Istanbul Passage

She raised a finger. “No ages. Ca n’est pas gentil.” She turned to Kay. “But then you must come to my party. It’s so difficult to find women. It’s new to them still, leaving the house. The husbands say they’ll bring them and then they don’t. Leon, you’ll bring her?” She paused. “And your husband, of course.”

“He can’t stay. It’d just be me, I’m afraid.”

“Ah,” Lily said, glancing at Leon. “So much the better. An extra woman in Istanbul. More precious than rubies. Oh dear, hysterics.” On the other side of the room, Barbara had begun to weep loudly. “Perhaps not enough attention.”

“Lily-”

“No, it’s true. It’s a day for the widow. And all these distractions-”

“You’re the distraction,” Leon said.

“I hope that’s not true,” she said, enjoying herself. “At such a time. Maybe I should leave.”

“That would be a distraction. You just got here.”

She arched an eyebrow at him, but said to Kay, “And what do you think? About the murder. You have an idea?”

“I didn’t know it was. They said-”

“Oh, the thief in the night,” Lily said, waving this off. “But so much more interesting, don’t you think? It’s selfish to say this, I know, but it’ll be good for the party, a little frisson. During the war it was easy, invite a German, invite a Russian, and then watch. Same room? Will they look at each other? And of course serious questions-will Turkey stay out? But always something. And since a little boring, I think.”

“Just what you needed then,” Leon said.

“You’re making fun of me, but it’s true, so why not say it? And of course so implausible. A man like that. A great love? How can you imagine it? So maybe a local woman and he’s leaving her? Or an American friend. Just a cinq a sept, but now jealous. But someone.”

“You’re a romantic, Lily,” Leon said.

“And you’re not? Everyone, I think, if they’re lucky. But this time, unlucky. I admit, to think of Tommy King as a lover-”

“Maybe it wasn’t about him. Maybe he just got in the way,” Kay said.

Leon looked at her, surprised, his mind’s eye suddenly back on the landing, tracking bullets, positions, playing it out again. If you see a chessboard from the other side, Alexei said. But nothing changed. It had only happened one way.

“You’re always reading things like that in books,” Kay said. “People see something they shouldn’t. Or they just happen to be-”

“But it’s terrible, no? A murder by accident. Not even interesting enough to be a victim. Just someone-in the way. Better, I think, the widow. Those hands.”

“He was shot, Lily.”

“The trigger, then. No problem, je t’assure. Listen. Again.”

A new arrival, Barbara in tears.

“Only the guilty cry like that.”

“Don’t have too much fun with this,” Leon said.

Lily lowered her head, reprimanded. “It’s true. Still a death.” She looked up at Kay. “But you’ll come to my party?”

“Of course. Thank you.”

“Maybe he’ll be there. Whoever it is.”

“What an idea,” Leon said.

“Why not? Maybe here too. Someone he knew. Not a stranger. It has to be.”

“Why?”

“Who goes to a place like that to meet a stranger? Someone he knew. And the shot was close.”

“How do you know that?” Leon said, alert.

Lily shrugged. “People talk.”

“People in the police?”

“People. I told you, nobody talks of anything else. Except here, maybe. Where you all want to think it’s a thief.”

Involuntarily Leon looked across the room. Frank had reached the drinks table, then made a half turn as the man with the moustache introduced himself. Polite, formal, maybe innocuous. Lily was asking Kay about her plans, a background noise as Leon fixed on the other conversation, too far away to hear. Coming out of Marina’s building. A client? Why Frank? Then Frank looked over, a nod in Leon’s direction, as if he were pointing him out.

“The hotel can arrange for a guide,” Lily was saying to Kay. “Of course, if Leon’s free-he knows it so well. Not the shopping, though. It was Anna who knew the shops.”

“Anna?”

“My wife,” Leon said.

“Oh,” Kay said, not expecting this. But she must have seen the ring. “She’s not here?”

“She’s been ill.”

“I’m sorry. Something serious?”

“Une maladie des nerfs,” Lily said. “A terrible thing. A long time now. But perhaps soon-”

“That’s the hope,” Leon said, cutting her off. “Frank has my number, if you’d like to see anything,” he said as Frank joined them.

Kay raised her head to say more, then nodded, letting it go.

“I’m sure you’ll be busy at the office,” Frank said. “She can use Cook’s. Nice if you could spot her a meal though.”

Kay shot him a quick, irritated glance.

Leon made a little half bow. “I’ll look forward to it,” he said, taking her hand.

“Yes,” she said, polite again. “And to the party,” she said to Lily.

“So-” Frank said, impatient now to go.

But Kay waited another second, looking at Leon. “Thanks. For the layers.”

He watched them say good-bye to Barbara.

“You’re interested in that girl?” Lily said.

“I just met her.”

“That’s your answer? To that question?”

“No,” he said, a formal answer. “Don’t play cupid. I’m too old.”

“Oh, old. She’s interested in you.”

“I’m married.”

Lily sighed. “Your faithfulness. So American. A Turk-”

“Would go to a teahouse and play cards.”

Lily laughed. “Yes, perhaps. Only up here.” She touched her head. “But you watched her. I saw. And she likes you.”

“You could tell all this in five minutes.”

“Two. And that husband. Ouf.”

“Well, that’s her problem.” He looked at her. “I’m married. So were you. Devoted. Everyone says so.”

“Of course,” she said easily. “He was the love of my life. And Anna was yours. But that’s not all there is in life. It’s unnatural, your faithfulness.”

“Not to me.”

She looked up at him, then put her hand on his arm, smiling a little. “As you like. But she’s interested. She wants to know you.”

“Know me.”

“Women like to know. Detectives.”

“And do you find out?”

“Eventually.” She patted his arm. “That’s the disappointing part. Oh no, more waterworks.” She nodded toward Barbara. “I should go. A mercy for both of us, I think.”