In the Stars

Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Gathering

"You've talked to Nigel Berwick. Now what?"

They sat at the little table in the corner of the sitting room, luxuriating over fancy yogurt bowls and croissants, large mugs of coffee in their hands. Charlotte's feet were up on Owen's thigh, crossed at the ankle.

"I'm going to Etoile Island." Not batting an eyelash, she brought her mug to her lips and took a healthy gulp.

His reliable eyebrow stood up, a sign of his reluctant compliance. "What do you hope to find there?"

"A sign from my parents. There's a reason they wanted me to talk to Nigel. I know it's connected to their research, and that island. I feel it in my gut."

"Your gut, huh? Is it a reliable source?" His mouth formed a crooked grin over the top of his mug.

She matched his grin for every smug inch. "It told me to trust you."

"Spot on then."

Turning her head away from his appealing arrogance, she picked up her croissant and took a dainty bite. "I've been curious about something for awhile."

"Uh, huh?" He was distracted by a rasher of bacon. Picking up a long piece, he tipped his head back and lowered the meat into his open mouth.

"How exactly was Zodiac involved in the defeat of Hitler?"

Owen didn't seem surprised by the question. He picked up his napkin and wiped the bacon grease from his fingers. "Well, we worked very close with the French Resistance, posing as an independent vigilante group. They got us into Germany and we made our way to Berlin. We posed as Nazis- your parents, James, and I. Violet was obviously not allowed anywhere near the operation."

Charlotte nodded, imagining their troop moving through the German countryside under the cover of night. It looked suspiciously like a Peanuts cartoon, with Snoopy posing as the Red Baron. "So did you guys do the deed then?"

He eyed her with a mischievous glint. "Eventually. Your mother convinced the guards at the Furerbunker, where Hitler and Eva Braun hid, that she was sent by the SS in the capital. She told them she had a plan- an elaborate set-up to fake their deaths. They bought it."

"They did?" She leaned forward. Hearing that her mother was that close to such a renowned monster gave her a chill up her spine.

"Yes. They were desperate to escape defeat, which was already set in motion. The Nazis wanted to restart on another continent. They were looking at South America- hiding in the Amazon until they could rebuild. Iris promised to get them to the coast, where a boat would take them to Scandinavia, and then on to Canada. She was very convincing. It helped that she was fluent in German."

An unexpected swell of pride hit Charlotte. Knowing her parents were so integral to one of the most important moments in history made her feel emotional suddenly.

"What, ahem, happened next?"

Owen shifted, put his hands on her legs. Moving them up her calves, he smoothed his callused palms over her skin. It had an instant soothing effect. "She got them to drink poison, basically."

"How-?"

"When it's live or die, you'll do just about anything. She convinced them she needed to stage a death scene- take pictures as evidence. She told them the drink would just knock them out, make them seem lifeless."