Chapter Eight
It was night now, and outside the Roadkill Restaurant, a car drove up the driveway. The wind was blowing softly as the car door opened to let in the person who was waiting for it. From inside the restaurant, a pair of watchful eyes witnessed the scene through the lens of a camera. Click. Click. Click. Each photograph was a prize. The photographer smiled, as the car drove away. Putting down the camera, they picked up the phone and dialed the number written on a napkin subreptitiously delivered during lunch.
In the restaurant’s kitchen, a cook was pulling the rolling pin over the dough, when he heard the sign. As best as he could, he put down the rolling pin and headed towards the dressing room to make sure his delivery had been made.
His every move was closely watched by a co-worker. A waitress who hid behind a pair of shades was hiding behind the lockers, biding her time until she could snatch away the precious object.
Yes, dear reader. Roadkill Restaurant was rife with deception, lies, and schemes. In each room, in each table, in every cup. In every stolen look, in every note swapped beneath tables. All around, people lied through their teeth, an expression which here means “told lies between every bite”.
In the small room that had been allocated to the Quagmires, tension brewed. It was almost time.
“It’s time”, Quigley Quagmire announced as he looked at the clock on the north wall. His brother, Duncan Quagmire, was watching out from the window. Outside, the dark forest surrounded the Restaurant. The mountains were barely visible. A thin drizzle began to form. “Valentina won’t like this”, Isadora Quagmire quipped as she brushed her her to look good enough for their temporary employer.
It was true. Valentina Agresta, the owner of Roadkill Restaurant, could not have emphasized more how important that night was. Now that it was raining, the atrium could no longer be used. No fancy guest would want to get their coat or suit wet. It was too chilly for outdoor parties anyway.
“Are you sure?” Duncan asked, looking away from the window. He was still apprehensive about the whole idea of accepting help from such questionable people, but in their current situation there was no alternative. They had to move, and soon.
“I found something. Look.” Isadora had been going through old papers she had found under one of the beds. “It’s a bit smudged out, but you can see a sort of map. The gym should be 5 miles east of here. Near this river.”
Recently, they had discovered Nemo Vladimiroff, their friend, had survived. This was welcome news, and yet, the Quagmires’ hearts remained heavy. Their search for the Baudelaires had so far, been unproductive. Jill Nebra, Nemo’s aunt, had vanished with Cindry Fulfillment and Cid Jetsam. Having no idea where their friends where, and having lost Jill was a hard blow against the Quagmire’s morale. Having to consort with villains in a dreadful, isolated restaurant certainly didn’t help their mood.
“I’ll steal some food from the kitchen. We’ll need it for the trek” Duncan walked away from the window and sat on the bed to put his shoes on.
“We should also take some coats with us. It’s getting chilly out there, I don’t want you two getting sick.” Isadora was particularly concerned with their current physical state. Ever since the Dam, the Baudelaires had sustained physical injuries, and were malnourished. Any sort of sickness they could get could be bad news. “It’s a good thing we’re having this fancy party here. There’ll be plenty of people and coats to choose from” Quigley smiled. There was a time where the idea of stealing other people’s possessions might have phased him. Not anymore. Not this night, at least. But there was still something left to do. “I have to go now. They’ll be expecting me”, Quigley headed for the door. “Wait”, Isadora’s voice was filled with apprehension. “Are you sure?”, she asked Quigley, her hand on his, as he grabbed the doorknob.
“Positive” Quigley asserted. There was no point in arguing the issue further. There were no true allies in Roadkill Restaurant. Sookie was merely a girl who happened to know Jill Nebra, but not who she truly was. The next best thing to an ally the Quagmires could hope for had arrived in the form of Rose and Liam Hawthorne. “Beggars can’t be choosers, Isadora. We’ve been over this” Duncan didn’t trust the Hawthornes anymore than his brother or sister did, but he had been the first to cast his vote in favor of agreeing to meet them.
“We cannot be sure they won’t do Quigley harm or worse, take him with them” Isadora protested. She was the most resistant, and had voted against the alliance. “I think I can take them, Isadora. Besides, I’m pretty sure now that they’ve ditched Gothic Works, they are in no position to betray us”
“I think you’re being naïve, Quigley” Isadora retorted. Her face was in a frown. “Maybe I am. But we need to leave here. I have a bad feeling about this place. I don’t know why, but I didn’t feel right the second we stepped inside”
“Just go. See what they have to tell you. We’ll be downstairs trying to make it through this awful party. Don’t take too long, or Valentina will notice” Duncan adverted. Quigley nodded, and shaking off his sister’s hand, he opened the door…
To find no other than Caterina Casanova standing outside. She had changed her attire into a more casual style of suit, her jacket unbuttoned a bit further than they had previously seen. Her hair was the same, however, and she wore a striking white gold necklace. A locket in the shape of a heart caught the light on her chest.
“Oh, good. Valentina told me I could find you here. I need one of you to come with me, we have … a situation that needs taking care of upstairs” Caterina was almost whispering, and just like that, Quigley’s fears had materialized. The Quagmires had made the conscious decision to avoid the Casanovas at all costs, and yet here was Caterina Casanova herself, wanting to drag one of them along with her. Quigley, Isadora and Duncan exchanged distraught glances at each other, in a grim silence. Rolling her eyes, Caterina walked past Quigley, into their room.
“Listen, I need one of you for a job. It won’t take too much up of your time, and I’m a very good tipper. You see, I have an interest in one of the persons staying in this restaurant tonight, and I need help with a certain errand, but I need to make sure I can trust you. Capisce?” Caterina finished with her characteristic charm. It would have worked on any other persons than the Quagmires. She eyed them, one, then the next, as they stood, astonished at her very presence. This was the exact kind of thing a volunteer could never predict. When one expected element gets in the way of a stratagem, adding unknown possibilities, and more importantly, consequences to the grand scheme of things. This was the undoing of many a volunteer, and the Quagmires knew it. They knew it, and even as Caterina Casanova crossed her arms and knocked the bottom of her heel against the wooden floor, they found it hard to accept their plans had been schewed. Soon the soirée, a French word which here means “dangerous party”, would begin, and they were running out of time. It was in this moment of tension that a very distraught Mayhew walked in. The young waitress’s hair was a mess, and her clothes presented a heavy coating of flour on them. “Oh, I’m sorry…Oh, Miss Casanova. I never would have expected to meet you here. Excuse me, I’m just here to get one of the Reeds.”
The Quagmires had almost forgotten their aliases in the rush of adrenaline of the moment, and were a bit startled. “There was an incident in the kitchen, and I need the help of one of you. I don’t know what happened, someone knocked out one of our cooks. They found him in the locker room, tied up and his locker was empty. No one knows what happened, but now we’re short one cook. One of you will have to fill in. There’s no more time.”
The Quagmires felt their plans crumble. “I’ll go” Duncan resolved the issue, his brother and sister still stunned by the recent developments. “You guys just try to do the best you can. We meet later, remember?” They had decided on a rendezvous point and a time, but there was still details that needed be taken into account.
As Duncan Quagmire followed Mayhew out the door, Quigley and Isadora were left with Caterina Casanova, who was now checking out her fancy, expensive manicured nails.
“Well?” The woman asked them, frustrated. “Which one of you will go with me? I need this matter to be taken care of right away. I have things I need to be doing, too, capisce?”
“I…I’ll go, Miss Casanova”, Isadora stuttered. “Don’t stutter. It’s unbecoming on a female such as yourself. Come, girl” Grabbing her by the hand, Caterina rushed out of the door, nearly dragging the poor Isadora behind her. Silently, Isadora mouthed the words “Be careful” to Quigley, who was left in front of the doorway, staring as Caterina Casanova dragged his sister up the service stairs near the end of the hallway.
Straightening up his jacket, Quigley headed to room 240, where interesting revelations awaited him.
