Diller turned to Muroe. “Are you coming?”
“Well, I …” started Muroe.
“Why would we bring her?” asked Smithy.
“We can’t leave her here.”
“It’s because of her we’re here in the first place.”
“I demand to go too,” said Reed.
Finley grabbed Diller’s arm. “Please, take me with you.”
“Alright,” said Smithy. “Let’s all just—”
Smithy broke off. The tip of a fencing sword jabbing into your Adam’s apple will have that effect. Without moving his head, he raised his eyes carefully to look at Wilkins. The man spoke in the same level tone he had employed throughout their acquaintance – that of someone admonishing staff.
“We do not have time for your squabbling. Master Breddenback has clearly lost his mind and he has assembled outside of these doors what might best be described as a pack of rabid dogs. Has anyone here had experience of how rabid dogs behave?” He glanced about the group quickly. “No, I thought not. They chase anything that runs. Run now, and you give them something to hunt. A gentleman by the name of Rake, who was a childhood friend of Messrs Finley and Reed, was here for the last couple of days. Yesterday, he tried to run. He got hold of a motorbike. Master Breddenback offered a ten-thousand-dollar bounty for his capture and the dogs hunted him down. They have a light aircraft which worked as a spotter; all the dogs had to do was follow. It was not pretty.”
The group looked at Finley, who looked on the verge of tears. “He’s right. Chaz was … He’s lost it.”
Reed’s voice came out quieter than it had ever been. “Is Rake …?”
“No,” said Finley. “I managed to talk Chaz down, just. Rake is alive but being kept as a prisoner, for now.” Finley rubbed his face, as if trying to wake himself up from a nightmare. “Chaz hasn’t slept in days, he’s vacuuming up coke, pills and God knows what else.”
“What happened?’ asked Muroe. “I assume he wasn’t always” – she pointed in the direction of the door – “that.”
“No,” said Finley. “He’s … he’s unrecognisable. We’d no idea until Rake and I got on a plane to go to Hawaii early – supposedly to do some sailing – and we ended up here. He’s been ranting and raving ever since. I still don’t know where here is. And don’t think about asking – he flies into a rage if anyone dares ask. He has totally lost it. His family disowned him after, y’know …” His eyes flicked briefly to Reed and away again.
“What?” asked Diller.
“After he lost the competition?” said Muroe.
Finley nodded. “And he’s gone out and hired, well, you saw. He thinks he’s building his own army out of those animals. It’s all insane.”
“Rather,” agreed Wilkins. “As we don’t know where we are, we don’t know in which direction safety lies. Even if you were to acquire some form of transportation, trying to flee this place without a plan will most assuredly get you killed. I myself was brought here under extreme duress and wish to make good my escape, but I am awaiting means and opportunity. I waited for you to arrive because I was hoping your resourcefulness might be of assistance in this situation.”
“Well,” said Reed, “I think we should—”
“Silence,” said Wilkins. “I wasn’t talking to you. You have done more than enough. I was speaking to Ms Muroe.”
Muroe looked taken aback. “Right, well, I guess. I mean … Can’t we call somebody?”
Wilkins shook his head. “Mr Finley and I have been subtly keeping an eye out for any form of communication device. Assuming there is one, Master Breddenback is keeping it locked away. And I don’t—”
Wilkins whipped the fencing sword away from Smithy’s throat so quickly that Smithy’s hand flew up reflexively to check for blood.
“That is correct, Mr Finley,” Wilkins began clearly. “The brain of John F. Kennedy did indeed disappear from the National Archives and … Ah, Master Breddenback. Re-joining us, I see.”
Smithy turned to see Chaz walking quickly across the room towards them. Zero loomed behind him. Chaz looked reinvigorated, in a chemical sort of way. “Yes. Why was Zero left outside?”
“He did not strike me as an individual with an appreciation of history.”
Chaz gave Wilkins a suspicious look, which was met with one of true blankness that took decades of training to pull off. “Right. How’s the tour going?”
“It is going.”
“Super. Super. Super.”
“Moving on,” said Wilkins. “Over there you can see Princess Diana’s wedding dress. Not the one from the TV wedding, but from the real ceremony. Over there is one of the images from the moon that wasn’t released to the public. On closer inspection you shall see why. There is also a computer over there containing a record of the first disparaging remark made in the history of the internet. It occurred four minutes after the thing went live. Any questions?”
Diller raised his hand and was ignored. Instead, Wilkins waved the group forward.
“Over there are the missing sections of the Nixon tapes from the Oval Office. A surprising amount of discussion concerning certain attributes of the Brazilian prime minister’s wife – as well as some light treason. And to your right, a lovingly preserved section of Evander Holyfield’s earlobe as infamously removed by Mr Michael Tyson.” Wilkins came to a halt. “I think that is everything.”
“Show them,” said Chaz, his voice coming out in a snarl.
“Well, if you …”
“Do it.”
“Right,” said Wilkins with a tight smile. “Of course.” He turned and moved towards a display case at the end of the room, which was concealed by a curtain.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen,” Chaz’s voice came out a high-pitched squall, with all manner of emotions washing through it, “the star of our show. The prize item that won this year’s competition and ever so slightly destroyed my life …”
Chaz threw an arm across Reed’s back and guided him forward. “C’mon, LouLou. Your moment of crowning glory. Now is not the time to be shy.”
“I just …”
“Actually,” hollered Chaz, “let’s be fair. Credit where credit is due.” He spun around and grabbed Muroe by the hair. “After all, she did the work.” He all but spat the words.
“Ahhh,” said Muroe, “you’re hurting me.”
“Come on!”
Smithy stepped towards them but before he could do anything, Muroe delivered a knee to Chaz’s groin that bent him double. As he crumpled, Smithy watched her eyes widen, already realising what a mistake she had made.
Chaz, on his knees, scrabbled for the holster at his belt. He was stopped by the tip of Wilkins’s sword that appeared at lightning speed to dance inches before his eyes.
“That won’t be necessary, Master Breddenback. Let’s not forget our manners.”
Chaz looked from the tip of the blade to Wilkins, and then to Zero. The massive man took a step forward.