Blood Feud

by Brenda Donelan

  “Yes, it is. I felt fine while we were eating, but all of a sudden, my stomach is swirling like I might throw up,” Barry said, laying back on the bed, still rubbing his stomach.

  Marlee walked over to him and put her hand on his forehead. “Is there anything I can get you before I leave?”

  “No, I’ll be fine in a little bit. I guess the food tonight just didn’t agree with me.”

  “I’m surprised you’re not feeling well tonight, but you felt just fine last night after all the food you ate on the Indian buffet at Raj’s house,” Marlee said.

  “What do you mean?” Barry asked.

  “Well, you had several helpings of goat. I’m surprised that didn’t upset your tummy,” Marlee said, holding back a laugh.

  “I ate goat? No way!” Barry shouted.

  “You most certainly did. You thought it was beef, and you took several helpings, and then you went back for more. You sure ate a lot of stewed goat. All together, you probably ate one-tenth of a goat. See you tomorrow. Good night,” Marlee said, pulling the door to Barry’s room closed behind her. A small part of her felt bad that she’d added to Barry’s illness, but it was a very small part.

  A man without a woman is only half a man.

  Indian proverb

  Chapter 19

  “You’re the most evil person I know. And I deal with criminals and perverts every day,” Barry sputtered over the telephone, recalling the words Marlee left with him before she departed the previous night. “What did I eat yesterday that you didn’t?”

  “Nothing. We ate the same exact thing yesterday, right down to what we drank.” Marlee wasn’t sure if Barry had contracted a bug in India, or if it would’ve hit him back at home too. “Were you feeling a little icky when you first got to India?”

  “Just tired and jet lagged, but not an upset stomach. That didn’t set in until after supper last night. Nothing on the buffet at Raj’s house the night before made me ill. And before you say it again, no, I did not eat goat!”

  “Do you need anything? I’m just leaving the apartment and am going to do some sleuthing on campus this morning and afternoon. Tonight, I think I’ll go back to Raj’s house. If you’re better, you can go with me, but for now you should probably rest.”

  “Agreed. I feel like shit and don’t think I can get out of bed now,” Barry said, his voice sounding weaker the longer he spoke.

  Marlee swung by the Empire Hotel and asked the restaurant staff to take some dry toast, bubbly soda, and extra toilet paper to Barry’s room. She warned that he was sick and suggested they leave the tray outside his door. On her way to campus, she planned out her day. First, she would talk to Riya and others in the liaison office to find out what they knew of Raj’s death. Then she could always go upstairs to the Sociology Department to pick up any extra gossip floating around the halls.

  Riya met Marlee at the front door to the building. She finished with a meeting for graduate students and hurried back to her office to work before her supervisor found her absent. The two expressed sorrow in rehashing Raj’s death as they climbed the stairs.

  “Did you hear anything about why he died, Riya?” Marlee asked.

  Tears formed in Riya’s eyes. She was still in shock after seeing Raj pronounced dead by his family the night they broke into his home. “I assume it was from the beating for which he was hospitalized. Have you heard something else?”

  Marlee swore Riya to secrecy and then relayed the information given to her by Meena in which Raj’s parents confronted their eldest son about poisoning Raj. “My source overheard it. She doesn’t think the parents asked the other brother or anyone else in the family. What do you think?”

  Grabbing Marlee’s arm, Riya whisked her into an empty supply closet at the end of the hall. “Shhh, you must be careful. Someone could overhear you talking about poison and think you were guilty of killing Raj.”

  Marlee nodded, duly chastised. She was used to a fair amount of paranoia since she’d worked in academe for a few years, knowing hirings, firings, promotions, and demotions revolved around rumor and innuendo. A man in her department often quoted Joseph Heller, ‘Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not after you.’ Marlee considered herself discreet, by South Dakota standards, anyway, but in India it seemed that people were lurking everywhere ready to pass on something they heard. Perhaps that was a consequence of working in city populated with nineteen million people. No matter what you said, someone was bound to overhear.

  Riya’s dark eyes darted around the room lined with metal shelves that held an assortment of paper, pens, folders, and other necessities for an office. “We must be careful. There are people in this building who would cause us many problems if they were to overhear our conversation.”

  “Who would cause trouble with the information they overheard from us?” Marlee asked, wondering if Riya’s suspicions centered on specific people or if she was just overly cautious in general.

  “Professor Patel in your own department is not to be trusted. He did not want you here at our university and tried to get you sent back after you were arrested. He will use anything against you that he can.”

  “I can understand why he might be upset because I was arrested, but why didn’t he want me here in the first place? He didn’t even know me until the department meeting.” Marlee felt hurt that someone who didn’t even know her took measures to prevent her from teaching in India.

  “He was scheduled to teach the American Criminology class and had been preparing for it. Then he was notified that someone from the United States would be here to teach it. I do not think he has anything against you personally, but he is very upset that the class he was assigned was given to someone else,” Riya said. “Especially when someone else is a foreign woman.”

  “I don’t blame him. I’d be pissed too if that happened to me,” Marlee said. She wasn’t naïve enough to think talking to Professor Patel would solve anything, but at least she could let him know she hadn’t intended him any harm. “Who else do I need to watch out for here on campus?”

  “My brother works at the restaurant in the Empire Hotel. He overheard what you said to Professor Kingsley last night while you and your friend were dining with him and Professor Appleton. My brother called me right away to tell me what happened. You must be wary of Professor Kingsley. He can be very vindictive,” Riya reported knowingly since she was a graduate student in the department Kingsley chaired.

  “Wow, you’re not kidding! Everything said in public can be overheard and passed along. Did your brother have anything else to say?”

  “One of the hotel staff was in the restroom at the same time as Professor Appleton and heard her vomiting. The staff discussed it and thinks she is pregnant,” Riya stated.

  Marlee suppressed a laugh. “And does the hotel staff know if the baby is going to be a boy or a girl?”

  “No, of course not. But they think Raj was quite possibly the father.” Riya opened the door and led them out into the hallway and toward her office area. “I must go now. My supervisor will be looking for me.” Riya walked off, leaving a slack-jawed Marlee standing alone in the hallway.

  After composing herself, Marlee walked up another flight of stairs to her own department to see who was present. The beginning day of classes was still a few days away, and some professors didn’t show up on campus until they absolutely needed to be there. Others were busy in their offices regardless of the day on the calendar.

  She purposely left her office door wide open and was happy she did so when Professor Patel walked past. “Hello, Professor Patel. May I speak with you for a minute?” Marlee asked, peeking around the door frame before he escaped.

  He gave a quick nod and then entered her office, sitting on the one extra chair. His gaze was intent, but he didn’t speak, just waited for Marlee to address her question or concern.

  “It’s been brought to my attention that you were scheduled to teach American Criminology before I came to Delhi University. I’m
very sorry the class was taken from you and given to me. This semester I’m on sabbatical and was traveling to Ireland to study the prison system there. Shortly before I was to leave, I was notified by my dean that plans changed, and I would be coming here to teach at our sister institution. They basically left me with no choice but to do it.”

  Professor Patel did not say or word nor bat an eye. “And?”

  “And I just wanted you to know that my plans were hijacked too. If I were you, I’d be pissed about someone coming in and taking over my class,” Marlee said, squirming as she spoke.

  A coarse laugh erupted from Professor Patel’s mouth. “I am not ‘pissed’ as you say,” he sniped making air quotes. “What you do or do not do holds very little importance in my life. Was this conversation supposed to bond us together against the evils of administration in academia?”

  A blush rose to her cheeks, and she dreaded ever starting this conversation. She erroneously thought extending an olive branch to Professor Patel might make him easier to deal with during the next few months. The only thing it did was make her look foolish in front of a man who enjoyed preying on the vulnerabilities of others. Taking a deep breath and summoning her courage, she said, “I thought I would try to talk to you, but if you wish to shut me out, then that’s up to you. I won’t bother you again because I’ll be too busy teaching my American Criminology class!” Marlee loved twisting the knife when someone was being an ass.

  Unfazed, Professor Patel stood and walked out of the room. Under his breath he said, “It is a pity. You could have been in Ireland kissing the Blarney Stone.”

  Marlee remained in her office, licking her wounds. She was having a terrible time figuring out how to deal with people in this country. Is it me or are the people I’ve met more messed up than I’m used to back home? Marlee thought as she logged on to her computer. I usually get along with almost everybody. I’ll ask Riya or Meena if I’m coming on too strong.

  A few minutes of self-reflection didn’t yield any earth-shattering conclusions. The only thing she could think of was that she was off-putting to traditional Indian men. The women and more modern men she’d met thus far seemed to like her. Regardless of the situation, she had to find a way to work with others at the university. Marlee wasn’t going to be demeaned or pushed around, but figuring out how to deal with people who thought she was a second-class citizen would take patience and finesse, neither of which were Marlee’s strong suit.

  Meena wasn’t in when she walked down to the front office, so Marlee went back to her own office and called Barry. “How are you feeling? Did the restaurant bring you some toast and pop?” She thoughtfully left out the part about requesting extra toilet tissue.

  “I had three bottles of the Indian version of 7-Up and it seems to be helping.” Barry’s voice was stronger, and she could tell he was on the mend.

  Marlee shared with him her talk with Riya and that their supper with Crispin and Eleanor had been observed and discussed among the restaurant and hotel staff. She also included the conversation she had with Professor Patel in which she tried to make nice with him. “He’s such an asshole. He said it was a pity and that I should be in Ireland kissing the Blarney Stone or something ridiculous like that. Everybody knows you shouldn’t kiss the Blarney Stone because the locals pee on it at night. Professor Patel thinks he’s so superior. I’m going to rub his nose in it that I’m teaching American Criminology because it was taken away from him!”

  “Really? Doesn’t that seem a bit immature? Maybe like you’re acting just like him?” Barry said, the old condescension returning now that he was feeling better.

  “I don’t care. He started it. Besides, what did I personally ever do to him? How hard would it have been for him to acknowledge what I said in a kind manner and just let it go?” Marlee asked.

  “So, your plan is that from now until May you’ll stay on his bad side just because you know you’re right and he’s wrong?”

  “Look, you just don’t understand how it is in academia. I can’t let him get anything over on me, or I’ll suffer the rest of the semester because of his bad temperament and huge ego. I know that the situation can change in an instant. On a university campus, your biggest enemy today might be your strongest ally tomorrow. I’ve seen this same game played out in twenty different ways at Midwestern State University. The only difference is that I’ve never been part of it. Right now, I’m really mad at him, but I’ll figure out how to handle him. After all, I’ve dealt with problematic professors for years back home.”

  After a morning and afternoon of accomplishing nothing at her office, Marlee left campus for the day and returned to her apartment. She kicked off her shoes and flopped onto the bed with a heavy sigh. Everything was a mess. One of her department members had taken an instant dislike to her, the husband of another department member was a cretin, a man she knew briefly had been killed, her boyfriend had flown halfway across the world to see her and now he was in bed with a stomach bug, and she had no idea how she was going to handle seeing Raj’s family that night. Plus, she wasn’t one hundred percent sure she could even navigate her way back to their home.

  A quick call to Barry revealed that, although he was feeling better, he still wasn’t up to sleuthing that night. Only after Barry assured her he had eaten soup, bread, and drank several pots of hot tea, did Marlee end the call. Her next call was to Riya, who was unable to go to Raj’s house that night because she was babysitting her brother’s children.

  Marlee flopped back on the bed. She hated that she had absolutely no sense of direction. As she was contemplating trying to find Raj’s home, the phone rang.

  “Hello, this is Dax Kapoor. Riya told me that you wanted to go back to Raj’s home and were in need of a companion. I would be happy to go with you.”

  Marlee chafed at Dax’s assumption that she needed someone to go with her. She didn’t need anyone. After a moment of thought, she realized that this was one of those rare situations in which she really did need help. It wasn’t easy, but she swallowed her pride. “Yes, I would like you to go with me if you have the time. I don’t want to tear you away from your family or your work.”

  It was agreed that Dax would pick Marlee up at her apartment a couple hours before they planned to arrive at Raj’s home to talk to his parents, brothers, sisters-in-law, and hopefully some of the older nieces and nephews. Dax had insisted they go out to dinner first and Marlee thought it sounded like a good idea. A girl had to eat!

  Marlee’s jaw dropped when Dax arrived three hours later. He was dressed in a black suit with a pale blue shirt and brilliant blue necktie. The contrasting shades of blue highlighted his dark eyes and dusky skin tone. “Uh, do you want to come in?” Marlee asked. She rummaged around the room as he entered and closed the door behind him. She felt like this was a first date rather than a surveillance mission.

  Dax stood inside the room with his hands clasped in front of him. He seemed a bit uneasy as well. “We have an hour before we need to be at the restaurant,” he said. “Do you want to stay here or go for a walk first?”

  “Let’s split the difference. We can stay here for a bit then go for a walk. Would you like something to drink? I have both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options,” Marlee said gesturing to her dorm sized refrigerator.

  “Do you have Kingfisher beer? It is my favorite.”

  “I do!” Marlee exclaimed, pulling two Kingfishers from the fridge and popping off the tops of the icy cold beverages. They clinked bottles, and she said, “Here’s to making new friends!”

  Marlee tilted up the bottle and took a long slug from it. Before Dax drank he said, “And here’s to sometimes being more than friends.”

  She sputtered a bit, but only a few drops of beer landed on her shirt. “Ah, yes.” Not knowing what else to say, she rummaged around the room again as if looking for something of vital importance.

  By the time she finished the beer, she had tossed much of the bedroom area of the apartment. Dax, on the other hand,
only drank about a quarter of his beer. “I think I’ll have another,” Marlee said, grabbing a green bottle from the fridge and opening it with ease. “Looks like you’re not quite ready.”

  Dax smiled and shook his head. “Not quite yet. Are you nervous about something?”

  “Uh, well, I’ve had a rather unusual day,” she said, relating her interactions with Meena and Professor Patel. “I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong, but I seem to set off a lot of people here in India. I’m sure I’m making several cultural faux pas, but I’m not sure what they are or what to do. It has me worried that everything I say or do is coming across as wrong or offensive.” After her diatribe, she sat on the edge of the bed facing Dax, who was sitting in the lone chair.

  He smiled. “I do not think you are wrong or offensive in your actions. Many Indians are very traditional, and you are not a traditional woman. Probably not even by American standards. Am I right?”

  Marlee nodded, and Dax continued. “It seems to me that you have enthusiasm and energy that is not accepted in women. At least not by traditional men. Women are still defining their roles here in India beyond wives and mothers. The men are adjusting. Some of the younger and middle-aged men can adjust quite easily, but much of the older generation has difficulty. I suspect you find the same situation in your country.”

  “Very true. Older men, but some older women too, have a hard time understanding why a woman would want to work outside of the home or remain single and childless. Younger people always handle change much better than older folks. I guess that’s how it is world-wide,” Marlee said with a laugh.

  They talked and laughed for the better part of an hour until Dax looked at his watch and determined that it was time for dinner. By this time, they had both consumed two Kingfishers, adding to their overall comfort levels.