The Delhi Deception (33 page)

Smiling hesitantly for the first time, Elouise said, “OK, peer then, but you still won’t know if it’s morning or late afternoon.”

Carla closed her left eye tightly and looked through the crack. The van was moving fast, and it took a while for her to focus. They were traveling on a tarmac road in an appalling condition. In the distance she could make out blue-gray, snowcapped mountain ranges. A transport truck decorated in the subcontinent’s garish style came into her line of vision a couple of hundred meters away. The road they were on made an obvious sharp turn as it meandered down the mountain pass. “We are definitely going down a mountain pass. Needless to say, I don’t recognize the mountains in the distance.”

Then, sniffing theatrically, she said, “The air smells warm, but there is a crispness to it.” Carla looked around at Elouise in mild surprise and said, “It’s morning air. Afternoon air would be muggier and maybe balmier.”

Elouise moved toward a crack and peered through it. ‘I think you’re right. That means we were knocked out all night and possibly driving through the night, judging by my bruised and battered body.”

“Where do you think they’re taking us?” Carla asked.

“It’s difficult to say. Kashmir is mountainous all around. I’m trying to remember its layout. It borders with Pakistan, China, and India. Let’s hope we’re not heading for Pakistan.”

The van started slowing down and stopped. Carla peered through the crack and said, “I don’t see anything. Looks like we’ve stopped on the road.”

Then they heard someone talking, and the next minute the doors of the van opened. A young man dressed in jeans looked inside, and on seeing the women conscious he called to someone named Hassan. Another young man, dressed in a traditional kurta pajama, joined him and addressed them in English.

“You come.” He motioned to them impatiently to get out of the van. When he noticed them struggling to stand up, the denim-clad man jumped in and untied their feet, helping them up. They walked stiffly, and both women groaned as they got off the van.

The sun shone brightly, and the sky was clear. The air was thin, which meant they were still relatively high on the mountain pass. The road was quiet. Hassan took Carla by the arm while the other man led Elouise away to a large bush on the side of the road. Carla was lead to the opposite side. She was afraid; their intentions weren’t clear, and her head was filled with thoughts so hideous she tried her best to banish them and stay calm.
Violently raped, our throats slit by a large Afghan choora; thrown down the steep mountain pass; a trail of our blood darkening as it congeals in the summer sun.
Carla trembled as her imagination played havoc with her nerves.

Behind an unfamiliar bush, Hassan untied Carla’s hands and told her, “Make business. I not look, but wait here.” He tried to smile but was unsure, so he just turned his back on her.

Realizing how badly she needed to relieve herself, she squatted shakily behind the bush but managed quite well. She pulled her pants back on hurriedly, and the moment she stood up, Hassan was at her side, leading her back to the van. Elouise was already inside, drinking from a bottle of mineral water. Hassan gave Carla one, which she took and drank from thirstily. He walked around to the driver’s cabin and returned with a plastic bag, which he tossed to the young man who was tying up Elouise. He took out a packet of cookies and gave it to her, then gave the packet to Carla, and they ate ravenously.

Speaking English for the first time, the young man said, “Proper khanna next stop if not make any trouble. You understand?”

Elouise nodded eagerly and said, “Yes, of course, and, uh, please don’t tie us up. We have no intention of escaping—we don’t even know where we are.”

He looked at her, frowning, and then he said something to Hassan, who also frowned. Hassan addressed the women: “No trying running away, you understand. I have weapon.” He lifted his kurta and showed them the semiautomatic tucked into a leather belt.

Carla glanced worriedly at Elouise and said, “Promise, no trying to run away.”

The young man untied Elouise, and after giving them both a warning look, he locked the doors. The van pulled away, skidding on the gravel, and then they were back on the narrow pass.

“Thank God they didn’t tie us up again,” Carla said, and then, sighing, asked, “Who are they and where are they taking us, any idea?”

Elouise shook her head. “No idea, but at least we’re still in Kashmir and it looks like we’re heading south. If we were going north there’d be more snow on the mountains and the temperature would’ve been cooler.”

“So which country borders on Kashmir’s south?”

“India and a small portion of Pakistan. My guess is that they’re taking us back to India.”

“Let’s hope so. We should’ve told someone the truth about our trip. Who’s going to look for us now?” Carla said, despondency creeping into her voice. “Why did they kidnap us? Do you think this has something to do with Harry?”

Elouise pulled over some sailcloth stacked in a corner of the van and lay down. “I don’t know, let’s try and get some rest. My head’s still hurting and fuzzy. No point trying to plan an escape until we know where we are and what their intentions are.”

Carla managed a brave smile, marveling at Elouise’s maturity and composure. She was scared, really scared. Closing her eyes tightly, she tried not to think too much of her predicament as she made an effort to fall asleep.

Nadir made Harry nervous. He sipped the whisky but hardly tasted the aged liquid. This man looking like a Mafia don had somehow completely thrown him; the mission now seemed tainted. The short hair on the back of his neck prickled, and he rubbed it with his free hand.

“Let’s get to business,” Nadir said as he poured himself another scotch. “According to Nizaam, the radiation won’t cause many casualties, but it will contaminate the area, causing psychological damage, and there will also be huge economic implications. I believe they have to tear down the buildings and dig up the ground all around it. Is this also your thinking?”

“Yes, that’s true, as we won’t use more than a couple of kilos of the radioactive material in each bomb. How many are you planning to use?”

“Probably only two. America is scared shitless of a ‘dirty bomb.’ We want the conventional bomb, which we will pack with maximum shrapnel, to cause the deaths, especially the death of the guest of honor.” He laughed raucously.

“The venue will be heavily guarded. What’s the plan to get them through all the metal detectors and searches?” Harry asked.

“You don’t worry about that; it’s all sorted, all taken care of. Go help Nizaam with the bomb. I don’t want us to blow up before the mission.” Nadir began chuckling.

“I need to get back home by evening as my wife will be back, and we have to get out the country for a while.” Harry said as he stood up.

A dangerous dark light shone in Nadir’s eyes, but in a benevolent tone he said, “Of course, of course. Now let’s get this damn thing assembled.” He walked out with Harry following him.

Harry was now deeply disturbed. He cursed himself inwardly for getting involved in such a dangerous imbroglio. He wasn’t a killer, and much as he sympathized with the more moderate elements, the anger that had once consumed him had been dissipating for some time.
What a disaster. I have made a terrible mistake
.

Carla didn’t manage to sleep. Her brain was in overdrive as she considered every possible option. After a couple of hours, the van slowed down, and peering through the gap, she saw that they were on the outskirts of a city. She woke Elouise, who looked through the crack and confirmed her theory.

“Do you recognize it?” Carla asked.

“It’s not Delhi, but let me see if I can spot some license plates.” Elouise squinted, concentrating hard. “It looks like we’re still in Kashmir. I think it’s Jammu.”

“That’s near the Indian border, isn’t it?”

“I think so.”

The van stopped, but no one came to open the doors. After about ten minutes, it drove off through the city and stopped on the outskirts. The doors were opened, and they were let out to relieve themselves again. They were given chicken kebabs and roomali roti. The food was strangely appetizing, and Carla licked her fingers as she wrapped the chicken in the roomali roti and ate with relish.

It was hot in the van, and they were both perspiring. Luckily their captors had left a couple of extra water bottles in the back. As the van inched forward again, the driver taking care to avoid rocks and potholes in the precariously narrow roads, both women were listless, dread hanging like a tangible canopy over them.

“We should scream our heads off when we reach the border post,” Carla said, and Elouise agreed. But the heat and their semi-dehydrated state lulled them into a deep sleep. When they woke up, it was still hot, but dark. The noise of transport trucks honking and brakes in need of services screeched and whined.

Looking through the opening, Elouise said, “I think we’re in India. I can see dhabas with Indian names on them.”

Carla moved closer and said, “Thank God. At least it feels closer to help.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be too sure, Carla. We’re in serious shit.”

“I know. Oh God, I’m scared. Who are these guys?”

“I reckon they’re the ones who got Harry involved in whatever they’re planning. They followed us from Delhi, so they’ve been onto us all along. I think they would’ve left us alone if we hadn’t made these discoveries,” Elouise said as she drained the last bit of water from the plastic bottle. “I’m so thirsty and hot. Right now I just hope we stop soon. I need to get out of this van.”

The van slowed down and took a turn onto what felt like a completely different road. It was quiet. Other traffic noises had died down. “Do you think we should scream for help?” Carla asked Elouise, who was peering through the gap.

“Pointless, we’re in some abandoned industrial area. I can’t see any lights or sign of people.” The van stopped, and they could hear some muffled conversation. Then they heard a metal gate opening. The van drove through and stopped. Both women held their breath. Carla could hear her heart hammering in her ears. Her blouse was soaked through on her back, and her hair was literally dripping with perspiration. The van’s doors opened, and the slightly cooler night air brought much-needed relief. Hassan was holding a rechargeable lamp in his right hand and with a nod of his head indicated that they should get out.

Carla made eye contact with Elouise. The question in her face was quite obvious to Elouise, but she shook her head and whispered softly, “We can’t escape, not now.”

Carla stood up stiffly and followed Elouise out of the van. A tall young man met them with a sardonic smirk. He said something to Hassan, who grabbed Elouise and held her still while the man tied her hands behind her back with a cable tie. Carla inspected her surroundings as discreetly as she could. She noted the three-meterhigh wall with barbed wire on top of it and two guards armed with semiautomatic weapons standing at the metal gate. She turned her head slightly and swayed toward the corner of the gray cement building, which was cut off from the front with a fence. A guard, slightly behind her, with a weapon slung over his shoulder had a fierce looking Doberman on a lead. The dog growled and started barking. His handler made no attempt to quiet him down. Foaming at the mouth, he bared his teeth and snarled.

Carla snapped back her head as Hassan grabbed her hands and the young man tied her wrists together. The cable was too tight, cutting cruelly into her flesh, but she resisted the urge to complain. The men were in an obvious hurry, whispering to each other urgently as they looked at the women.

“Do you understand them?” Carla asked Elouise.

“Not very well; they are speaking Punjabi or Urdu. I think they’re arguing about where they should put us.”

Hassan went through a steel door and returned, accompanied by a woman wearing a hijab. Taking both Elouise and Carla by the arm, he steered them toward the side of the building. The guard with the Doberman unlocked the padlock and let them through. The dog growled at them, and as Carla passed the animal, she could feel his hot breath on the back of her legs.