"I have money. I just need to get rid of you." Charles smirked. "Much simpler that way. Final, too. It will give me great pleasure to know you won't be going off to fuck Mr. Matwin in any position or place, ever again. Disgusting bitch. You make me sick." He turned away from her, racked with a cough. "And I'll be in sunny Rio de Janeiro for the rest of my life," he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Charles, what happened to Edda?" Tanya asked, keeping her voice soft and low.
"Can't you figure it out? I shot her." He roared with laughter, as if at the funniest joke. "I had to shoot her, even though she didn't know much. I told her to keep quiet and we'd both come into a lot of money."
"And the villa? What happened there?"
"Edda, the damn little fool…she saw the fire and rushed to rescue you. She was a great idiot. I shot her just before she called for help. She didn't even realize who shot her. She kept calling my name, begging me to help her." He paused, then began to whimper in a high, pain-filled voice, "Charles…Charles, where are you? Charles, please help me…" He coughed again. "Damn fool. She was the one who got the plane tickets for Charles and Edda Milton." He giggled again. "Those tickets sure came in handy at the police station."
Ice filled Tanya's chest and threatened to choke her. "Who's paying you to kill me?" she asked through the cold fear.
"I don't know and don't give a damn. I'm a professional. Professionals are told what to do, not why it needs to be done or who's paying." He coughed once more, and gasped for air. "In your case, it just needs to be done. Now stop talking! Shut up, or I'll make you shut up for good." All of a sudden he reached toward his pocket, the upper jacket pocket nearest her.
Charles signaled the stewardess. "Water. I need a glass of water," he said. He extracted a container from his pocket and withdrew two pills. The bottle, labeled 'Dilantin,' was shoved back into his pocket. He didn't look well. The red in his face had gone pale, his skin almost ghostly white. Dilantin. Tanya recognized it. One of her foster parents had to take Dilantin for a seizure disorder. She distinctively remembered the tragic affect that medication had when the man soon after had taken a stiff drink.