Episode Five Bra Lies Charles Genevieve Louise Augusta Timothé d'Eon de Beaumont is hereby commanded to lay aside the uniform of a dragoon, which he had been in the habit of affecting, and resume the garments of her sex; and is forbidden to appear in any part of our kingdom in any other garments than those suitable to a female. Louis XV of France Madeline was somewhat apprehensive and unsure of just how to break the news to Posh Peyton that Olivia had disappeared. The Cybersybil had assured the normally even-tempered Professor Peyton that she would phone his wife that evening at the house in Deauville, after their earlier meeting with Juan Carlos. She could only imagine the sad educator struggling to explain to his angry spouse that Olivia was among the missing. Madeline knew her own strengths, and keeping calm amidst a sea of crisis and catastrophe was one of them, yet she was near to speechless when the Peyton phone began to ring. "Ah-lo? You have reached the residence of Mrs. Posh Peyton, world famous author. How may I 'elp you?" came a surprise statement in a faux European accent. The voice of Posh Peyton's devoted secretary was definitely not what Madeline had expected to hear. The cordless phone slipped from the Cybersybil's slender fingers and clattered onto the cobblestone walkway of Château Gâteau. Madeline stared blankly, her gaze transfixed somewhere in hyperspace. "Madame Fichon," she whispered. "Aries Libra, a bra lies, a bi liar," Maddie muttered, reviewing the seemingly ridiculous lexigram the Jackal had recited only hours ago. "Fichon might be a liar - and Juan Carlos the crossdresser? Lexi mentioned that the Jackal often went out in drag...could the two be in collusion? Juan Carlos probably kidnapped Olivia himself with Fichon's aid - Heavens and Andromeda! That's it - why did I ever go to the brothel yesterday? Why did I ever trust that...jackass!" a distraught librarian wondered. Ms. Madeline ran back into the modest château and found a pen and a piece of stationery in Professor Peyton's well-equipped study. Resolutely she printed the words ARIES LIBRA. "Wait," she mused, "Aries and Libra are opposite signs in the Zodiac. Juan Carlos also noted that I am a Leo and Miss Olivia is a Taurus...hmmm. Our opposites would then be Scorpio and Aquarius..." The words SCORPIO AQUARIUS were duly inscribed below ARIES LIBRA. Madeleine studied the new letters intently, her mind sure she could figure out the answer. "Poor...aqua...rip...car...pious...pious?" she laughed. "That's a good one and would be rather amusing if Miss O wasn't in so much danger. Quasi pious...Sirius! Sirius is the dog star sacred to the Egyptian goddess Isis and another clue - it's so esoteric - I know Sirius is part of the answer, it must be! Let me look it up in this Dictionary of Phrase and Fable...." Sirius. The DOG-STAR; so called by the Greeks from the adjective seirios, hot and scorching. The Romans called it Canicula, whence our CANICULAR DAYS, and the Egyptians Sept, which gave the Greek alternative Sothis. "Holy Gnosis! Let me call Lexi and see if any of this rings a bell with him. Good, Fichon hung up...I wonder why she didn't accompany her mistress to Deauville, come to think of it!" "Sexy? Hello - it's me, Ms. Madeleine...oh, Lexi, Olivia's been kidnapped and I think Juan Carlos the Jackal and Posh Peyton's maid are somehow involved....I know! Horrible! Listen, I need your help - and Bruce's, too - do either of you know an auberge in these parts that has to do with dogs? No, no, not a kennel...anything with a dog motif. Oui, comme chien... Nothing? Wait! Wonderful - you are a genius! Château Chien, you say? Owned near Les Andelys by the Scorpio sisters Mistress Machete and Mistress Stingray, whose motto is: Men are no better than dogs? They are your clients - very Goth, eh? Oh, I'm laughing because it reminds me of a joke I recently told Miss Olivia...Lexi - meet me there, tonight at eight...and bring help...Bruce may not be enough muscle. I'll explain everything later. Ta..." Madeline put down the phone and just then Olivia's father appeared. "Was that the Jackal?" the Prof asked Madeline, doing his best to maintain his composure. "Or Posh-ums?" "Prof, we must go see Juan Carlos at once. His nefarious, self-fulfilling prophecy has just occurred. He and I need to negotiate - then I'll draw him into my own web of deceit, the cur. We must play as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves...Olivia is in grave mortal danger. Please fetch the car right away!" With that, the elder Peyton headed toward the barn to retrieve his old Mercedes sedan. "Oh no!" the Professor soon cried out. "Turn over old girl!" Madeline came running out to the barn and stopped in her tracks as car parts came flying out of the front doors of the stable. Within moments, Professor Peyton could be heard cursing the god of travelers. "Damn buggering Mercury! Curse you...you..winged-heeled infidel...you...bloody rotten thieving hoodlum!" "Monsieur, what is that bike, over there?" Madeline queried, pointing to a dusty vehicle that appeared to be some type of motorcycle. "That's...oh Madeline, forget it, that's just Olivia's old Vespa. It hasn't run in almost twenty years. She rode it as a young girl, took it positively everywhere." Maddie smiled, reached out and touched the small vehicle, picturing an adolescent Olivia riding the scooter, not a care in the world. She pulled the little racer off of its kickstand and turned the key. An orange bulb lit up brightly, as did Madeline's cherubic face. "Look" she beamed and by then Robert Peyton's hand was pressing on a small red button that said start. "Oh my! It runs! Wait, let me check the oil," the Prof said, returning to his normal, steady mood. Madeline knew that the journey to Les Andelys was risky, yet she was going come hell or high water. The fearless Cybersybil was also curious as to whether or not her intuition was correct concerning Olivia's captors. "Ride like the wind!" Peyton shouted, and the Italian motorbike was on its way, kicking up a small flurry of dust and dirt. Maddie was off, a bit wobbly, yet determined to reach the Jackal by whatever means possible.    Text Copyright © 1999 - 2005 cybersybils.com All rights reserved.