Dishonored (30 page)

He loaded the jeep and collected the food that had been prepared for him. He was anxious and he was frightened. He had taken
every possible precaution, he was certain that they could not be followed but he didn’t for one instant doubt Shiva Rai’s
determination, his shrewd cunning and an evil streak he had had the misfortune to have seen on too many occasions.

Just before darkness fell, Bodi Yadav left the town, taking the desert road east toward Baijur, cutting across country and
stopping forty miles south of the city, off the road, under cover of the trees and in the place he had marked for Rami on
the map. He hid the vehicle from view, climbed out and, having made sure that the place was deserted, sat by the side of the
road to wait.

He didn’t have to wait for long. Rami too had left before darkness fell. He had driven out of Baijur in a Land Rover, Viki’s
men watching the roads and following him twenty miles east of the city. Satisfied that he had departed unseen, they turned
back and Ramesh continued on forty miles along the main Balisthan route south. At a junction that split east or west, he cut
cross-country. Bodi had prepared him for the next stage. The terrain was rough, difficult, the road turned to track and often
petered out into open country. He followed the map pinned to the dashboard and drove with a compass in his hand. It was grueling,
the sky was dark and the land in deep tracks of black shadow. He peered hard through the windscreen, his eyes trained on the
foreground, watching the distance every now and then, watching the mirror for any sign of light behind him. It took him three
hours.

Bodi looked up at the faint roar of an engine in the distance. He had been dozing, the small fire had almost gone out. He
stood, turned his head to the right, then the left and, looking to the west, he listened hard. The night was breathless, the
air still and the noise carried. It was Rami, it came from the west. He kicked the coals of the fire and scuffed the ground,
covering the ashes with sand. He walked back to the jeep, uncovered it and climbed inside. Starting the engine, he drove into
view and, able just to make out a glimmer of a headlight on the horizon, he waited for sight of Rami.

An hour later, they parked the two vehicles at the back of a small deserted garage in a village several miles across country
from the main road and Bodi climbed out. He quickly embraced Ramesh, then, opening the back of his jeep, he began to transfer
his things across to the Land Rover, piling them on top of the rows of metal boxes. They were taking only one vehicle, it
was safer; the other one Bodi had arranged to be collected the following day. The small task took a matter of minutes. When
he was finished, he glanced at his watch.

“It shouldn’t be long,” he said. “We’re early.” Rami nodded. The road up to Ghanerao was rarely used, the Land Rover would
be obvious and the lights seen for miles around. Bodi didn’t want to risk it. He had arranged for a guide to help them up
through the rough ground, away from the road, circumventing the village and driving straight up to the small house that Jane
rented. It was a hell of a journey but it was by far the safest. Villagers talked; they could arouse suspicion further afield.

Bodi walked back to his jeep and locked it. He leaned against the bonnet. “Where the devil is this chap?” He didn’t like the
holdup; it made him nervous. He glanced behind him as a figure materialized out of the darkness.

“Jhoti Sahib?” he hissed.

“Yes.” The figure came into view. “You are ready?”

Bodi nodded and looked toward Rami. The man was younger than he’d been led to expect but there wasn’t time to worry. “We are
ready,” he said. The man walked over to the Land Rover.

Rami opened the door for him and he climbed up, placing a canvas bag on the seat beside him and taking out a spotlight. He
looked at Rami’s map, then ripped it off the dashboard and folded it away. He replaced it with his own.

Bodi climbed in behind him and waited for Rami. He had a sixth sense, something was making him edgy and he was anxious to
get away. Rami took the driver’s seat and started the engine. He switched on the headlights.

“Which way?” he asked.

Jhoti nodded to the east. “Take the road for about two miles and then we cut off.”

Rami shifted into gear. He glanced in the mirror and moved the Land Rover forward. Bodi checked the road behind them, watching
until the deserted garage disappeared from view, then he settled back and rested for a few moments. He would be needed when
they moved off road, another pair of eyes would be vital even with the beam from the spotlight. He untied the cotton scarf
he wore over his mouth and loosened it, winding down the window, relieved at the cool breeze on his face. They were in for
a long night, but, if the gods continued to smile, a safe one. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. Please the gods
a safe one.

Imran Devi picked up the phone immediately as it rang. He listened, wrote a number of things down, then replaced the receiver.
He dialled another number, spoke quickly, issuing instructions and hung up. He walked through to his bedroom, lay down on
the bed and stared out of the window at the black, starless sky. The time had come but he still couldn’t stomach the thought
of it.

Somewhere, at the back of a small garage off the Pindi Road heading southeast, someone had just made themselves fifty rupees.
Life was very cheap in India.

J
ANE WOKE WITH A START
. S
HE HADN’T SLEPT WELL FOR WEEKS
now; the baby kicked at night, its feet lodged just below her breasts, and she woke fitfully every couple of hours to shift
position, to try and get comfortable. Now, lying in the dark, she listened to the night sounds, staring at the sky through
the window, a little afraid, a little lonely. She rolled on to her side and tried to close her eyes. It was silent, eerily
calm and she could count the beats of her heart. Suddenly, she heard a noise, a sharp crack outside.

Struggling, she sat up and switched on the lamp, flooding the room with light. She put her hand up to her chest and pressed
her palm hard against her racing pulse. She took a couple of deep breaths, gently easing her legs over the side of the bed
and dropping her feet onto the floor. She stood up slowly, silently, and crept to the long, half-open window. It was cold
and she shivered, wrapping her arms around her, covering her swollen belly. She peered out into the dark, very frightened
now, ready to call the bearer. Then suddenly the door opened behind her and she swung round.

For a moment she didn’t believe it. She stood, ashen-faced, frozen to the spot, then she stumbled forward, relief and joy
making her weak and Rami caught her, taking her weight and holding her close to his body.

“Jane, my darling Jane,” he murmured into her hair. “Dear, dear Jane.”

She jerked back. “Is it you?” she cried. “Is it really you?”

He kissed her face, her lips, her eyes. “Yes, it is really me,” he whispered fiercely. He placed a hand on her stomach. “And
this? This is really you?”

Jane nodded and covered his hand with her own. “It is you and me, both of us.” She looked down at her belly, at their baby,
growing inside her. “Do you mind?” she asked quietly.

Suddenly Rami laughed, loudly, joyfully. “Mind?” He shook his head and stroked her through the thin muslin of her nightdress.
“It is the most wonderful thing,” he answered. He knelt and, lifting the muslin, he kissed the skin stretched tightly across
her belly; he kissed their baby. Jane held his head, her fingers wrapped in his hair. “One pure moment of love,” he said,
looking up at her, “one union, blessed by the gods.” Jane closed her eyes as he gently kissed her again and the baby moved
under his touch. Then, silently, she began to cry.

Later, lying curled up with his body wrapped around her, his hand across her womb, Jane felt the movement inside and, staring
out at the sky, she said, “What is going to happen to me?” She pressed her hand against Rami’s, against her stomach, “To us?”

Rami kissed her hair. “Sssh, Jane, it is all right, you will be with me, you will be safe.” He stroked her skin.

But Jane moved so that she could look at his face. “Safe?”

He didn’t answer her.

“Safe?” she said again. “What do you mean?” Her voice rose in panic. “They haven’t found who murdered Phillip?” She shifted
and with difficulty, sat up. “Tell me, Rami,” she said. “Tell me the truth. Everything.”

Rami rolled on to his back and looked up at the ceiling. He was silent for some time, not sure what to do, what to say. He
didn’t want to lie to her but he did want to protect her. At least for the moment, to protect her and the baby.

Jane reached over and switched on the lamp. Rami covered his eyes, the sudden light making him wince.

“Please,” she said, “I have a right to know.”

Rami sat up as well. He faced her, crossing his legs, taking her hand in his. He looked down at it, at the strong capable
fingers, the pale freckled skin.

“They have not found who murdered Phillip,” he said. “You are the suspect; they are not looking for anyone else.”

Jane caught her breath. She had been fueling a blind hope, believing in the truth. She had honestly thought they would find
the murderer; she had prayed so hard that the misery of this isolation wouldn’t last. Pulling her hand away from Rami, she
covered her face. “Oh God,” she breathed, “my poor baby…”

Rami leaned forward and cradled her body in to his. “Janey, it’s all right,” he said. “We will overcome this, I give you my
promise, we—”

“How?” Jane suddenly cried, pushing him away. “How for pity’s sake?” Her face creased with anxiety. “How…?” She stopped
and stared down at her belly as a spasm of pain shot through her womb. She gasped and clutched the bed.

“Jane?” Rami sprang forward. “Jane, what is it?”

Clenching her jaw, Jane shook her head. “Nothing,” she hissed. “A pain, that’s all…” She started to breathe deeply, seconds
later her grip relaxed. “The ayah said it’s normal…” Her breathing regulated. “She said it’s normal a few weeks before.”

Rami let out a sigh. He took both of Jane’s hands and kissed them, pressing the palms to his mouth. “God, I love you, Jane,”
he said. She smiled sadly. “I will look after you, both of you, I promise you that.”

Jane glanced away.

“Bodi has applied for a job for me, in America,” he said suddenly, “a teaching job.” He hadn’t wanted to tell her until he
was sure but she needed to know now; he had to reassure her. “He is able to get me a passport…” Rami smiled. “Not legally
of course, but I will put you on it, you and the baby.” He touched her stomach as he said this, “We can leave India, cross
over to Pakistan and go from there…” He broke off. “Jane? What is the matter? What?”

She shook her head and wiped her tears on the back of her hand. She would never see her family again, she would always have
to be someone else, the idea of it, the very thought of it mortified her. “Nothing, I…” She sniffed and attempted to
smile. “I’m sorry…”

Rami tilted her chin up so that he could see her eyes. She looked at him, at the man she loved and for a moment she remembered
something Phillip had said to her once, something about losing the only thing that mattered and she remembered what she had
told him. “I would do anything to keep it,” she had said. How odd, that it had turned out to be a prophecy for both of them.

Rami kissed her, gently, on the mouth. “Are you sure it is nothing?”

“Yes, I am.”

He stared at her for a moment longer then leaned forward and placed a pillow behind her so that she could lie back comfortably.
He reached across her and switched off the lamp.

“Try to sleep a little,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her. “Get some rest.” And, closing her eyes, Jane lay in the
warmth and comfort of his embrace and felt her body slowly begin to relax and the kick of tiny limbs inside her.

Outside, Bodi sat on the verandah in the dark and looked out at the valley. He was too tense to sleep, he needed time to wind
down.
Khansama
was making him something to eat and he held a bowl of fragrant hot tea in his hands, warming them, watching the steam rise
up into the cold night air. He listened to the silence, a peculiar silence that belonged to the mountains, a clear, still
hush, and he drank the scalding liquid, thankful of the warmth in his belly.

He heard a sound.

At first he leaned forward, not sure if it was a sound or just his imagination. The night was so intense it could easily have
been in his mind. Then he heard it again. He stood up.

Jane’s house was built on a ledge of rock on the hillside and the verandah looked right out across the valley. Walking to
the edge of it, Bodi stretched forward, turning his head to the right, standing perfectly still, holding his breath. It came
again. He had heard right! It was miles off, some distance along the valley but it was without doubt the roar of an engine.
It was faint, hardly a noise really but it was definitely a car. Hurrying inside, Bodi called to the bearer.

“Is anyone expected down in Ghanerao tonight?”

The bearer shook his head. He knew the comings and goings of the town, he knew everything about the small community; that
was one of the chief reasons he had been recommended to Bodi. “There is nothing at this time of night, sahib,” he said. “The
first delivery comes along the pass road at seven o’clock.”

Bodi thought for a moment. “How long is it from the town up here on the road?”

The bearer shrugged. “I don’t know, sahib, two hours maybe, maybe three.”

“On foot? Cross-country?”

The servant smiled, “My boy can run down in thirty minutes, sahib. He is very fast.”

Bodi crossed to the window and looked out for a few minutes, then he turned. “Wake the boy,” he instructed, “then wake the
other servants. We must start to pack. I will wake memsahib.”

He moved off toward Jane’s bedroom. “And tell
khansama
to pack some food for us, and some hot drinks.” The bearer nodded, disappearing along to the servants’ quarters. “God knows
we’re going to need it,” Bodi murmured under his breath and went to wake Jane and Rami.