Color Six - Purple

Blood Feud

n: a feud between different clans or families.

*

Somewhere along the line, everything had gotten out of hand, the Major reflected. Annoyance quickly becoming hostility, which then turned into retaliatory actions.

It had started when Eroica taunted him in the West German Embassy in London when he stole "The Man In Purple," only to turn around and return it in "payment" for his Leopard tank. After that, the Earl went out of his way to provoke a reaction. No one could be so naïve as to believe stealing the Pope wouldn't cause an outcry of biblical proportions. He did it to embarrass me, Klaus had concluded. Going on to embarrass him further by declaring that he loved him in front of a room full of his peers. What did the idiot think his reaction would be?

By the time the EC Exhibition came to Cologne, Klaus had been completely sucked into Eroica's game. He enlisted the help of the intelligence community to keep the bloody nuisance out of Germany, only to have his plan backfire. Eroica wasn't just a pervert with a vindictive streak, he was also extremely cunning. Something the Major had overlooked once, but would not again.

The game continued to escalate. It never seemed to be enough for the Earl. He always wanted more. More excitement. More beauty. More of the Major. More of the ongoing war between them. And the Major was only happy to oblige. As far as he was concerned, the bloody nuisance could fall off the face of the Earth. Eroica said that he had the Devil's own luck, well...the Devil take him and be glad with him!

How had he ended up chasing the idiot again? The thief got himself mixed up in his mission--again! Why had he involved himself? That bloody painting!

Unfortunately, as long as his father was alive, there was no way the Major could divest himself of the retched pumpkin! And as long as he owned it, Eroica would keep coming after it.

*

"Major, you're taking good care of ‘The Man In Purple,' I trust?"

A low growl rose in the officer's throat in response to the inquiry on the phone. "Keep pestering me about that bloody pumpkin, Eroica, and I will burn it."

There was a momentary pause before the Earl gave a light laugh. "Nonsense. It's part of your cultural heritage. The same value as a tank."

"What do you want?" Klaus demanded. "I don't believe your stingy bug let you pay for a long-distance call just to ask after a painting."

Another light laugh. "I'm not calling long distance, Major. I'm in Bonn." After this, the Earl was listening to a dial tone. He grinned and hung up the phone, leaning back in his chair. Teasing the Major was almost as much fun as getting even with him.

Eroica's call had the desired effect. Within a day, his men reported that the Major removed a large object from Schloss Eberbach that was transported to a storage facility.

You think that by moving the painting you'll keep it from me, Major? Not a chance. You obviously don't remember that what I like, I always make mine.

*

Eroica's men had done their jobs well. Everything was exactly as they had said it would be. Alarms were bypassed or deactivated, locked doors opened swiftly, the correct storage space located in minutes.

Eroica opened the door slowly, making certain there were no internal alarms or trip lines. Nothing. He slipped inside, slowly approaching the only object in the room. An easel with a rectangular object covered in velvet that could only be the painting he had come for--"The Man In Purple."

Eroica shown the light of his torch all around the painting, on the floor, around the room. He jumped when the light fell on the lump he had failed to see when he entered. Then he realized it was a wooden packing case that must have been what the painting was transported in.

How nice of you to provide me with a way of shipping this back to Castle Gloria, Major.

When Eroica reached out to pull the covering from the painting, he realized he was trembling with anticipation. Finally, after all these years, his prize was within his grasp. The thief took hold of the velvet and pulled, but it resisted. Snagged on the easel at the back, no doubt. Eroica snapped off the torch and clipped it to his belt so he could take hold of the covering with both hands. He stepped forward, got a firm grip on the cloth, and tugged, hard.

Eroica felt the cover came off cleanly. Then several things happened at once. The lights came on and he realized that there was nothing but a blank canvas on the easel. Then came an odd sound above his head a split second before he was covered in something thick, sticky, wet--and purple! Paint! He was covered in purple paint!

"Aaaaa!" The Earl heard himself scream in rage. Then he heard another sound and turned back to the wooden crate, seeing the Major appear from behind it, a camera in his hand and a very smug expression on his face.

"Smile, Lord Gloria."

"Bastard!" the dripping Eroica hissed as his photograph was taken.

The satisfied smile on the Major's face did not falter. He set down the camera and folded his arms, leaning back against the crate. He had no doubt that the Earl would retaliate for this humiliation, but it didn't matter. Whatever he came up with would be no match for the look on his face now.

"Congratulations, Eroica," Klaus said calmly. "Now you are ‘The Man In Purple.'"

*

AND THE FEUD GOES ON...

*