Different Senses (35 page)

“Dad, don’t you want to know
how someone got into the residence?”

He grimaced in disgust. “He has
a point there, Lochana. That’s a bigger issue.”

“
Do as you like, but
don’t involve me.” Her phone chimed quietly and she checked it.
“Harinakshi’s here. I have to meet her. Come to my office with
your
friend
and remember your manners, Javen.

I nearly snapped back
that she should mind hers, but there was no point. “Then excuse
me,” I said, hanging onto my temper with my fingernails. “My
friend
will be here shortly.”

I waited in the lobby,
glaring at anyone who looked my way. When Shardul and an older
woman walked in, he did a double-take as I walked towards him. “I
might not be
matos
but I think I sense intense anger.”

“You’d be dead right.” I bowed
to his companion, earning some looks from the clerks and guards in
the lobby. “Javen Ythen, Shrimati...?”

“Abha, Sri Ythen.”

Unusual for a Nihani woman not
to give her full name when introduced, but she radiated
nervousness, and some fear. I smiled to reassure her. “Thank you
very much for coming, Abha-ji. I apologise for the short notice. We
can go on through to my mother’s office.”

I didn’t know Harinakshi Narl,
though her face was vaguely familiar to me. Right now, she was
irritated and impatient, and the arrival of not one but two Nihan
to talk to her, didn’t help.

“You didn’t tell me
Sri...um...was coming.” My mother had a near photographic memory
for names and she’d been told Shardul’s several times.

“Shardul-ji is here to help
Shrimati Abha, Mother. Shrimati Abha, this is Shrimati Narl, and my
mother, Shrimati Ythen.”

Abha-ji bobbed her head
quickly. Shardul guided her to a chair, and stood behind it,
emanating protectiveness and slight menace. My mother scowled at
him.

“Shrimati Narl, could we see
the bracelet?”

She produced a box from her
purse, but clung to it possessively. “I won’t surrender it. My
husband paid for it legally, and he’d be furious if I lost one of
his gifts.”

“I understand. There’s no
question of you having to give it back.”

Shardul made a quiet rude
noise, but I ignored him. I held out my hand and she handed it
over, glaring as if she thought I would somehow spirit it away. I
gave the box to Abha-ji, who produced a loupe and, taking the
bracelet out, examined it closely.

While she worked, I wanted to
ask about the purchase. “Did your husband tell you where he’d got
the item, Shrimati Narl, and who the creator was?”

“He didn’t tell me anything
about it except that it was a very rare and valuable piece. If it’s
a fake, I won’t dare tell him.”

“That’s up to you, Shrimati
Narl. I’m only interested in going after the person who robbed my
mother.”

My mother gave me a
warning look. “
Allegedly
robbed, Javen. After
all, we don’t want to slander anyone.”

I felt Shardul’s surprise
and hoped he’d have enough sense to follow my cue. “Of course not,
Mother. I’m sure this whole business is just an awkward
misunderstanding.”
Please
don’t say anything, Shardul
. To my
relief, he didn’t, though his glare became positively
life-threatening.

“It’s genuine,” Abha-ji said,
turning to look at Shardul. “I would stake my reputation on it. It
has Jasraj-ji’s mark in both places. The gems and wiring are the
correct age too.” She stroked the bracelet. “Such a shame we’ve
lost it.”

“Give it to me,” Shrimati Narl
snapped, snatching the box and bracelet back from Abha-ji’s hands.
“We bought it legally. No one forced your people to sell.”

Shardul put a comforting hand
on the cringing Abha-ji’s shoulder. “Of course not,” he said
politely. “Abha-ji speaks only as someone who appreciates the craft
of our ancestors.”

Shrimati Narl ignored him as if
he hadn’t spoken at all. “Lochana, are you done?”

“Yes, Harinakshi. I’m so sorry
you’ve been inconvenienced.”

“I expect to hear no more about
this.”

“I give you my word. Thank you
for coming. I appreciate it, and so does Rajan.”

Barely mollified by the hint
that she’d won a favour from the governor, Shrimati Narl sniffed
and stalked out.

My mother turned to Abha-ji.
“How dare you say something like that to her?”

“
Shrimati Ythen, you’re
overreacting,” Shardul said. “May I remind you that Abha-ji is
doing
you
a favour here, and you are being very,
very
rude.”

Her mouth and eyes narrowed in
anger, but before she could spit back an insult, I stood and took
Abha-ji’s hand. “We’re finished. I’ll continue my investigations
into the security breach as Dad wants. Good day.”

I dragged everyone out before
it got really messy. Well, messier. “I didn’t mean to offend,”
Abha-ji said, her voice trembling as much as she was.

Shardul spoke to her in Nihani,
and patted her arm. “I’m explaining she did nothing wrong at all
and that your mother is just a rude woman.”

“Yes, she is,” I said. “My
apologies for your treatment. That was inexcusable, and you’ve done
me a personal favour I won’t forget. I pay my debts too.”

“I don’t want anything,” she
whispered. “But that bracelet belongs to us.”

“I know, Abha,” Shardul said.
“At least it’s still here, so we can try to buy it back. Let me
take you home. Javen, pick me up from my office. I need to talk to
you.”

I gave him ten minutes, and
headed off. He’d want to chew me out and I couldn’t blame him. My
mother had behaved so badly, I was ashamed to be her son. I’d never
felt like that before, and I didn’t like the feeling at all.

Shardul said nothing as he got
into my auto, except to say, “Drive somewhere we can talk in
private.” So I took him to the riverside park, on the basis that we
may as well be somewhere warm and pretty while talking about
unpleasant matters.

I parked up. “Let’s walk,” he
said.

We walked a little way in
silence. He was clearly waiting for me to start, so I said, “My
mother behaved inexcusably. I am sorry for the offence to both of
you, and I meant what I said about the favour.”

“I know, and I told her that.
It’s appreciated. What was all that about slander?”

I blew out my cheeks. “My
fucking parents have decided that not only will they not attempt to
have Veringe prosecuted, they won’t even put the word out about
him. Harinakshi Narl doesn’t know who sold her husband that
bracelet. So Timin Veringe will go gaily on, ripping off our people
and stealing from yours, to keep my parents’ precious reputation
safe.”

“By the Spirit, they
can’t—”

“
They
can
, but I don’t
intend to give up that easily. Dad’s given me permission to chase
down the theft from the residence.”

“And then?”

“And then...I don’t know. But I
won’t let them sweep this under the rug. I promise you that. I
think the time’s come to confront Sri Veringe about a few
things.”

“Wait. I have some
information.” He removed a note from his wallet. “Here. Two known
associates. Both our people, unfortunately, but we have criminals
among us as do you.”

I read the names. “Ved Hamsa
Oorjit and Tilak Jyoti Sudhir. One of the guards I couldn’t
interview, the one with the broken foot, is Vasu Sudhir. But he’s
Kelon. They all are.”

“Or passing. Check your
national database.”

I had the answer in seconds.
“Half-brothers. Vasu uses his father’s name as a surname. So that’s
our connection. How sure are you that Tilak works for Veringe?”

“Very, but I can’t tell you
how.”

“I understand. I owe you for
this.”

“You certainly do. Are you
going to speak to him? I have an address.”

“Sure. You want to come, don’t
you?”

He smiled. “In case he suddenly
forgets he speaks Kelon. It’s a common tactic.”

I tended to forget that Shardul
knew nearly as much about bad guys as I did. “Let’s go then. But
you stay the hell out of my way, and out of the path of
danger.”

“Of course. I am much more
valuable than you.”

“This is true.”

Locating Tilak meant
going to a run-down neighbourhood with rows of houses that had seen
better days, and kids and teenagers hanging around in the street,
staring suspiciously at the Kelon and his flashy vehicle.
“Unemployment here is over forty percent,” Shardul said as we drove
along the narrow street. “Hegal simply doesn’t offer enough work
for unskilled youth. Unskilled
chuma
are sent back to Kelon by
their parents to work there, gain some experience, and then return
with employable skills. Not an option for our people, obviously.
There. That shop. I’ve been told he and Ved are often to be found
there.”

I didn’t like this. It was one
thing to come to a place like this in uniform with an armed comrade
at my side and the entire Hegal police force to call upon, but
Shardul didn’t carry a weapon, and if we ran into trouble....
“Maybe you should stay with the auto,” I said.

“Scared, Ythen?”

“Cautious, you stupid bastard.
What if they’re carrying?”

“Almost certainly are. You
think this is the first time I’ve walked into a place like this?
Usually I’m alone.”

“Yeah, and that might be the
important factor.”

He rolled his eyes.
“Then
you
stay with the vehicle, and I’ll talk to him.”

“No way.”

“
Then get off your
chuma
arse
and come inside.”

The shop was disused, and the
house above unloved. It stood at the end of the row, which made it
ideal for youths wanting a meeting place that didn’t involve
walking past other people’s apartments. “The access from the rest
of the houses is probably blocked,” Shardul murmured, as if he’d
read my mind. “I believe drugs are involved.”

“Great. As if these kids don’t
have enough problems.”

“Yes. Let me go in first. Stay
behind and be ready for anything.”

“I’ve got the gun.”

“I’ve got the braids. Do as I
say, Javen.”

He probably had a point, but I
still didn’t like it. I put my hand in my pocket, over my gun, and
followed him in.

“
Tilak,
tuo
!” he
called.

A youth turned, saw me,
and bolted. I ran to the obvious exit and caught him easily,
holding him firmly by his collar and belt. “Calm down,
beto
, I
just want to talk.”

He muttered something in
Nihani. “I know you speak Kelon, Tilak. You can talk to me or you
can talk to the cops.”

The other kids had melted away,
leaving us alone. Shardul walked over and spoke to him. Tilak spat
on the ground, shaking his head. Shardul spoke again, more
sharply.

“What are you saying?” I
asked.

“I’m telling him that breaking
into the governor’s residence is a crime which could see him sent
away for ten years, but we want the person who ordered it, not him.
He says he doesn’t know what I’m talking about.”

I shook Tilak. “Then let me
remind you. A bracelet? Locked office? Being let in by Vasu?” He
jerked at his brother’s name. “Yeah, you understand me. Knock off
the act, Tilak. We don’t want you, we want your boss.”

“I’m not saying nothin’.”

“Look who speaks Kelon after
all,” I said to Shardul. “Why? Scared of Timin?”

“Who’s Timin?”

“The man who paid your bail
when you were arrested three months ago for street theft,” Shardul
said. “And the man you do various little favours for, from time to
time, with Ved. Where is Ved, anyway?”

“Don’t know who you’re talking
about?”

I threw him to the ground
and stood over him. “Stop wasting our time,
beto
. I’m serious—talk
to me, or talk to the police. Who
will
talk to Vasu
and who
will
work out he let you into the
residence, and then your brother will lose his job and you’ll go to
prison. I’m
matos
, you little idiot. As soon
as I talk to him, I’ll know if he’s lying or not.”

“Can’t use it in court.”

“Give me a break. You think the
cops need me to prove a case? Who paid you to steal from that
office? I just want the name.” I surreptitiously turned on my
reader’s recorder.

“You already know it.”

“Timin Veringe paid you to
break into the governor’s residence and steal a bracelet from a
locked office. Is that true, Tilak?”

“Yeah,” he said, sneering
sulkily. “But I won’t split on my brother.”

“If you have to, will you split
on Veringe?”

“No. You don’t understand. The
guy’s scary. He’ll off me.”

“No, he won’t. Tell me how your
brother got you into the residence. Don’t hide anything or lie to
me, or I’m calling the police right now.”

He wiped his snotty nose
on his sleeve. Unusually for a Nihan, he wore a long-sleeved
jacket, as if he felt cold the way newcomers from Kelon did.
Larin
had
that effect on long-term users. “I got into the grounds during the
day and hid. Vasu already gave me the key card. He made a
duplicate. Then he let me in on his rounds. That other guard,
Hemandra, was in on it too. He knew where the thing was, from the
video. You take my brother, I’ll take that Kelon down with
him.”

“Settle down,” I said. “I just
wanted to know how it was done. How much did Veringe pay you?”