Fury's Goddess

by Alex Archer

  “Did it work?”

  Dunraj sighed. “When the crews uncovered that statue of Kali—the one you saw with the ten arms—something snapped in my brother. Kali became his overriding obsession. He felt her presence in this mountain was some sort of divine calling to him.”

  “And then the killings picked up.”

  “Yes.”

  “And that’s when Frank and I stumbled on the scene.”

  “Your timing,” Dunraj said, “could not have possibly been worse. My brother was at his most bizarre by then, as I think you witnessed.”

  “Eating hearts and stuff.”

  He hesitated before saying, “Yes.”

  Pradesh cleared his throat. “Did that really happen?”

  “I’ll bet if you look hard enough,” Annja said, “you’ll find the body somewhere in the mountain.”

  “Or not,” Dunraj interjected. “My brother had a means of disposing the corpses, although I’m not entirely sure what it was.”

  Annja frowned. The feeder machine? Stowing them in the dirt the trucks hauled away?

  “He’s really dead, though, right?”

  Dunraj stared down at his hands. “My brother? Yes. I’ve seen his…corpse for myself. He is most definitely dead.”

  “As have I,” Pradesh repeated. “You’ve got nothing to fear from him anymore.”

  “Good,” Annja said, adding more gently, “I’m sorry about your brother, but he was a very sick man. You trying to keep him out of prison resulted in the deaths of innocent people.”

  “You think I don’t realize that?”

  “I don’t know, do you?”

  “Of course. And I will go out of my way to make amends to those families affected by my poor decision.”

  Pradesh cleared his throat again. “Look, Annja, Dunraj didn’t commit any crime.”

  “You can’t be held responsible for abetting a criminal in India?” she demanded.

  “Family responsibility is something we hold very dear.”

  Dunraj held up his hands. “It could certainly be argued that I was complicit in the crimes. My goal right now is to make everything better. To try to repair some of the damage that I’ve done through my bad decision making.”

  Pradesh sat in the chair beside Annja’s bed. “What we’re after here is a truce between you and Dunraj. He’s agreed to cooperate with us in the investigation.”

  “In exchange for immunity?”

  Dunraj was quick to explain. “I have a great many projects under way that will benefit the city and the underprivileged. If I’m prosecuted, those good things will never be fully realized. I would hate to see that.”

  “I don’t know.”

  Pradesh cocked his head. “This is a lot to take in all at once. Just do me a favor and give it some thought, would you?”

  “Think of the poor people who would suffer,” Dunraj added. “Just one of my construction projects would greatly benefit the families living in this immediate area. That road outside? The secret highway? It will open access to Hyderabad to people who thus far could only rely on rickety old buses to ferry them into the city. This will mean better jobs, better pay and a better standard of living.”

  Annja remembered Deva and the fact that the small boy was responsible for providing for his family. Would Dunraj’s new developments help him, too? Most likely they would.

  “I’ll give it some thought,” Annja said.

  Pradesh smiled. “Great. That’s great.”

  “Is Frank around?”

  “He sure is. Would you like me to send him in?”

  “That would be great.”

  Pradesh held the tent flap back so Dunraj could leave with him. Dunraj patted Annja’s bed. “Thank you for listening to me. I do appreciate it.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “Sorry about your brother.”

  “Thank you.”

  Together, he and Pradesh walked outside. Two minutes later, Frank’s face appeared.

  “Hey.”

  Annja smiled. “Get in here, would you?”

  Frank came in. “Pretty wild about that guy having a twin brother, huh?”

  “Convenient. Did you see the body?”

  Frank nodded. “Yeah. Spitting image of each other. No wonder we were so easily fooled. They really did look exactly alike. It was pretty freaky staring down at him and then back up at Dunraj.”

  Annja frowned.

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t know. The whole situation stinks. Dunraj is going to get a free pass because it wasn’t him that committed the crimes. It was his brother.”

  “Well, he shouldn’t pay for something someone else did, Annja.”

  Annja shook her head. “Have you ever heard of aiding and abetting? Something still smells funny to me.”

  “That could be you. You’re pretty grungy.”

  “Listen up, Frank. Here’s what I want you to do.”

  Chapter 28

  It took another few hours before Annja started feeling better. The IV drip in her arm continued to administer the antibiotics to combat the poison from the knife blade. And she slept a lot. By the time evening rolled around, Annja felt as though she was through the worst of it.

  Frank had gone back to Hyderabad. Annja still wasn’t convinced that the danger was past at the dig site. And despite Frank’s protests that he wanted to stay, Annja had warned him that he should do as she said.

  “You’ll be more of a help than you know just by being back at our hotel,” she’d said. “I won’t have to worry about your safety.”

  Now, after her rest, she had to admit that she was indeed feeling much better. And she wasn’t sure about Dunraj, but her honest focus now was simply on getting out of the mountain and getting back to Hyderabad. She could convalesce at a hospital there, and then she could go home.

  At least I’ve solved the mystery of the deaths here, she thought.

  Pradesh entered the tent. “Oh, you’re awake. Excellent.”

  Annja smiled. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m well, thank you.” He looked into her face. “You’re looking a lot better, as well. How are you feeling?”

  “Better.”

  “Good,” Pradesh said. “I see the antibiotics are working. Excellent. I was worried about your having any lasting effects.”

  “I think I’ll be fine.”

  Pradesh smiled. “I’ll let the doctor know. Once we get his okay, we can get you out of here.”

  “That,” Annja said, “would be very nice.”

  “Be right back.” Pradesh vanished and then came back a moment later with the doctor, who did a quick checkup of Annja and spoke in rapid-fire Hindi to Pradesh. Pradesh nodded quite a bit and said a few words to the doctor. Then the doctor left and Pradesh smiled.

  “You’re all set.”

  “I am?”

  “Yes. We’re going to arrange a transport back to the city for you. Frank’s already headed back, eh?”

  “I sent him ahead to the hotel,” Annja said.

  Pradesh grinned. “He didn’t seem happy about having to leave. He’s quite loyal to you, you know. When he called me, all he could do was go on and on about needing to rescue you. It was rather heroic.”

  “He’ll turn out just fine, I think.”

  “A friend like that…” Pradesh shook his head. “You should consider yourself very lucky.”

  “In more ways than one. How am I being transported back to Hyderabad?”

  “We have an ambulance, if that suits you?”

  “That will be fine,” she said. “How long before I can get out of here?”

  Pradesh glanced at his watch. “Shortly, I would think. I just need to check with the driver.”

  Annja closed her eyes and then heard Pradesh leave the tent. She was still tired. But she spent a lot of her time focused on the sword where it rested in the otherwhere. And each time she did, she felt more of its strength flowing into her body and limbs.

  Thank God I was able to get the s
word back, she thought.

  If she hadn’t been able to… She shuddered at the thought of the feeder machine. But she’d been saved by Frank there, not the sword. She’d have to remember to thank him for that and put in a good word for him back at the offices in New York.

  She smiled to herself. Everything was going as it should. The guilty man was dead, and she was fortunately getting the hell out of this mountain.

  “Annja?”

  She opened her eyes. Pradesh stood there with a grin on his face. Annja wondered idly if he had a girlfriend. “Yes?”

  “We’re going to move you now. Is that okay?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Two men came into the tent and each grabbed an end of Annja’s cot. Then they carried her carefully outside, making sure not to jostle the cot too much. Annja was still connected to the IV, and Pradesh held that above her as they walked.

  Some of the workers stopped to see what was going on but the site still buzzed with activity. Annja looked up and saw the back of the ambulance doors open. It had been a very long time since she’d ridden in the back of an ambulance. She wondered if it was the same the world over.

  She’d soon find out.

  The two men slid the cot into the rear of the ambulance and then shut one of the doors. They left the other door open, and Pradesh hopped into the back of the wagon.

  “You okay?”

  Annja nodded.

  Pradesh finished hanging the IV up in the back of the ambulance. “All right. These guys are going to take you back to Hyderabad and get you squared away at the hospital. I’ve called Frank’s room to let him know that you’re on the way back to the city. I’m sure he’ll be waiting for you when you get there.”

  “Thank you, Pradesh.”

  “Just doing my job, Annja.”

  She shook her head. “No, you’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty. If my breath wasn’t so horrendous right now, I might give you a big kiss.”

  A strange look crossed his face, but he quickly smiled through it. “Well, thank you. That’s very nice of you to say. I may ask you to let the mayor know that I exceeded your expectations.”

  “Anything you need. Just ask.”

  “I’ll see you back at the hospital.”

  And then the second door closed. Annja was alone in the back of the ambulance. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

  Rest.

  That was what she needed.

  Lots of rest.

  She felt the ambulance shift as someone climbed into the front seat and started the engine. It thrummed, and Annja heard another door open and close. Probably the other attendant.

  “I’m ready, guys,” she called. “Let’s get the hell out of this place.”

  She had no idea whether they spoke English or not, but it felt good to say it.

  Then the back door opened and Dunraj jumped inside.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Dunraj held up a hand. “I wanted to see if it would be okay for me to hitch a ride back to the city with you.”

  “What, you don’t have your own car?”

  “Actually, no. Pradesh insisted I ride out with him in his cruiser. So, that leaves me without a way back, and I have some pressing business to attend to.” He smiled. “I’d consider it a great honor if you’d let me come along.”

  Annja hesitated. “Sure. Whatever. I might fall asleep on you, though.”

  “No problem.” He barked out a quick command in Hindi, and the ambulance started to roll forward. Dunraj tapped her IV bag. “You’re just about empty here. Let me hook you up with a fresh one.”

  “You don’t have to—”

  “Nonsense. I trained as a volunteer paramedic in school. We used to work the motorbike races on the Isle of Wight, and let me tell you, I saw my fair share of grievous injuries.” He attached the new bag and fed it into the line. “There, all set.”

  Annja felt every bump as the wheels rolled over the uneven ground. “Ouch.”

  Dunraj shifted, as well, and had to hold on to one of the supports in the back of the ambulance. “That’s the problem with construction sites. They’re always so full of potholes and ditches.”

  “How in the world did you ever manage to build an underground highway?” she asked. “It’s amazing.”

  Dunraj smiled. “Thank you. It wasn’t easy, of course. But I had a number of other projects in the area, which made hiding the construction of the highway fairly easy.”

  “A secret highway like this must have been a boon for your other projects.” She couldn’t help it—she still felt suspicious of him. Despite Pradesh’s assurances.

  “Absolutely. It’s allowed me to save a tremendous amount of money that I’ve subsequently channeled into other projects.”

  “Not to mention your bank account.”

  He shrugged. “I’m not only about the money, Annja. I do a lot of good work with inner-city charities. Children who would never have a chance at a successful life now have opportunities thanks to my generous donations.”

  Annja nodded. “That’s very kind of you. But weren’t you worried that someone might find out about your road here?”

  “Certainly,” Dunraj said. “The key, of course, was ensuring that none of the workers ever spoke of it.”

  “Was that difficult?”

  “I’ve been blessed in my life with the power of money,” Dunraj replied.

  “Yeah, but not everyone is so easily bought off, are they?”

  Dunraj eyed her. “Oh, I didn’t find it too difficult to ensure silence. A few extra bonuses here and there and the vast majority of workers were more than happy to never speak of it.”

  “But not all of them?”

  Dunraj shrugged again. “Well, we had one or two who proved to be less than willing to go along with our plans.”

  “And what did you do to them?” Annja asked. “I mean, if they couldn’t be bought off. How did you ensure their secrecy?”

  Dunraj hesitated slightly. “I made sure they knew that if they tried to talk to reporters, I would take whatever steps I deemed necessary to protect myself.”

  “Including force?”

  Dunraj shook his head. “Annja, I have at my disposal a veritable army of lawyers who like nothing better than to charge me exorbitant hourly fees to take care of people like the ones who threatened to expose me.”

  “You sued them?”

  “The workers were obligated to sign a confidentiality agreement when they started working for me. If they breached that agreement, I was able to silence them with just the threat of legal action.”

  “So it all worked out for you,” Annja said, thinking what a horrible guy he was, even if he wasn’t guilty of murder. She couldn’t wait to be rid of him. “That’s great.”

  Dunraj shifted as the ambulance took a turn. “Right up until my brother went off the rails and started jeopardizing my plans here. That was unacceptable, obviously.”

  “Yeah,” Annja said. “A real shame about that.”

  “You did me a rather big favor, Annja.”

  She looked at him. “Did I?”

  “If you hadn’t killed him, I might have been forced to do it myself.” He laughed. “And I so dislike the idea of getting my hands dirty.”

  Annja suddenly felt vulnerable, being alone with him in the back of the ambulance. Why hadn’t a paramedic ridden with her—or a medic? Whoever they employed as first aid in the mountain. “I’m not sure if you’re joking about this or not.”

  “Do you think I’m the type of man who makes a joke like that without there being something behind it?” Dunraj asked, raising his eyebrows.

  “I have no idea.”

  “You killed my brother.” Dunraj leaned closer. “And it saved me from a lengthy prison sentence. So, on that level, I must thank you.”

  “Uh, you’re welcome?” If he got any creepier, there was always the sword. She let herself relax a bit more.

  Dunraj patted her arm. “You need to rest. Beli
eve me, there will be plenty of time to talk once we arrive.”

  Annja closed her eyes, but not before she saw a thin smile cross Dunraj’s lips.

  Chapter 29

  Annja woke not to the sound of a bustling hospital, but rather to the sound of hushed voices. She opened her eyes and glanced around.

  Confused.

  She wasn’t in a hospital room.

  She was in darkness.

  Again.

  “Where am I?”

  “Annja?” Frank’s voice. But he was back in Hyderabad. She’d sent him there so he would be safe.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Dunraj,” Frank said. “You were right, Annja. He’s bad news.”

  Annja shook her head and tried to sit up. Her head swam as if she was wading through molasses. “I thought he said his brother was the sociopath.”

  She heard a laugh, but didn’t recognize the voice. “That’s what he wants everyone to believe.”

  “Who are you?”

  “She’s not used to the darkness yet,” Frank said. “It’s Kormi. Remember?”

  “Kormi? My God, I thought they killed you when we were escaping. I saw them jump on you.”

  “Yes, and I killed a number of them with my bare hands, too,” Kormi said. “But in the end, there were too many to handle on my own.”

  “I should have stayed. Together we could have defeated them all.”

  “No. It was far more important that you get away.” He sighed. “Although it appears it was all for nothing if we’ve just ended up back in this accursed mountain again.”

  “Someone better clue me in on what Dunraj is up to here. First I find out he’s got a nutcase twin brother, and then Dunraj is supposed to be some saint, and now it appears he was a scumbag all along? Seriously, what the hell is going on?”

  “I wish we knew,” Frank said. “I was on my way back to Hyderabad when the driver suddenly pulled a gun on me and drove me back to the mountain. I’ve been here ever since. Kormi was already here. And this time, the cell has bars on it. I guess they’re not taking any chances of us escaping.”

  “Wonderful.” Annja groaned. She was able to sit up at least. As for the poison, she felt as thought she’d gotten most of it out of her system, although she was still lethargic. “I’m assuming Dunraj drugged me with the new IV bag he administered. The jerk.”