He said, Okay, describe it to me.
Chapter 12
Brooke said, By the time we got here I was already regretting that Id dragged him out of the house. Wed walked in silence for the last few minutes. I was annoyed that he wouldnt tell me what Kabir had told him, and I could sense that he was feeling bad about the whole thing. I think he really wanted to share it with me. Maybe he would have, over dinner, or later that evening. But there was no later that evening.
She turned to face back towards the lane entrance. The van came from that direction. It turned into the lane, came right for us and screeched to a halt right here. She pointed at the ground. You can still see the tyre marks.
Ben had already clocked the black stains on the road. Nothing of any great forensic value to discern from those, except that a heavy vehicle had come to an abrupt stop and shed some rubber.
It happened so fast that neither of us reacted in time. We were caught like a couple of deer in the headlights. Totally defenceless.
Ben said, How many guys?
Six, not counting the driver. He stayed behind the wheel while the rest of them jumped out. One from the front passenger seat, two from a sliding door on the side, and the other three from the back. They were all wearing ski masks. All about average height, average build, give or take, except for one who was kind of stumpy, built like a fireplug or a fire hydrant, one of those things. Solid. And very hairy.
Hairy?
Like an animal. He had tufts of it sticking out from under the neck of his ski mask, and more at the wrists.
Small and hairy, like an animal. Ben made a mental note of it. Distinguishing features were a good thing to know about.
Brooke said, And another of them was much bigger than the rest.
How much bigger?
A lot. Really big. Probably a foot taller than you. More, even.
Come on. Seriously? Ben was a shade under six feet, not the tallest man in the world by any means, but there werent many men who towered over him by that kind of margin.
Seriously. And built super-wide, too. A real hulk. Probably pumped full of steroids.
Ben made a mental note of that, too. A guy that large would be easy to spot. Maybe not so easy to neutralise, if it came to it. But he could worry about that if and when the situation arose. He said, Okay. Go on.
They were on us in seconds. Of course, I had no idea what was happening. I thought they were coming for both of us. Muggers, or a rape gang. Forty percent of all the rapes in India happen in Delhi. They beat up the men, hold them down at knifepoint and make them watch as they line up to go to work on the women. Brooke shuddered. But then they made straight for Amal, and I realised that wasnt what they wanted. He was just standing there, like paralysed. I suppose I was too. Two of them grabbed his arms and started dragging him towards the van. He turned to look at me. He was so terrified. He yelled at me to run, get away.
Ben knew that Brooke wouldnt have run, in that situation. She was one of the toughest, bravest women hed ever met. In unarmed combat training sessions at Le Val shed been able to hold her own against much stronger and heavier male sparring partners.
She went on, Amals a gentle soul. Hes never so much as thrown a punch in his life. But I wasnt about to stand there and let him be snatched off the street like that. I rushed in and collared one of the bastards.
The stumpy, hairy one or the massive one?
Neither, she said. This one was about medium height, medium build. I punched him in the mouth, and when he went down I yanked his mask off.
You saw his face?
I can still see it now, she replied. Hes an Indian, as you might expect given that were in India. Swarthy complexion, dark hair, mid-thirties. He was sat there dumped on the ground looking up at me with these big bulging eyes full of hate. He has a missing front tooth.
Ben made another mental note. Bulging eyes, missing tooth. Was it already missing, or did you knock it out when you hit him?
It was lying on the pavement. I didnt notice it until afterwards. And his mouth was bleeding. So Id say it was me.
Ben had to smile in satisfaction at the visual image. He added bruised lip to his mental note. That was, assuming he caught up with the kidnappers before the bruising had time to go down. Which he had every intention of doing.
I picked up the tooth and gave it to the police, Brooke said. Theyve still got it, far as I know. I was hoping itd help to find the guy. Can they DNA teeth?
Ben nodded. Tooth enamels one of the best sources for DNA samples. But the police in India are known for being way behind on the technology. They dont have any kind of database to match samples with. So Id be surprised if they turn up anything there, but it was good thinking on your part.
She gave a sour grunt. Fabulous.
What happened next?
Brooke continued the account, glancing here and there as though she was reliving the action all over again. Meanwhile the rest of them were dragging Amal closer to the van, right there. He was struggling, but couldnt do a thing. I was screaming at the top of my voice. I could see a few people hanging around, but nobody came to help. I went to grab another of the bastards and pull him off Amal. Then the big hulk I told you about, he lunged towards me and caught me by the arm. Very, very quick for a guy his size. His hand was like a pincer. I tried to put him in a wrist lock, the way you showed me once. Nambudo?
Aikido.
But he was too strong. He held onto me like he was going to stuff me into the van, too. For a second I was certain they were going to take both of us.
You got away?
No, they let me go. One seemed to be the gang leader. He yelled in Hindi at the big one, No! Not the woman, only the man!
Ben said, That suggests it was definitely a targeted attack. They werent interested in you, only in Amal.
Seems that way to me, too.
What did the leader look like?
About your height, about your build. Fairly muscular, but lean with it.
As relieved as he was by the fact, Ben found it strange that they hadnt taken her too. What kidnapper wouldnt benefit from capturing two hostages for the price of one? But then, this whole case was strange. The lack of a ransom demand was the most disconcerting thing of all.
Brooke went on, So the big bastard let go of my arm and shoved me away so hard I fell over. Everything spilled out of my handbag. He must have thought I was going to snatch up my phone and snap a picture of him and his buddies, because he stamped on it and smashed it to pieces. Meanwhile, the one Id knocked down was getting to his feet, and they had Amal in the back of the van. I started running over to try to do more to help him, but then two of them pulled out pistols and pointed them in my face. They looked as if they meant it. I was afraid they were going to shoot me. What else could I do? I backed off.
You did the right thing, Brooke. There was nothing more you could have done.
Youd have done more.
Youd have done more.
Dont be so sure about that.
I know you would, Ben. Youd have taken those weapons off them and rammed them down their throats, sideways. You wouldnt have let them take him.
Sometimes you have to let it go. Happens to the best.
I failed.
You need to get that out of your head, he said. Because youre right, they probably would have shot you. And then youd be dead. And if you were dead, thered have been nobody to call in my help. And Amal would have been on his own. No winners in that situation.
She smiled weakly. Maybe youre right.
Plus, it would upset me just a little if you were dead.
Thanks. Still, whatever happens, I wont make that mistake ever again. She reached across her side for the little embroidered handbag and unzipped it. She dipped her hand inside and came out with something that made Bens eyebrows rise. Now he knew why the bag had looked heavy on its strap.
Where the hell did you get that?
The pistol was a Browning Hi-Power, almost identical to the one Ben kept at the armoury at Le Val. One of his all-time favourite personal defence weapons, for its ruggedness, balance and deadly effectiveness. Nine-millimetre Parabellum. Thirteen-round magazine capacity, plus one in the chamber. All steel, the way guns used to be.
Its Kabirs, she said. He keeps it in a bedside drawer at the house, for personal protection. Showed it to me once, much to Amals disapproval. He hates guns.
That figures. Ben didnt hate them, even though he knew too well what they could do. Nor did he love them, and he mistrusted people who did. In his way of thinking, they were simply tools. Ones to be treated with great caution and respect. Sadly, they often werent.
After the kidnapping, I sneaked in there and borrowed it. I should have done it sooner. If only Id had it with me that night, things might have gone differently. But carrying it makes me feel more comfortable.
Ben took it from her hand and examined it. It was old and scuffed, but well maintained and smelling of fresh oil. The magazine was fully loaded up. Nine-millimetre full metal jackets, the cartridge rims marked with the head stamp of the Indian governments Ordnance Factories Board. Military ammo. Not available to civilians. Ben wondered where Kabir had managed to procure this kind of hardware from.
He said, Might have gone differently for Kabir, too, if hed taken it on his trip.
He went to hand the pistol back to Brooke, but she waved it away. You hold onto it. You can handle it better than I can.
Im hoping I wont need it.
Whats that saying you told me once? Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Its a truth I never fully appreciated until now.
Ben tucked the gun into his waistband, in that old familiar place behind his right hip where he was convinced he had a Browning-shaped hollow from all the years of carrying one concealed. He untucked his shirt and let it hang loose to hide the pistols butt. He said to Brooke, Finish the story.
Theres not much more to tell. They all jumped aboard the van and slammed the doors and took off down the street, leaving me standing there alone. The couple of witnesses were long gone. I wanted to call for help, but my phone was in pieces. I ran down to the bottom of the lane and told the staff at the restaurant what had just happened. Or tried to. I was in such a state of shock that I probably wasnt making much sense. One of the waiters called the police for me. When they finally turned up, I led them back here and described things pretty much the way I just did to you.
What about the vans registration number?
Got it, memorised it, told it to the police. It was a local plate, with a DL for Delhi. Took four days for them to come back to me and tell me it was a stolen vehicle. Id already guessed as much.
Okay, Ben said. Anything else?
Thats all of it, she replied with a deep sigh. Every last detail I can remember. Which basically adds up to zero. We have nothing.
Ben shook his head. We dont have nothing.
Chapter 13
The street kids had done their duty and the Jaguar was still in one piece. Brooke paid them off with more rupees, then turned to Ben. You want to get something to eat? Were in the right place for it. Or we could have lunch at the house.
Later, he said, getting into the car. Im not hungry.
Me neither.
And were not going back to the house. Not just yet.
Fine with me, she said. What did you have in mind?
This Mr Prajapati of yours. The best private investigator in Delhi.
Hes not mine, Brooke replied, a touch irritably as she got in the passenger seat. I told you, Amal hired him to look for Kabir, then I hired him to look for Amal.
With sensational results on both counts. When was the last report you got from the guy?
Days ago. Dont ask me how many. Ive more or less given up waiting for him to call.
Then I think its time we had an update, Ben said.
Want me to call him?
I was thinking we could drop by his office and say hello. You know where it is?
Ive only been there, like, eight times. I think I can remember the way.
Then lets pay Mr Prajapati a visit.
The offices of the P. P. Detective Agency were on the second floor of a dirty building on a busy pedestrianised precinct in Janakpuri District Center, between a shop advertising LAPTOP AND DESKTOP REPAIRING and a boutique selling cheap knockoffs of designer-name jeans.
Classy location, Ben said. If this guys the top private eye in the city, imagine the worst.
He did come highly recommended, Brooke said. He spent thirty years with the Delhi police.
What better recommendation is there?
She led the way inside the building. I always take the stairs. The lift makes creaking sounds like its going to stick. And it smells as if someones been keeping chickens in there.
Good idea. Ben thought the whole building and the street outside smelled pretty bad too, but maybe he just hadnt been in the city long enough to get used to the ambient aroma that hit the olfactory sense like a mixture of pollution, sewage, sweat, cooking fumes, decaying vegetation, tropical flowers and incense that had been mulched up together in a giant cauldron and stewed for a couple of thousand years.
One thing he was getting used to, and fast, was Brookes company. The tension between them had melted away and being with her felt more natural and comfortable with every passing minute they spent together. He had to keep reminding himself not to touch her as they walked.
On the second floor a placard outside the offices read proudly, The Prateek Prajapati Detective Agency specialises in cases relating to anonymous letters and suspicious telephone calls, pre-matrimonial investigations, divorce and adultery, kidnapping and missing persons, extortion, financial crimes and cheatings. Fully licensed and qualified.
A man of many and varied talents, Ben commented. Brooke knocked, walked in, and he followed her through the door. The small reception area was full of artificial plants, with a desk in one corner behind which sat a small, middle-aged Indian woman in a bright blue sari. Opposite the desk was a cramped waiting area with a couple of plastic chairs. A pair of internal doors led off from the reception area, one marked BATHROOM and the other plain. The receptionist frowned at them over the top of a Dell monitor as they approached the desk. The plastic monster plant next to her needed dusting. If there was any air conditioning in the building it didnt seem to be working.