Chapter 2.20: The Snake Hunts The Robin
Leila was hesitant to leave Liliko'i alone in case someone attempted to hurt her, but she had no choice. This stewardess could drug anything they ate or drank if she didn't end it now. She had to talk to the staff about this, and fast. In her arms, she had the teapot to bring as proof in case the redhead tried to act ignorant when confronted. It stinks to the high heaven of what she now recognized as medication. First, she would try to fix this the proper way with whoever was the boss of this place. If things didn't go the way she wanted, she would take the ginger out lethally and wipe her hands off her. Disposing of the body would be troublesome, though. A train wasn't like a house or an alley. Leila had little room to work with, so she had to be extra careful now.
To her surprise, most of the cabins near the pair had their doors open or at least cracked. This was reassuring, as the redhead or anyone in on her scheme would be likely to get to Lili unseen. Someone would see or hear them, meaning they were less likely to strike now. The heiress carried the pot with this in mind, coming up to what looked to be a help desk. The teenager had never seen one on a train like this, but it came in handy. In front of where the staff section of the train should be stood a stewardess. In her hands sat a book that looked to have all the passengers and their assigned cabins. She looked up at the heiress in shock, her tan face flushing pink as she hurried to appear composed. Manicured hands planted themselves down on the book, with the stewardess giving Leila a cheesy grin.
"Miss, is there anything I can help you with?" Her dark eyes moved downward, her thick lashes fluttering as she noticed the teapot. Confusion masked her voice as she cleared her throat to continue. "Sorry. You can't bring drinks or food past this area. I'll have to take that."
The stewardess reached for the pot, but Leila pulled back and held it close to her chest. Its contents sloshed around, making both women get a whiff of it. Taking in one mouthful of the scent nearly made the other woman topple over. She put a hand over her mouth and quickly beckoned the heiress over. The two made their way over to what had to be the staff room. There was a sign on the door hanging from a hook, signaling it. The stewardess opened the door, allowing a bright light from a lantern to beam outward. It was so powerful that Leila resisted the urge to close her eyes. The brightness disappeared once her eyes adjusted, and she saw the room fully. It was larger than it looked to be on the outside and appeared incredibly professional.
The floor was made of dark-colored carpet that matched the black and burgundy walls. In the walls, corners, and crevices sat filing cabinets overflowing with documents and bulging folders. Hanging from atop the ceiling were glowing yellow lanterns that sat directly above another staff member. When the door opened fully, the staff member finally noticed that Leila was with the stewardess. At first, the man got up to ask what the hell was going on. But once he saw the expression on the stewardess's face, the stern look on Leila’s, and the pot he stopped. Seeing that something was going the man beckoned for them to come in and close the door behind them. Quickly, the heiress went in behind the worker, who looked like she wished she was anywhere but here.
The silence was awkward so Leila decided to take charge. "My sister and I are traveling to the Skadi Waters. We got some tea from a server and it smells putrid. Can I please find the redhead you sent to our room so I can speak to her?" The teenager held out the nasty teapot to further make her point.
The staff member, who appeared to be in his late fifties, leaned down and sniffed. He observed what was in the tea itself, with his face turning sour. "We don't serve anything like this on our itinerary. You said that your server was a redhead, correct?" The fear of potential backlash was evident in his nervous way of speaking.
Leila wasn't going to scream the man's head off unless she found out he was in on the poisoning. If that was the case then, she'd make the rest of this train ride a living hell. "Yes. She came to our cabin earlier and spoke to me briefly. Short with curly ginger hair."
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From out of the corner of her eye she could see the stewardess from earlier paling. Both of the train staff members had a recognition dancing in their eyes. They knew who she was talking about. The heiress waited patiently for one of them to crack and say the woman's name. Or to at least tell her whether they could call her over for a little discussion. She gave the older gentleman a glance that knocked him out of his shocked stupor. With a wrinkly hand, he wiped at his face and nodded his head. His arm was shaking as he did this. Whoever this woman was, the man looked like he had been dreading this day for her to come around. He gave Leila a stressed-filled look before speaking in an overwhelmingly apologetic tone.
"It's our newest hire, Oriane. She has never done anything like this before. Please. She's just a child, barely out of school. I can pay you for damages." The old man was practically begging, despite the lack of aggression on her side.
'Either he's got a soft spot for this girl or she's more than an employee to him.' The heiress thought to herself as she noted the loathsome tiredness in his eyes. A type of exhaustion you usually only say in that of a parent.
This put a wrench in her plan. If the man had some sort of bond with the redhead, she couldn't just pay him off. And killing her was not an option, as the old man would rat on her. Leila debated using her powers on him, but the other woman was an issue. She couldn't command them both at once and threatening the woman into silence was too much on her plate. Possibly, she could convince the man that Oriane wasn't in any trouble. He seemed to think she planned on trying to get her fired. The heiress could play it off as she simply wanting to confront the ginger due to stress. Bringing up Lili's pregnancy could get her some pity and leniency. Everyone likes pregnant women, and those who didn't at least pitied their plight. So behaving as the overprotective sister-in-law would be perfect.
With a frown, the noblewoman gasped loudly and began to act as if she was embarrassed. "Oh, sir, I won't lay a finger on the poor girl! I merely want to talk with her in private about what happened. I would never harm a child or risk someone's employment over a cup of tea." Her face became flushed as she began to explain herself to the elderly worker.
Leila acted like she had become unknowingly blinded by her emotions. Tears began to fill her eyes as she hiccuped and sniffled with each word. "I've just been so paranoid about what my sister eats. She's expecting so anything new to her diet makes her vomit and has the worst stomach pain. She drank an entire cup of this tea before I noticed its smell."
"Your sister is pregnant?" The old man received confirmation from the stewardess, who gave a tense nod. The woman patted Leila’s back with a look full of sympathy as the man's face hardened. "I'll get Oriane straight away. You just wait here, ma'am. I must apologize again for all the stress."
Leila felt satisfied her plan had worked so well. But then again, the pressure of a crying rich girl was hard to neglect. Her sobbing dissipated as the man left the small, crowded room. This allowed her to work her magic solely on the lone stewardess. She didn't need to use any dark mind magic on her. The woman was super apologetic for what happened. With the staff member's luxurious nails waving in the air, she spoke vigorously about the redhead. She said that Oriane was a new hire and didn't know better. The stewardess's voice had taken on an anxious tone as she tried to excuse the ginger's actions. She said that Oriane had never worked on the train for more than an afternoon. That she must have gotten so stressed out, she mixed up the order of tea. When Leila gave her a look, the woman quickly scrambled to say that Oriane should still be punished for her actions.
The dark-haired woman was careful to comfort the stewardess that the fact was that she was fine. The redhead was the one who had to explain herself, not her. Soon, the two heard the room door crack back open. The heiress wiped her tears as they had placed the pot down. She collected herself, calming any nerves or doubts that wanted to come forth. A soft smile sat on her face as she met the panicked eyes of Oriane, who was shaking. The woman was guilty. The redhead glanced at the pot and turned noticeably paler than before. Leila had a million questions running through her mind. Who would hire such an inexperienced, emotional child to assassinate someone? And if she hadn't been paid to do it, why had she taken the risk knowing she'd act like this when caught? Whatever, it didn't matter much. She had a girl to interrogate and get every drop of intel out of.
The jade-eyed heiress crossed her arms over her chest and made sure to appear kind-hearted. "Hi, Oriane. I'd like to ask you about the tea you sent to my sister and I's cabin earlier today?"