by Marie Moore
I wondered why.
This man was a puzzle, for sure. A puzzle I wanted to solve.
#
“Have a bite of this, dear,” Lucy said to Jay, crinkling her blue eyes as she stood before him holding a fragrant, steaming dish of some unfamiliar vegetable concoction. She had picked the dish up from the buffet and was rounding the table, urging everyone to sample it. “It’s quite delicious. Taste it. You’ll love it. Go on, try it. Try just a bit.”
“Okay, Mommy,” he said, tasting the spoonful she had served onto his plate. He made a stricken face, then the grimace changed to a smile. “It’s good. I like it. What is it? Give me some more.”
“I told you so,” Lucy replied serenely, giving him a large helping. “It’s palak paneer, spinach with cottage cheese in a curry sauce. Sounds horrible, but it’s really good. All these dishes are really marvelous, but you’ll never know that unless you try them.”
I tried it too. They were right. It was delicious. I thanked Lucy and she smiled, “I’m glad you like it, Sidney.” She moved on to another table, coaxing others to taste the dish.
“Why does she always do that?” Jay asked. “Every meal, she’s like the star of some television cooking show, passing food, telling what’s in it, how it’s made. It’s not as if you and I don’t eat Indian food in New York. There are lots and lots of restaurants.”
“Lucy says she hates it when people come to a different country and only eat what they eat at home. She’s right, you know. If you don’t fully experience the differences of another country you might as well stay home. And Indian food here is bound to taste different than what they serve in New York, where they’ve probably adapted it for American palates. She has a point.”
“True, but it’s a bit intrusive, this constant ‘eat this, try that’ thing she does. Every meal she comes around with something. You would think she’d cooked it herself.”
“I think it’s nice. I like Lucy.”
“Did I say I didn’t like her? I like her too. I just don’t like having anyone push stuff on me.”
“I bet you were a difficult child.”
“I was not,” Jay said, pouring more bottled water into his glass. “I was perfect. Ask around if you don’t believe me. Mothers were always wishing their little boys could be just like me.”
“Yeah, right,” I laughed, trying to imagine Jay as a little red-headed boy. “I’ll bet you were a terror.”
I put my napkin on the table and stood to go to my room.
“Aren’t you staying for dessert, Sidney?”
“Tempting, but my pants are getting too tight as it is.”
“Yeah, I noticed,” he said, in a sly, lazy voice. “Lucky you have a nice ass. I saw Sharma watching it when you went down the buffet line. Don’t go yet. Stay a while longer. Why don’t you just order coffee and talk to me while I eat my dessert. I’ll tell you the latest dish on Diana. This morning I called Roz about that Machu Picchu trip we’re booking for November, and I got an earful.”
I ignored the tease and the bait and headed to my room, refusing to be tricked into keeping him company while he lingered over dessert and coffee. I’ve been around Jay enough to know how he operates. He hates to eat alone. And I didn’t want to mess up a beautiful day with thoughts of Diana. I was more than happy to be half a world away from her barbs.
Lunch was basically over and the room was emptying quickly. None of our people were left in the dining room. Adam had not appeared at lunch at all, nor had Jasmine. I briefly wondered where they were, then dismissed my thoughts as adolescent.
At the elevator I was joined by Brooke and a solicitous Justin, who told me about a seer that Brooke had just engaged to read our palms during the cocktail hour.
“This man’s name is Omar and he reads signs and portents even for people in the government,” Justin said in his heavy French accent. “He is a dark and mysterious man, skilled at his craft, so he should be amusing, oui?”
“It will be fun,” Brooke said, brushing back her cloud of red hair with long, emerald-clad fingers. “Different. He’s arriving at five, after everyone returns from the afternoon excursion. Just come as you are, any time after that. I’ve ordered heavy hors d’oeuvres rather than dinner for tonight so we won’t be rushed while hearing our futures.”
The elevator was slow in coming. Justin bent to squint at the button through his thick but trendy black glasses. Realizing that the button had never been pushed, he gave it an impatient jab. Then he straightened and turned back toward us, again all smiles, smoothing his black hair down with his thin, white, perfectly manicured fingers. Justin wore his hair long, pulled back into a sleek ponytail. Tall and slim, he moved with the athletic grace of a dancer.
“You are missing the excursion, ma chérie? You don’t wish to see this Agra Fort?” Justin asked Brooke.
“No, I’ll be there,” she replied, “but first I’m having a massage and a nap. I’m a bit tired from all the walking on this morning’s adventure. It was a little too much for me. I haven’t been feeling quite well. But one simply can’t miss seeing all these sights, can one? A little rest and I’ll be ready to go again. We won’t be leaving for the tour until later this afternoon. I want to be refreshed for tonight too. I think the seer we’ve engaged will be excellent. I can’t wait to hear my fortune!”
We had reached our floor. The elevator doors opened, and after saying goodbye to both of them, I turned left toward my room. Justin, ever the charming Frenchman, bowed to me then turned right to accompany Brooke to her door, saying that he would see me later on the tour.
As I walked down the hall, a door on the right opened and a waiter emerged from Jasmine’s room, pushing a cart with wine bottles and the remains of a room service lunch. The meal had been set for two, and as the door closed, I heard a low male voice and peals of Jasmine’s tinkling laughter.
So that’s where they had lunch, I thought. Adam and Jasmine. Better forget about that guy, dummy, I told myself as I entered my room and closed the door quietly behind me.
Forget about him, girl. Don’t waste another minute. He’s not meant for you.
Chapter 10
Late that afternoon, Mohit led the way with his wooden staff into Agra Fort, rushing us through the ever-present gauntlet of insistent salesmen and heart-wrenching beggars into the relative serenity of the courtyard. This visit was more hectic than our previous visits to tourist sites. Rahim had stayed behind at the hotel arranging the evening entertainment, leaving Mohit to be both guide and guard.
Even though he was physically small, Mohit accomplished both tasks easily, shouting admonishments to the crowd in Hindi and making grand gestures with his stick. I had no idea what his words meant, but they were effective, for the crowd fell back to let us pass.
Sharma had bustled off somewhere the moment we arrived at Agra Fort, saying that he would join us later.
Sharma had not asked for any assistance whatsoever from either me or Jay. We had expected to be given some sort of duties on the trip. After all, our agency was being fully paid for us to accompany the group. But so far, absolutely nothing had been asked of us by Sharma. We were treated as minor members of the group rather than tour leaders, and our input was clearly not welcome.
“This whole setup is so strange, isn’t it?’ Jay said in a low, exasperated voice as we followed the others through the entrance. “I mean, what’s the point in us even being here?”
Justin had just asked Jay a simple housekeeping question for which Jay had no answer. On any normal tour we would have known such facts; however, Sharma had not seen fit to share any information with us.
“I don’t know,” I replied, taking his arm to slow him down as the group filed past us through the gate. I didn’t want any of the others in earshot because I could see that Jay was about to blow. He was running his fingers through his red hair the way he does when he’s upset.
“Well, it’s embarrassing to be introduced as a tour leader and then be totally clueless,”
he said fiercely. “I hate it. I mean, I’m enjoying the trip, but it is all so awkward just because Sharma hasn’t seen fit to share with us. Now Justin surely thinks I’m the biggest dumbass on the planet. Am I a tour leader or not? He doesn’t know. I don’t know. You don’t know. I feel so stupid. I can’t stand being made to look like an idiot when I’m a qualified professional. It stinks. This is the strangest gig we’ve ever worked.”
“Yes, it is,” I agreed quietly, trying to soothe the volcano that was clearly on the verge of erupting, “But Jay, Brooke says she only wants our eyes and ears, not our travel skills, so I guess it’s okay. She’s paying the bills so she calls the shots. And Silverstein said our main job is just to keep her happy. Still, I’m sure he must have expected us to do far more than we’re doing. Do you think we should give him a call to touch base?”
He shook his now-wild red head.
“No. Bad idea, Sidney. No phone call. We wouldn’t get him. He’s off on a trip himself, remember? We’d only get Diana. Do we want to hear her advice?”
“No ….”
“Well, then, a phone call is out. I’ll shoot Silverstein an email tonight, fill him in, and ask him to clarify what he wants us to do. But in the meantime, before I hear back from him, I think I’ll just have a private chat with Mr. Sharma.”
He smiled a strange little smile, an intense look in his eyes.
“Jay,” I said, recognizing that look, “you aren’t going to get rough with him, are you?”
“If you mean, am I going to thump him, the answer is no. At least I don’t plan to. But after our talk, Mr. Sharma will definitely understand that I won’t be made to look stupid again, that’s for sure.”
And with that, he shook my hand off and marched on to join the group, leaving me to resolve not to be anywhere near when Jay had his “chat” with Sharma.
I followed him through the gate, joining the others just as Mohit began his introductory speech.
“Agra Fort, this most beautiful and strong fortress, was first built by Akbar, the great Shah Jahān’s grandfather, in the middle 1500s,” Mohit said, gesturing toward the massive walls with his stick. “This strong sandstone fortress defended the Mughal dynasty for the succeeding generations, who added to it, building magnificent pavilions, audience halls, and private quarters within. It was also where Shah Jahān died after being imprisoned here under house arrest for the last eight years of his life. His jailer was his own son, who had overthrown Jahān and taken control of the kingdom. I will show you where Shah Jahān lived while he was imprisoned in this most beautiful of jailhouses. Follow me.”
Mohit told us the end of Jahān’s story from the windows of the ruler’s own personal apartment. Shah Jahān’s beloved Taj Mahal, directly across the river, was framed by the window opening.
“Because of his son’s treachery, Shah Jahān could no longer personally visit his finest creation, the Taj Mahal. He could only view it from afar, from this very window, until it was time for him to join his dear Mumtaz forever. It was an exquisite torture. And as you saw only this morning, he lies there with her now.”
Everyone moved toward the window opening to fully experience the view that had been the deposed king’s.
“What a wretch that son must have been!” Brooke said, gazing out the window opening with a faraway look in her eyes. “Betrayal by someone so close to you, someone you love, someone you trust. How bitter that is!”
Jay and I exchanged glances, knowing that she was not likely just speaking of the ancient Indian ruler.
Jay moved closer to her, and putting his big arm around her shoulders, bent to whisper something in her ear. Her sudden peal of laughter let me know that his words had been, as usual, outrageous.
There was no comment from the others, most of whom seemed unmoved by Mohit’s sad story and Brooke’s reaction to it.
Near the doorway stood Justin and Lucy with their heads together. They were murmuring in French and obviously impatient to leave. Jasmine was smiling up at Adam as usual, chattering away, twirling a strand of her shiny blue-black hair around a jeweled finger. For once, Adam paid little attention to her. He alone seemed lost in thought, staring over Brooke’s head at the view of the Taj across the river, now glowing pink in the setting sun.
A sudden movement from the doorway caught my eye and I looked back just in time to see Sharma hand Justin a wad of paper, which he immediately crammed into his pocket without looking at it. Was it money? The movement was so quick I couldn’t tell.
Justin glanced instead at Lucy, as if to see if she had noticed the exchange. She hadn’t, for she had stepped forward to chat with Brooke and Jay.
Mohit had noticed, though, and seeing that I had as well, he gave me a slight smile and a shrug.
Sharma pushed back his coat sleeve to peer impatiently at the big faux Rolex strapped on his chubby wrist. “Ladies and gentlemen, we must go,” he said. “The sun is setting. Follow me, please, to the cars, which are waiting out front. It is time to return to the hotel. Cocktails will be served in the garden.”
I turned to follow, and as I went down the steps, Mohit quietly appeared at my elbow, saying, “Curiosity killed the cat, my lady. You have very big eyes. Perhaps it is better sometimes not to be so observant.”
Startled, I opened my mouth to reply, but he was gone. I saw him moving swiftly ahead to the front of the group, pushing past Sharma, waving the big stick to ward off interlopers.
Chapter 11
I’ve never put any faith in good luck charms and fortunetellers, but the turbaned seer Brooke and Justin had hired for the evening certainly lived up to his billing.
Between the wine and the fortune-telling, there was a lot of laughing under the Indian moon. Everyone loved having their palms read, though my prophecy was a bit disturbing.
“I say, this is all rather fun, isn’t it?” Lucy said, emerging from the candlelit curtained alcove where the mystical swami was reading palms. “He said my third husband would bring me great wealth. I don’t know how he knew I’d already had two husbands. I didn’t tell him. Did any of you tell him?”
She peered at the group but no one admitted giving out Lucy’s inside information.
“He told me my new husband would be a tall handsome man from a faraway land,” Jasmine said, tossing her hair and looking meaningfully at Adam. “Why don’t you go next, Adam, and find out what this wise man predicts for your future?”
“It’s not my turn,” Adam replied smoothly, sipping his drink. “We drew numbers, remember? Jay is next, then Sidney.”
We were all comfortably seated with drinks in a pavilion in the courtyard of the hotel. It was a beautiful evening, fragrant with the scent of flowers and a faint whiff of sandalwood incense.
“Okay, I’m next,” Jay said, draining his glass and heading for the seer’s table. “Hope I get great riches too. I could sure use some.”
“He never has any money, does he?” Brooke commented as she took Jay’s seat next to me.
“No, never,” I laughed. “He spends every penny he can scrape together. He would rather have a designer belt than food. If his apartment wasn’t rent-controlled he likely couldn’t afford to live in Manhattan.”
“Jay went with me and Rahim for a quick visit to the gem studio this afternoon prior to the tour of Agra Fort,” she said. “I’m sorry you didn’t go with us, Sidney. Jay really has a discerning eye. He helped me choose this amethyst pendant. Lovely, isn’t it?”
I leaned forward for a better look.
“Yes, it’s absolutely beautiful. You two chose well,” I said, admiring the deep purple stone enhanced by an intricate setting of fine gold.
“Agra is known for bargains on semiprecious stones. If you change your mind and would like to go there in the morning, I think there will be time before we leave for Varanasi. All you need to do is tell Mr. Sharma. He can arrange a car for you.”
“Thanks, Brooke, maybe I will,” I said, knowing full well that my limited budget had no room in it f
or any jewelry buying, even at a bargain. That’s why I hadn’t gone along with them. I didn’t want to be tempted.
“You should go,” Brooke persisted, “Lucy and Jasmine each bought several things. Even Adam made a purchase. Now if that stingy Scot bought something, Sidney, so can you.”
“Did he buy the jewelry for Jasmine?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps. Now that Felix is out of the picture, Jasmine certainly seems to be trying to attract him. She was clearly on the outs with Felix. There was a quarrel the night before you arrived. Quite a public one. Spats involving Jasmine are usually pretty public.” She laughed, her eyes dancing. “I’m sorry you missed it. She put on quite a show.”
These glamorous people and their relationships were so convoluted. I wasn’t sure I’d ever figure it all out.
Instead of shopping, I’d stayed by the pool after lunch with Justin. He swam laps for a long time while I read Strange Gods, Annamaria Alfieri’s new romantic mystery, set in Africa. Her fine book brought memories of my last trip to Africa to mind, and the narrow escape I’d had there.
Finally emerging from the pool, Justin toweled off and stretched out on the chaise next to my chair. He brushed his straight black hair back from his face, took a long pull on a bottle of water, and said, “Ah, merveilleux. You see, at home I swim in the sea every day.”
Justin was not a big man. He was slim, really fit and just under six feet, and he appeared to be quite strong. I thought the regular swimming might have had a lot to do with that.
As I sat with Brooke in the evening breeze of the courtyard waiting for Jay’s fortune to be over and mine to begin, I watched Justin stroll smoothly around the pavilion. As usual, he was impeccably dressed, although the overall effect was casual elegance. I couldn’t overhear his words, but I knew from other encounters with him that he always had a clever quip on the tip of his tongue. That these comments were delivered in perfect English grammar and in a heavy French accent made him seem even more sophisticated.