The limo phone rang and Jackson quickly answered it. He listened for a few moments and then hung up. “Confirmation that the hundred million dollars has been received; though it’s after regular banking hours, I’d had special arrangements in place. Omniscience is such a rewarding gift.”
He patted the seat. “Now I need you to sit next to me. First, close your eyes and then give me your hand so I can guide you,” Jackson said, reaching for it out of the darkness.
“Why do I have to close my eyes?”
“Indulge me, LuAnn. I can’t resist a little drama in life, particularly since it’s so rare. I can assure you that what I’m about to do will be absolutely essential to your safely evading the police and starting your new life.”
LuAnn started to question him again but then thought better of it. She took his hand and closed her eyes.
He settled her down beside him. She could feel a light shine down on her features. She jerked as she felt the scissors cut into her hair. Jackson’s breath was right next to her ear. “I would advise you not to do that again. It’s hard enough to do this in such a small space with limited time and equipment. I wouldn’t want to do you serious damage.” Jackson continued cutting until her hair stopped just above her ears. He periodically stuffed the cut hair into a large trash bag. A wet substance was continually run through the remaining strands and then it quickly hardened almost like concrete. Jackson used a styling brush to manipulate the remaining strands into place.
Jackson next clamped a portable mirror surrounded by nonheating light bulbs to the edge of the limo’s console. Ordinarily, with the nose job he was going to perform, he would employ two mirrors to test profile constantly; however, he didn’t have that luxury sitting in a limo in a Manhattan underground parking garage. He opened up his kit, a ten-tray case filled with makeup supplies and a myriad of tools with which to apply them and then set to work. She felt his nimble fingers flying over her face. He blocked out her eyebrows with Kryolan’s eyebrow plastic, covered them with a sealer, dressed the area with a creme stick, and then powdered it. Then he created totally new ones using a small brush. He thoroughly cleansed the lower part of her face with rubbing alcohol. He applied spirit gum to her nose, and let it dry. While it did so, he applied K-Y lubricating jelly to his fingers so the putty he was going to use wouldn’t stick to them. He let the putty heat up in his hand, and then commenced applying the malleable substance to her nose, methodically kneading and pressing until a satisfactory shape was created.“Your nose is long and straight, LuAnn, classic, really. However, a little putty, a little shadowing and highlighting and, voilà, we have a thick, crooked piece of cartilage that isn’t nearly as becoming. However, it’s only temporary. Everyone, after all, is only temporary.” He chuckled lightly at this philosophical statement as he went through the process of stippling the putty with a black stipple sponge, powdering the surface, stippling in a foundation color, and adding rouge to the nares to give a natural appearance. Using subtle shadowing and highlights, he made LuAnn’s eyes seem closer together, and made her chin and jawline seem less prominent with the aid of powders and creams. Rouge was placed skillfully on the cheekbones to lessen their impact on her overall appearance.
She felt him gently examining the wound on her jaw. “Nasty cut. Souvenir from your trailer experience?” When LuAnn didn’t answer, he said, “You know this will require some stitching. Even with that, it’s deep enough that it probably will scar. Don’t worry, after I’m done, it will be invisible. But eventually, you may want to consider plastic surgery.” He chuckled again and added, “In my professional opinion.”
Next, Jackson carefully painted her lips. “A little thinner, I’m afraid, than the classical model, LuAnn. You may want to consider collagen at some point.”
It was all LuAnn could do not to jump up and run screaming from him. She had no idea what she was going to look like; it was as though he were some mad scientist bringing her back from the dead.