The Dust Will Never Settle (2 page)

Bloody stupid way.
Ruby’s smile faded into a frown. But she had to cope. And live with it.
Try
to live with it. Especially since she had thrown away the medication as soon as she left the shrink’s office. Having her mind stuck on a Prozac-shelf was not for Ruby. She now hauled herself back and concentrated on Mark.

Looking at him made her feel better. She had thought of him the minute she decided to take on this mission, which was as soon as Yusuf uncle had come to know about the Peace Summit. So much had transpired since. She smiled as she remembered her conversation with Mark only yesterday.

‘Hey! How are you?’ He had sounded so pleased. ‘I am very well, thank you. How are things with you?’

‘Same old, same old. There doesn’t seem to be much happening. Certainly not the right kind of stuff… stuff that interests me
and
pays the rent. So am catching up on life, tending to the garden and painting the fences… y’know…’ he said in his thick Irish accent.

Mark had quit the service a few weeks ago and was now freelancing.

‘That can get kind of boring.’

‘Tell me about it.’

‘Well, I may have something for you.’

‘You? Nah. The government doesn’t pay enough.’ She’d expected that. ‘Besides, haven’t you heard, I quit working for them.’

‘Mark, this one is personal. Nothing to do with the agency. And the money is better than good.’ Ruby knew, that for the right money, Mark was the ideal man to watch her back – ruthless, resourceful and ready to follow orders.

‘Is it now? Want to tell me more?’

And with that Ruby instinctively knew he was game. ‘Not right now. You will have to trust me.’

‘I do. You know I do.’ He chuckled. ‘As much as you trust me. How many times have we watched each other’s backs?’

‘Often enough. Why else would I call you, Mark?’

‘And here I was thinking you called because of my lovely smile and beautiful body!’ They both laughed. ‘When and where do you want me? And how long will we be gone?’

Ruby’s spirits lightened when he said that. ‘We move out tomorrow. We should be back in two weeks.’

‘That’s it, eh? Short assignment.’

‘Yep, short and sweet. And lucrative.’

‘That’s my kind.’ A laconic laugh. ‘Where are we headed?’

‘India, eventually.’ Momentarily, the mention of India unleashed a whirlpool of emotions inside her, about her father…
a father who abandoned me… he means nothing to me.
Without realizing it, she made a dubious moue.
Doesn’t he?
She pushed away the thought.
Not now!

‘India, eh? Exotic! Sounds good to me.’ He made a humming sound. ‘Say, boss,’ Mark asked, somewhat bashfully, ‘we flying coach or…’

‘First class, Mark. Nothing but the best for you, mon ami. Your ticket will be in your mailbox shortly. Meet me at Heathrow a couple of hours before the flight.’

She knew it was a happy Mark who’d put down the phone. He looked happy even now as they came out of Colombo airport and headed towards the taxi stand.

Traffic in Delhi was never easy and these days, with construction taking place all over the city and the massive influx of tourists, it was maddening. To make things worse, Delhi had not seen such heavy rains, not in the last forty years.

As the car laboured through the clogged streets, Ravinder wondered what it was that the home minister wanted to discuss, and hoped there would be no more unpleasant surprises. Their first meeting had been one hell of a shocker. His mind fled back to that day.

‘Have you heard the good news, Gill?’ Thakur had greeted them with a big smile when Mohite and he entered his office. ‘India is hosting the Israeli– Palestinian Peace Summit.’

‘We are?’ Ravinder was stunned. One glance at Mohite’s face and he realized that this was not news to him.
Damn the man! When would he learn to play for the team?
‘The Israelis and Palestinians are talking? That’s a surprise, considering the recent terrorist attack on Jerusalem! How did this happen, sir?’

‘That’s what triggered it off. The Americans – in fact the entire international community – have put a lot of pressure on them. Everyone is tired of the mindless bloodshed.’

‘And India will have the honour of playing host,’ Mohite chimed in. ‘Just imagine! We may help peace return to the Middle East.’

‘Yes.’ Thakur beamed. ‘Isn’t it great?’

‘When is it?’ Ravinder ignored their euphoria, preferring to focus on the practicalities.

‘Exactly two weeks from now.’ Thakur could not stop smiling. ‘This is our chance to showcase India. It may be the most critical and game-changing event of our times.’

‘Two weeks?’ Ravinder was shocked, but the other two were so caught up in their enthusiasm that they missed it.

‘Precisely. It starts on thirteenth October.’

Thirteenth!
The number sent a shiver up Ravinder’s spine. Too much had happened to him on that particular date, and none of it good.

‘But that is exactly when the Commonwealth Games are due to start, sir. Such an event will require massive security and we are already hard-pressed for resources.’

‘Resources are always scarce, Gill.’ Thakur waved dismissively. ‘We have to make it work. Don’t you see what this Summit will do for India’s prestige?’

‘I do, sir, but don’t you… I mean, one must account for the fact that terrorist groups will do anything to disrupt it. Palestine is the one cause that all the jihadi groups use to pull in money and recruits. They will never allow this.’

‘All that is fine, Gill, but we have to make it happen. Maybe things will be simpler if we can keep it lowkey.’

‘Sir, with the recent terrorist attack on Jerusalem, the whole world has its eyes on the Middle East. There is no way we can keep such a momentous event secret.’

‘Well, we have to make it happen regardless.’ Thakur’s tone was firm. ‘We have no choice – the decision has been made. It is a matter of national pride.’

‘What if the Summit gets attacked? The stakes are so high for the jihadis, they will definitely try to strike.’

‘No, Gill. Nothing must be allowed to disrupt it,’ Thakur retorted. ‘I want you to personally take charge of the security.’

‘But I am in charge of the Commonwealth Games at the same time, sir,’ Ravinder protested.

‘No, you are not.’ Thakur then sprung the second ugly surprise. ‘I have put Ashish Sharma in charge of the Games.’

DIG Ashish Sharma was Mohite’s peer and they both reported to Ravinder. Now, to his dismay, Thakur was directly delegating work to officers under his command. Ravinder opened his mouth to protest, but stopped, realizing it was pointless.

‘I don’t see the problem, Gill,’ Thakur continued. ‘The arrangements for the Games are in place. Sharma just has to keep things going.’

‘Then why not put Mohite in charge of the Peace Summit, sir? That way I will be able to run oversight on both events.’

‘I thought about that, Gill. I trust Mohite totally, but I think the Summit is too important for any one man. Do you have any idea of the consequences if something happens to the delegates? India’s reputation would be shot to hell… not to mention the carnage that may be unleashed in Israel. No. I want you in charge. Of course, Mohite will assist you.’

‘Of course I will, sir. You know we will never allow anything to happen to the Summit.’ Mohite was quick to spot an opportunity, one where he would be able to take credit if things went well, yet not be responsible if there was a screw-up. He turned to Ravinder. ‘Am I right, sir?’

Ravinder marvelled at the man’s cheek. ‘True, sir,’ Ravinder replied with a silent sigh. When rape is inevitable, enjoy it, he remembered the physical training instructor at the police academy once telling them. ‘How come we get to host the Summit?’

‘India was a logical choice since we are on good terms with the Israelis, the Palestinians and the Arab world.’

‘They met at Oslo the last time,’ Ravinder mused. ‘Yes, but apparently both sides feel that Oslo is jinxed. That is why when the PM asked Mr Thakur if we could host it, I advised him to accept,’ Mohite jumped in again.

Ravinder resisted the impulse to give Mohite a solid kick. Instead he gave a polite smile. ‘Wonderful. I am so glad you are going to help me secure the Summit, Govind.’

‘But of course, sir.’ Missing the sarcasm, Mohite gave another bright smile.

‘So we all agree that we must keep it secret?’ Thakur asked, failing to mention that he had already spoken about it to at least ten people in the three hours since the PM had informed him. ‘I figured Delhi would be ideal. With the Commonwealth Games taking place, we already have a flood of VIPs and athletes, and security would already be functioning at peak level.’

‘That is what I explained to Mr Thakur, sir,’ Mohite rejoindered. ‘It will make our task so much easier.’

Ravinder looked at both men, doubting even they believed that. But he understood that for Thakur this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase himself on an international platform. And for Mohite, a heaven-sent chance to latch onto the minister’s coattails and grab some limelight too.

Got to watch my back
, Ravinder reminded himself again. Given half a chance, Mohite would deliver him to the wolves.

‘I know I can rely on you, Govind.’ Thakur gave Mohite a cordial smile, then realizing that Ravinder was present, added, ‘and of course you, Gill. Now remember, we simply cannot fail. If anything bad were to happen, it would be a shame for India and it would put an end to all hopes of peace in the Middle East.’

Ravinder was in a sombre mood as he listened to the two men prattle on. Obviously, neither had given any thought to the logistics of securing such an event. The whole thing was fraught with danger.

Ravinder’s memory spool ran out as their car halted in the South Block parking lot. He led the way towards the minister’s office, wondering what new shock awaited him today.

Watching Mark move into action, Ruby smiled again. The efficiency with which he organized a car and driver made her relax.

A sturdy silver, almost-new Nissan van stood before them. The driver, whose name she couldn’t get, spoke more Sinhalese than English, but seemed pleasant, presentable and eager to please. They threw their bags into the back. Moments later they were headed north.

Ruby glanced at her watch. It seemed to be ticking fast. A pulse of urgency raced through her. For the nth time she wished she had been given the heads-up about the Summit sooner. And again she cursed Pasha, the Lashkar-e-Toiba commander who had told her about it and also e-mailed her the gory video of Yusuf ’s killing. Flashes of that video returned to her every night, leaving her afraid of even turning the lights out.

Those murderous Jews had even chopped his hands off.

Pinpricks of wetness pushed at her eyes. She kept them at bay, knowing she could not allow them to be seen by Mark. In their world, tears were a sign of weakness, and weakness was death.

Shaking off the gory images of Yusuf ’s dismembered body, Ruby mentally urged the driver to go faster. She needed to be in motion. Motion was important. It kept the nightmares away.

They hit the first security checkpoint on the outskirts of Colombo. Fortunately only a few cars were ahead of them. It took seven minutes to get past it. A second one, a few miles out of town, took a tad longer.

Then the highway stretched out before them. Long. Narrow. Lonely.