Chapter 8
The foreigner slowly bent down and when he saw Charlotte's closed eyelids, he smiled. He bent nearer still and touched her hand. She didn´t move.
"Perfect." He said to himself. "So far everything is going like I planned." Then he tried to wake her. But she didn´t react.
"Charlotte! Bella! Angelina!"
But it was no use, she wouldn't awake.
"What the hell! This should not be happening!. Why on earth is she disobeying me? Wake up, now!"
He became angrier as every moment passed and the girl did not open her eyes. He kneeled before her and began to shake her.
"Is there a problem?" Giovanni turned to find Marguerite in the doorway, her hands in her breeches´ pockets
"No. Well. Si. The miss fainted and I can´t wake her. Ahmmm. I don´t know what caused it." He answered with a worried face.
"Well, Maybe you stayed up too long. You know, Charlotte is an early riser."
"But..."
"But maybe it is the effect of the liquid you poured in her drink."
The man looked up, and nearly forgot to breath. His breath caught as his eyes met the cold stare of Marguerites.
"But how? I...I didn´t want that... I didn´t want to..."
"Kill her? I know that. Or at least hope that you didn't intend to kill her. But you didn´t kill her. Miss Dunn will spend the next 24 hours in a peaceful sleep. Thanks to the tiruntium melonisnak, one of the most wonderful sleeping medicines on the Plateau."
"What?"
"I don´t know what you wanted to give her, but I´m sure Challenger will gladly analyze the mixture I´ve found. What you did give her only causes tiredness."
"Signora, please, let me explain myself..." Giovanni said as he walked towards her, but
Marguerite slipped her favorite little gun from her pocket and pointed it at him.
"I advise you not to get any closerr."
The man stopped right where he stood.
"And now..." She continued. "Sit down slowly." And she indicated an armchair with an elegant twist of her wrist.
"Please..."
"No, no, no, no. It´s my turn. I don´t know who you are, but I don´t believe that Castucci is your name. I also don´t know why I and Charlotte were your targets, but contriving that accident in the laboratory resulting in Roxton leaving the tree house with Richard instead of me was a brilliant move I must admit. The only problem is that I get suspicious every time I see a man courting more than one woman. So suspicious that I searched your things. That was when I found the little Zanga bottle. I have always admired the exceptional handiwork of the Zangas. This bottle was a special one, with symbols. Is it from the chief or the shaman? All right. It´s not important. So according to your story, between running for your life for days, you found some spare time to sneak into the Zanga village and steal. Am I right? After hearing that I found the bottle are you still amazed that I changed its contents?"
"No." Answered the man. "But I don´t know what you plan on doing. As far as I can tell, you didn´t tell all this to the professor, so we are alone. What are your intentions now?" He smiled devilishly. "Keep me awake throughout the night?"
"You underestimate me. Again. It´s starting to become a bad habit. I am offering you a drink, something different and soothing. Like..." And she slowly moved her eyes around the room. "Ahh I see Charlotte´s cup is still nearly full. Please" And she smiled for the first time in their conversation. It was a smile of victory and revenge when she saw the realization appear on her opponent´s face.
The foreigner gulped, but seeing the end of her pistol, did as Marguerite directed and reached for the cup.
At this moment, they heard footsteps.
"Marguerite, have you seen my papers..." Challenger asked as he stepped into the room.
Giovanni seeing his opportunity suddenly jumped up and ran into the elevator. Before Marguerite and Challenger could do anything he was on the ground and before they could turn on the electrical fence, he was beyond it running into the deep and dark jungle.
