Alex asked, ‘Where’s Trilok been using his mobile?’
‘The same few places,’ said Hex. ‘The clinic, the committee offices. And Bina can’t be in either of those places.’
‘We seem to be getting nowhere,’ said Li. ‘We’ve just found out where she can’t be.’
‘Well that’s still a result,’ said Hex.
‘But how long have we got?’ said Li.
‘Mootama said the tests were going to take forty-eight hours,’ said Paulo.
Li sighed. ‘So we’ve got until sometime tomorrow before she has the operation.’
‘Right,’ said Alex. ‘There’s nothing else we can do this evening. Let’s find a hostel and get our heads down, then we can be up bright and early tomorrow morning.’
21
M
ONSOON
The next morning the rains had stopped but the streets were like rivers. Next to the hostel was a canal. Li, who had volunteered to go out early and shop for breakfast, looked from the murky surface of the water to the flooded road and could see no difference – just a low wall to separate the two, like a lane divider in a swimming pool. When Li stepped into the street, the water closed over her boots and came halfway up her shins. The whole city smelled wet, the odours and sounds magnified by the saturated atmosphere. It was a different world.
A little way up the road, a small crowd had formed. A policeman was loading a wrapped figure into the back of a car. It looked like a body.
Li waded towards it. She felt something touch the back of her leg. The clammy remains of a discarded chapatti were clinging to her skin. She shook it off in disgust, wondering what else she might be treading on in the filthy water.
She reached the crowd. The policeman closed the doors of the van and went to get into the driver’s seat.
Li picked her way through the water to get a better look. A middle-aged man standing next to her told her, ‘It’s a young girl. Found in the canal. Such a shame.’
Li’s heart skipped a beat. She asked breathlessly, ‘Did you see her?’
The man nodded. ‘I saw her before they covered her face. She was so young. Such a shame.’ He splashed away.
Li waded back. Never mind breakfast, she had to tell the others. Had someone stolen Bina’s kidney and dumped her?
There was only one place to find out.
As they walked up the steps into the police station Alex was relieved to see that a different policeman was on duty. Maybe we’ll actually get somewhere this time, he thought.
‘We came in yesterday to report a friend of ours as missing,’ he began.
‘If you will just wait,’ said the officer on duty, ‘I’ll fetch Sergeant Chopra. He deals with missing persons.’
Alex groaned inwardly. That was just what he didn’t want to hear.
An untouchable shuffled by, a scrubby broom in his hands, and then Sergeant Chopra came out from a back room.
‘Hello,’ said Alex. ‘Have you had any news of our missing friend?’
Sergeant Chopra looked at him without interest. ‘We haven’t found her.’
Amber tried a different approach. ‘We saw a body pulled out of the canal this morning. We’re very worried that it might be her.’
‘It’s not your friend.’
‘Have you identified it?’ said Li. ‘One of the witnesses said it was a young girl.’
‘It was an untouchable. It doesn’t need to be identified.’ The sergeant mopped his brow with a crisp white handkerchief.
Alex looked at the man’s large, blubbery belly and wasn’t surprised he was hot with that much insulation. Even his neck was fat.
Sergeant Chopra turned away from them and picked up the phone. The five friends got a good view of his ample rear. His tight khaki trousers had back pockets, and something made an oblong bump in the stretched material. An oblong bump that was dirty at the top.
It was Paulo who realized what it was: banknotes.
The sergeant turned back to face them. ‘Someone is coming from the crematorium,’ he said.
Li couldn’t believe it. ‘You’re not going to do a post mortem?’
‘Post mortems are for VIPs. Not street scum. I will call you if there is any news of your friend.’
They turned to go, but the sergeant had one more thing to say. ‘Be careful. Lots of people go missing in Chennai. It’s a big place. They often go missing in the monsoon. It’s a dangerous time. You should be careful.’ The small eyes glittered in the fat face.
‘There’s something about him that makes me very angry,’ Alex said as they came down the steps and splashed back into the street.
‘And very suspicious,’ said Hex. ‘I hope that isn’t how he deals with all missing persons – having them burned.’
‘Did you see that roll of money he had in his pocket?’ said Paulo. ‘Very dodgy.’
The road was busier now. Alongside the taxis, cars and motorbikes, men in soaked loincloths pushed carts to the market.
Hex got out his palmtop. ‘Hey, let’s stop here. I want to try something.’ He flipped up the website that allowed him to track Trilok’s mobile.
Amber peered over his shoulder, recognizing the image on the screen. ‘What’s the kidney man up to now?’
‘It’s not what he’s up to now,’ said Hex. ‘It’s what he’s been up to. This is a list of numbers he’s called recently – there are a lot to the same one. And – get this – they were all made since we went and looked for Bina in the safe house.’
‘Now that is interesting,’ said Paulo.
Hex asked, ‘Alex, can you see into the police station from here?’
‘Yeah. I can see that fat sergeant.’
‘What’s he doing?’
‘Eating. Now there’s a surprise.’
‘Well he’s got to keep his figure,’ said Amber.
Hex took out his mobile, keyed in the number he had identified from the website and pressed
CALL
.
In the window, the policeman put down his snack, wiped his hands, picked up his phone and answered.
Hex heard Chopra’s voice say hello. He cancelled the call, his face shocked.
‘
Dios
,’ whispered Paulo.
‘Come on,’ said Alex. ‘We can talk while we’re walking.’
They plodded through the water until they were well away from the police station. Amber was the first to speak.
‘So Trilok calls the policeman a lot. A policeman’s a rather unusual friend for a man with an illegal trade.’
‘Exactly,’ said Hex. ‘Why are they such close buddies?’
‘Because,’ said Alex, ‘Chopra’s watching Trilok’s back and keeping him out of trouble.’
‘And,’ said Paulo, ‘he just got paid this morning – that money in his pocket.’
Hex tucked his palmtop away. ‘He certainly didn’t get as fat as that on a normal policeman’s wage.’
Amber snorted. ‘I’d bet my bottom dollar Sergeant Chopra knows where Bina is.’
‘We’ve got to look at that body,’ said Alex. ‘I just know there’s something up about that body.’
‘They’ve got a cleaner who’s an untouchable,’ said Paulo. ‘They won’t notice another.’
‘Especially if it’s someone really small,’ said Li.
22
I
NTO THE
M
ORGUE
The desk was unmanned. Li had her chance to sneak in. The turban was like cardboard, stiff with unmentionable stains. She had wrapped part of it around the lower half of her face and the rough material chafed against her cheek. Every breath she took it touched her lips. The smell made her want to gag. How had Paulo managed to wear this? There was a fresh streak of fruit and vegetable slime on the loincloth where he had wiped his hands after delving into the bin. Flies stuck to it.
She went behind the desk and into the corridor behind. She passed an office. The walls were covered with notices and photos in varying stages of yellowing age. Two officers sat at desks reading paperwork. They didn’t notice her.
There was the sound of a toilet flushing. Sergeant Chopra flung open the bathroom door. He was standing right beside her. Sweat ran down his face and he mopped his brow.
The next second a blow to her head set her ears ringing. Li steeled herself not to respond. Normally she would have had him on the floor in an instant but she had to be appear submissive.
Chopra shouted something at her in rapid Hindi and motioned towards the bathroom, then pushed past her into the office.
Li stood at the open door of the bathroom. A row of white urinals was surrounded by dingy green tiles. A powerful, sharp smell made her throat clench. Even the fetid turban in front of her nose was preferable. Holding it to her face, she trudged into the room.
A pool of vomit lay on the floor. Li took one look and then turned away, her stomach churning.
At least she had gained access. She only had to do this and then she could go where she wanted. She went to find a mop and bucket.
Five minutes after Li went in, a motorbike pulled up in the waterlogged street. Its rider, who wore no helmet, cut the engine, kicked the stand down and got off. He took a blue plastic cool box off the back of the bike and went into the police station.
Alex, Amber, Paulo and Hex, watching from the library opposite, had an excellent view.
‘Is that Sergeant Chopra’s lunch?’ said Alex.
‘No,’ said Amber. ‘Look at what he’s wearing – that white shirt and tie. He’s not a street hawker. He’s a professional.’
‘A professional what?’ said Paulo.
‘A professional who’s come to see the fat sergeant,’ said Alex. ‘Look.’
Sure enough, Sergeant Chopra greeted the man and guided him into the station and out of their view.
‘He seems to get better treatment than normal members of the public,’ said Alex.
‘Could be from the crematorium,’ said Hex. ‘Chopra made a call to them.’
‘I hope Li’s all right in there,’ said Amber.
It was the most revolting thing Li had ever had to do. She tried not to look at the mess she was clearing up but she’d seen pieces of undigested bhaji. She doubted she’d ever eat another of those.
She didn’t try to make a thorough job of it, just threw down some disinfectant and swilled up the worst of it. Afterwards, she decided to keep the bucket and mop with her as part of her disguise.
She checked no one was coming, then slipped out into the corridor. Where was the morgue? To her left was a stairwell. Morgues were more likely to be below ground. Hoisting mop and bucket, she went down.
Sergeant Chopra was coming up. She hid her face, but he pushed past her as though she wasn’t there. She caught a glimpse of his ample backside. Was it her imagination, or had the wad of money got bigger? Had Trilok just been there? Or was someone else paying him?
At the bottom of the stairs, she stepped into dark water. The basement had flooded. The cracked tiles were pale, like plants starved of light. In one direction was a barred gate: the cells. Reflected in the black water, the bars looked as though they extended down for ever.
In the other direction was an open door leading to a tiled room. Li caught a powerful zing of disinfectant and something else that it couldn’t hide: a sickly, heavy odour of death. That must be the mortuary.
Li waded slowly towards the room, making the water lap against the tiles. She turned round – was she being followed? No, it was just the water, beating like a live thing around her. The river Styx, flowing towards the dead. Her heart was pounding. What would she find in the mortuary?
Four porcelain benches stood in the middle of the room. The three furthest away from her were occupied by still figures under grubby sheets. At least they were covered; Li was thankful for that. The slab nearest to her was empty. Its surface was worn and yellowed with years of bleach, chemicals and blood. Rusty stains showed where excretions from dead bodies had been hosed away.
There was a man in the room, pulling a sheet over one of the bodies. He wore a white shirt and a tie, a green plastic apron, and surgical gloves and mask. It was impossible for Li to move quietly through the water, but he ignored her anyway and fastened the lid on a blue cool box. He took off his apron and mask, peeled off his gloves with a snap, and threw them at her, saying something sharp in Hindi. Then he picked up the cool box and waded to the door. The discarded mask, gloves and apron turned slowly on the surface of the inky water.
Li was alone. She moved towards the body. She could see contours under the sheet – the silhouette of a nose and chin, the rise of a girlish pair of breasts, long legs, feet. It could be Bina. Maybe she could tell without having to lift the sheet. For instance, was this girl the right height?
Next to the head was an odd-looking tool. Li picked it up. It was like a long slender pair of scissors, with a pair of curved paddles instead of blades. It might be evidence. She put it in her pocket. The shrouded body waited. She would have to inspect it. She picked the gloves out of the black water and put them on.