The Music of Sound

by Ian Jarvis

‘Of course I’m not joking, you big silly.’ Ligeia stood on tiptoes to kiss him slowly. ‘The three of us.’

  Charlotte cleared her throat. ‘Three, or possibly more,’ she said, hopefully.

  ‘I’m sorry.’ Ligeia smiled sweetly. ‘Would you like to join us?’

  Charlotte almost fainted. ‘Let me think about it,’ she stuttered, trembling and debating whether to pinch herself. ‘I’m going to say yes.’

  ‘I’d like that,’ said Ligeia. ‘Yes, it would be lovely if you came too.’ She turned back to Rex and kissed him again. ‘I feel very close to you, Rex.’

  ***

  The rooms and suites in the Balmoral Hotel were arranged around a central quadrangle, with some facing inwards and the more opulent looking out over the Edinburgh sights. Colonel Irana Adler had rented an entire corner of the building on the fourth floor, installing herself and her security people on either side of the suite occupied by Ligeia and Elva. She walked through her own suite and joined Lafont at one of the open windows. The thin black man didn’t turn or acknowledge her.

  ‘A beautiful night,’ said Adler, peering across the Princes Street Gardens to the floodlit castle on its crag. Almost full, the moon shone down on the panorama and her single grey eye twinkled in its silver light. ‘What are you looking at, Padre?’

  As usual, Lafont smiled at the nickname. ‘The stars,’ he murmured. His native tongue was Haitian Creole, but even when speaking English like this, the French accent was noticeable in his deep voice. ‘You can learn a great deal from the stars.’

  ‘So you’re always telling me.’ The woman laughed quietly and slipped her hands into the pockets of her expensive Italian suit. ‘Will I be meeting a tall, dark stranger? Perhaps I’m going on a journey? I have air tickets to America that seem to confirm the latter.’

  ‘Who are they?’ asked Lafont. ‘The couple with Ligeia?’

  ‘No one to be concerned about.’ Adler shrugged. ‘I don’t know who the girl is, but the man’s name is Rex Grant. I had his hotel booking hacked and ran the usual detail checks. He’s part of some southern housing company and they’re planning to build in Edinburgh. According to the reports, he’s a stupid London playboy.’

  ‘Is Ligeia with them now?’

  ‘Yes, she and her dumb friend are screwing them. Grant has a room on this floor, but on the opposite side of the building. He’s harmless enough and I have security posted in the corridor. Ligeia can’t come to any harm. As we’re both fully aware, when she says no, it definitely means no.’

  ‘I was drawn to that man in the club,’ said Lafont. ‘There was something about him and I couldn’t take my eyes off him.’

  ‘You surprise me, Padre. I thought you preferred women?’

  Lafont chuckled at the joke, but couldn’t shake the feeling of foreboding. There was something ominous in the air, like when the electrically-charged atmosphere told him a storm was approaching, long before the first grumble of thunder broke the silence. ‘Tell me,’ he said, ‘why did Ligeia want to go to that place tonight? That particular nightclub?’

  ‘I have no idea. It was a real dive, but as long as such things keep her happy, I don’t particularly care.’

  ‘You should care.’ Lafont stared at the night sky for a long moment. ‘I noticed how she was drawn to that club, and she was instantly drawn to this man Grant too. I don’t know why, and not knowing makes me uneasy. Understanding such whims will help you to control her.’

  ‘I suppose you’re right, but there’s nothing to worry about.’

  ‘Probably not.’ Lafont shook his head slowly. ‘This stupid playboy as you refer to him, like I said, there’s something about him.’

  ‘Something?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘Something.’

  Chapter 7

  Rex squinted in the morning sunlight as he peered at Calton Hill through the hotel room window. The flat-topped bulk loomed above the Edinburgh rooftops and, laying on the bed with arms folded behind his head, he could see the summit parkland and its surreal collection of buildings. A Georgian astronomical observatory rubbed sandstone shoulders with a commemorative tower to Nelson, an Egyptian obelisk and, perhaps most incongruous of all, a replicated section of the Athenian Parthenon. The façade of columns would have been extended to duplicate the Greek original, had the city not embarrassingly run out of cash in the eighteen-hundreds. The view of the hill from this high floor of the Balmoral was amazing, but Rex looked down at the naked girls curled around his body. Ligeia and Elva slept with their heads on his stomach and Charlotte was using his thigh as a pillow, her mane of red hair covering his genitals. Yes, Calton Hill looked great, but all things considered, he much preferred this closer view.

  ‘Ah, it’s great being me,’ he murmured, grinning smugly.

  His phone lay on the bedside cabinet and he checked the time - it was eight o’clock on Wednesday. What a pity this wasn’t Thursday morning. How fantastic would it be to wake with three stunning girls on his birthday tomorrow, one of them being the most famous music star in the world? That would definitely be a birthday to remember. He toyed with the idea of taking a phone picture and sending it to some of his friends, but decided against it. This laddish prank was pretty low, even for him, and in today’s politically correct world it would doubtless be considered sexist and inappropriate.

  Tonight was the full moon and Rex wondered if the lunar phase was influencing him during daylight as Bernie Quist claimed it would. He dismissed the notion as ridiculous. The detective insisted upon monitoring him over these three-day periods, pointing out what he considered to be irrational behaviour, but Rex didn’t need some stupid babysitter telling him what to do. The idiot clearly saw himself as Rex’s private physician; not exactly a conventional doctor as he’d advised him to continue smoking. As Quist pointed out, cigarettes could no longer harm him and anything that appeared to settle the nerves - despite there being no medical basis - could only be a good thing. He’d even given him one of his old pipes, a ridiculous curved calabash that looked as if it should be part of the ornate plumbing beneath a Victorian sink. Apparently, the therapeutic ritual of flaking tobacco, filling the pipe and tamping it down could settle the mind, but Rex hadn’t bothered with it. Quist had warned him never to transform during the full moon, but he’d tried for a few moments last month and hadn’t felt like ripping anyone apart.

  Hah! What did Quist know? Rex just felt elated and very much alive during these times and he wished his self-appointed nanny would leave him alone and not stick his big nose in.

  ‘Big nose,’ he chuckled. ‘That’s a good one.’

  His quiet laughter roused the girls and they began to squirm slowly on the dishevelled cotton and stretch like cats in the sun. Ligeia wriggled up his chest to kiss him, her pale blue eyes sparkling. This was amazing. He’d actually pulled the world’s most famous star. Ah, you couldn’t beat the good old Rex Grant charm.

  Thinking about it, he realised charm hadn’t played any part in this. Ligeia had been the one to suggest they went back to the hotel for sex and she’d invited the other two girls, although that probably wouldn’t be the case when he related the story. Ligeia had taken full control, the lovemaking had lasted most of the night and it had been beyond belief - truly sensual, almost feral, and like nothing he’d ever known. Ligeia and Elva had been incredible, and although he’d never admit it to anyone, he and Charlotte had felt like sexual novices beside them.

  ‘Good morning, ladies,’ he said, stroking the nape of Ligeia’s neck. ‘I’d ask how you slept, but we didn’t do much sleeping, did we?’

  ‘I still can’t believe this,’ said Charlotte. Laughing nervously, she ran a trembling hand through her hair, her face reddening. ‘I keep thinking I must be dreaming. It all feels like some amazing dream.’

  ‘Maybe you’d like me to pinch you?’ asked Rex
, winking. ‘It’ll pay you back for scratching my back open last night.’

  ‘Er, yeah, sorry about that.’ Charlotte smiled sheepishly, unaware that the fingernail gouges had healed within seconds. ‘I haven’t been with a guy since I was fifteen and confused. I genuinely have no idea why I screwed you and enjoyed it.’

  ‘Well...’ Rex shrugged. ‘It isn’t exactly difficult to understand.’

  ‘No, last night was just crazy.’ Charlotte shook her head. ‘For a while, I really wasn’t myself, and here in the morning light it feels so surreal. I honestly can’t imagine what got into me.’

  Rex was about to say he’d gotten into her, then realised she wasn’t being literal. At some point in their marathon orgy, Ligeia had said she wanted to watch Charlotte with Rex and Charlotte had eagerly complied. Like many sexist idiots, he’d always secretly believed that lesbians were just straight women who hadn’t met the right guy yet, but out of the several he’d propositioned, this was the first time the girl hadn’t laughed in his face.

  ‘Ligeia,’ whispered Charlotte, stroking the singer’s short hair. ‘I love that name. Elva is a nice name too.’

  Elva kissed Charlotte and signed to her friend.

  ‘She says thank you,’ translated Ligeia. ‘She says she’s had many names.’

  ‘Really?’ said Rex, unsure of what this could mean. He’d never known anyone who couldn’t speak, although the models he dated weren’t overly talkative; most of them stared silently at their phones, sometimes during sex. ‘Well, Elva is lovely. You’re petite and elfin, so Elva suits you. I should stick with it.’

  Charlotte gave Rex an embarrassed smile. ‘Speaking of Elves, this is like a being in some fantasy world, isn’t it?’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know.’ Laughing quietly, he wrapped his arms around Elva and Ligeia. ‘Last night was just your typical Rex Grant evening.’

  Ligeia laughed too, a sweet tinkling sound. ‘We ought to go,’ she said, running her fingers down Rex’s cheek and blinking her large blue eyes. ‘My manager will be wanting me back.’

  ‘Yes, it’s a shame, but I have to get ready too.’ Rex checked the time. ‘I fly back to London at eleven. My gorgeous personal taxi driver here is taking me.’

  ‘Speaking of which...’ Charlotte rummaged in the pile of clothes beside the bed and pulled out her phone to check the messages. ‘I’d better ring the office.’

  ‘I’m singing soon,’ said Ligeia. ‘You said you’d like to listen to me.’

  ‘You bet.’ Charlotte sat beside her on the bed, nodding eagerly and opening her phone calendar. ‘More than ever. Where did you say the concert was?’

  Ligeia giggled. ‘I don’t remember things like that.’

  Rex frowned slightly. The sensual eroticism had vanished and Ligeia now seemed simple and childlike again, just as she’d been in the nightclub. It was almost as if there were two people. Charlotte glanced at him, obviously thinking something similar.

  Elva signed and Ligeia nodded. ‘She says it’s in London on Friday night at a place called the O2. I’ll get the tickets from my manager and you must come too, Rex.’

  ‘I will,’ he said. Most artists would be aware of their upcoming venues, but obviously not Ligeia. Apparently she’d never even heard of the London Dome either. ‘Yeah, the O2 at Greenwich. You told us last night, but it slipped my mind. One or two things have happened since then. Charlotte, you can stay at my place if you’re travelling down for this concert.’

  ‘After I sing there, we’re going to a place called America,’ said Ligeia, excitedly. ‘It’s all the way across the sea.’

  ‘Er, yes...’ murmured Rex, astonished. He exchanged another dubious glance with Charlotte. Perhaps she really was a little simple in the head, or whatever today’s politically correct term might be: probably loopy, or a bit crackers. ‘So I’ve heard.’

  ‘I have a nice idea,’ said Ligeia. ‘Come with me.’

  He laughed. ‘Yes, that’s a very nice idea, but impossible.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Ligeia frowned. ‘Come with me and Elva. We’d like that, wouldn’t we?’

  Elva nodded excitedly.

  ‘Well, I can’t, obviously,’ said Rex. ‘I’m right in the middle of two building transactions. One here in Scotland and...’

  Ligeia’s frown deepened, her lower lip protruding like a sulky toddler. Elva wrapped a comforting arm around her and kissed her cheek. She signed again, her hands moving fast.

  ‘No, the Colonel won’t mind,’ answered Ligeia. ‘She won’t be angry that I asked. I want Rex to come to America. I like him.’

  ‘Ligeia, I’ve told you it’s impossible...’ began Rex.

  ‘Make him,’ said Ligeia, pouting at Charlotte. ‘Tell him to come.’

  ‘Why don’t you want to go with her?’ demanded Charlotte, irately. ‘You can see that you’re making her unhappy. You should go if she wants you...’

  ‘What are you talking about?’ Rex shook his head, confused. ‘You know I can’t.’

  ‘Go with her to America,’ insisted Charlotte. ‘It’s what she wants.’

  ‘Is this a joke?’ Rex laughed nervously. ‘Charlotte, you’re acting crazy.’

  ‘I don’t understand this,’ snapped Ligeia. ‘Why won’t you do as I ask?’ She gave another infantile pout, jumped off the bed and began to pull on her black mini dress. ‘I have to go to my room. Come, Elva.’

  Elva swiftly dressed too and kissed Rex and Charlotte before following her friend.

  ‘Well, that all went weird pretty fucking quickly,’ muttered Rex. He sat on the bed, watching as the door closed behind them, before turning to Charlotte aghast. ‘What the fuck? Go with her to the States? What on earth were you thinking?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ admitted Charlotte, confused. ‘I honestly don’t know. I realise the suggestion was totally irrational, but it seemed like a good idea and...’ She shook her head and headed for the bathroom with her phone. ‘This whole experience has kind of thrown me. I still feel like I’m dreaming.’

  Rex nodded, his eyes wide. ‘I know women can’t get enough of me, but wow!’

  He followed the naked girl and then paused at the closed bathroom door. He could hear Charlotte chatting to the office on her mobile, along with trickling toilet sounds. Despite their intimate experiences together, he decided to let her have some privacy.

  ‘Weird,’ he muttered, replaying Ligeia’s childish outburst in his head. ‘Really weird.’

  Pulling on the hotel complimentary robe, Rex strolled to the window, noticing the pages of drawings on the table. Quist had compiled this yoga routine and advised him to perform it every morning, especially during the full moon. Rex smirked and shoved the papers in his bag. He’d taken more than enough exercise for one day.

  A knock sounded on the bedroom door and Rex opened it to find a middle-aged lady in a very expensive blue suit. Attractive and elegant, with shoulder-length dark hair, she smiled warmly. He recognised her from the Edinburgh nightclub, the black silk eye patch being something of a giveaway.

  ‘Good morning, she said. ‘I’m Ligeia’s manager, Colonel Adler.’

  ‘Oh, right. Hi there.’ As a rule, Rex didn’t sleep with girls over the age of thirty, but this one could get lucky if she played her cards right. He frowned slightly. ‘Colonel, you say? A lady Colonel?’

  Adler glanced down at her small pert breasts, her smile widening. ‘Apparently.’

  ‘Well, you could certainly bring me to attention any time.’ He gave her an exaggerated wink and immediately wished he hadn’t; she might think he was mocking her one eye. Despite Ligeia’s odd departure, he still felt giddy and elated from the incredible night. ‘Nice to meet you, but if you’re looking for her, she left a few minutes ago and...’

  ‘Yes, I’ve just spoken to her and she’s upset. Ligeia t
ells me she asked you to accompany her to America and you refused.’ Adler regarded him thoughtfully. ‘How is that possible, Mister Grant?’

  ‘Huh? What do you mean?’

  ‘No matter. We can discuss it later. We’re leaving shortly, so I don’t have time to string this out. As Ligeia told you, she wants you to come with us.’

  ‘This is to be expected.’ Rex nodded his understanding. ‘I don’t blame the poor kid for being infatuated with me; she’s only human. I’d still like to see her before she leaves for the States, so I’ll give her my number and I’ll get in touch when I...’

  ‘I’m not making myself clear,’ broke in Adler. ‘Ligeia has a concert in London this Friday and then we’re heading for Miami. She’d very much like you to join her.’

  He peered at the eye patch and resisted the juvenile urge to make a pirate Arrhhh noise. ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘There isn’t much to understand. Ligeia wants you to accompany her to America and so do I.’

  ‘But that’s ridiculous. I’m heading back to London this morning and I’d like to see her O2 concert, but I can’t possibly...’ Rex shook his head. ‘Just a minute. Do you have any idea how ridiculous that request sounds?’

  ‘Does one-hundred thousand pounds make it sound less ridiculous? That’s tax-free cash paid into the account of your choosing.’

  ‘Is this a joke?’

  ‘I’m not one for joking, Mister Grant. Come with us to America and I guarantee it will be worth your while.’

  Rex laughed. ‘What the hell is this? Do you think I’m some sort of gigolo?’

  ‘No,’ said Adler. ‘You build and sell houses - Grant Homes. You’ve been sleeping with my girl and I’ve had all night to run a full series of background checks on you.’

  ‘Yeah, well I don’t like the sound of that. Goodbye, Blackbeard.’ Rex slammed the door in her face, turned angrily, and had taken five steps when another knock sounded. ‘Jesus!’ he muttered. ‘How many times do I have to tell this stupid woman?’

  He opened the door and his eyes widened in disbelief. ‘What on earth...’