SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Four
It took Cadence less than twenty minutes to travel from the motel to the DeLeon compound. She parked momentarily at the curbside to perform a quick touch-up of hair and makeup before rolling up to the gate. Fieldstone pillars covered with ivy flanked on either side of an ornate wrought iron barricade adorned with a time-worn family crest. Much of the shield’s detail was lost to the unrelenting extremes of east coast weather. A blue-green patina washed over the sculpted mythical winged felines that presented the circular center shield that once contained the emblems symbolizing bravery and honor. The shield now acted as a frame for a large flat-screen monitor that played a continuous loop that alternated between concert footage and information about the grand opening of “DeLeondia,” heavy metal’s answer to Graceland. Lying on the pavement directly below the screen was an offering of stuffed animals and bouquets of red roses left by a handful of adoring fans. Cadence pulled the car parallel to the screen trying her best not to run over any of the offerings. Despite her excellent driving abilities, she did squish the toes of one unfortunate teddy bear. She leaned through her window and pressed the call button beneath the screen. The image on the screen immediately flipped to one of an old television test pattern with the words “Please Stand By” overprinted in the center. The screen flipped again to a live camera feed from within the mansion. A mutton-chopped, mustachioed man in a black T-shirt emblazoned with the word “STAFF” peered into the camera.
“We’re not open, yet. Come back in a week,” he barked.
“Hey, Mikey, it’s me, Cadence. I’m here for that job interview.”
“Sorry, Darlin’, I wasn’t paying attention. I’ll get the gate. Just pull all the way back past the sign marked Employees Only. You’ll see where to park. I’ll meet you on the back porch.”
The ornate iron gate rolled slowly to the side, dragging along with it any stuffed animal that had the misfortune of having one of its appendages breach the boundaries of the balusters. Cadence admired how well the newly manicured landscape fit the aesthetic of the old estate as she rolled past the guard-house-turned-gift- shop and up the freshly paved driveway. It was obvious that the grounds had been recently rejuvenated since some of the seams between rolls of sod were still visible. The sweet stink of freshly spread mulch hung in the mid-morning air. Typically, Cadence hated that aroma, but today it seemed to fit in with the notion of a new beginning.
The driveway forked as she neared the mansion. She passed the Employees Only sign and continued alongside the house until she reached the staff parking area. The lot contained only a few vehicles, the most notable being a van emblazoned with an elaborate airbrushed mural. The orange and black striped body of a tiger reared as if it were a wild stallion. Its muscular legs lead to the shaggy hooves of a Clydesdale rather than the tiger paws one might expect. A washboard of flesh rose from the chest of the “Clydesdiger,” joining to beefy slabs of pectoral muscles. An obscenely large arm cradled a crossbow while the other reached back toward a quiver of chrome arrows. A swirl of golden hair twisted in the star-speckled heavens surrounding the head of the mythical beast.
“Well, then there’s that!” Cadence marveled.
She pulled alongside the kitsch-on-wheels and turned off the motor. After a moment of self-affirmation and a couple of spritzes of rose water perfume she exited her car and headed toward Mike, who was waiting for her on the porch.