Side Trip to Kathmandu (A Sidney Marsh Murder Mystery Book 3) (14 page)

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Jay said. “This is the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life. I want to go home. I want to go back to New York.”

I glanced at him, briefly concerned that he might actually have motion sickness from the undulating gait of the elephant, but his color was returning and he looked fine.

“You’ll be all right soon, Jay, once you get used to it. I think it’s fun. What a view from up here! Isn’t it beautiful? Look, there’s the river!”

“We can’t cross that, Sidney. Look at it. It’s too deep, and the water is moving too fast.”

But cross it we did. It was a piece of cake for the elephants. Apparently fording the deep swirling waters was routine for them. In no time at all we were through the water and slowly threading our way single file through the giant cane and tall, elephant grass on the other side. The white plumes of the plants, shoulder high to the animals, gleamed in the sun and swayed with the wind as we passed through. It was a beautiful sight. We were surrounded by a sea of shining white, stretching as far as I could see toward the distant shade of the forest of sal trees.

The ride was long. It took several hours, and well before we entered the jungle camp Jay’s conversation had switched from his fear of the elephant to complaints about the discomfort of the howdah. We were both a bit sore and stiff and relieved to spot the dismounting platforms at the camp, where white-clad, turbaned staff waited to greet us and help us unload. There was no “Welcome to Tiger Tops” signage at the camp entrance, which was disappointing to Jay, who had asked me to take a picture of him atop the elephant in his ridiculous outfit to show off to his friends.

We were welcomed with drinks and a long speech from the khaki-clad manager. Then we were led down a series of paths to our rooms, in individual huts.

The quality of the accommodations was surprisingly poor, to say the least, for a place of such international renown. But at that point, I didn’t care. I was just glad to be able to stretch out on the sagging cot in my tiny hut for a rest before dinner. The manager had said that a bell would ring to call us to the table.

When I woke at the sound of the bell, I found that my bag had not been delivered to my room as promised. I opened the door to see if it had been left outside. No bag. Annoyed, I ran my fingers through my tangled hair in the cheap metal bathroom mirror. I washed my face as best I could in the thin stream of water running into the rust-stained sink, and dried it on one of the small mismatched towels. Then I headed down the path, following signposts to the center pavilion, where dinner was waiting. I saw no other guests. The members of our little group appeared to be the only visitors.

The dining pavilion was actually another hut, about ten feet wide and fifteen feet long, dominated by a locally made wooden trestle table and benches. It was not air conditioned, which was okay in the cool of the evening, but I knew that in the heat of the day it would be sweltering.

I was apparently the last to arrive at dinner. Everyone looked up as I opened the screen door and slid into a seat on the bench next to Lucy. No one looked happy.

“I fell asleep,” I said. “Sorry I’m late.”

“It’s fine, dear,” Lucy said. “Dinner’s late too.”

Dinner, when it came, consisted of large bowls of rice and beans, fresh bread and farmer cheese, and a platter of sliced fresh fruit, all served family style. It was a good simple meal but certainly not the gourmet delights advertised by the world-famous Tiger Tops. It had become abundantly clear to all of us by this time that we were not at Tiger Tops at all. We were not sure where we were. Actually, the only thing that was certain was that Sharma had let us down again.

After dinner we sat in a circle of wooden and canvas sling-back chairs with lukewarm bottles of water and local beer, venting and deciding what to do.

Adam spoke first. “I had a bit of a conference with the lad in charge here. As you all realize by now, this is certainly not Tiger Tops. This place is called Big Tiger Watch Camp. They have similar activities, such as the elephant safari scheduled for the crack o’ dawn, but I think the similarity to the type of camp we were expecting ends there. We are not actually inside the boundaries of Chitwan National Park either, but rather on the border of it.”

“Can we leave this place in the morning and move to the real Tiger Tops?” Justin asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Adam said. “I was allowed to pay for a call there, using the only telephone in the camp, in the manager’s office. The real Tiger Tops is fully booked, and has been for some time. They have no record of any reservations for our group ever being made there at all.”

“Did you try to call this cheap crook Sharma?” Jasmine asked. “I cannot stand this terrible place. Jasmine does not sleep on cots.”

“I tried, but couldn’t reach him. He did not answer,” Adam said. “I left a message for him to call. I don’t expect we’ll hear from him.”

“Can’t you call your man in New York on your smartphone, Jay?” Lucy asked.

“No,” he replied. “It doesn’t work. I tried. No signal.”

“What about Brooke?” Justin asked. “Should we call her?”

“Brooke will be very distressed to learn what has happened, and she’s not feeling well,” Adam said. “I don’t think we should bother her with this. The visit is short. I think we should just make the best of it. It’s disappointing, but the animal viewing is worth the journey, and spending a few days in this camp is certainly bearable.”

Jay stood and started pacing the circle, running his fingers through his red hair.

“Look everyone,” he said, finally, “Sidney and I are really sorry everything hasn’t worked out as it should with all the accommodations on this trip, aren’t we, Sidney?”

I nodded.

“We both want you to know that we and our agency had nothing whatsoever to do with the reservations. Everything was done before we were ever brought into the picture. It has been professionally frustrating for us the entire time because the whole deal has been totally out of our hands. Sharma made all the arrangements and Sharma has been completely in charge, not us. We were told to back off. Our agency was brought on board by Brooke at the last minute. Brooke paid fully in advance for the very best and that is what she should have received, but clearly hasn’t in every stop. For that, Sharma is responsible. Sharma did it all. But we still feel terrible and somehow responsible, especially for bringing you all this way to this Fake Tops.”

“I must leave this place,” Jasmine said in her dramatic way. “I cannot stay here. I cannot bear it. I must go back to Kathmandu.”

“Well, you can’t,” Justin said. “
C’est impossible
. None of us can leave until the next plane arrives, as scheduled, on Thursday.”

“Adam is right. We just make the best of it,” Lucy said, with her pleasant smile. “It’s not fancy, but it’s clean, and luxury is not what we came for anyway. We came to see the animals. Let’s just go on the elephant safari in the morning as planned. It’s not really so bad here, just not what we expected. The food is plain, but at least it is edible, quite healthy actually, and the employees are friendly.”

“I agree with Lucy,” I said, speaking up for the first time. “After all, the jungle adventure is really what we came for, right?”

“Wrong,” Jay said. “I wasn’t planning on setting foot in the jungle. I was just going to relax at the resort while you did, and maybe have a massage.”

“Well there’s certainly no spa here,” Adam said. He took a long pull on his beer, set the bottle down, stood and stretched. “I’m headed for bed. It’s late and dawn comes early. See you all in the morning.”

When I returned to my room, my bag was waiting for me. Nothing appeared to be missing.

Had the bag been searched? I couldn’t tell, but I was happy in knowing that my newly purchased proof of Felix’s murder was safely locked away in my room in Kathmandu.

M
orning brought more fresh bread, a bowl of oatmeal in the dining hut, and some welcome hot coffee.

Then we climbed back up on the elephants and headed into the forest, looking for tigers. In years past, we had been told, goats were staked out as bait to attract the huge nocturnal hunters, but this was no longer done thanks to the efforts of animal rights groups.

I was happily paired on an elephant with Adam. We were in the lead, laughing and chatting. I really liked this Scotsman, and he seemed to be growing increasingly fond of me as well. Jasmine and Jay were next on the trail behind us, followed by Lucy and Justin.

Jasmine totally hated the elephant camp and Jay was making no attempt to soothe the temperamental actress. Their griping was loud and tiresome. Jasmine had not wanted to go with us on the elephant safari, but she did not want to remain in camp by herself either. It was the same with Jay, and I was getting a little worn out with hearing both of them constantly complaining.

“Look,” I told him after breakfast, walking down the dirt path toward the elephants, “why don’t you at least try to have fun? This elephant safari is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You’ve never done this before and likely never will again. Think how great it will be to tell your pals. I know you are nervous, but it’ll be okay. Since you’re stuck here for a few days, you might as well make the best of it. It is what it is.”

“What it
is
stinks,” he replied, his lower lip jutting out in a pout. “I can’t wait to get my hands on that fat rascal Sharma. If I hadn’t thought we were going to the real Tiger Tops, as promised, I would never have left Kathmandu. If he hadn’t screwed us up, I would be at a famous place where I could do something besides ride elephants. My friends want to hear about Tiger Tops, not Fake Tops. You think anyone would be impressed by this? No way.”

I ignored him after that and was delighted when the mahout loaded me onto the elephant with Adam, instead of with Jay. Adam’s warm smile suggested that he was pleased as well. I wondered if he had bribed someone to make it happen. It seemed likely.

The morning light filtering in thin golden shafts through the tall sal trees was beautiful as we entered the path leading into the jungle forest. The air was cool and fresh. As we moved deeper into the thicket, away from the camp, everyone fell silent. The only sounds were the birds and the faint sounds of the elephant’s steps, muffled by a thick mat of decaying vegetation on the forest path.

The elephant’s footsteps were clearly audible only when we crossed an occasional wooden bridge over a stream. Then dull thuds were heard. The well-trained animals clearly knew exactly where they were going and required little urging from the mahouts.

Everyone except the sulking Jasmine was eagerly scanning the underbrush, searching for tigers. Even Jay was watching intently. Most of us searched because we wanted to see the magnificent animals. Jay searched because he did
not
want to see them. The protective coloration of the great striped beasts helped them stay concealed in the dappled light of the forest.

The Bengal tiger, the largest species among the cats, once numbered in the thousands. Sadly, the tiger is now officially an endangered species, and less than two thousand five hundred remain in the wild. Like the rhino, tigers are aggressively hunted by poachers for their body parts, which are sold for use in the making of traditional Chinese medicines, and for their distinctive striped skins. They also face a threat from diminishing habitat. In the Terai, a constant battle is waged between the tiger and farmers, where tigers pose a threat to farm animals and occasionally humans. Bengal tigers can become man-eaters. In the last thirty years, we were told, thirteen people had been killed and eaten in the Chitwan and its environs. Jay loved that fun little fact.

A rustling in the underbrush ahead of us on our left halted our column, but it proved to be only a feral pig, rooting around in the bushes, not a tiger.

“The tiger’s not close,” Adam whispered in my ear, “or he’d be having bacon for breakfast.”

A few minutes later a small herd of sambar deer broke into a run near the path. They crashed along the forest floor, leaping over fallen trees and branches. The mahouts, who had been riding along serenely, seemingly paying little attention to the sounds of the forest, were suddenly alert and watching.

“Our tiger might be there,” Adam whispered, pointing toward a dense stand of giant cane. “Something spooked those deer.”

Sure enough, doubling back, the mahout steered our elephant off the path to the edge of a stream. He silently pointed to the fresh mark of a giant pug in the mud alongside it. I took a photograph of the paw print using my zoom lens. No one was getting down from the safety of the elephants to examine it.

The elephant is not afraid of the tiger, or of any other beast in the jungle. Its familiar size and smell mask that of the humans riding it, and thus it is the perfect conveyance for such a safari. Plus, they can easily go in areas where a vehicle cannot, where if might be unsafe for a man to walk. Asian elephants, unlike African elephants, are easily trained and have been widely used for work and transportation for generations.

I felt safe on the back of the elephant. I could see from Jay’s face and rigid posture that he totally did not, and was near panic. Jasmine seemed to have her hands full in trying to calm him. Having grown up in the Kerala region of India, she had been around tigers her entire life. She was not frightened at all, only annoyed at being forced out of her comfort zone.

We searched the jungle for quite a long time, but no actual tiger was seen, only his paw prints. Then, leaving the forest, the mahouts headed us into the marsh in search of another endangered species, the rare one-horned rhinoceros.

This time we were lucky. We found one deep in the marsh, placidly grazing. From the safety of the elephant, we rode quite close to the animal, close enough to hear the sounds it made as it munched the tender reeds.

After allowing enough time for everyone to see and photograph the rhinoceros, the mahouts turned the elephants back toward camp.

“Do you think we should explore a return to Kathmandu tomorrow morning rather than staying here until Thursday?” Adam asked quietly as we left the marsh and proceeded back on the path toward camp. “This morning has been terrific, but I understand that the program is the exact same each day and there is nothing at all to do after the morning safari except to enjoy the comforts of the camp. There is no afternoon or evening program. If we stay the allotted time, we may have a mutiny.”

He nodded back toward Jasmine and Jay.

“It’s fine with me if we return,” I said, turning to face him after glancing back over my shoulder at the clearly unhappy pair. “I know Jay would vote to go in a heartbeat. But how can we? The plane won’t be coming for us until Thursday.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” he said. “I could call from the camp office to Kathmandu and arrange for someone to come overland and pick us up. If the others want to stay the full time, they may do so. But I, for one, am ready to return. There is business that I should deal with in Kathmandu. I wouldn’t have missed this experience, but now that I have done it I am ready to move on. I think the chances of actually seeing a tiger are remote.”

“How would we get there? Overland through the mountains?”

“Yes. The plane won’t come until scheduled, but there are passable roads, though the trip will likely take most of the day. We’ll have to cross the river first, so we’ll need to make an early start.”

I thought about it. Adam was right. Each day in this most basic little camp would be the same. I knew that the thrill of a couple of hours of elephant safari would pale quickly against the boredom of sitting around the hot little camp all the rest of the day for two days with nothing to see and nothing to do. Neither was I looking forward to a continual battle for sleep in my moldy, uncomfortable hut. Plus, time was running short until our return to New York. Adam’s plan would give us extra time in the fascinating city of Kathmandu and give me time to present my precious document to the authorities. I was beginning to realize that solving this mystery might be beyond my powers, but bolstered by the true autopsy report, together with Brooke’s backing, I might be able to get an official inquiry started. I was also truly worried about Brooke, and felt a strong urge to return and check on her.

“Count me in,” I said. “Jay too. I won’t leave without him.”

“Don’t say anything to him or the others just yet, lass,” Adam said with a smile. “Let me see what I can arrange, first. It may not be possible, or there may be only one car available to come for us. In that case there would only be room for the three of us plus the driver, not the others, so they would have to stay here for the duration. However, from what I’m hearing, some of them might prefer that anyway and not want to cut this visit short. Mum’s the word, doll. If I can manage a return for us through the mountains, I’ll take you to the festival tomorrow night in the old city.”

I liked that idea!

Thinking over Adam’s plan, I felt relief. A vague sense of impending danger had been building inside me ever since we had first arrived in the Terai. I had no explanation for it. Who knew whether it was due to the roar of the tiger heard during the night, or just fatigue and physical discomfort? I couldn’t pinpoint the vague feeling of unease, of malice. But it was real, and growing. Though the game viewing was fascinating, I felt an inexplicable urge to move on, away from this grim little camp. After the morning ride, the day would be long, boring, and hot. I decided that I would be more than happy to cross the mountains with Adam and return to Kathmandu.

#

“Leaving? We’re leaving early? No kidding? Sidney, that’s great! I can’t believe it. That’s the best news I’ve had since we arrived here at Fake Tops.”

I had found Jay sulking in a hammock and was pleased to give him the update. He immediately sat up, with a wide grin. “How did you manage it, Sidney? I thought we were stuck here until Thursday.”

“Adam did it, not me. You can thank him. He called some business associate in Kathmandu and arranged for us to be picked up ahead of schedule.”

“What about the others? Are they going as well or staying here?”

“I don’t know. Adam said that he will tell them we plan to leave in the morning and see what they intend to do. There is a car available if they want it. But even though they are really wealthy, they are also really cheap, and may balk at the unexpected expense. I understand it will be quite expensive and Brooke won’t be paying for the cars. I was worried about that because we sure don’t have any spare cash, but Adam will not hear of us paying anything. He said he is going anyway and we are welcome to come along with him for free.”

“Even better,” Jay said. “I’m out of here. What do you really think the others will do?”

“I don’t have a clue, Jay. They may not even
want
to go. Neither Justin nor Lucy seems to mind the lack of amenities. They have adjusted and right now are drinking beer and playing gin under a tree. Lucy told me that she found it refreshing to live so simply and wished she could stay longer. Who knows what they’ll do?”

“Jasmine doesn’t feel that way. I can tell you that for a fact. She hates this place. Won’t she want to leave with us?”

“Jasmine has already gone, Jay. She slipped away early this morning, right after we returned from the elephant safari, without telling any of us.”

“Really? How?”

“On an elephant, back to the other side of the river, where she’ll be picked up and taken back to Kathmandu. She pitched a fit in the office and they arranged for someone to take her. If we go with Adam we’ll do the same thing in the morning.”

“Not another elephant ride!”

“Yes, big chicken. If you want to leave you have to ride the elephant back across the river to the road. We ‘elephanted’ in and we have to ‘elephant’ out. You saw that river. The roads are flooded. There’s no other way.”

#

By the time the sun rose the next day we were well on our way, back through the forest and marsh, bound for the river on the back of our great gray taxi.

Crossing the rushing water was not as scary as it had been the first time, and I realized how this unusual mode of travel could become commonplace to these people. Some of them depended on the elephant for work and transportation, much like the cowboys and prairie farmers of the Old West depended on the horse.

As before, the journey out to the road took several hours, but even Jay had grown accustomed to it. He was happy to be leaving so his whining had pretty much stopped. The two of us shared an elephant, following Adam, who rode alone behind his mahout. As predicted, Lucy and Justin had elected to remain behind and Jasmine was long gone. We would all be reunited eventually in Kathmandu with Brooke.

A small green car was waiting for us in the clearing under the kapok tree, and a small, smiling man stood beside it.

The elephants stopped, and at the command of the mahouts, knelt down so we could dismount, again using the elephant’s tail as a step.

As we slid to the ground, the man with the car rushed up to us and bowed, palms together in a traditional Hindu greeting. “Good morning lady and gentlemen. I am here as ordained to take you to Kathmandu. I am Shiva, god.”