The Secret at Solaire (3 page)

“What happened?” Nancy asked.

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” George replied. She rubbed her head again. “I was turning on the machine for you when something hit me.”

“You mean someone hit you,” Nancy said.

“I didn't see anyone,” George told her. “But I think the person hit me with a tennis racket. The next thing I remember is hearing your voice and looking up into the branches of this tree.”

Nancy peered closely at the ground, then used her hands to trace in the dirt. “There are footprints here, all right, but they look like yours and mine,” she said. “Still, someone had to have carried you here. You're quite a ways from the tennis courts.”

George began to stand up.

“Don't,” Nancy said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Let me get help.”

“I'm fine,” George assured her. She gave a shudder. “Besides, I don't think I want to stay out here alone. If someone
did
knock me out and carry me here, how do we know they're gone?”

“We don't,” Nancy admitted.

Together she and George slowly made their way back to the main complex, where they
went straight to the office. “We need to see the Roziers,” Nancy said quickly to the receptionist, “and you'd better summon Dr. Benay. George has been hurt.”

Within a matter of minutes, both Jacqueline Rozier and Dr. Benay appeared.

“What seems to be the problem?” Jacqueline asked briskly as Dr. Benay began to examine George. Jacqueline wore a green silk sheath that matched the color of the large emerald on her ring finger. Even in a crisis, she looked cool and elegant, as if nothing could ever truly disturb her.

Nancy explained what had happened on the tennis courts and again described the incident with the black widow. She didn't mention the note from Kim.

Jacqueline's brow furrowed for a moment. Then she picked up the phone and punched in a four-digit number. “Hank,” she said, “would you please check the ball machine on the tennis courts? Apparently, someone has tampered with it.” Then she made several more calls in French.

Nancy watched as Dr. Benay shone a light into George's eyes, then probed gently at the rising lump on her friend's head. “Is she going to be all right?” Nancy asked.

“As far as I can tell,” the doctor replied. “Although she'll have a nasty bruise for a few
days. Have you felt any dizziness?” she asked George.

“No,” George replied, “and no headaches, either.”

“Well, since you lost consciousness briefly, I want you to take it very easy for the next few days,” Dr. Benay said. “And come see me first thing in the morning.”

Jacqueline finished her calls and set the phone down. “I am terribly sorry,” she said, turning to Nancy and George. “We have never had anything like this happen. I just spoke to one of our tennis pros. She was as surprised as you were. She and Hank are checking out the machine right now. I assure you, there will be no more incidents of this sort.”

“Aren't you going to call the police?” Nancy asked. “It seems to me as if someone is sabotaging the spa.”

“We have excellent security here at Solaire,” Jacqueline replied firmly. “I assure you, it is not necessary to bring in the police.”

Nancy disagreed, but George was looking a little white-faced, and Nancy knew this was not the time to argue. Besides, she wanted to do a little investigating on her own. “I'd better get George back to our casita,” she said. “Thanks, Dr. Benay, Jacqueline.”

The two women nodded, and Nancy led George out of the office. Nancy could hear
Jacqueline and Dr. Benay speaking in rapid French behind them.

As Nancy and George crossed one of the courtyards, the door to the auditorium opened and guests began streaming out.

“Hi,” Bess said, joining them. “Where were you two? You just missed the lecture on eating healthy.”

“That's okay,” George said. “I can guess what they told you: Make sure you never eat more than a teaspoon of anything.”

“No, silly,” Bess said, laughing. “It was actually very interesting. They talked about how different body types need different sorts of food to keep everything in balance. I'm supposed to eat fennel seeds, dry toast, and lots of apples and hot ginger tea.”

“Oh, that sounds nourishing,” George said. “What is it with this place, anyway?”

“I didn't mean that was the complete diet,” Bess said quickly. “Someone who's thin the way you are is supposed to eat milk, hot soups, and fresh-baked bread.” Then she looked at her cousin more closely. “What happened to you, George? You don't look so good.”

“Let's go back to the casita and I'll explain,” Nancy said.

“Just a moment, ladies,” said a familiar voice behind them.

Nancy turned to see Alain Giraud approaching.
“I was wondering if I might escort you back to your casita?” he said.

“It's really not necess—” Nancy began.

But Bess cut her off. “That would be lovely,” she said. “And you can help me tell Nancy and George what they missed at the lecture.”

Nancy barely listened to a word the trainer said as they all walked back to the casita together. She was wondering why Alain had been so eager to escort them. Did he have a crush on Bess? she wondered. Lots of guys fell for her pretty, outgoing friend. But Alain looked as if he were in his midtwenties, which was older than the guys Bess usually went out with.

Then Nancy noticed something that gave her chills. Other guests were also walking along the moonlit paths in groups of two, three, and four. Everyone was returning to their casitas. And along with every group was a staff member in a Spa Solaire T-shirt. We're all being escorted, Nancy realized. Someone here wants to make sure that all the guests are in their rooms.

The three friends said good night to Alain at the door of their casita and went inside. Quickly, Nancy and George told Bess what had happened.

“Are you sure you're all right?” Bess asked George in a worried tone.

“I think so,” said George, who was lying on
her bed. “But there's definitely something weird going on at this place.”

“George,” Bess said, “Solaire is one of the finest spas in the country. It's been written up in all the health and beauty magazines.”

“Then why do they escort all the guests back to their rooms at night?” Nancy asked. “I'm sorry, Bess, but I'm afraid I have to agree with George.”

An eerie, high-pitched howling suddenly echoed through the night. As the girls fell silent, the sound drew closer.

“Maybe
that's
the reason we got escorted back,” Bess said, her voice trembling. “There are wild animals out there. Probably wolves.”

“There aren't any wolves in this part of the Sonoran Desert,” Nancy assured her friend.

“Whatever it is, it's surrounding us,” George said. Even she sounded unusually nervous.

“Those are just coyotes,” Nancy explained. “Honest. I heard them on a camping trip I took once. Coyotes won't hurt you. They're actually afraid of people. And they're not to blame for any of the strange things that have been going on here.”

“Well, you did tell Jacqueline everything that happened,” Bess said, beginning to change into her nightgown.

“Well, not everything,” Nancy replied, then told her friends about the note she'd received from Kim.

“I'm sure there's a simple explanation for that note,” Bess said. “Anyway, Jacqueline and Laurent have been running spas for years. I'm sure they'll take care of things.” Bess finished changing and peered intently at her reflection in the mirror. “Goodbye, six pounds,” she said. “By next week you'll be gone, and I'll be slim.”

Nancy turned to George. “Will you be all right if I leave for a few minutes?” Nancy asked. “There's something I want to check.”

“I'm fine,” George said.

Nancy changed into a dark sweater and dark pants. Then, promising to be back soon, she slipped out of the casita and into the night. She stood quietly for a few moments, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness so that she wouldn't have to use her flashlight. A thin crescent moon, surrounded by hundreds of bright stars, lit the sky. The coyote chorus had died down, and the night seemed perfectly still, as if Nancy were the only human being alive.

That's silly, she told herself. There were other casitas in view, most of them with lights shining through their windows. But there was something about being out in the desert at night that could make anyone feel alone.

Slowly, she started to walk away from the guest houses and toward the center of the complex. She was hoping to find Kim Foster somewhere on the grounds. Something strange
was going on at Spa Solaire, and Nancy had a feeling that Kim knew what it was. Where did the staff live? she wondered. Then again, maybe Kim didn't live at the spa.

Nancy stopped short when she heard a rustling behind her. She turned and peered into the darkness.

Nothing. She must have been imagining it.

Just as Nancy resumed walking, she heard the rustling again.

It must be an animal, she told herself. Besides coyotes, there were rabbits, deer, and javelina in this part of the desert. Almost any of them could be making that noise. But why did it sound as if something were following her?

Nancy heard the rustling once again. This time, she sprinted forward, determined to escape whatever it was.

But she wasn't fast enough. A hand grasped Nancy's arm roughly and spun her around to face a blinding light.

“What are you doing outside?” an angry voice demanded.

Still blinded by the powerful light, Nancy shielded her eyes and stepped backward. In front of her was a man holding a huge German shepherd. The dog strained at its leash, growling, and the man yanked the animal back. Then the man lowered his flashlight, and Nancy saw that it was Alain Giraud. “Well?” the trainer demanded.

“I was taking a walk,” Nancy retorted. “What are
you
doing—trying to scare me to death?”

“What is going on here?” demanded another voice in heavily accented English. Nancy was surprised to see that it was Laurent Rozier. So far, except for his greeting the guests when
they'd arrived, she hadn't seen Jacqueline's husband at all.

“It's a beautiful night, and I was taking a walk,” Nancy explained. “Until Alain and his dog here nearly frightened me to death.”

“She was snooping around,” Alain said in a clipped tone.

“She is a guest,” Laurent told him, “and you will remember that we treat all of our guests with courtesy. You may go, Alain. I will see Mademoiselle Drew back to her room.”

“I am so sorry, Mademoiselle Drew,” Laurent said, after Alain and his dog had disappeared. Gently, Laurent turned Nancy back toward the casita.

“Then you won't mind if I take a walk,” Nancy said, more determined than ever to find out what was going on.

“I'm afraid I do mind,” her host replied. “You see, we have many wealthy clients at Solaire. Many of them come to the spa and bring their valuables. We must keep very tight security, so that our guests have no fears.”

“Have there been problems here lately?” Nancy asked.

“Certainly not,” Laurent assured her. “But that is because we are so careful. Also, it is rattlesnake season here, and the snakes prefer to come out at night. We wouldn't want any of our guests to risk a run-in with a rattler.”

“So we aren't free to leave our rooms at
night?” Nancy said. She was having a hard time believing that a resort's security system could be so restrictive.

“On the contrary,” Laurent said. “Tomorrow night, Kim will be leading a stargazer's walk. We will provide several escorts, and you may walk the desert trails in complete safety.”

Nancy decided to try one last time. “Actually, I wanted to ask Kim a question about tomorrow morning's hike,” she said. “Is there some way I could reach her tonight?”

“I'm sorry,” Laurent said as they reached the door of the casita. “But I'm afraid that is impossible. Kim is off tonight. Perhaps you can talk to her in the morning.”

“I'll try,” Nancy said, opening the casita door.

Laurent smiled at her, and Nancy felt a little shiver go down her back. In the moonlight, Laurent's eyes were pale and chilling—as if he were someone who never cared about anything except maintaining his own smooth, careful appearance.
“Bonne nuit
, Mademoiselle Drew,” he said. “Sleep well.”

If I sleep at all, Nancy thought, shutting the door behind her.

Inside, she found George already asleep. Bess sat at the table, reading the spa literature they'd been given.

“Back so soon?” Bess asked, looking up.

“I didn't get very far,” Nancy said with a
sigh. “First Alain and his killer guard dog nearly attacked me. And then Laurent broke in and escorted me back here.”

“Laurent?” Bess said, her eyes aglow. “Oh, he's such an amazing man. Did you know he's the one who developed most of Solaire's fantastic cosmetics? It all started when Jacqueline was getting terrible sunburns, because she's so fair and all. Anyway, Laurent told her he'd create something so that she'd never burn again. Isn't that romantic?”

To Nancy, Laurent seemed anything but romantic. “Bess,” Nancy said, “I don't trust this place. They have the staff escort us to our rooms at night. Then, once we're in here, they patrol the grounds. We're not even free to take a walk!”

“Laurent must have given you a reason,” Bess said, frowning.

“Security and snakes,” Nancy said. And Laurent may be the biggest snake of all, she added silently.

• • •

At nine o'clock the next morning, Nancy sat outside Dr. Benay's office, waiting for George. She, George, and Bess had all eaten breakfast together, then Bess had gone straight to the gym to begin her workout. If Dr. Benay gave George the go-ahead, the three of them would join the hike with Kim.