Expedition part 10: Going Home pt 8
Expedition part 10: Going home pt 8
---Spider----
The shopkeeper smiles. "I hope your children are happy with your generous gifts ! Have a lovely visit in Cape Town."
---Everyone, at dinner---
Spider raises his glass to Thorne's toast, and adds, "And to getting home safe. Until then, we're not done."
Spider's toast was honoured with some more champagne. It seemed danger was a world away, after a day in civilisation. Jack had three mysterious items stowed in his luggage, Ben looked as if he'd caught up on his sleep, and Thorne and Fritz seemed on normal speaking terms with everyone.
As for the return home, Ben responds, checking his watch. "We're calling home in a few minutes, to find out what they've arranged. I'm sure there's plenty to do around town, but we won't know how much time we have until we check with the office."
And then, one of the hotel staff hurried up to the table, wringing his hands. "I beg pardon for this unseemly intrusion," he said. "There's a disturbance upstairs with your dogs. They are - making noise, and some of the guests have complained."
----Upstairs-----
There were indeed huskies making noise in the rooms, specifically the one where the excavated treasure was stored. The sound is a grating howl, made by several of the dogs, and a raspier one from Bruno. Upon the Agents' arrival, the dogs quieted, still making concerned yowls and yips; several of them were surrounding another husky, which lay quiet and still on the floor. The husky was dead - sprawled on the shredded carpet, and its mouth was open. It had apparently had a seizure during its death. Bruno stood guard over the stash, hackles raised.
"Son of a bitch," Thorne sounded mad.
"That's the dog that drank my lemonade," Ben said, standing very still.
"You - out." Thorne told the hotel staffer, who quickly retreated. Fritz came closer to the dead dog, the rest of them shifting to allow him to approach.
"Poisoned. Something that gave him seizures." Fritz said, kneeling beside the stricken animal. "Gums are pale, looks like asphyxiation. How much did you drink, boss ?"
"Almost none of it, I took a sip then Jack told me news that made me spit it out. The dog drank from my glass and didn't like it, then I tipped it out in the sink." Ben said.
"Macey told us that you 'would die' on this trip. Was it a warning ?" Thorne said.
"I really would rather not die," Ben said.
"We all ate the same meal tonight, apart from the turnips, which I hate," Thorne said. "It is less likely that we would all be poisoned at the same time, and we weren't the only guests eating the steak. When did you order the lemonade ?"
"Room service said it was complimentary. The waiter asked how many glasses I wanted, but you were all out and about, so I said, just the one. Then I fell asleep on the balcony." Ben replied. "I forgot about the lemonade until Jack woke me up."
"Remember what that waiter looked like," Thorne said. "How should we handle this ?"
"First, check in with Edith to find out what our return will take," Ben said. "If someone is trying to kill me, that means they already know who I am, or were taking a calculated risk."
"I signed in under my own name, and so did Fritz," Thorne said. "Spider sounds Australian, and Jack sounds Southern - Ben, you're the only Northern accent here, so they could easily place you as Ben Weintraub from Maine, especially if they have your physical description. Too late to switch names. You'd better stay in the rooms." Thorne quickly checked the French doors that led to the balcony, then swung the curtains closed.
"All right," Ben said. "Jack, you'll go down to the telephone cabinet, that's the only way to make an international call. Tell Edith Code Green - that means we may be in danger. Find out the details on getting us home. Who can guard him ?"
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GM: Actions, etc, for the next few minutes of game time, please respond by Saturday, 16 March, next post Sunday
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