The Secret at Solaire Read online

  “I will,” Nancy promised. She crossed the courtyard and entered the office, where she asked to speak to Laurent.

  “He’s with Jacqueline,” the receptionist replied. “Let me tell them you’re here.”

  A few minutes later, Nancy was ushered into Jacqueline’s office. Jacqueline sat at her desk, dressed in an immaculately tailored white linen suit. Laurent stood beside her, wearing an elegant black suit over a white T-shirt. Together, they looked like an advertisement for designer clothing.

  No, Nancy thought. What they are is an advertisement for wealth and beauty. People are supposed to come to Solaire to look just like them. Everyone is supposed to think the two of them are perfect. But, Nancy reminded herself, Laurent was responsible for blinding at least one person and doing damage to who knows how many others. And she had a feeling that Jacqueline had helped him cover it up.

  “Bonjour, Mademoiselle Drew,” Laurent said. “How can we help you?”

  “Have the police called you?” Nancy asked.

  “Indeed,” Jacqueline said. “We will be going down to the station later today to press charges against Hank for the sabotage. I am so sorry that you were inconvenienced last night. But, you see, everything has worked out, as I told you it would.” She flashed Nancy a dazzling white smile. “There’s no longer any reason to worry.”

  “I don’t think the sabotage is over,” Nancy said. “Last night, when the police arrested Heather, she hinted at other plans for today’s party. You’ve got to call the whole thing off.”

  “That’s impossible,” Laurent said. “The press and some of our most important clients are coming in from New York and L.A. We can’t possibly cancel.”

  “Are you willing to risk someone else’s being hurt?” Nancy asked.

  “No one else will be hurt,” Laurent said firmly. “We will take extra security precautions.”

  “Your security didn’t stop the other accidents,” Nancy pointed out.

  “Ms. Drew,” Jacqueline said. “Clearly, this is not your concern. Now, my husband and I have business to discuss. If you will be so kind as to leave us—”

  “You don’t care,” Nancy said quietly. “You don’t care about your guests. Or about the truth. The only thing you care about is your perfect image.”

  Laurent stood up. “Would you like me to escort you out, Mademoiselle Drew?”

  “That’s all right,” Nancy told him. “I can find my own way, thank you very much.”

  • • •

  “And I thought we were early for the party,” George said as she, Bess, and Nancy entered the spa’s Ocotillo Hall. The large, airy room was already crowded with people. Guests, staff members, and reporters were all mingling together, many of them drawn to the picture windows that looked out over the mountains. Vases filled with fresh-cut flowers were everywhere, and large wooden tables displayed the new Solaire cosmetics. Other tables were covered with southwestern food specialties.

  “Now they feed us,” Max Harper muttered, as he piled his dish high with hors d’oeuvres. “I’m going to go up to that reporter there and tell him what the normal menu is around here.”

  “Oh, Max, I’m sure they know this isn’t a regular spa meal,” said his wife, smiling. “You did lose four pounds, you know.” She leaned forward and kissed her husband. “It’s healthier for you, and you look very handsome.”

  Nancy smiled as she watched Mr. Harper blush at his wife’s compliment.

  Nancy scanned the crowd warily. Rhonda Wilkins was talking with a group of other guests, looking more fit and quite pleased with herself. Lisette, the tennis pro, looked bored but determined to be polite. Kim wasn’t there at all, which wasn’t surprising. She’d told the girls that she planned to get twelve hours of sleep and then go visit her mother. There was no sign of the German shepherds, but Nancy was sure that some of the Solaire staff was acting as security. Alain circled the crowd, watching everyone intently. What had Heather planned? Nancy wondered. Maybe Heather’s plan would be impossible to pull off, now that she was in custody. Or had the girl simply been bluffing?

  “I think the official stuff’s about to start,” George said, holding her own heaping plate of food.

  Jacqueline and Laurent Rozier stood at the microphone at the front of the room. After Laurent had asked for everyone’s attention, he began to talk about the exciting new line of Solaire cosmetics. “I developed these in St. Martin, specifically with the discerning American woman in mind. You will find our products natural, healthy, and affordable.”

  “An itty-bitty bottle of moisturizer for thirty dollars?” George muttered.

  “Sssshhhh,” Bess said. “I want to hear this.”

  Nancy wasn’t really listening to the speech. Her eyes were still moving restlessly over the crowd. Hank and his daughter were safely in custody, but Nancy couldn’t forget the sound of Heather’s evil laugh.

  “Now,” Laurent went on, “we are proud to give you a preview of our ad campaign, which will appear in all the major magazines.” He pointed to an easel beside him, which held what appeared to be several large boards. The top board read Solaire for the Skin, and bore a picture of the spa’s sun logo.

  With a flourish, Laurent lifted the board to reveal a photograph of a stunning model in an even more stunning swimsuit, applying Solaire sun block.

  Then he removed the photograph to show the next one, and a gasp rose from the crowd. This photograph was of a much-younger Laurent Rozier, holding up a bottle of a Jeunesse product. Above the photo, a newspaper headline read, Jeunesse Lawsuit: Charges of Blindness and Disfiguration!

  Laurent hurriedly removed the board, only to reveal yet another. This picture showed a very pretty young woman with badly marked skin. A caption read, Pierre Dennon and Jeunesse did this to me.

  Laurent’s face was purple. “What is this?” he demanded angrily.

  Melina Michaels stood up in response. “Which picture don’t you recognize, Pierre? The one of yourself, or the one of my sister?”

  The crowd started whispering.

  “Security!” Laurent called out. “This woman is not feeling well. Please see that she gets back to her room safely.”

  “I’m fine,” Melina said loudly. “The ones who are not fine are the people who believed that Jeunesse cosmetics were safe. You ruined my sister’s modeling career. She’s the girl on that poster, with the badly damaged skin. She’s still living in seclusion in France, afraid to show the world her face. And you blinded Heather Sinclair.” She held up a picture of the sightless girl and showed it to the crowd. Everyone gasped.

  “Laurent, aren’t you going to answer this woman’s charges?” one reporter asked.

  “We can explain—” Jacqueline began.

  “What about those photographs?” another photographer called out. “How do you explain those?”

  Suddenly, Nancy understood. The final surprise that Heather had promised had nothing to do with endangering guests. This act had one target only: the Roziers. There was no physical danger involved. Melina was simply exposing them in front of the people who mattered to them most. She was simply telling the truth. And whether or not the Roziers were ever prosecuted, their careers in the beauty business were definitely over.

  George leaned toward Nancy. “Why didn’t Hank and Heather just wait for this press conference?” she said. “Why do you think they were so determined to hurt people?”

  “I guess they were just too angry,” Nancy replied. “Remember, there’d been at least one newspaper article about the incident, and that didn’t change anything for them.”

  “Well, this explains why Melina didn’t trust the Solaire mineral mud,” Bess said. She shook her head. “I think I’m going to skip the rest of this party.”

  • • •

  That evening, Nancy found Bess outside the casita, staring up at the starlit sky. “Are you all right?” she asked.

  “I’m fine,” Bess said cheerfully. “I’ve lost three-and-a-half pounds.”

  Nancy gr
inned. “No, I meant about all the things that have gone on here this week.”

  “I know,” Bess said, her tone serious. “I’m glad the Roziers’ past caught up with them. But I still think that, in spite of all those awful things Hank did, Solaire is a great spa. I mean, it was good for me to learn how to work out and diet.”

  “Do you think you’ll keep it up when we go back to River Heights?”

  Bess laughed. “Following the Solaire program seems to be a full-time occupation. If I kept up this routine, I wouldn’t have time for anything else. Besides, I’ve been thinking about all of this diet business. Maybe weighing a few extra pounds isn’t the worst thing in the world.”

  “It’s crazy for people to think they have to look like fashion models,” Nancy agreed. “And to be unhappy if they don’t.”

  Bess pointed to a bright star above. “That’s Venus, planet of beauty and love.” She sighed. “You know, ever since we got here, I’ve been looking at Jacqueline, thinking I’d give anything to look like her. I guess I figured that if I were that beautiful, everything else in my life would be perfect. And then today I saw her up there in front of everyone, lying about some really horrible things . . . . ”

  Nancy smiled at her friend. “Oh, Bess, you’re a much better person than Jacqueline. I’m glad you’re nothing like her.”

  “Nan,” Bess said seriously, “there’s just one thing I have to ask you. Do you have any of those emergency chocolate bars left?”

  “Definitely,” Nancy told her with a grin.

  The two of them started back to the casita as the song of the coyotes filled the night.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  First Aladdin Paperbacks printing February 1993

  Copyright © 1993 by Simon & Schuster Inc.

  A Aladdin Paperbacks published by

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  NANCY DREW, NANCY DREW MYSTERY STORIES,

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  ISBN: 0-671-79297-0

  ISBN: 978-1-4814-0950-6 (eBook)

  Cover art by Aleta Jenks