Weapon of Vengeance (15 page)

“You will not peddle again,” Ravinder warned as they cut the deal. “If I ever come to know that you are, all bets are off.”

“Never, sir.” Nanda had crossed his heart theatrically. “I swear it on my mother's soul.”

Nanda's patently false sincerity made Ravinder feel sorry for his mother's soul.
Oh well!

“
What else do you have to offer?” Though a greenhorn, Ravinder was savvy enough to know when to bargain.

“You tell me, sir,” Nanda said smugly, assuming the cop would ask for a bribe. How else could the man have stayed out of jail for so long?

“I want you to keep your eyes open and an ear to the ground.” Ravinder surprised him; a clean cop was something one rarely came across. And honesty was certainly not a career-enhancing attribute, not in this profession.
Perhaps that is why he gets shunted from one lousy assignment to another,
Nanda must have rationalized, tuning in to what Ravinder was saying. “Whenever you come across something big, I want to know.”

Nanda felt uncertain; if his brethren ever learned he was a snitch, he'd have a short life and a most unpleasant end.

Ravinder sensed his fear. “This will remain strictly between you and me.… No one else needs to know … ever.” Some of Nanda's fear seemed to recede. “And you will be paid. I will ensure that.”

That
had sealed the deal; Nanda worshipped money. Thereafter, every now and then, Nanda called Ravinder. Each time proved worthwhile, for both. Nanda enhanced his riches and Ravinder acquired the reputation of a ferocious crime-buster.

“You are looking well, sir.” Nanda rose and offered his hand.

“Not as well as you, my friend.” Throwing a quick look around, Ravinder sat down opposite him. Layered with rich mahogany, the ornate bar had the colonial feel of an exclusive men's club: large crystal chandeliers; deep, plush armchairs; and carved, round tables laid out at discreet distances. At this hour, it was empty. “So, what do you have for me today?”

“Straight to business as usual, sir. You haven't changed a bit. A cup of tea or coffee first?”

“Not today, Sanjeev. Too much is happening. Tell me … what's up?”

Ravinder's face grew somber at Nanda's narrative. And his excitement escalated; this could be a big attack on the games … or the peace summit? “There are two of them?”

“Yes, sir—Mark, the Irish guy who got in touch with me, and then the second one he went and met with right after that … a woman, I think, but I cannot be sure.”

“Why do you think it's a woman?”

“Not sure, sir.” Nanda looked away, trying to reconstruct the scene. “Most probably because of the profile I saw … but the car windows had dark film on them … so I cannot be sure.”

“Hmm.” Ravinder tried to ferret out more. “Anything else you remember … which make of car she was in, the registration number?”

“Sorry, sir.” Nanda give a sheepish smile. “I was too far away, but it was a cream-colored Toyota Innova.”

Ravinder couldn't mask his disappointment. There were thousands of those in Delhi.

“This guy … Mark? What's his full name? Where is he staying?”

“I don't know, sir.” Another sheepish smile. “I've dealt with him just once … a while ago.… It was a small cash-and-carry deal … so…” He petered off with a shrug.

Damnit! Mark is a bloody common name … else we could hunt down the hotel he is at and take him in.

“Call me if you remember anything else.” Nanda nodded. “When are you handing over the guns?”

“Day after. Wednesday.”

“Where?”

“He said he'd call and tell me.”

“You have the number he calls you from?”

“I did check on that. He used a public phone both times.”

“The same one?”

“No. Different both times … from different parts of the city.”

Ravinder nodded, disappointed but not surprised; it had been a long shot; this was a precaution every professional would take. “Fine! Call me as soon as you know?”

“Definitely.” Nanda hesitated. “Sir, I am going to be there personally.… I hope your people will be careful when they…” He trailed off.

“Don't worry. I will be there myself.” Ravinder was feeling elated as he headed back to his office. Yes, even good guys caught a lucky break sometimes, though he wished he knew which target they were going for.

Oh well.
Ravinder shrugged. Even this was heaven sent. He knew Thakur, keen to show the PM that he was doing well at his new assignment, would be thrilled when they caught the terrorists.
Yes, this could be a big one.
He called Mohite and brought him up to speed.

“Could they be the same ones that the CIA woman … Jennifer … had mentioned? Remember? She'd said the Lashkar has hired British mercs to strike Delhi.”

“Yes, I remember, Govind. They may well be the same … though she'd said British, and this Mark guy is Irish.”

“Yeah, yeah. British, Irish, what's the difference? These
firangis
are all the same.”

“Never mind, Govind.” Ravinder sighed.

“This is fantastic!” Mohite was excited. “Thakur sahib will be very pleased.”

“Yeah, but keep this under your hat for now. Let's talk to him about it only once we have them in our hands.”

“Sure, sure. I agree. Like a surprise gift.”

“Yeah right!” Ravinder kept the sarcasm to himself. “Have a team standing by from tomorrow night. They should be ready to move at short notice.… What? No! I will go with them. What? Of course … you're welcome to come along.”

As he put down the phone, he wondered why Mohite always assumed he was being deliberately sidelined.
I guess we see our own identity in others. Anyway …
He shrugged, knowing he had to be careful; Mohite had the Home Minister's ear.

Sighing, he got out of the car as it halted outside his office.

The sun had vanished again. The sky was like concrete. Growls of thunder were making their presence felt. Gusts of wind tugged at him. A storm seemed about to break.

*   *   *

Gyan met Ravinder at his office door.

“There is someone here to meet you, sir.” Gyan sounded sheepish. “I tried to tell her that she could not meet you without an appointment, but she was insistent. She said she is…”

“Who is it?” Ravinder frowned as he pushed open the door. Then he came to a dead stop.

“Oh my God!
Ruby.”
The stunned whisper was half-question. “You look just like your mother.”

“Yes, Father, that is what everyone says.”

There was a tense silence; the two strangers stood looking at each other.

“You used to call me Daddy … always.” Ravinder's voice was a strangled whisper.

“I know. And you used to call me princess.” Ruby couldn't conceal her bitterness. “But then you left us.”

Her words stabbed into him like a hot knife.

He took a couple of steps toward Ruby; he was aching to hug her. “No! I didn't.” He halted, uncertain.

“All these years…” Her voice broke. “I waited for you to come looking.” She started to cry. Ruby did not want to; she was angry with herself for allowing it. The terrorist who'd planned this visit was furious. “Every morning I would wake up and hope you were back. Every day I would come out from school and hope to see you there. Every night I used to pray—”

“I did look for you, but…” Ravinder could not go on; nor could he stem the tears that began to trickle down. He realized that Gyan was still standing behind him. Without turning, he said, “Gyan get some tea and…” He stopped and looked at the stranger who was his daughter; he did not even know what she liked to drink. There was a time when he would have known when she was hungry, when tired, when she needed to burp, when she was sleepy, when she … “What would you like?”

“Tea is fine.”

“Get some tea for us, Gyan.” He walked up to her, but instead of taking her in his arms and hugging her, as he was aching to do, he took her arm tentatively. “Come … please sit down.”

Ruby's head was whirling as he drew a chair for her. She had no idea what she expected when she met Ravinder, but she had not expected this. The rush of emotions had caught her totally off guard.

Her eyes fell upon the two photo frames on either side of his computer, simple, mahogany frames. On the left it had Ravinder and a regal-looking woman, with a pretty teenager between them. But it was the one on the right that caught Ruby's attention.

A little girl standing on a chair, reaching out to cut a huge cake in front of her. Wearing a pink frock, the girl had a large beaming smile. The cake was a huge, three-tiered one with a princess on top; the princess too was in a pink frock.

Yes, it is the same … the one I forced my mother to have enlarged
. And the only one Ruby had ever put up on her bedroom wall.

Ravinder followed her glance. “That was your third birthday.” His voice was mellow with emotion.

“I know. I remember. That was the last one all three of us…” She looked away. “Then you left. Just two weeks before my fourth…” Her voice broke.

“No, princess, I did not leave.” Ravinder's throat felt as though something were stuck in it. “I don't know what your mother told you, but it was not me who left.”

“No one told me anything. And today you can say anything you want, there is no one left to contradict you.”

“But you must believe…” Ravinder broke off as he realized what Ruby had said. “
What?
What did you say?” He paused, afraid. Eventually, a reluctant whisper. “Where is Rehana?”

“She is not with us anymore.”

“What happened?” Dreading the answer, he could hardly speak.

“Does it matter?”

“Yes, it does.” Ravinder was shocked, but he could see how she was hurting. He wanted to take her in his arms and hold her tight … the way he had always done when she was small. “Ruby, I really, really loved her.”

His words struck Ruby like hammer blows.
Not
what Rehana had told her.

“
Rehana meant the world to me,” he repeated.

Just then, Gyan entered, bearing a tray. They sat in silence as he poured and placed a plate of biscuits between them. The fragrance of freshly brewed tea filled the room. Ravinder waited till he left.

“I hunted everywhere for both of you when Rehana left, but…” The phone rang. Ravinder felt a surge of irritation, and then remembered they were in his office. Giving Ruby an apologetic look, he took the call.

“We cannot talk here,” he said to Ruby when he'd finished. “There will always be something or the other interrupting us.” He thought for a moment. “Tell me, where are you staying?”

“At the Hyatt Regency.”

“Not any longer.” Ravinder had made up his mind. “You're coming home to stay with me … with us.”

“Are you sure?” Ruby asked with a pointed look at the family photograph on his table.

He got the drift and nodded. “That is my wife, Simran, and my daughter, Jasmine.” He paused. “I got married again a couple of years after Rehana sent me the divorce documents and … that was the last I heard from your mother.” The pause this time was longer and more awkward. “It will be okay with them.” He sounded more reassuring than he felt.

“If you say so.” Ruby felt a triumphant flush run through her;
I'm in
. Being in there could win the day for her.

“Take my car, please go to the hotel and check out. The driver will get you home.”

“I have a car.”

“Okay, then.” Ravinder scribbled his address and handed it to her. “When should I expect you?”

Ruby looked at her watch. “Would it be okay if I got there by about five?”

“That will be perfect.” He would have to get home before that, and talk to Simran and Jasmine. He also knew it would not be an easy conversation. He followed Ruby to the door. She was almost out when his voice stopped her.

“Ruby, there is a lot unsaid between us.” He began hesitantly. “I do not know what Rehana told you … about what happened between us. No matter what you believe, I want you to know this … I loved you then, Ruby, more than you can imagine … and I love you now. I am grateful God has given us this chance to be together again. I do not want this opportunity to pass … not without giving it my best shot.” He broke eye contact, feeling wetness creep into his eyes. “But I don't know where to start … how to start … will you help me? Please.”

Ruby could not speak. Her throat was too full. She knew that this man standing before her, the father she had once loved and doted upon, meant every word he was saying. Yes, because she had loved him so much and been so dependent on him was why it had hurt so much when he left … why the hurt and the anger ran so deep even now. She replied slowly, “I don't know either, Father.… I am not sure you understand what I went through when you left.… I am not sure if I am big enough to forget … or forgive.” She sucked in a large dose of oxygen. “But I will try.” The terrorist had no idea when the girl within slipped those words past her.

Then Ruby was gone. Leaving Ravinder happy but also uncertain.

He took a couple of minutes to gather himself before heading for his car. He was opening the door to get in when Gyan came running out. “Sir, there's an urgent call for you. Minister sahib wants to talk to you immediately.”

Cursing, he headed back.

“What is this I am hearing, Gill?” Thakur sounded in a foul mood. “The American and British agents are complaining that they are not getting enough cooperation from your people.”

“I am afraid I have heard nothing about this, sir, but I will look into it right away.”