. ‘I’ll remember you, wait till I ask you something, you never know with me, are you!’ Now her sister also laughed. Obviously the two sisters did get along very well.

            Meanwhile, the evening had fallen, and Katarina tried to disguise a yawn behind her hand. Cecile had seen it. ‘Well, now, children, it’s your bedtime. You’ve had a rough time, so a few hours of sleep will do you good.’

            Tired but somewhat reassured Jean-Pierre left in the wake of Katarina.

            At the moment, Jean-Pierre had undressed himself the door went open, and Katarina entered, dressed in an adorable pajama with little teddy bears on.

            ‘I didn’t want to go to sleep without saying good night, Jean-Pierre,’ she answered his unspoken question. She pulled him near and kissed him wildly on the mouth. While one hand laid upon his neck, the other searched his way over his naked upper body. He was dressed only in boxer shorts and nonetheless he was tired, a certain body part didn’t agree with that feeling.

            Katarina’s hand found the evidence of that, and while she was pushing her passionately against him, her hand glided inside the boxer shorts. Jean-Pierre easily surrendered to her and fell with Katarina upon him into the bed.

© Rudi J.P. Lejaeghere

20/04/2015