Chapter Three
Roxton and Malone were on the balcony again, unaware that Jessica and Sarah were watching them intently, talking about them, planning. "I'm sure we'll be able to find some jungle tramp around here somewhere, these people have run across a few of them. Then we'll just have to see how they act after we've confessed our love to them" it was a simple plan. She guessed that whomever they chose to help them with their plan would want payment and Jessica had seen a few jewels in Marguerite's room that she thought would be adequate. "I'll take mine to the lake and you stay in the treehouse. The strange man, the scientist George has gone off somewhere so you won't be interrupted."
"Okay then" Sarah agreed. "Let's give them what they want" they both went their separate ways. "Happy hunting" the younger woman grinned.
*
'Marguerite' took Roxton by the hand and led him in the direction of the lake. He watched her in amusement as she pulled him determinedly along through the maze of trees, she stopped suddenly and looks around. "Lost your way Marguerite?"
She was growing frustrated with almost taking wrong turns and she mentally berated herself for walking this far out when she wasn't completely certain of the way. "Don't be silly my dear…I know exactly where I'm going" she turned to the right.
Roxton pulled her back, looking at her questioningly. "We're going to the lake, aren't we?" he checked. At her nod of confirmation he carried on "then we go left."
"Of course. What was I thinking" she changed her direction.
"I've been asking myself that very same question" he mumbled to himself.
Marguerite's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Hurry up John" she shouted and he noticed that she had already gotten ahead of him. He made to go after her when a noice stopped him in mid step.
*
'Veronica' sat on the edge of her bed looking up at Malone
out of wide and innocent eyes, the reporter waited just outside of her room,
watching nervously. Her behaviour
seemed very strange to him. One of the
things that annoyed Sarah was how Veronica never acted around him, she wasn't
forward enough and Sarah was going to change that. The only problem was, that Malone wasn't used to this version. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
"Oh this and that" she shrugged and smiled. She wished he would just relax "why don't you sit down?" 'Veronica' patted the bed next to her.
He wasn't sure if she was just messing him around, getting back at him. But he remembered his conversation with Roxton and the other man had said that Marguerite was acting unusual too "oh, that's okay…really. I'm fine" he looked slightly flustered.
"Neddy is something wrong?" she feigned concern. She had to at least act a little bit like Veronica "maybe you should lie down and rest."
He coughs a little a looks at her. "Neddy?" she never, ever called him that. He watched her as she walked to the bed "rest here?"
"Well my bed is as good as any…But whichever you prefer, doesn't bother me in the slightest" Malone took a step back.
*
A raptor jumped out of the bushes, pouncing and calling to the rest of its' pack, alerting them to its location. It knocked Roxton to the ground "Marguerite, shoot!"
She fumbled around with the gun and looks at it before aiming. "It's been a while since I used one of these things" fortunately for her, he didn't hear her comment. 'Marguerite' shoots the raptor and it fell to the leaf ridden forest floor, beside Roxton. She knelt beside the fallen man and sees a gash on his arm "you're hurt" the woman worriedly stated the obvious.
"Just a scratch" he brushed off her concern. Marguerite's out of character behaviour was starting to get to him though he tried not to show it.
"Well then, why don't I kiss it better?" she commented flirtatiously.
Roxton watched her, smiling just a little bit. "Well I should get hurt more often. Where's your locket?" his eyes fell to her bare neck.
'Marguerite' touched her neck. Locket, locket, locket…she quickly tried to remember the seemingly inconsequential object but Roxton's enquiring stare made her answer before she was ready. "It must have fallen off somewhere, never mind."
He looked puzzled at her remark. "But that locket was the only thing left to you by your parents" he remembered,
"And? I'll just get another one like it when I get back to London" Jessica did know that Marguerite couldn't wait to get back there. "Now where were we?"
Roxton sat up, dusting off his clothes. "It's getting late, we should get back to the treehouse."
He starts to walk back the way they had come, 'Marguerite' sighted frustrated. "He thinks of you as a mere play thing, Roxton's have not changed."
*
Seeing that Malone wasn't going to come any further into her room, 'Veronica' decided to get up herself. She stood as still as a statue in front of him "we should get dinner ready" Malone used the reason of food to try and excuse himself.
"Well I can think of more interesting things to do than that" she pulled Malone into her room. "Don't act so shy Ned, you have no reason to be" she tried to set his mind at ease.
"You seem different" he understated.
"I've come to my senses" they hear the elevator and as 'Veronica' became momentarily distracted he quickly hurried from the room while the woman looked on in boredom.
