“Signore Tozetti has gone all out for us. He must really want our business. Kind of makes you wonder why.”
Olivia felt the hairs stand on the back of her neck. “I agree. Don’t get me wrong. Your artwork is fabulous, but—”
“But not that fabulous,” Piper finished the sentence for her.
“Do you remember when we first boarded the Piccione?”
“You’re reading my mind. Greer sensed something was wrong, but we didn’t believe her. Not at first.”
“By the time she’d convinced us we were in trouble, it was too late to get off.”
“Don’t look now, but there aren’t any door handles or window buttons.”
Olivia felt madly for them, but nothing was there. She jerked around and tried to slide the partition so she could see to talk to the driver. It wouldn’t budge.
She pounded on it with the flat of her hand.
By now Piper had joined her on the seat. “Stop the car! We want to get out!” she shouted.
Suddenly an interior light went on while the limo was still moving. Classical music began to play softly in the background. A panel lifted on one side of the car to reveal a magnum of champagne on ice and two glasses.
“Good evening, earthwomen. My name is Cog.”
CHAPTER TEN
COG?
Olivia’s world reeled on its axis.
“Oh my gosh—there really are UFOs!” Piper cried out in absolute panic. “We’re being abducted and taken to an alien spaceship.”
“Hardly,” Olivia mocked after she’d had a few seconds to recover. But her heart was beating so fast with excitement, her body was literally shaking. “Did you ever hear of an alien who spoke with a French accent? A mad scientist maybe, but not an alien.
“And this particular madman just got his driving privileges back so he has gone berserk!”
As recognition dawned, Piper’s expression underwent a fundamental change. “You say his name is Cog?” she played along. “What does it stand for? Creature of Godzilla?”
“Close. Literally Cog means he’s the subordinate brainchild of his deranged creator, trained to do necessary but minor tasks.”
“You mean like pour us a glass of that champagne?”
“All you had to do was ask,” Cog spoke again.
Like magic a cork remover appeared and they heard a pop. When it disappeared, a clamp shot out around the neck of the bottle, lifted it and poured champagne into both glasses without spilling a drop. Then it put the bottle back in the bucket and disappeared.
Delighted, Olivia reached for the glasses and handed one to Piper.
“Cog? My sister’s starving because Signore Tozetti didn’t show up for dinner. By the way, just how much did your mad creator pay him to lure us across the ocean?”
“I know nothing about my master’s private business. What does your sister require?”
“What have you got?”
A panel on the other side of the car went up to expose a plate with half a dozen roll-ups in individual napkins. “What are they?”
“Spanish tortillas.”
Piper handed her one because she was closest. It was hot. Olivia bit into it. Um. “Not bad, Cog.”