He bent to put the flowers on the grave. Slightly misty-eyed, he looked at
his son and started to tell him stories about his childhood and how much of
a role his mother had played in his life.
Eric, like all children, asked him more questions wanting to take in all
the information he could about the grandmother he had never known.
Roxton picked his son up and headed back to the car that had driven them to
the cemetery. John asked the waiting butler to take them to his mother's
house.
After his mother's death, John wanted to preserve his only link with
his family, and consequently he took care of the house and made it their
holiday resort. Even Christmas was spent there a few years ago.
As they got inside, John told his son about their little picnic and pony
ride. A very excited Eric ran upstairs to put on his riding gear while
Roxton, and the butler prepared a few sandwiches for their outing. He
wouldn't spend the night here, it made him think too much, and with
Marguerite absent, there was indeed TOO MUCH to remember.
They would head home to wait for Marguerite after this long day of outdoor
adventures.
Heinrich walked towards her and she could tell he was slightly drunk. He took off his jacket and tossed it on her bed. "Back off," she said preserving her calm composure. He didn't speak, grabbed her around the waist and voraciously tried to capture her lips. She pushed him away and threatened to call out for help. The next thing she felt was his palm against her cheek, his hand slapping her with such force that she found herself losing her balance and almost dropped onto her bed. Marguerite steadied herself, and with every drop of hate she carried for this man at this point, she slapped him back and pushed him further away from her immediate vicinity. He attacked her now, grabbing her arms, shouting obscenities into her face. His mouth was foul, and he was incoherent. She tried to kick him, but to no avail since he pushed her onto the bed, putting all his weight upon her. His lips crushed hers, and with his knee he tried to separate her legs. Marguerite groaned , tried to scream. She had no control over him anymore, a fact that filled her with fury. A man taking advantage of her body, on top of her, violating her, and here she was, unable to fight back, that was something that very rarely happened. "Madam, is everything well?" a voice inquired outside her door. The only sounds heard on the hallway were stifled moans and small cries, blocked by Heinrich's savage lips.
The voice behind the door pushed the impeding barrier open. It was the man Churchill had assigned to help Marguerite. He rushed towards Heinrich, who was now surprised and looked towards the stranger. Churchill's man hit him to the head, shoved him aside and helped Marguerite to her feet. "Thank you," she said, Thank you very much." Heinrich opened his eyes, rose quickly and attacked Marguerite's rescuer. She stopped as an idea came to her. Her eyes widened as she rapidly turned it over in her mind, carefully considering every aspect. Yes, that might possibly work! She paused a moment more, as she thought about what might happen if it didn't. But she had little choice; she had to try. She sneaked behind the bed as the two men were fighting, and retrieved Heinrich's jacket. She searched the pockets, found the key and returned the jacket to where she had removed it. "Stop it now, you two." Both looked at her after a couple more punches. "Please leave!" she continued. Heinrich looked at her with a slight desolation as he retrieved his jacket and walked out of her room.
Marguerite tended to the nasty cut on her protector's lower lip, trying to soothe the pain as a thank you for saving her life. He rejected her gratitude and replied that it was his job. "It's way past midnight, sir, and tomorrow is the last day of our mission, so we better get some rest," she told him. "Yes, Miss Dietrich." He smiled for calling her that. After all she had grabbed him and asked him to be careful of what name she went by. With that he walked out.
After very few hours of sleep, she opened her eyes to realize that another day had dawned and groaned. Marguerite was too tired, slightly beaten and unwilling to move. She decided to stay in bed until lunch. In the meantime she would think of a way to retrieve the circular key.
Heinrich was still asleep, like a corpse he lay on his bed, bruised. He was not aware of the drastic measures that were to be taken if the ship landed, without them retrieving the ouroboros from him.
After some time he moaned back to consciousness. The first thought that entered his mind was what percentage of his wealth he was to give Callum, or if he was going to give him something at all. Going to the United States was a smart move , after all, his investments were safe there, and there wasn't going to be war on American soil.
Marguerite sat on her bed with the key between her fingers. 'Not much time left,' she thought. Gunter, Sammt and Churchill's man were gathered to talk things through. Tomorrow they would go through with their mission, but they had to find a way to get Miss Krux off the ship first. The only possible way for that, at this point, was for her to jump off as soon as the ship was to land. That stunt was far too risky, but it was the only salvation that the three men and Marguerite had for now.
May 6 Aboard the Hindenburg
It was almost eight o'clock, when Marguerite left her room, hoping for something to eat as she thought of a plan to get the ouroboros. Although she was hungry, food didn't stimulate her appetite, and her plate was left untouched as her eyes trailed around the dining room with no particular destination. Then they caught Heinrich arguing with his man. Gunter seemed to be in trouble as Heinrich led him towards the corridors of his room. Marguerite rose from her chair wanting to follow the two man, but someone grabbed her arm and told her to stay in her chair. She recognized the voice as that of the man who had saved her earlier and she asked: "You know that man! I saw you both talking with Sammt. I want an explanation." "Günter was helping us , he was our insider, but yesterday, when Heinrich saw me, he recognized me as the guy who had talked to Günter and became suspicious. We must be even more careful." She looked at him as he sat opposite her and bent closer." I have the key to the ouroboros." He didn't speak, but his eyes widened as he swallowed hard. "That is dangerous, very dangerous. Any minute now, Heinrich will want to open the drawer to make sure Günter doesn't have the ouroboros, and he won't find the key." "Then all I have to do is retrieve the ouroboros now." "No, it's too risky." "I don't understand. Why not kill Heinrich?" He looked down at her. "I will, but it has to look like it happened when the Zeppelin crashes," he replied. "The Zeppelin will crash?" Marguerite asked, turning pale. "Yes, but without you on it." "What do you mean?" He took a sip from the glass of water in front of him. "You will take the ouroboros and return to London. I will take care of Heinrich." He stood up. "Wait," Marguerite replied. "Meet me close to Heinrich's room around five o'clock tonight," he told her before walking away.
"You bastard! You thought you could actually go through with it without me knowing, eh?" He punched Günter hard, and blood dripped from his nose and split lips. The bruised man was tied to the chair as Heinrich took his revenge and beat him up with all the hate he had within. "Tell me! Who were those men?" Heinrich spit, but Günter had no answer. His vision was hazy, and his left eye was no longer able to distinguish its surroundings. It took another punch from Heinrich, and Günter's bloody face jerked up violently before it fell back down again, limply. He was dead, his neck broken. "Bastard!" Heinrich swore before he headed toward his desk, thinking about his ouroboros. He searched the desk to no avail and then remembered putting the key in his vest. Frantically, he looked into every pocket without finding it. The only suspect he could think of was the man he fought yesterday in Margarita's room. Madness ravaged him, but he would wait for tonight to strike back at the man. For now he had to find a way to "dispose" of his ex partner.
Time passed quickly, and he had to find a solution fast. He did not know how to get rid of the body. Savage solutions raced through his mind until he settled with the idea of wrapping his former partner with the bed sheets and putting him in his suitcase. 'Yes,' he thought. He'd put him into the suitcase and place it in Günter's room. Leaving the lifeless body behind, he went to his partner's room grabbing the bed sheets and the suitcase that lay in the corner. Making sure no one was around to see him, he quickly strode towards his room. Time was running out. It was already past three o'clock. He had to find the key, and as far as he knew, the key was with the man he had seen previously. Wrapping the bloody, battered corpse in the white sheets, Heinrich gave it every possible position to make it fit in the suitcase. When he finally succeeded, the body had become more and more mutilated, and the sheets an even deeper shade of crimson.
Marguerite walked around her room anxiously. She had memorized the pattern of her feet and the walls around her. She waited, but time seemed to be at a stand-still. She was patient, it was not the first time her sanity was tested, but it was the first time she had longed to be home so much. Five o'clock seemed to be an eternity away, and time for her had slowed its motion. Heinrich, on the other hand, was frantic and confused. Trailing the suitcase behind him, he constantly checked his surroundings until he reached Günter's chamber. In his part of reality, he was in a marathon against the hours, and they, were ruthless. He placed the now heavy suitcase in a corner where it previously lay and fixed the bed before he left, shutting the door behind him. He returned to his room, gathering all his belongings. He had to disappear as soon as the zeppelin landed in case he was not able to get the ouroboros in time.
Without the ouroboros, he was doomed. ---------------------
She met up with her partner at the end of the corridor where Heinrich's chamber was. They were both extremely cautious seeing Heinrich's silhouette leaving his room at the other end. 'Where is he going' Marguerite asked. 'I don't know.' 'He is aware that his key is gone missing,' she whispered. 'Then he must be looking for you, so you better find the ouroboros quickly,' he replied peeping from behind the corner. 'If he was looking for me, he would have head to my room, towards US,' she contradicted, her eyes wide open. 'Then perhaps he is looking for me,' he looked at her. 'Then perhaps Günter has talked.' He paused for a moment before he continued. 'You go get the Ouroboros, and I will think of what to do.' 'I am not leaving here without you. You know that this ship is not landing in one piece.' 'I promise, as soon as I have Heinrich under my supervision and you, through the ouroboros, in London, I will tell Sammt to cancel the mission. Now go.' With that, he followed Heinrich's trail.
The door was locked, but it was nothing she couldn't deal with. With the help of a few hairpins, she found herself closer to the prize.
In the meantime, her partner was in the command room giving orders to Sammt to go through with the previous decision. A few men had to be silenced, and there was no other way to dispose of the evidence, and on top of that, the ouroboros was still not in their hands. 'I have to go find Miss Dietrich before he gets to her. You are ordered to carry on with the mission.' "Yes Sir.' 'I will deal with Heinrich, and you send two of your officers to deal with the two other men whose names I have here.' He handed the envelope to the commander and walked out in search of Marguerite.
Heinrich pushed the door open. Marguerite stood in front of him with the circular key held with delicate, sensitive fingers. She jerked her head up and saw the tense body in the doorframe. Before she knew it, she was fighting for her life as he savagely attacked.
Heinrich walked towards her and she could tell he was slightly drunk. He took off his jacket and tossed it on her bed. "Back off," she said preserving her calm composure. He didn't speak, grabbed her around the waist and voraciously tried to capture her lips. She pushed him away and threatened to call out for help. The next thing she felt was his palm against her cheek, his hand slapping her with such force that she found herself losing her balance and almost dropped onto her bed. Marguerite steadied herself, and with every drop of hate she carried for this man at this point, she slapped him back and pushed him further away from her immediate vicinity. He attacked her now, grabbing her arms, shouting obscenities into her face. His mouth was foul, and he was incoherent. She tried to kick him, but to no avail since he pushed her onto the bed, putting all his weight upon her. His lips crushed hers, and with his knee he tried to separate her legs. Marguerite groaned , tried to scream. She had no control over him anymore, a fact that filled her with fury. A man taking advantage of her body, on top of her, violating her, and here she was, unable to fight back, that was something that very rarely happened. "Madam, is everything well?" a voice inquired outside her door. The only sounds heard on the hallway were stifled moans and small cries, blocked by Heinrich's savage lips.
The voice behind the door pushed the impeding barrier open. It was the man Churchill had assigned to help Marguerite. He rushed towards Heinrich, who was now surprised and looked towards the stranger. Churchill's man hit him to the head, shoved him aside and helped Marguerite to her feet. "Thank you," she said, Thank you very much." Heinrich opened his eyes, rose quickly and attacked Marguerite's rescuer. She stopped as an idea came to her. Her eyes widened as she rapidly turned it over in her mind, carefully considering every aspect. Yes, that might possibly work! She paused a moment more, as she thought about what might happen if it didn't. But she had little choice; she had to try. She sneaked behind the bed as the two men were fighting, and retrieved Heinrich's jacket. She searched the pockets, found the key and returned the jacket to where she had removed it. "Stop it now, you two." Both looked at her after a couple more punches. "Please leave!" she continued. Heinrich looked at her with a slight desolation as he retrieved his jacket and walked out of her room.
Marguerite tended to the nasty cut on her protector's lower lip, trying to soothe the pain as a thank you for saving her life. He rejected her gratitude and replied that it was his job. "It's way past midnight, sir, and tomorrow is the last day of our mission, so we better get some rest," she told him. "Yes, Miss Dietrich." He smiled for calling her that. After all she had grabbed him and asked him to be careful of what name she went by. With that he walked out.
After very few hours of sleep, she opened her eyes to realize that another day had dawned and groaned. Marguerite was too tired, slightly beaten and unwilling to move. She decided to stay in bed until lunch. In the meantime she would think of a way to retrieve the circular key.
Heinrich was still asleep, like a corpse he lay on his bed, bruised. He was not aware of the drastic measures that were to be taken if the ship landed, without them retrieving the ouroboros from him.
After some time he moaned back to consciousness. The first thought that entered his mind was what percentage of his wealth he was to give Callum, or if he was going to give him something at all. Going to the United States was a smart move , after all, his investments were safe there, and there wasn't going to be war on American soil.
Marguerite sat on her bed with the key between her fingers. 'Not much time left,' she thought. Gunter, Sammt and Churchill's man were gathered to talk things through. Tomorrow they would go through with their mission, but they had to find a way to get Miss Krux off the ship first. The only possible way for that, at this point, was for her to jump off as soon as the ship was to land. That stunt was far too risky, but it was the only salvation that the three men and Marguerite had for now.
May 6 Aboard the Hindenburg
It was almost eight o'clock, when Marguerite left her room, hoping for something to eat as she thought of a plan to get the ouroboros. Although she was hungry, food didn't stimulate her appetite, and her plate was left untouched as her eyes trailed around the dining room with no particular destination. Then they caught Heinrich arguing with his man. Gunter seemed to be in trouble as Heinrich led him towards the corridors of his room. Marguerite rose from her chair wanting to follow the two man, but someone grabbed her arm and told her to stay in her chair. She recognized the voice as that of the man who had saved her earlier and she asked: "You know that man! I saw you both talking with Sammt. I want an explanation." "Günter was helping us , he was our insider, but yesterday, when Heinrich saw me, he recognized me as the guy who had talked to Günter and became suspicious. We must be even more careful." She looked at him as he sat opposite her and bent closer." I have the key to the ouroboros." He didn't speak, but his eyes widened as he swallowed hard. "That is dangerous, very dangerous. Any minute now, Heinrich will want to open the drawer to make sure Günter doesn't have the ouroboros, and he won't find the key." "Then all I have to do is retrieve the ouroboros now." "No, it's too risky." "I don't understand. Why not kill Heinrich?" He looked down at her. "I will, but it has to look like it happened when the Zeppelin crashes," he replied. "The Zeppelin will crash?" Marguerite asked, turning pale. "Yes, but without you on it." "What do you mean?" He took a sip from the glass of water in front of him. "You will take the ouroboros and return to London. I will take care of Heinrich." He stood up. "Wait," Marguerite replied. "Meet me close to Heinrich's room around five o'clock tonight," he told her before walking away.
"You bastard! You thought you could actually go through with it without me knowing, eh?" He punched Günter hard, and blood dripped from his nose and split lips. The bruised man was tied to the chair as Heinrich took his revenge and beat him up with all the hate he had within. "Tell me! Who were those men?" Heinrich spit, but Günter had no answer. His vision was hazy, and his left eye was no longer able to distinguish its surroundings. It took another punch from Heinrich, and Günter's bloody face jerked up violently before it fell back down again, limply. He was dead, his neck broken. "Bastard!" Heinrich swore before he headed toward his desk, thinking about his ouroboros. He searched the desk to no avail and then remembered putting the key in his vest. Frantically, he looked into every pocket without finding it. The only suspect he could think of was the man he fought yesterday in Margarita's room. Madness ravaged him, but he would wait for tonight to strike back at the man. For now he had to find a way to "dispose" of his ex partner.
Time passed quickly, and he had to find a solution fast. He did not know how to get rid of the body. Savage solutions raced through his mind until he settled with the idea of wrapping his former partner with the bed sheets and putting him in his suitcase. 'Yes,' he thought. He'd put him into the suitcase and place it in Günter's room. Leaving the lifeless body behind, he went to his partner's room grabbing the bed sheets and the suitcase that lay in the corner. Making sure no one was around to see him, he quickly strode towards his room. Time was running out. It was already past three o'clock. He had to find the key, and as far as he knew, the key was with the man he had seen previously. Wrapping the bloody, battered corpse in the white sheets, Heinrich gave it every possible position to make it fit in the suitcase. When he finally succeeded, the body had become more and more mutilated, and the sheets an even deeper shade of crimson.
Marguerite walked around her room anxiously. She had memorized the pattern of her feet and the walls around her. She waited, but time seemed to be at a stand-still. She was patient, it was not the first time her sanity was tested, but it was the first time she had longed to be home so much. Five o'clock seemed to be an eternity away, and time for her had slowed its motion. Heinrich, on the other hand, was frantic and confused. Trailing the suitcase behind him, he constantly checked his surroundings until he reached Günter's chamber. In his part of reality, he was in a marathon against the hours, and they, were ruthless. He placed the now heavy suitcase in a corner where it previously lay and fixed the bed before he left, shutting the door behind him. He returned to his room, gathering all his belongings. He had to disappear as soon as the zeppelin landed in case he was not able to get the ouroboros in time.
Without the ouroboros, he was doomed. ---------------------
She met up with her partner at the end of the corridor where Heinrich's chamber was. They were both extremely cautious seeing Heinrich's silhouette leaving his room at the other end. 'Where is he going' Marguerite asked. 'I don't know.' 'He is aware that his key is gone missing,' she whispered. 'Then he must be looking for you, so you better find the ouroboros quickly,' he replied peeping from behind the corner. 'If he was looking for me, he would have head to my room, towards US,' she contradicted, her eyes wide open. 'Then perhaps he is looking for me,' he looked at her. 'Then perhaps Günter has talked.' He paused for a moment before he continued. 'You go get the Ouroboros, and I will think of what to do.' 'I am not leaving here without you. You know that this ship is not landing in one piece.' 'I promise, as soon as I have Heinrich under my supervision and you, through the ouroboros, in London, I will tell Sammt to cancel the mission. Now go.' With that, he followed Heinrich's trail.
The door was locked, but it was nothing she couldn't deal with. With the help of a few hairpins, she found herself closer to the prize.
In the meantime, her partner was in the command room giving orders to Sammt to go through with the previous decision. A few men had to be silenced, and there was no other way to dispose of the evidence, and on top of that, the ouroboros was still not in their hands. 'I have to go find Miss Dietrich before he gets to her. You are ordered to carry on with the mission.' "Yes Sir.' 'I will deal with Heinrich, and you send two of your officers to deal with the two other men whose names I have here.' He handed the envelope to the commander and walked out in search of Marguerite.
Heinrich pushed the door open. Marguerite stood in front of him with the circular key held with delicate, sensitive fingers. She jerked her head up and saw the tense body in the doorframe. Before she knew it, she was fighting for her life as he savagely attacked.