"So that Layton can hear." Descole said spitefully.
At that moment Layton, who was only intending on listening outside, decided that he needed to interfere. "So that I can hear what, Descole?" Layton said immediately, bursting into the room the second he heard the man's comment. Luke must have been correct - Professor Sycamore was nowhere to be seen and Descole had replaced him.
Aurora followed in too, but shrank back when she saw the man with a sword in his hand. Was it really this man who had been with them the whole time? How could a violent man adopt the persona of someone so calm for so long and then suddenly change back?
"Ah, Layton!" The masked man welcomed with exaggerated glee. "Just in time, your assistant here has something to tell you."
Emmy looked guiltily at the professor, and he looked back with concern. How could she admit that she was never really there to be his assistant? That the reason for her going along with him was because she was a Targent spy? The young woman bit her lip nervously.
Seeing that Emmy wasn't going to answer, Descole stepped forwards. He swept back his cape to lift his left arm to his feather boa. "Not going to tell them? That's okay, I'll do-"
"Shut up Descole!" Luke interrupted, pushing past Layton to stand right in front of the man. When he saw the sword in his hand he backed away a few steps. "I'll never believe anything you say again!" he said as he walked backwards before bumping into Layton. The professor gave Luke a scolding look but remained silent.
"Hmph. Be that way then." The man in the mask said to the boy. Then he turned to the professor. "But I'm sure Layton would want to hear what I have to say."
Layton squinted his eyes. "I'd much rather hear it from Emmy herself." He said, knowing that Descole would likely twist the truth. He had no suspicion as to what it was the two were talking about, but he assumed that it was something serious.
Emmy couldn't avoid it anymore. It was one thing to ignore the requests of Descole, but she couldn't avoid them from Layton. She thought for a moment, surely there was another way of answering so that it didn't seem so bad - after all, Layton wasn't there to know what they were on about.
"It's him! Descole didn't have a disguise - he is the famous Desmond Sycamore." Emmy blurted out, hoping to take the attention off herself.
The other three looked at the man in disbelief. Layton especially was shocked - the archaeologist had been one that the professor looked up to, not to mention the one that Randall idolised when he was younger.
"And your lovely assistant works for Targent." Descole said vengefully, not giving anyone the time to say anything about him. The woman breathed in quickly, she should have expected him to say it the second that she said about him. "She has most likely been spying on you ever since she arrived and reported everything back to Bronev. That is why Targent took control of all of the Azran sites that you investigated." The man's hatred for Targent was evident in the way he spat out his words.
Emmy looked away. This was it. Layton would hate her for betraying him and Bronev would punish her for not completing her mission.
"Is this true, Emmy?" Layton asked. The man put his hand up onto the rim of his top hat. Surely Descole was mistaken - or at least making it up to take the attention off himself, however the woman's uncharacteristic nervousness suggested that it there could be some truth to it.
The professor felt a tugging at his jacket and looked down to see that Luke was gripping onto it. The boy's expression was one of confusion. "Say it's not true Emmy!" he cried, staring up at the woman. He hadn't even noticed how he was clinging to the professor in his unease, so flinched slightly as he felt Layton's hand land on his shoulder.
Emmy had two options: admit to it now and risk Layton siding with Descole to try to stop Targent, or say that Descole was lying which would make even more difficult if and when she had to act under the orders of her uncle. The woman didn't take the time to think through the real results of each of these, she had to choose one of them and she had to do so quickly - so she chose the easiest way out.
Meanwhile, Raymond listened in from the hallway.
He worried for his master. This was yet another plan that hadn't gone as intended - and most likely another one that he would have to clean up afterwards.
Raymond had been told the plan beforehand, and Desmond revealing himself as Descole wasn't part of it - or at least not yet or for this reasoning. The small man sighed internally, He cared a lot about his master but sometimes the man needed to make fewer rash decisions.
"Don't listen to him, professor!" Emmy piped up angrily. "He thinks that he can threaten me into staying quiet but he can't!" The only thing that could disprove what she said was the professor believing Descole over her, and she hoped that wouldn't happen.
"Liar!" Was Descole's immediate response. "She was in my desk to switch an Azran egg for a fake one."
"Hey - you're one to talk!" Luke shouted. "All you've done is lie to us!"
Emmy tried to ignore the fact that Luke still believed in her and scowled at Descole. "That was meant to be a joke!" was her only comeback. "Why would I want to steal an Azran egg?"
"You would have reason to if you were working for Targent."
Layton noticed the other man's grip on his sword tighten and pulled Luke back closer to himself. He thought back to what he heard when he first arrived back at the Bostonius - what Emmy had said was quite unusual given what she had just told them. Layton hated to believe Descole over Emmy, but his story was adding up a lot more than hers.
"This is ridiculous!" Emmy huffed. "Professor I-" She stopped herself, seeing that Layton looked like he had something to say. Maybe he had already worked out that she was lying and wanted her to leave immediately. She wouldn't blame him if he felt that way - she had been betraying him ever since she became his assistant.
"Perhaps we ought to leave - Luke, Aurora." The man paused before adding one last name to the list. "Emmy."