The Trail of Four

by Manjiri Prabhu

  ‘To plot and plan for months! Poetic justice, Justin said. That’s the reason she hunted them out and sent those invites to Joanna and Perth. She wanted them to feel vindicated when the Schloss caught fire. And her plotting began the moment she discovered Reinhardt’s note to Stephanie, asking her to follow his trail and find the Gift. I believe Stephanie never could and she kept the note in a book. Martina had been to the Schloss for a seminar eight months ago when she discovered the note. That’s when she realized that the Gift was still around and the timing was perfect to implement her revenge.’

  ‘As a child, she did live with her great-grandmother and glorified her in her mind. The way she would listen to Lara’s Theme, for example. Martina was devoted to her memory and collected photographs and did research on her. I believe the old lady left a very lasting impression on her young mind. Finding Reinhardt’s note must’ve fuelled her imagination and thirst for revenge. The impression her great-grandmother left on her was so charged that she even suggested that Joanna play her favourite music on the dot of twelve. What better finale than the Schloss burning down to the tune of Lara’s Theme!’

  ‘And she found a perfect ally in Justin whom she met three months ago. I think it was around the same time that I began to feel the change in him. He avoided me, kept his distance. He could no more pretend to be in love with me because he had really fallen for Martina.’

  ‘Blind love. He risked his life for her. He risked recognition too, especially when he tried to slow down our search on the lake. He didn’t mean to kill us, merely wanted the discovery of the Trail delayed because Martina wanted Tim Wagner to arrive at the Schloss. He was her final target when she burned down the Schloss. But had we got a good view of him, you could’ve recognized him. It’s sad but Justin was so madly in love with Martina, that he was ready to kill for her. Even did murder poor Kit when Kit blackmailed him. In fact that was the perfect opportunity for him. Pass off Kit as Justin so that the CIA would never chase him again. Unfortunately for him, you recognized that it wasn’t him. That’s when he realized that you have now become an obstacle to him.’

  ‘And that’s the reason why he called me to the crypt. He knew he had planted bombs there and hoped that I would die. Luckily for me—for us—Stefan had done the needful.’ Tears of hurt welled up in her eyes and she brushed them away.

  ‘Don’t…I know that this is betrayal of the worst kind but don’t allow it to get a stranglehold on your life,’ Re warned. ‘Also, remember that the brainchild behind this whole plan was Martina. She used him, badly…’

  ‘And now she’s gone. And so is the painting—Reinhardt’s last gift to the Schloss. But you managed to stop the fire. I remember you said that you can see the vision but you can’t prevent it from happening, didn’t you? But you could! You saved the Schloss from being burnt down!’

  ‘Yes, I did, didn’t I? Mon Dieu I never realized that! It means that I can help prevent tragedies from happening!’ Re looked delighted at the sudden realization.

  They were silent for long moments, staring out at the lake, momentarily lost in their own thoughts. It shimmered, a beautiful emerald green and the Untersberg reflected on its glossy surface.

  ‘I can’t believe that we actually reached the end of the trail, in one piece!’ Isabel laughed. ‘It was a thrilling experience.’

  ‘It certainly was. We asked for it and we lived it,’ Re grinned.

  ‘Yes, we did, didn’t we?’

  They stared at each other, their shared experience like a thick bond between them.

  ‘Re, will you promise me something?’ she asked, suddenly.

  ‘Depends on what you want me to promise,’ he replied carefully but a twinkle lit up his eyes.

  ‘Will you go to India and meet your father now?’

  Re took in her grave face for a while. Then he nodded. ‘I will.’

  A warm smile flashed across her face and Re responded with matching warmth.

  ‘Oh, there you are!’

  Re turned around to see Stefan stride towards them, his face all smiles, a dimple showing on his right cheek. In his trademark long, black jacket and confident gait, he exuded charm. Re recalled his declaration of love and vote of confidence the previous night and the effect it had on Isabel.

  ‘He’s handsome,’ Re mumbled under his breath.

  Isabel turned to glance at him, an eyebrow raised cynically.

  ‘Hey, you two! It’s all clear now. Re, you can leave Salzburg any minute you wish.’

  ‘Oh, are you asking me to leave you two alone?’ Re asked, teasingly.

  ‘No!’ Stefan protested and Isabel blushed.

  ‘But I will,’ Re assured. ‘I shall take a quick walk round the lake. Perhaps my last stroll, because I return to Paris tomorrow.’

  ‘But you are still staying at the B&B, aren’t you?’ Isabel asked.

  ‘Yes, of course! I have also been invited for dinner at the Schloss tonight.’

  ‘In that case, I’ll see you in the evening.’

  Stefan clasped Re’s hand and shook it warmly. ‘Thank you for everything. I’ll keep in touch.’

  Re nodded and turned to saunter past the pink Meierhof. Earlier in the morning, he had said his goodbyes to Joanna and Perth and the Hollanders. Now it was time to say goodbye to his bench by the lake, to the two magnificent mansions and to Salzburg.

  ‘Re!’ Stefan called.

  Re turned around. Stefan and Isabel were standing close, warm smiles on their faces.

  ‘Re, you were right and I was wrong,’ Stefan concluded.

  Their eyes locked over the short distance.

  Re smiled. ‘As long as you remember it forever.’

  ***

  In Schloss Florenberg, Aaren faced the committee room. Only two days ago he had been here with a question. Only one person had made any attempt to answer it or even tried to rectify the situation. In his own immature manner. In his own sincere manner. The manner may have been wrong, but not so wrong that it should cost him his life. Poor Kit. He had seen the heart being stolen and had thought that he would bargain with the likes of black-hearted people like Justin. Little did he know that Justin would kill him. How could he not if he had to eliminate all witnesses? A young enthusiastic boy lost to bad luck. What a waste of a young life! With a sigh, Aaren realized that he would have to talk to the kid’s parents in Vienna. The worst was not yet over.

  ***

  Re stepped out of the Schloss premises, his heart a little heavy. He always felt this emptiness, this loneliness, at the end of a journey. Every case for him was like a journey… meeting new people…discovering friends…and then parting and moving on. It was a necessary hazard of his profession. He had trained himself to move on, with minimal damage to his heart and affections. But this time it felt different. Perhaps because it was a matter of his heart. His heart that ached for Nisa. For his little sister who had stumbled onto something big and suspicious in her research but never got around to sharing the details with him. Because the evening after she had called him to inform him, she had gone off with a friend for a short trip in the mountains. She had sent him a hazy shot of the friend. The next thing he had heard was the news that her car had driven off a cliff in a crash. There was no news of the friend and no mention of her in any newspaper. It was as if Nisa had been alone on her unfortunate trip. But Re knew. Nisa had not been alone when she had died. She had beseeched her friend to save her, but instead the friend had left her to die a slow and agonizing death. The sense of familiarity which had gripped him the moment he had set eyes on Martina, had been confirmed when he had double-checked her room and her file of newspaper clippings, where he had discovered the news reports of Nisa’s car crash. Hatred had welled up inside him. He longed for justice, for his beloved Nisa. And he had found the most perfect opportunity. Martina had struggled, leading herself towards the edge of the bank. Re had simply allowed her to…without any resistance. She had herself taken the plunge into the lake. He hadn’t tried to stop her. T
he Universe had taken charge of the rest…

  As he took the path by the lake, the ducks quacked and called. A couple was feeding them bread crumbs and a mass of birds swarmed down to grab them first. Re took a bench and stared out at the view of the Schloss and the Meierhof. Two stately yet cosy structures against the backdrop of a beautiful pink sky. He felt the tightness in his chest easing. Max Reinhardt would be pleased. Finally, the Trail had come to its logical end, and the heart was restored to the Schloss. And most importantly, the Schloss was safe.

  Re experienced a tingling in his body as the cool breeze lifted his ponytail. He closed his eyes behind his glasses and in a flash, he saw the Schloss in splendid glory. It was evening time and torches were lit along the banks of the lake. Re spotted a figure. A lonely, solitary figure standing by the bank. Reinhardt! For a moment, their eyes locked and then the figure lifted his arm in the semblance of a wave. Spontaneously, Re raised his arm too. A breeze wafted towards him and the image drifted away in the illuminated sparkle of the torches.

  Re’s eyes flew open with a jerk. The broad daylight contrasted against the darkness of the visual which still pressed behind his eyelids. Another image, Nisa’s image, superimposed itself on his mind. Her beautiful face… smiling…floating away in a wave…saying goodbye. The sun had peeped out from behind a cloud. He realized that his arm was still raised in action. He smiled, sudden warmth suffusing through his body. It was the warmth of love and gratitude, an emotion that had transcended time and touched his core. It was also mixed with a new, rather awed feeling of release. Release from the guilt of a tormenting truth.

  Re knew that some experiences last you a lifetime. This was one of them. He rose again and began his final stroll along the sun-drenched path, around the glistening lake.

  About the Author

  DR. MANJIRI PRABHU holds a Doctorate in Communication Science and is an independent film-maker for Television, a Writer/Novelist in English and also the founder/director of a Literary Festival. She has directed over 200 children’s TV programmes, more than 50 short fiction and travel films and has authored 9 books. Her unpublished psychological thriller novel was adapted into a Hindi feature film by NFDC, titled Kuchh Dil Ne Kaha. Her thesis, converted into a book, titled Roles: Reel and Real, has become a rare reference book for students of Hindi cinema. Prabhu has been acknowledged as a pioneer in India among women writers of mystery fiction, and she has a diverse global fan following. She is also the first female mystery Author to be published outside India and has been labelled as the ‘Desi Agatha Christie’. She has been invited to reputed International Literature Festivals like the Agatha Christie Festival, UK and International Women Fiction Writers, Matera, Italy. Her novels ‘The Cosmic Clues’ was selected as a Killer Book, by Independent Mystery Booksellers of America and ‘The Astral Alibi’ was honoured as a ‘Notable Book’ in the Kiriyama Prize. As the Founder/Director of Pune International Literary Festival, Prabhu has brought Pune city on the International map of Literature and Arts festivals. She believes that literature heals and is a prerequisite to a peaceful society. She is leading the festival very passionately and with utmost commitment to make it better, more vibrant, unique and different from other festivals in the category.