Chapter 14 – Gas Lighted
Rapunzel was lying on a couch in Isabelle's library, with a damp cloth over her head. She was moaning in her sleep.
"Eugene, Eugene."
Four people were standing over her, two more anxious than the others: Pascal, Isabelle, back in her wheel chair, Rapunzel's father, and Max, her boss. They had been called by Isabelle early that morning.
Rapunzel moaned again.
"She's coming to," said Isabelle to Nic. Rapunzel slowly opened her eyes and saw Isabelle first.
"Did you get it?" she mumbled.
"Get what?"
"The little black book."
"What black book?" Rapunzel blinked her eyes and sat up, confused. She then saw her father.
"Father, what are you doing here? Where's Eugene?"
"Eugene?" asked Isabelle.
"You're nephew!" Panic crept into Rapunzel's voice.
"Young lady, I'm afraid I don't have a nephew."
"No, no nephew?" Rapunzel laid back down, puzzled.
"How long had she been on your lawn, Miss Fitzherbert?"
"Pascal found her at seven this morning." Pascal nodded at Isabelle's words.
"Eating the tulip bulbs," he said.
"Eating the tulip bulbs?" Rapunzel looked from the butler to her boss, even more bewildered.
"I'll pay for all the damages," Max told Isabelle. She shrugged off the suggestion.
Rapunzel jumped up.
"Father, she says she has no nephew!"
"Well, if the lady says she has no nephew then she has no nephew."
"But she does, Father." Rapunzel was desperate to get Nic to believe her. "I know she does. His name is Eugene. He has brown hair and he's the most handsome man I ever saw."
Isabelle shook her head.
"I'm afraid she's suffering from some hallucination." Rapunzel rounded on Isabelle, offended and angry.
"I'm not suffering from any hallucination," Rapunzel yelled down at Isabelle. "There is a little black book and a man was murdered right in front of my eyes and on Tuesday you invited me to lunch to tell me about it and Eugene was here! He was at the piano-" Rapunzel turned to point at the piano, but it was not there. In fact, everything that she remembered from her first visit was gone, even the painting of the stabbed man. She spun slowly in a circle, her befuddled state becoming more so.
"I have never set eyes on you in my life, young lady."
"What do you mean you've-"
"Rapunzel," Nic said gently, placing a hand on his daughter's arm. "Dear, please don't make any more trouble."
"I'm not making any trouble."
"Mitty," said Max, crossing over to her. "You have four covers to work on today. Think about that." Rapunzel glared at him and pushed him away.
"I don't care."
"Young lady," said Isabelle, "you're beginning to exhaust my patience. You've destroyed property of mine. I could press charges and have you arrested." Nic clutched Rapunzel close, while Max stepped up to Isabelle.
"Now, Miss Fitzherbert, we can settle this amicably; I'll pay for all the damages, and I'll send you a, a life subscription to all of Corona Publishing's magazines."
Rapunzel tried to break free of her father's grasp.
"I've got to find Eugene." Max put his hands on Rapunzel and the two held her back. "And don't pay her for any tulips, Mr. Corona. I didn't eat a single one. Eugene? Eugene?"
"Mitty, Mitty, don't get excited. We'll get you to a doctor right away." Rapunzel stared at her boss, horrified by his implication of her being deranged.
"If I may," said Isabelle. "What the girl needs is not a physician, but a psychiatrist."
"Psychiatrist?" Rapunzel almost screeched.
"I happen to know a very good one."
"Name him, ma'am," Max said, kneeling down to Isabelle. "Money's no option."
Rapunzel finally broke free from her father's grasp and ran out of the library.
"I'm going to find Eugene. He'll say I'm not crazy!"
"Mitty! Mitty!" Max looked at the butler. "Catch her, catch her!" Pascal did as he was told and went after her.
"Oh, I don't know what's happened to Rapunzel," Nic said sadly. He sat down on the couch. "She's never run away from home before, not even when she was little."
"There, there, Mr. Mitty," said Max, patting Nic's shoulder.
"She's always been such a quiet girl."
"Yes, yes."
From outside the library, there was a sudden load crash from the stairwell. Everyone rushed to see the cause of the noise. On the staircase landing, Rapunzel was lying unconscious with a table over her. Pascal bent down to right it.
"Oh, Rapunzel! What did you do to her?" Nic shouted accusingly.
"She did it herself, sir."
Max turned to Isabelle, pulling out a notebook.
"What's the name of that psychiatrist?"
"Dr. Hugo Facilier."
"Hugo…Facilier," Max whispered as he scribbled out the name. "And you're sure he can help?"
"If he can't, no one can."
Hm... what can this mean?