Randy White - Black Widow

“The article was right about that celibacy business,” Montbard whispered, binoculars to his eyes. “Senny will be relieved, I dare say.”

He’d made the inference more than once, so I decided to ask, “No interest in men?”

“Occasionally. If she wasn’t open about it, I wouldn’t compromise the girl by telling you. Something to do with her bastard of a father and her ex-husband who wasn’t… well, let’s just say he wasn’t attentive. But maybe a few nights here will set her right. Magic elixirs, secret herbs. Who knows? You and Senegal have chemistry-oppositional, true. But that’s how many passionate relationships begin. I would heartily approve, by the way.”

When I didn’t respond, he added, “Reticent-I understand. But don’t dismiss the girl. She’s magnificent in her way. Brilliant and true as steel. She’ll relax a bit when I confirm you two will be in separate quarters.”

Senegal Firth would be relieved-so would I. The woman was attractive, productive, and independent, but she was also carrying emotional baggage that I had no interest in shouldering. We all acquire scars over the years, but adults who wince at the thought of intimacy-particularly sexual intimacy-are a bad risk even to those of us who are rescuers by nature. I’ve learned to keep my distance.

Montbard was still looking through the binoculars. “What a blasted waste-some damned attractive women in that group.”

I realized he was back on the subject of celibacy.

“And those surgical scrubs some are wearing; more like night dresses, wouldn’t you say? Revealing enough to test any man… and all of a type, like uniforms. Why would management forbid conjugal relations yet issue that sort of attire?”

I said, “Forbidden fruit?”

Sounding distracted, he said, “Suppose so. Makes more sense than magic potions.” Then his tone freshened. “Have a look, Ford. The one with the angelic hair… auburn, I think. Scandinavian features-isn’t she an American film actress? Yes… yes, I think she is. By God, she’s exquisite.”

I took the binoculars, beginning to suspect that the man’s list of hobbies included beautiful women. I removed my glasses, touched my finger to the zoom focus…

The woman he was describing was the last of six women and men walking single file along a path toward the monastery’s inland cloister. The remaining five people filed toward the cloister on the opposite side of the quadrangle. Dormitories weren’t segregated by sex, apparently. They walked at a ceremonial pace, heads down like monks-all but the woman Montbard had described. She was alert, eyes moving, taking in the surroundings.

When I saw her face, I pulled the binoculars away for several seconds, looked again, and said without thinking, “What the hell’s she doing here…?”

“A film actress-I was right!” Sir James whispered, enjoying himself. “Thought so. Don’t tell me her name-it’s right on the tip of my tongue.”

I said, “If you insist,” relieved he was giving me time to collect myself. Should I trust him? Should I wait?

I had to trust him, but I’d tell him later. The woman was Beryl Woodward.

Isabelle Toussaint was holding court on the pool terrace, hosting a cocktail party for guests. A rare appearance at one of her own parties.

“Lovely stroke of luck, eh, Ford?”

I was so preoccupied, thinking about Beryl, that Sir James had to repeat himself before I replied, “Sure, lucky. But let’s keep a little in reserve for later.”

We had traversed the face of the bluff above the lodge, then moved downhill to a fence that screened the terrace, pool, and dining room. The lighted pool was a rectangle of black tile. The dining room, visible through open French doors, was done in bamboo and dark wood, with traditional plaid curtains-common in the islands.

“I may have misplaced the actress’s name,” Sir James whispered, “but I can identify the woman you’re looking at beyond doubt. That’s the Maji Blanc herself. Dressed for the part… and wearing her famous necklace, too. As a gentleman, I will only point out that her famous sapphire isn’t the sole reason she’s memorable.”

My glasses were pushed up on my head, and I was looking through the binoculars. Silently, I filled in the blank… She’s memorable because there’s so much of her to remember. Something like that.

I was still thinking about Beryl-how the hell had she gotten into this place? I’d told her I might be staying at the Orchid, but there was no way for her to know I’d be registered under a different name. I hadn’t been near a computer to check if she or Shay had replied to my e-mails, true, but…

“You do see the woman, old boy. Or have you dozed off?”

I refocused the binoculars, and forced myself to concentrate.

Madame Toussaint was a linebacker-sized woman. Sunken cheeks blushed with rouge, a heart-shaped mouth made girlish with lipstick, and wide, dark eyes that moved with tactical precision from guest to guest, even while engaged in conversation.

She was dressed in white robes with a white gabled hood trimmed in scarlet. The robe was the white of a hospital hallway, not the silken white of gowns issued to female guests. The hood was a starched rectangle that framed her face-a monastic touch that attempted stylishness with a shoulder veil that was knotted as if it were a ponytail. The Midnight Star, worn high on her neck, was a blue sapphire the size of a robin’s egg. No risk of exposed cleavage. A convent nun with Madonna affectations- that was the impression.

I asked Montbard, “Are you sure Isabelle Toussaint’s a woman?” The conical breasts and eyelashes were unavoidable, but I had also noted the masculine larynx and slim hips.

“I don’t presume anything I’m not willing to confirm personally,” Montbard said, taking the binoculars. “My curiosity has limits. I’d sooner risk the Himalayas.”

I said, “Understood. Even so, she-or he-is damn popular with the guests.”

Two dozen men and women dressed for cocktail hour in the tropics had formed a loose line, drinks in hand. They mingled with an aloof, A-list poise as they awaited their turn to speak with Toussaint, who was sitting between male attendants near the pool. The cheery indifference of some guests reminded me of fans waiting to meet an oddball celebrity-an amusing story they could share with friends. Others, though, wore the congenial masks that signal uneasiness or hostility.

More blackmail victims?

Toussaint handled the attention with a less careful indifference. She affected regal gestures that seemed an intentional parody. She nodded and smiled when introduced, holding out her hand to be kissed. It was an old familiar role, yet Toussaint made it clear she rarely interacted with clients. They knew it. Some didn’t want to miss the opportunity. Others seemed resigned.

Montbard whispered, “I told you she looked a bit daft, but don’t be misled. Do you recognize any of those people?”

“More actors? I don’t go to many movies.”

“Nor do I. But I read the London Times. One of the men is a South African industrialist said to be among the wealthiest men in the world. The svelte women in the red dress? She’s the wife of a former French president. Rumors aplenty about her!

“There’s a lot of power and wealth down there, Ford. Toussaint’s no fool. She’s earned a certain European vogue-orchids; her herbal lotions, now the Midnight Star. The woman’s also a legendary bitch. For some reason, artistic types find sexually ambiguous snobs alluring.

“I dare say most of those people fancy themselves artists of one sort or another. I’m referring to their flamboyant attire. Who else would come to a place such as this?”