glass with wine. “Interesting. Do you play chess?”
“Yes,” Orient said, regretting the word as he spoke. Chess was Maxwell’s game. And he’d been goaded into a neat gambit for Lily’s benefit.
Maxwell looked up. “Fine, then we’ll play. Perhaps you can read my mind and guess my moves.”
Orient could see the twin reflections of his own face in the silver lenses of the sunglasses. “If you like,” he said.
“Now be careful, darling,” Sybelle trilled. “Maxwell’s a champion or master or something. Don’t play him for money.”
“Or anything else,” Lily said, laughing.
As he ate his salad, Orient wondered if her words were a chance remark or a subtle warning.
Hazer leaned over. “Are you nervous?” he whispered. “I was, first time I came to submit my research.”
Orient smiled. “Depends on Sybelle, as much as myself.”
“Know what you mean,” Hazer said, squinting mischievously at him. “Half the time I don’t even know what I’m saying when I’m in one of those trances. I play it back on the tape recorder and try to make sense of it. Most of the time it works.”
All through the meal the professor recounted stories of strange afflictions and even stranger cures that had occurred during his career as a healer. “Cured Helen Nolan,” Hazer informed him gruffly. “Famous female explorer. Had a case of leprosy in her fingers. She went to every witch doctor in the Congo before she sent me her photograph. When I held her picture, I felt a throb in my wrist. Wired her a remedy of garlic and almonds. Told her to keep flexing her wrist. Something was impeding her circulation.” He took a sip of wine and smacked his lips.
“Arrested her condition and she only lost the tip of one finger.”
From time to time, Orient’s attention was diverted by the metallic glint of Lily’s bronze hair or the sound of her husky murmur. Hazer’s easy conversation relaxed him, however, and he grew to like the elderly gentleman.
Over coffee, Germaine explained the procedure they would take. “Sybelle and myself will not vote since we each have candidates. Mr. Neilson, Maxwell, and Daniel will have that honor. Agreed?”
Orient and Lily nodded.
“Good, then if you’ll both retire to the library and wait, we’ll call you when we’re finished with our regular business meeting. As in the past, Hannah will serve as our secretary.”
Orient and Lily left the room. As they passed the stairs they saw Anthony Bestman leaving the house. He was dressed in a long greatcoat and carrying a suitcase.
“That was a good sign,” Lily whispered as they entered the library. “That man interferes with my vibrations.”
“You interfere with mine.”
She looked up at him, her opaque amber eyes glowing with amusement and pleasure. “I hope it’s not an unpleasant disruption,” she said, sitting on the windowsill.
“Very nice, but confusing,” Orient said gently.
She smiled and looked out the window. “I was hoping we’d have time to talk. But it’s such a difficult time for me right now. Maxwell has been helping me through.”
Orient nodded. “Has he been through this with you before?”
She shook her head. “We’ve just met. I ran into Maxwell on the plane from London. We found out we had friends in common and were both headed for the same place. He became very interested in guiding me through this next moon phase.”
“Interesting work,” Orient agreed, somehow pleased that Maxwell was a new friend.
Lily turned and looked at him. “When I saw you I felt a pull, an attraction to you. Do you know what I mean?”
“Yes, I do,” he said softly.
The sun sent a copper sheen across the waves of hair tumbling over her shoulders. “It would be nice to become friends,” she said. Her eyes became amber smoke. “But in two hours I’ll be in my phase. The first rise of the full moon.”
“Do you have control?”
She looked away. “Some. But I’m much too sensitive to deal with
“Yes,” Orient said, regretting the word as he spoke. Chess was Maxwell’s game. And he’d been goaded into a neat gambit for Lily’s benefit.
Maxwell looked up. “Fine, then we’ll play. Perhaps you can read my mind and guess my moves.”
Orient could see the twin reflections of his own face in the silver lenses of the sunglasses. “If you like,” he said.
“Now be careful, darling,” Sybelle trilled. “Maxwell’s a champion or master or something. Don’t play him for money.”
“Or anything else,” Lily said, laughing.
As he ate his salad, Orient wondered if her words were a chance remark or a subtle warning.
Hazer leaned over. “Are you nervous?” he whispered. “I was, first time I came to submit my research.”
Orient smiled. “Depends on Sybelle, as much as myself.”
“Know what you mean,” Hazer said, squinting mischievously at him. “Half the time I don’t even know what I’m saying when I’m in one of those trances. I play it back on the tape recorder and try to make sense of it. Most of the time it works.”
All through the meal the professor recounted stories of strange afflictions and even stranger cures that had occurred during his career as a healer. “Cured Helen Nolan,” Hazer informed him gruffly. “Famous female explorer. Had a case of leprosy in her fingers. She went to every witch doctor in the Congo before she sent me her photograph. When I held her picture, I felt a throb in my wrist. Wired her a remedy of garlic and almonds. Told her to keep flexing her wrist. Something was impeding her circulation.” He took a sip of wine and smacked his lips.
“Arrested her condition and she only lost the tip of one finger.”
From time to time, Orient’s attention was diverted by the metallic glint of Lily’s bronze hair or the sound of her husky murmur. Hazer’s easy conversation relaxed him, however, and he grew to like the elderly gentleman.
Over coffee, Germaine explained the procedure they would take. “Sybelle and myself will not vote since we each have candidates. Mr. Neilson, Maxwell, and Daniel will have that honor. Agreed?”
Orient and Lily nodded.
“Good, then if you’ll both retire to the library and wait, we’ll call you when we’re finished with our regular business meeting. As in the past, Hannah will serve as our secretary.”
Orient and Lily left the room. As they passed the stairs they saw Anthony Bestman leaving the house. He was dressed in a long greatcoat and carrying a suitcase.
“That was a good sign,” Lily whispered as they entered the library. “That man interferes with my vibrations.”
“You interfere with mine.”
She looked up at him, her opaque amber eyes glowing with amusement and pleasure. “I hope it’s not an unpleasant disruption,” she said, sitting on the windowsill.
“Very nice, but confusing,” Orient said gently.
She smiled and looked out the window. “I was hoping we’d have time to talk. But it’s such a difficult time for me right now. Maxwell has been helping me through.”
Orient nodded. “Has he been through this with you before?”
She shook her head. “We’ve just met. I ran into Maxwell on the plane from London. We found out we had friends in common and were both headed for the same place. He became very interested in guiding me through this next moon phase.”
“Interesting work,” Orient agreed, somehow pleased that Maxwell was a new friend.
Lily turned and looked at him. “When I saw you I felt a pull, an attraction to you. Do you know what I mean?”
“Yes, I do,” he said softly.
The sun sent a copper sheen across the waves of hair tumbling over her shoulders. “It would be nice to become friends,” she said. Her eyes became amber smoke. “But in two hours I’ll be in my phase. The first rise of the full moon.”
“Do you have control?”
She looked away. “Some. But I’m much too sensitive to deal with
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