The Dust Will Never Settle (33 page)

In Muridke, Pakistan, his eyes and ears riveted to the news channels, Pasha eagerly awaited word of his assassin’s strike. Anticipation turned to disappointment and then to fury as the curtain came down on the first day of the Summit. He was unable to sit still any longer.

Day Eleven

T
he new dawn brought with it an overcast sky. The first sign of the heavy fog that paralyses most parts of north India during winters appeared.

Ravinder again awoke early. Some primal cop instinct was gnawing at him. He dialled his home phone, a direct line to his bedroom and study. Simran was the only one who answered it when he was not home. She picked up on the first ring, as though she had been waiting for him to call.

‘Are you all right?’ she asked. ‘I am fine, love.’

‘I was worried. I wanted to call, but I did not want to disturb you. I know how busy you must be right now.’

For a moment they shared the comfort of silence. ‘Simran, I wanted to check on Ruby. How is she?’

‘I think she is okay, but other than her morning run, she has not left her room. I had to send all her meals to her room. Not that she ate much.’

‘I see. Is she still there?’

‘I think so. I didn’t hear her go down. You want me to check?’

‘Could you, please? But quietly. I don’t want her to know you are checking on her.’

‘Hang on.’

He heard Simran put down the phone and walk to the door. Then silence. He was starting to worry when he heard a crackling sound as she picked up the receiver.

‘She is there. I peeped in and she is still sleeping.’

‘Hmm… okay.’ Something was tugging at his mind but he was not sure what. ‘Right, then. I will call again when I can.’

‘And take care of yourself.’

‘I will.’

‘Have you eaten?’

‘I will now.’

‘Don’t forget. You get a headache when you skip meals.’

‘I won’t forget.’

‘Ravinder, if you want I can check on Ruby again.’

‘No, don’t fret about it. The surveillance car is at the gate. They’ll let me know if she steps out.’

He sensed that Simran wanted to say more. He did too, but somehow this did not seem like the right time. It was only later that he remembered there is never a bad time to tell someone you love them.

Still uneasy, Ravinder put down the phone and went out to run a check on the security set-up. And he did forget to eat. And he did get a headache.

Ruby counted to thirty after the door had closed before she threw off the bedcover and left her bed.

She had heard someone walking up to her door, the footsteps muted, as though the person was trying not to be heard.

Someone up to no good.

She had pulled the bedcover over her body, right up to her neck, leaving her face uncovered

She glimpsed the door crack open silently and saw Simran peep in. Ruby pretended to be asleep. Then Simran’s face vanished.

Ruby ghost-footed to the door and listened. She heard only silence outside. She carefully slid the door open and peered out. An empty corridor met her eyes. Six quick steps and she was at the door of Ravinder’s bedroom. She could hear Simran’s voice and placed her ear against the door to listen carefully.

‘Ravinder, if you want I can check on Ruby again,’ she heard Simran say. Moments later she heard the phone being put down. Ruby returned silently to her bedroom, filled with anger.

So, they are checking on me. They suspect… But maybe daddy is just worried… But then he would have called me, not Simran!

Reaching for her mobile, she sent a short text to Ontong and Boucher. Delivery confirmation arrived seconds later. Ruby deleted the messages and started to dress.

Within minutes she was in her usual baggy black jeans and a loose, full-sleeved, blue cotton shirt. Her hair was tied back in a neat ponytail. She looked just like she had that day in Congo, but without the bulletproof vest and without her weapons. She missed them but knew that even if she had them with her, she would not have carried them. Not today. Not where she was going. Today everything would be improvised, on the fly. She had a plan, not as foolproof as she would have liked, but it was the best she could do, given the constraints and the loss of her key props.

Deep in thought, Ruby missed the sound of someone approaching her room and only became aware of it when the door began to open. Jasmine’s head peeped in. Ruby started. There was no time to make it back to her bed.

‘Ah! You are awake.’ Jasmine smiled. ‘Good. I wanted you to wish me luck. Today is…’ She noticed Ruby’s outfit. ‘Wow! You are dressed so differently. You look so… so cool… Where are you off to so early?’

It seemed to be an innocent question.
Was it?
Her instincts told her it was, but could she take a chance?
What difference did it make? I cannot – will not harm her.

‘Nothing much.’ Ruby held her gaze. ‘Thought I’d step out for some exercise.’

‘Hmm…’ Jasmine’s mouth puckered up. ‘You look so different… so deadly… like a spy!’ She laughed. ‘Anyway, I must be off. I’m late for college. Have to rush. We are winding up early today,’ she pattered on. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to come for the Games? I still have all three passes… just in case you’ve changed your mind.’

‘I’m sure, Jasmine. Thanks anyway.’ Aware of the ops clock ticking away, Ruby was aching for Jasmine to leave. ‘And all the best for your moot court. I’m sure you’ll blow them away.’

‘Thanks a lot. Have fun!’ Jasmine started to leave the room with a grin on her face. She turned around and said, ‘And you blow them away too!’

I will, babe. That’s the general idea.

Despite the nonchalant thought, it took a moment for Ruby’s breathing to return to normal.

Now time to eat and get moving.
In the distance she heard the gates swing open and Jasmine accelerate out of the drive. Silence returned to the Gill house. Then she heard the dull clang of a bucket, perhaps from the kitchen. Moments later the distant hum of a lawn mower could be heard.

Ruby turned to her ops checklist.

Eat and move.

But she felt no hunger. Generally she wolfed down a healthy breakfast, no matter what lay ahead. Today she forced herself to eat. She had to be on top of her faculties. She finished the cold chicken sandwich Simran had sent up last night and washed it down with a glass of orange juice. By the time she was done, it was time. She checked her watch to reconfirm. Ontong and Boucher would start out in a while.

Grabbing the black tote bag she had packed, Ruby silently went down to the security…
or surveillance
… car at the gate. She had to time this part perfectly or there was no way in hell she would succeed.

No one heard her leave the house. She confidently approached the surveillance car.

‘I need to go to the hotel,’ she told the driver. ‘Father needs some stuff.’ Ruby held out the tote bag.

Ruby saw the driver exchange glances with the cop beside him, obviously the surveillance team commander. He thought it over, and then nodded. What harm could there be if she was with them?

‘Fine, miss.’ He held the door open for her. Minutes later they were off. The commander decided it would be awkward to call Ravinder and report on Ruby in front of her.

Ravinder ran into Mohite when he emerged from his room. Once again, Mohite was dressed in his Sunday best.

‘Are you going down to meet the minister?’ Ravinder asked, though he already knew.

‘Yes, sir. He is on his way.’

Ravinder checked his watch; twenty past eight. The delegates would be finishing their breakfast soon and going to the conference hall.

‘Fine. Have a look at the lobby security, Govind,’ Ravinder instructed, ‘and both the gates and roadblocks. I’m going up for a round on the eighth floor.’

He was heading for the elevator when he realized he had left his digital radio behind in the room. He went back to his room and found the radio next to the bank of monitors in the corner. The monitors were still on; he’d forgotten to switch them off. He surveyed them for a moment as he slipped the radio into his belt.

On one of the monitors he saw Mohite emerge from the elevator and head across the lobby. The men on the other monitors looked alert. Nothing unusual. Satisfied, Ravinder turned them off and went to the eighth floor.

On the camera set up at the hotel porch, he failed to see Mohite walk out of the hotel gates and head towards the security barrier down the road as the surveillance car Ravinder had deployed at his house drove up.

Despite her best effort to time her arrival, Ruby had reached a little too early. The problem was that she could only say so much to the driver. And asking him to halt outside the hotel might have aroused suspicion.

When she saw Mohite walk out of the hotel and head towards the security barrier, she spotted an opportunity. She told the driver to slow down beside him and powered down the car window.

Mohite turned and spotted her.

‘Good morning, Miss Ruby. How are you?’ Mohite was all smiles. ‘That was such a brave thing you did the other night… We were all so glad that everyone was safe, thanks to you.’

‘Thank you.’ She gave him a bright smile as she got out of the car. ‘It all happened so fast that…’ She shrugged.

‘So, how come you are here today?’

She pointed at the tote bag on her shoulder. ‘I just brought some stuff along for dad. He has not been home since yesterday so I thought…’

‘Ah, the dutiful daughter.’ Mohite gave a big smile, the one that appeared when he needed to impress someone. The boss’s daughter was definitely someone to impress. After all the fuck-ups, just bad luck as far as he was concerned, Mohite was eager for a helping hand. ‘Come, Miss Ruby, let me take you to him.’

Ruby turned to the surveillance team commander. ‘Could you please wait for me to come back?’

‘You can park there,’ Mohite chipped in helpfully, pointing at a vacant slot beside the gate.

‘I should be back soon,’ Ruby added with a smile. Together, Mohite and Ruby began to walk past the hotel gates. With the men from the PM’s security gone, the detail seemed thinner. Ruby did a rapid head count.
Ten armed men entrenched behind sandbag fortifications. Enough to stop even a well-organized assault. At least till reinforcements clocked in.

The guard commander saluted as Mohite walked past. ‘Excuse me, madam,’ he called out to Ruby, ‘that bag needs to go through the scanner.’ He pointed at the tote on her shoulder.

‘Of course.’ Ruby placed it on the rollers of the X-ray machine. Similar machines had been installed at all major hotels since the 26/11 Mumbai attack. She wasn’t worried as the bag disappeared inside the machine. It contained nothing except some snacks. It was simply her excuse to get in. Even if Ravinder was called and questioned her, Ruby had an answer ready – she needed to see him since she had decided to return to London.