Side Trip to Kathmandu (A Sidney Marsh Murder Mystery Book 3) (15 page)

“Well, Sidney,” Jay said, laughing, as Shiva held the car door for us to climb in, “your swami’s prophecy came true. ‘From the depths of the jungle,’ a god came to rescue you.”

The overland journey through the Himalayas was thrilling, to say the least, particularly as the road was a narrow two-lane at best. Often it narrowed to one lane because some sections were under repair from rock slides and cave-ins. There were no pristine painted lines, no guardrails, and no enforced speed limits. When you added hairpin turns, heart-stopping drop-offs and chasms, plus traffic that included both large trucks and animal-drawn carts, the result was harrowing.

“If we make it safely back over the mountains, it will be a miracle,” Jay said after a particularly close call with an oncoming truck. “I thought the river crossing was bad. It was nothing compared to this. My eyes hurt from squeezing them shut and I’ve had about ten heart attacks.”

“It’s all about your karma, Jay,” Adam said with a grin, “whether you are ordained to pass into another life today or not. Stick close to Sidney. She will be okay, for her god Shiva is rescuing her from the jungle, remember?”

“Sidney’s had a lot of close calls, Adam. Sticking close to her is not always such a good idea. If you only knew.”

Jay was right. His words brought to mind all the narrow escapes in which I’d had to call on my true God to rescue me, and by that I didn’t mean the guy wearing the Yankees baseball cap who was driving the car.

Just as Jay finished speaking, Shiva swerved into a turnout on the side of the road and pulled up to a concrete block building that apparently served as sort of a service station and general store. A crowd of men milled about the entrance, none of them looking at all friendly. I was suddenly acutely aware of being the only woman anywhere in sight.

Shiva, whose English was limited at best, graphically indicated the purpose of the stop.

“I’ll just stay here with Sidney while you go, Jay,” Adam said in a low voice. “When you return, I’ll go.”

Jay got out of the car and followed Shiva to the back of the building, which had apparently been dedicated to a certain function. The hostile gaze of the gathered men followed them as they walked and then the watchers turned back to us.

“Can you make it back to Kathmandu without visiting the facility, darling?” Adam asked, his eyes serious. “It’s certain to be very basic and I think this might not be the best place for you to take a potty break.”

I nodded, gazing at the silent, staring men.

Adam climbed out of the car, locked and closed the door, and stood defiantly in front of it, arms folded, returning the hostile stares.

In a moment Jay came back from around the building with Shiva. One of the men blocked his path and a short conversation ensued with Shiva translating and Jay emphatically shaking his head before returning to the car and exchanging places with Adam.

“What did he ask you, Jay?” I said.

“If you must know, he wanted to know if he could buy you, if you were for sale,” Jay said, not kidding in the least. “I think we’d better get out of here the second Adam gets back to the car, don’t you?”

I
t was late by the time we finally rolled into the outskirts of Kathmandu. The sun was sinking behind the mountains, giving everything a pink and purple glow. I was happy to be back in the city and even happier to get safely back off the road to my clean hotel room and a warm bath. To say the elephant camp’s facilities were Spartan would have been generous, and the harrowing ride through the mountains had certainly not been my favorite part of the journey.

Nor had the unsettling incident at the stop on the road. It is difficult for Western women to realize the chattel status that some women face daily in other parts of the world. There are educated, privileged women in India and Nepal who are powerful indeed, such as India’s late Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, or venerated, such as Mother Teresa. Scores more, however, particularly in remote areas, do not enjoy much status at all. The offer for me at the way station made me acutely aware that the freedom I enjoy in my everyday life is not shared by all my sisters.

I thanked Adam for his kindness in inviting us along in his car. Adam didn’t come into the hotel with us. He stayed with the car, saying that he had a stop to make before dismissing Shiva. Jay also thanked him for the ride and hopped out to see to our bags.

“Adam,” I said through the car window, “I really appreciate this. You were good to arrange it and invite us along. I know you didn’t have to. You could easily have just taken off on your own, like Jasmine.”

“Ah, but there was a selfish reason there, lass. I never thought of leaving you in the jungle. I wanted to bring you back with me so I could take you to the festival tonight in the heart of the old city. Are you still going with me?”

“Yes, of course. I’d love to. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll tell Jay. What time?”

“Nine o’clock, after dinner. I’ll meet you here at the front door. But not Jay, Sidney. You. Just you.”

Oh. Wow
. I looked full into those deep green eyes.

“I’ll be here,” I said, and climbed the steps to the hotel as the car rolled away.

My hotel room, as previously promised, was the same one I’d had before, as Brooke had requested. At least Sharma hadn’t managed to farkel that up. And when I checked the safe I breathed a sigh of relief. The document Sharma had sold me was still there as I’d left it. I planned to show it to Jay and Brooke in the morning and get them to help me decide how to proceed. I relocked the safe, turned on the shower, and was soon luxuriating in the abundant hot water and scented soap.

Later, with squeaky-clean hair from that great shower and shampoo, I pulled on a silky black top and black pants and went in search of dinner and Brooke. In anticipation of the evening ahead I took special care with hair and makeup and added some new earrings and a spritz of perfume.

My outfit was chosen deliberately for the night at the festival. The blouse looked great, but it had long sleeves and the neckline was cut higher than it might have been for going out in the evening at home. The incident with the men on the road had made a profound impression on me. Even with Adam’s protection, I did not want to wear something into the dark streets that might seem alluring to strangers.

At our agency we try to preach to our clients the importance of being mindful of the customs of a country when visiting. That doesn’t mean that you have to act or dress exactly as the natives do. It does mean thinking about whether your thoughtless choices as a tourist may be considered just plain rude and even, among some groups, put your personal safety at risk.

I met Jay in the hall, and together we walked toward the main dining room where the evening meal was well underway.

“Well,” he said, checking me out, “you sure cleaned up nice. You smell better too. What’s the occasion? Got a hot date?”

“Yes,” I said, “I do. With Adam.” Then I told him all about it.

“And I can’t go? Just you?”

“Yep. Just me.”

He gave me a long, searching look. Sometimes Jay thinks he has a big say in my life.

“Well, okay, babe. I’ll go on my own or with someone else, maybe Lucy and Justin. They just showed up. Guess they changed their minds about staying after the rest of us left.”

We walked into the dining room and waited to be seated. I looked around for the others but didn’t see anyone I knew.

“What about Brooke?” I asked as I took my seat and unfolded my napkin, “Have you seen her yet? I tried to call her room but there was no answer.”

“No, but I spoke with Rahim. Brooke is feeling better and has gone to dinner with Jasmine and some of her movie friends. Then they are going on to the festival.”

“Without Rahim? I thought he went everywhere with her.”

“Remember, Jasmine has her own security, so Brooke gave Rahim the night off. He didn’t seem pleased with that arrangement. He doesn’t trust anyone else to look after her. I don’t know where Mohit is. I haven’t seen him and I forgot to ask Rahim. But I’ve got big news about Sharma. After we’ve ordered, I’ll give you the scoop.”

A waiter handed us a menu.

“Awwww,” Jay said, “no rice and beans. What a disappointment! I was beginning to like having them for every meal.”

“Just be glad you’re here and not there, Jay. I am. I loved the elephant safari part but last night was too much. I barely slept at all. I thought something was crawling in my bed.”

“Was it?”

“I’m not sure. I examined the cot with my flashlight but couldn’t spot anything. It likely was just my imagination but even the thought made me itchy all over. The first thing I did when we got back here was to take an endless hot shower.”

“Yeah, me too.”

He closed his menu, and we told the waiter our selections.

“Well,” Jay said, sipping from a glass of golden Chablis, “don’t you want to hear the news?”

“Of course I do, especially as I can see you are dying to tell it.”

“I am. I can hardly wait to email the office and let the boss know how well his pal Sharma turned out. Did I tell you he’s long gone?”

I felt my jaw drop. “Who? Sharma? He’s left us?”

“Yes. Jasmine told me all about it. He was gone when she got back to the hotel ahead of us. Sharma walked without paying the entire bill for this hotel, and no one knows for sure where he is now.”

I stared at him, wide-eyed. “No kidding? Really?”

“Yes. Jasmine thinks he skipped across the border and is somewhere back in India. He booked us into that pitiful little dump in the jungle and pocketed the cash. I guess the dummy thought we wouldn’t know the difference. The minute we left for the Terai, he blew. Brooke had to cover the tab for the hotel after she had already paid Sharma in advance for it. So she actually paid for the hotel accommodations twice, once to Sharma, then again to the hotel. He had not given the hotel a penny. He told them he would pay upon checkout, but then he disappeared. We were never booked into the real Tiger Tops either. Sharma just took the money for it and blew town, leaving Brooke holding the bag for everything. Brooke had paid him upfront for the whole tour.”

“What a rat. I can’t believe it!”

“Believe it. It’s true. If it weren’t for Brooke’s cash, we’d be kicked out of this hotel and stranded. Luckily, Rahim has everyone’s air tickets. Sharma disappeared without paying Rahim or Mohit for their services either, so Brooke covered that as well. Rahim said that she is furious but there’s not a lot she can do about it just now.”

“Where does that leave us?”

“Not sure. I’m emailing Silverstein that we need to talk as soon as possible. I thought we could speak with Brooke first to see what she’s thinking.”

“What a mess! But I’m not entirely surprised. There’s little about Sharma that can be trusted. His price was apparently pretty low. I didn’t trust that guy from the get-go.”

“Me either. And if I could get my hands on him, I’d squash him like a bug.”

Jay’s eyes were glittering, and he looked as if he really meant what he said.

“Let me know if Sharma resurfaces, Jay. I need to talk to him.”

“Really? Why on earth would you want to talk to him?”

“Because he sold me the real proof of Felix’s murder, that’s why, and I want to ask him a few more questions about it, like how he acquired it. I didn’t tell you about it earlier because we were leaving for the jungle and there was no time to act on it, but now there is. I want to show it to you and Brooke in the morning and talk about how we can get it in the hands of the proper authorities. Even though Sharma’s turned out to be a crook, I believe the document he sold me is genuine.”

Then I told him all about it. He looked concerned and serious, not at all his usual jolly self.

“Have you told anyone else about this, Sidney?”

“No. Only you.”

“Good. Please don’t. We’ll figure it out with Brooke, and only Brooke, tomorrow. I’m actually glad to find real proof of her suspicions, and I know Brooke will be too. I think she was worried that she might be losing her mind. This proves that her fears about her safety were real. But it also leaves us with a murderer, Sidney. Someone in our group gave Felix that poison. And thus someone must have poisoned the candy at the party too. We’ll have to figure out who. Keep your mouth shut and be very careful. Don’t you dare confide in anyone. No one can know you have that paper, not even Bonnie Prince Charlie. Understand?”

I nodded. We were so intent in our conversation that we were startled when a voice interrupted us.

“Well hello there, dears, may we join you? Am I interrupting something?”

I looked up to see Lucy standing beside Jay’s chair, with Justin fast approaching behind her. They both looked fresh, and I guessed that the showers had been their first stop too. Lucy’s makeup was perfect and every blonde hair was in place. Justin, as usual, wore clearly expensive slacks, an open-collared shirt, and a whiff of cologne. The scent of that cologne took me back to my unpleasant encounter with him at Khajuraho. I decided I really did not like Justin at all.

“Of course you may join us,” I said. “We’ve just ordered.” Jay and I moved our chairs to make room for them at the table. “Here, have a seat.”

“
Merci
,” Justin said, pulling out a chair for Lucy and signaling the waiter.

“Have you heard the news about Sharma?” Jay asked.

When they said no, Jay told them what he had just told me, adding that he hated for Brooke to be out all that money, especially as a lot of it was spent for our benefit.

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry a bit about that, Jay,” Lucy said, sipping a ruby Cabernet. “Brooke has packs of money and if she’s running a bit short she can borrow some from Jasmine.”

“Is Jasmine rich, too?” I asked. “I know she’s famous locally, if not internationally. I didn’t know she is also wealthy.” From Brooke, I knew that Jasmine had inherited a fortune from her Indian film director lover, but I wanted to see if Lucy had something else to share.

“Oh, my, yes, dear,” Lucy said, nodding toward me. “She already was, you know, and now she’ll be getting all of Felix’s money.”

“She will?” Jay asked. “Why is that?”

“Because she slept with him so he left it to her, that’s why. I was in business with him, so I know,” Justin answered in his unpleasant way, “That’s what she does with men. That’s where she gets all her fortune. She likes sleeping with different men. I think she even slept with Monsieur Sharma.
C’est
une
araignée
, a spider, that one. Luring victims into her web.”

Ah, but you escaped her web, didn’t you?
I thought, laughing inwardly at the memory of him running down the hallway wearing only his underwear, dodging her shoes.

“Is she a good actress?” Jay asked.

“
Non
! She’s not a good actress. She’s a buffoon! Lucy can tell you about Felix and Jasmine. Lucy knew Felix better than anyone before Jasmine snared him. Lucy introduced him to Brooke and convinced her to hire him to manage her business. But Lucy didn’t know all Jasmine’s tricks in the bedroom, did you,
chérie
?”

There was an uncomfortable silence, the sort that happens whenever someone says something terribly awkward and rude. Lucy did not say a word, only fixed Justin with an icy glare.

“Moving right along,” Jay said, “we were just discussing our plans for tonight. Sidney has a hot date, so if you two are going to the festival I might want to go with you if you’ll have me.”

“Why yes, of course you may,” Lucy said, apparently recovering and once again her charming self. Her pleasant mask was back in place, her fury evident only in the measured politeness she used in speaking to Justin.

Glancing in his direction, she said, “We’d love to have Jay go with us, wouldn’t we, Justin?” He gave a curt nod but did not second her words of welcome. He really was a most unpleasant man.
If I were Jay
,
and especially Lucy
, I thought,
I wouldn’t want to go anywhere with him
. Lucy’s relationship with the nasty little Frenchman was puzzling to me. I certainly wouldn’t choose to be friends with him, neighbor or not.

“Who are you going with, dear?” Lucy asked, turning to me with her customary kind smile.