The Love of an Angel 4/9
Chapter 4
They dated. They actually dated. Gabriel had a hard time wrapping his mind around that fact. Maybe he should check on Hell, they must have serious problems with their heating.
They went to the movies and had dinner in a restaurant and every time they ended on Bessie's couch and talked. And Gabriel enjoyed it.
Gabriel enjoyed listening to her talking about her work, about the elephants and he did a pretty good job at avoiding anything personal about himself. First he had intended to make things up, he could backup every lie he'd come up with, but now it just felt wrong. So he told her that he lived in a motel for now, what he did, at least he'd rented the room, and that he was between jobs which wasn't exactly a lie either. And then he prompted her to tell him more about Nona the pregnant elephant which kept her busy for the next two hours.
"You love those elephants, don't you?" Gabriel asked after the conversation had died down for a moment.
"They're my life." Bessie said with that sincere tone in her voice that meant she was serious about something.
Gabriel shifted so he faced her and took her hand. "You know, the way you talk about them." He shook his head and smiled, this was so cheesy. "I'd like to get to know them. How about a private tour? You could show me."
She chuckled softly and her cheeks turned just a little bit pink. "I'd like to but I can't. I can't just let somebody in, I'd lose my job. The zoo has a very strict policy about that." She sounded sorry but Gabriel got it. No way he wanted for her to get in trouble.
"Don't bother." He reassured her. "Just one of those crazy ideas I have sometimes. I can always come in with the other visitors during business hours." It wouldn't be the same, though.
However, the idea was there and Gabriel wasn't somebody who could just let it be. He wanted something, he got it. Period.
So a few days later Mr. Cherry had an appointment with Mr. Denton the owner of the zoo. Gabriel treated this like every other act he'd ever played. Find their weakness and use it against them. Not that Mr. Denton was a bad person or something but he had a business to run and money was always tight. Gabriel could use that.
So when a Mr. Cherry asked to see him to talk about a generous donation he intended to make, Mr. Denton couldn't say no.
"Mr. Cherry, it's a pleasure to meet you." They shook hands, Mr. Denton had a firm grip which Gabriel liked, and then they sat down. Gabriel opened the button of his suit jacket, three-thousand dollar suit, custom-made, and crossed his legs so that Mr. Denton had a good view at his four-hundred dollar Italian leather shoes.
"The pleasure is on my side." Gabriel replied with an easy smile. "I've been enjoying your zoo for quite a while now and it's an honor to meet the man who's responsible for all this."
"Then you should have a look at our employees. It's them and their hard work that keeps this zoo alive." It sounded like a phrase Mr. Denton had used way too often but one look in the other man's eyes told Gabriel that he really meant it.
"I'll come back to that in a second." Gabriel said because that was the whole point of this charade. He reached into the pocket of his jacket and got his checkbook out. "Little zoos like yours always have a hard time, I know that. I know it's not much but I'd like to help."
With wide movements he signed the check and handed it over.
"Thank you." Mr. Denton glanced discreetly at the check when he took it and stopped mid-movement. Then he looked again.
"Mr. Cherry, this has to be a mistake." He managed to say in a nearly steady voice.
"It isn't." Gabriel reassured him. The check was good. The suit and the shoes and everything else was fake. But this check would hold. Would ruin an upcoming group of white supremacists and bring one specific douchebag in a really bad situation where he had to explain what had happened to all the money and he would have no fucking clue, however, Gabriel could live with that.
"You are serious." Mr. Denton finally realized.
"Absolutely." Gabriel put the checkbook away. "There is one small favor you could do me, though."
Instantly Mr. Denton became wary but Gabriel couldn't blame him. A donation like this rarely came without strings attached.
"I happen to be friends with one of your employees, Bessie Nolan, she works with the elephants." Gabriel waited a second to see if Mr. Denton knew who he was talking about.
"Bessie, of course." Mr. Denton nodded and that gave him another point in Gabriel's book. This man actually knew who was working for him.
"What is with her?" He asked in that neutral tone people used when they didn't know if this would turn out to be bad or good.
"I've asked her for a private tour in the elephant's house but sadly that doesn't seem possible." He spread his hands in a What can I do? manner.
Relief washed over Mr. Denton's face and he shook his head with a small laugh.
"That can be arranged." He reached for the phone but Gabriel hold him back.
"I'd appreciate it if you don't mention the money." No way he wanted for Bessie to feel like she had to repay him in any way.
"Of course." Mr. Denton sounded a bit offended.
"And please don't order her to take me around." Gabriel continued. "Ask her if she wants to give me the tour, it's absolutely fine if she says no." Either way, you can keep the money, was the unspoken message and Mr. Denton nodded in understanding.
He made the call, it took a while until he had Bessie on the other end, but she agreed instantly. After she'd recovered from the shock of being called by the big boss himself.
"We're closing in about half an hour." Mr. Denton said after he'd finished the call. "Until then there should be everything arranged for your visit. My assistant will bring you coffee in a minute, if you need anything else don't be shy. She'll show you the way to the elephants later."
"Thank you but that won't be necessary." They shook hands again and Gabriel turned to leave. "I'd rather like to wait near the elephant's compound. You have this wonderful ice cream booth there. I'm telling you, best pistachio ice cream in the world." He pointed with his finger at the man and couldn't hide his childlike joy. Okay, he didn't actually try.
"If you say so, Mr. Cherry."
"Absolutely."
Gabriel left the office with a still quite stunned Mr. Denton behind. Hands in his pockets and a whistle on his lips he made his way through the nearly abandoned zoo. The few remaining visitors were heading for the other direction, towards the entrance, and when Gabriel reached the ice cream booth Luigi was already busy cleaning up.
"You have one pistachio cone left for me?" Gabriel asked with audible hope in his voice.
"For you? Always." Taking in Gabriel's outfit Luigi handed him the cone. "Dressed up for the signorinas, Mister?" Luigi wiggled his eyebrows.
"Business." He replied and took a bite. This never became old. "I doubt my signorina will appreciate the monkey-suit." Bessie would probably laugh at him and call him crazy to come in this outfit for a tour trough the elephant's house.
Luigi leaned over the counter and looked around to make sure they were alone before he spoke. "Signorinas always like a man in a suit, trust me, she'll love it."
Out of the corner of his eye Gabriel noticed movement over at the elephant's house.
"Let's find out." He took the last bite of his cone, waved Luigi goodby and made his way over to Bessie.
continue to chapter 5
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