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Gargoyles are synonymous with old architecture, such as Notre Dame. One wouldn't expect to see the creatures in an airport though, let alone DIA. But here they were, with beady and quite creepy eyes that stared outwards and claw like hands covering their cheeks. Charlotte felt the familiar rush of anxiety but swallowed it down. She knew she had to appear normal.

"These are our famous gargoyles. One here, and one over there." Zach said, pointing. "They guard our travelers from 'evil'."

One small detail stuck out to Charlotte. A tiny snake was coming out of the metal suitcase that the gargoyles sat in. An unspoken reference, she thought, the snake that came to tempt the world. She didn't mention it to Zach, preferring to file it away in her mental notes.

"Do you find them off putting? Or scary?"

"I've been to France, these don't look much different than what you can find in 12th or 13th century architecture, oddities aside." she retorted.

"Fair enough. So, do you think the beliefs that these usher in a curse or are cursed themselves are real? I'm sure your podcast listeners will think so."

Charlotte walked closer, so she was standing just underneath one of the gargoyles.

"Me? No. I think these are harmless. Just sculpted materials. My listeners however, who can rightly say?" she replied, turning to cock an eyebrow at Zach.

He grinned. She was certainly charming. Even if the others were alarmed. How much damage could a woman of her stature and past abilities inflict? He assessed not much. The airport was used to the conspiracy theories. They were normalized here, as Charlotte would soon find out.

He ushered her around to examine the second gargoyle then led her back towards the escalator going up. She got on first and he watched her figure settle on a step. Zach was long divorced, being this close to a beautiful woman was a tiny bit exciting. Charlotte wasn't wearing a wedding ring either. He surmised that she was likely as single as he was. Following his instincts, he decided to let that play to his advantage.

They stepped off the escalator to run right into the path of an AI animated robot. The crown jewel of Zach's office.

"Well well. . it's a skeptic." the AI called out.

Charlotte stopped right in front of the seemingly living statue. It squinted its eyes and shook its head, it's face contorting into a grotesque grimace.

"You're the one who wants to expose us aren't you?" the gargoyle asked.

Raising her hand up to her mouth, she stood stunned. The goosebumps were back, rapidly spreading on her arms and downward.

"Don't cover your mouth now! You're going to tell it all. . soon, on your fancy podcast!" it said, narrowing its animatronic eyes at Charlotte. "But do you even know what you think you've unearthed?"

"I see we've found our resident talking gargoyle." Zach interrupted, eyeing the creature with a warning look.

It wasn't time for this. Especially not yet. The last thing he wanted was for Charlotte to be scared off.

"Hello there, Mr. Haupt. Our friendly airport le dirigeant!"

The AI's facial features instantly switched from anger to whimsy, as if she'd never been its target. Charlotte shook her head, still reeling from what this creature had just said to her. She had seen a lot of weird things but never an AI with such malice. Almost as if. . .it was alive.

"We call him Martin. He's our attempt at humor."

The gargoyle moved its head slowly, watching others passing by. It didn't make eye contact with Charlotte again. Needing a quick segue, Zach decided to offer her a free lunch.

"Come, let me show you our best restaurant. There's not a conspiracy theory attached to it, but it's got the most delectable Mexican food this side of the Rockies."

Charlotte quickly obliged, she wanted to get as far away from this gargoyle as possible. She couldn't shake the feeling growing in her gut. Things were way more iniquitous than she previously thought. More research was desperately needed. They passed the AI and began to walk in the direction of the food. As they did, Zach turned and met the gargoyles eyes. Recognition flashed and the creature mouthed 'sorry' then began to talk to passersby. The entire scene was now forgotten.

If she wasn't scared before, she was now. Charlotte needed a new tactic. She feared that the man hosting her was not all that he seemed. The conspiracies she'd painstakingly researched for months were undoubtably real, but how far did they go? She mused that Zach might very well be a member of the New World Order, or at the very least, the illuminati. He could also be a high-ranking freemason. It was all connected.

"Here we go. Looks like the chef is here, Marco. He is also the owner. His flagship restaurant is downtown, but occasionally he graces us with his presence."

Her mouth watered at the fragrant scents that suddenly slammed into her nose. She could almost taste it, homemade tortillas, the tang of fresh chopped salsa, roasted beef and chicken. All with notes of lime and cilantro. Hunger crept up and took residence in their bodies. Lunch was a terrific idea.

"Is this table ok?" A young waitress asked tentatively.

"Yes, thank you." Charlotte reassured, sliding into a chair and placing her bag onto the empty seat beside her.

Zach smiled and studied her face. He hadn't noticed the smattering of tiny freckles earlier. They were delicate and almost unnoticeable. In the filtered sunlight, her eyes also glowed. Like the waters of a clear lake. He shook the thoughts off. He needed to pay attention. Information would be reported back.

"Where are you from?"

The question was a method of interrogation, which Charlotte immediately recognized.

"From LA. You?"

"From here, born and raised in Colorado Springs." he replied.

"Ah, Army or Air Force brat?" she asked.

Zach's face faltered a bit. He wasn't expecting her to guess military, not so readily.

"Air Force. My dad was a pilot."

"That's a tough job. Did he fight in Vietnam?"

"He did. Made it out alright, then retired. How is LA? I'm fascinated by your old job."

Charlotte paused as the waitress brought them menus and glasses of water. She let Zach order for her, pretending to want whatever was deemed 'the best' on the list of food offerings. It also gave him an ego boost. Typically, men reacted that way when they found a woman attractive. Once the waitress left to put in their order, Charlotte began to tell him about her life.

"LA is a pretty place to grow up in. I liked it. My parents worked on movie sets, both did lighting and production. So, as you can guess, I got to see some pretty cool back scenes stuff."

"I can imagine." Zach said. "Is that what drove you to become a film researcher?"

The waitress returned with a big basket of chips adorned with big grains of salt and a bowl of red salsa. Charlotte's stomach growled. She picked up a chip and took a nibble.

"Yes. I've always wanted to be a part of the stories. Help make movies come to life and bring authenticity to them. Nothing is worse than seeing a film that is poorly researched."

"So, you are a truth seeker?"

"Indeed. Aren't we all?"

Zach paused before he proceeded to ask any more questions. The woman sitting in front of him was in effect a nonprofessional journalist. Sizzling sounds could be heard as they turned to watch their waitress. She was balancing a large circular tray, their food steaming from its perch.

"This looks so good!"

"We hope you enjoy."

Once the waitress disappeared to seat more patrons, they both stopped conversing to eat. Charlotte had never tasted enchiladas this good before. The tantalizing spices were rival to even the best street food in Mexico City. After they practically cleaned their plates, Zach dived back in.

"I bet you've gone to some far-off places in your past work. What was your favorite?"

Charlotte was ready to answer this.

"Traveling to Malta. We were sent to research for a film that never took place. It was a shame."

"Malta? Oh really? What type of film?"

"An air battle that occurred in 1940. Three British biplanes named 'Faith, Hope and Charity' engaged in warfare with enemy raiders in combat over Malta." Charlotte said. "Only Malta has a pretty prolific corrupt government, and they wanted far too many bribes and kickbacks. The production company failed to negotiate, and the project was scrapped."

Zach felt his pocket buzz. He was receiving another text.

"Did they give your research team a hard time though?"

Charlotte kept her cards to herself. There was no sense in disclosing more than she needed to.

"Only that they charged us a fortune in hotel costs." she said, a grin tugging at the corners of her lips.

Lunch being over, Zach took the bill and handed over his credit card.

"It's on me. Would you like to be given a tour of the underground tunnels tomorrow?"

Charlotte perked up, "yes! I'd love that! Will you excuse me for a moment? I need to use the ladies room."

Zach gestured for her to go ahead. As he watched her walk towards the back of the restaurant, he took out his phone.

Send her off after you finish eating, we need to talk.