Page 5 of Bluebeard’s Key

“Thank you for inviting us, Giles,” Zayan said, taking his hand as Tom eyed him warily. Perhaps Tom thought this was a competition for the position. Nothing could be farther from the truth—he needed both of them—but it certainly wouldn’t be wise to disabuse either of them of the thought, at least not yet.

“My pleasure,” Bluebeard said, guiding them to the sumptuous buffet. “We’re dining rough this evening.”

Archimedes handed the boys two glasses filled with sparkling white wine. Bluebeard retrieved his half-empty glass from the table and toasted, “To a productive collaboration, should you receive the position.”

After a sip, he directed, “Archimedes, that will be sufficient.”

Bluebeard had ordered an elaborate spread, and Archimedes had delivered. The buffet hosted fresh seafood and an array of side dishes, perfectly prepared and beautifully presented. Taking the lead, Bluebeard filled a plate almost to bursting, building around a mountainous pile of shrimp scampi. His guests soon followed, Zayan enthusiastically choosing the spicier dishes—octopus, ceviche, oysters—and Tom dishing a sliver of swordfish, potatoes au gratin, and green beans arranged in perfect thirds on his plate. This was yet another indication that he had chosen wisely in selecting them. They were the perfect complement for one another. Zayan, the adventurous one, experienced in the ways of the world, would surely sweep the shy Thomas off his feet and into the love affair he required for his plan.

Bluebeard pointed them to a small seating area with three overstuffed chairs arranged in a semicircle around a low table, facing out over the stormy view.

Without preamble, he speared a shrimp from his plate and said, “You must have questions. Now is the time to ask them.”

“How did you do it?” Thomas blurted. “The chemical compound in your letter baffled my entire lab. We’ve never seen anything like it. In fact, we had to make up a new word to describe the, um, biological effect. Erotogenic.”

This was an auspicious sign. In fact, Bluebeard was amazed he lasted this long before asking, but it wouldn’t serve to give away too much too quickly. He needed to tease just enough to ensnare him. He touched his nose playfully and said, “That would be telling, now, wouldn’t it? But I can reveal that the compound in question is a natural product and will be part of your work, should you decide to accept the position.”

Thomas frowned, and Bluebeard could tell the subterfuge infuriated the young chemist, but the frustration on Tom’s face showed he would do anything to uncover this secret, if Bluebeard let him.

Zayan asked, “I’m not following. What are you talking about?”

Thomas gushed, “It’s the letter. Mister Fortes…er…Giles dosed it with something that induces orgasms. Full on tingles up the spine and exploding ecstasy in your head. Men and women! For guys, it doesn’t make you ejaculate, but induces erection. We tried to characterize the compound, but…”

Thomas stopped in the middle of his sentence and flushed red, and finished, “Sorry about that. My language wasn’t appropriate for polite company.”

Zayan laughed and said, “No problem. We’re all adults here. So, Giles, would I be doing chemical synthesis, too?”

“Would you like to?” Giles countered. In reality, he had much more planned for Zayan. A full training in alchemy, and then the most transformative experience of this man’s short life. But it was far too soon to reveal any of that.

“I enjoy it, and I’m good at it, so yes,” Zayan said. “Depends on what you need.”

“I have a few select compounds in mind for you,” Giles said. He couldn’t yet reveal the true chemistry—alchemy—Zayan would be doing, so he spoke with innuendo to catch his attention. “They’re similar to the non-traditional work you’ve done before.”

Giles saw the understanding dawn on Zayan’s face. As he expected, there was also greed bubbling away there in his eyes, so trapping him would be trivial. Thomas had always been the central question mark of his plan.

Thomas continued, “Would I be involved in monetizing the compound you shared in your letter?”

For the first time this evening, Bluebeard felt disappointment. He couldn’t imagine that Thomas had sufficient knowledge or experience to deal with his clients, so why did he even suggest it? But no matter, that wasn’t part of the plan. He’d simply disabuse him of that absurd suggestion, while making the position even more attractive to a curious scientist.

“No, not at all,” he said, affecting a laugh. “You will characterize and improve the existing—what did you call it?”

“Erotogenic.”

“Spoken like a true scientist. You will improve the existing erotogenic compound and others like it. My staff will have the responsibility of deploying it to market.” Then he added the clincher, the dream of every scientist. “You will focus entirely on the science and leave the marketing to the experts.”

Tom looked much more satisfied at this, as Bluebeard expected, but Zayan was not yet mollified. He suspected discussion of compensation would be next up on Zayan’s agenda.

Perfectly on cue, Zayan asked, “And you mentioned a competitive salary? The figure in your letter seems like a good place to start, but…”

Bluebeard didn’t balk for even a second, after all, what matter is gold when you’re an alchemist? He reached into his pocket and pulled out two small envelopes. Tom’s jaw dropped when he saw the figures and no surprise, since the salary was double the typical salary for a senior pharmaceutical chemist, and the start-up funds would cover a lab that would rival the one his graduate advisor had at the university.

“Will that be sufficient?” Bluebeard said, trying to keep the sneer out of his voice. He added, because he could, “Everything is negotiable.” Money, truly, was no object.

Still bowled over, Tom stammered, “Yes, I think this will work.”

Zayan looked at his figure and said, “This is closer to what I was expecting. Will we be located here in Ferry Vale? And when is the position available?”

“No. You’ll be working at my development facility, and the positions will be available immediately, once I’ve made my final decision.”