Richard shrugged. “What can I say? I like to read. But that still doesn’t get us inside, does it?”
“Any other ideas, Mr. Well Rested First Class Traveler?”
Richard turned and noticed a man pushing a wooden cart near them. He came to a brief stop and Richard seized his opportunity to query the man.
“Excuse me, sir,” Richard said. “Do you happen to know why the gate is closed?”
“It’s been closed all day,” the man said.
“Do you happen to know why?”
“No one will say,” he replied as he resumed his walk down the dusty road.
Richard eased up to the gate as he heard footsteps approaching. “Is anyone in there?”
The sound of a bolt sliding out of place made Richard take a few steps backward as he glanced over at his fellow agent. David’s eyes widened as he also awaited someone to step from behind the large door.
“May I help you gentlemen?” asked an elderly man clad in a saffron robe.
“We were hoping to speak with one of your monks,” Richard said.
“I’m sorry, but we’re all in mourning right now and cannot be disturbed,” he said as he walked back inside.
“It’s really important,” Richard said. “The monk’s name is Erden.”
The monk stopped and turned slowly toward his two visitors.
“That’s the brother we’re mourning for,” he said as he closed the door.
Chapter 12
RICHARD AND DAVID RETURNED to the monastery the next morning to inquire again about Erden. A visit to the police station the evening before had proved fruitless as an officer there explained that natural causes was determined to be the reason for the monk’s death and that they wouldn’t be investigating further. But the two Army Intelligence agents weren’t convinced.
After they waited for a few minutes, a monk opened the gate and welcomed them inside. He ushered them to the main office to meet with the abbot, Daifu Jamyang.
Daifu welcomed his surprise guests inside and invited them to sit down on the floor with him. Richard and David removed their shoes and complied.
“As you might well imagine, this is a difficult time for us,” Daifu said. “Erden was a beloved brother and an important part of our community here. We’re all still in shock over what happened, especially since he was only thirty-six.”
“Our condolences to you,” Richard said as he nodded solemnly. “It’s never easy to make sense of death when someone is taken from us earlier than expected.”
“You have experience with this?” Daifu asked.
“I lost my brother a few years ago when he was still young and full of life. It took me a few years to make peace with his death. And I still miss him terribly.”
“But you found a way, as will we,” Daifu said. “What exactly is the reason for your interest in Erden? Did you know him before he joined the monastery here?”
David shook his head. “We never met him. However, we’re looking for a group of men, a group that we believe Erden met with right before he died. And we think they might be the ones responsible for his death.”
“But Erden died in his sleep,” Daifu said. “There was nothing suspicious about how his life ended. He simply didn’t wake up one morning.”
“Did he have a history of good health?” Richard asked.
“As far as I know, he was in outstanding health. He was always one of our more diligent workers in the garden, tirelessly pulling weeds and tending the crops. I’m convinced the reason we had a greater yield over the past two years was because of his involvement there.”
“With all due respect, men who are in good health don’t just die in their sleep at such a young age,” David said.
“What other way is there to explain it?” the abbot asked. “No one enters through our gates without us knowing about it. And there wasn’t anyone else inside that night other than the monks.”
“Are you sure about that?” Richard asked.
“Yes,” Daifu answered. “We must take careful note of who enters our monastery.”
“Why is that? Have you had people attempt to kill some of the monks before?” David asked.
“Absolutely not, but we have had incidents where people sought to harm our brothers in other ways. The intent was never to kill but certainly to embarrass or shame the men here. So we decided to take measures to prevent such events from happening again.”
Richard sighed and looked out the window into the courtyard. “Yet something happened to him, right here, inside these walls.”
“That’s what you’re claiming,” the abbot said. “We’re satisfied that he simply died in his sleep.”
“But what if he didn’t?” Richard asked. “What if there’s a murderer lurking in your midst? What then?”
“I would want to extract that person from our sacred community,” Daifu said. “We have no place for violent behavior among us.”
“At least let us help you,” David said.
Daifu took a step back and stroked his chin as he stared at his visitors. “Why is this so important to you?”
“Look, I understand what you’re going through as a community,” Richard began. “It’s not easy, but there’s something bigger at stake here. We believe there’s a group of German special agents seeking to enrich their coffers to go to war again very soon. And we suspect that Erden somehow knew something that they needed know. I’m even more convinced of that since he’s passed away. They wouldn’t kill him unless they felt threatened by him or feared that he might tell someone about the nature of their visit. I’m betting it was the latter.”
Daifu steepled his fingers and pressed them gently against his lips. He closed his eyes and remained silent for a few moments.
“That type of inquiry might upset the men,” Daifu said. “They are still very upset as Erden was beloved by all.”
But Richard continued to press Daifu. “Is avoiding momentary pain a worthy sacrifice if it helps put a stop to the Germans’ ambitions of another war?”
“You’re a wise man,” the abbot said. “I will allow it, but only for the next three hours. This doesn’t need to be drawn out. Ask your questions and then leave, for the good of our souls so we can mourn again.”
Richard and David affirmed their intent to work swiftly and delicately before Daifu assigned them an escort while they remained in the compound.
During the first hour, they split up to interview a number of monks who worked with Erden on certain projects outside the monastery walls. However, nothing seemed to make Erden particularly important to the Germans. When Richard and David took a break, they discussed what they’d learned, which wasn’t much.
“So far, I don’t have anything that makes sense as to why Wilhelm would want to track down this monk,” Richard said.
“But the fact that the Reichswehr unit was here and now Erden is dead is reason enough to believe that he was important in some way.”
“We just don’t know how—and that’s the problem.”
As Richard and David prepared to return to the interviews, Daifu wore a furrowed brow as he approached them.
“What is it?” Richard asked. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m afraid you’ve upset some of the men,” the abbot said. “We have a festival to prepare for tomorrow, and some of the other monks have asked to forego your inquiries as they want to make sure they finish their other duties on time.”
“Can we come back another time?” David asked.
“I’m sorry, but I need to ask you to leave.”
“But we were just getting started,” David protested. “I thought you wanted justice for Erden. I thought you didn’t want to be responsible for aiding these men who are determined to start another war.”
“That’s not my role in this world,” Daifu said. “And I don’t wish to discuss this any further with you.”
Two bulkier monks strode up beside Diafu, flanking him on each side. The subtle message was clear.
&n
bsp; “Thank you for your time and for opening up your monastery to us,” Richard said. “We’ll figure out another way to stop those men and get answers regarding Erden’s death.”
“May you be well,” Daifu said.
David didn’t move until Richard grabbed his fellow agent’s arm and tugged him toward the gate.
“He’s not changing his mind,” Richard whispered. “Let’s go.”
With the two monks enforcing Daifu’s wishes, Richard and David exited the compound. They stopped and watched the gate slowly swing shut, listening as the iron latch fell into place. David kicked at the dirt and let out a string of expletives.
“Now we’re at the mercy of someone seeing those Germans and reporting it to someone who gets the word back to Army Intelligence,” David said. “And it takes an enormous amount of luck for that to happen.”
“It’s not out of the realm of possibility.”
David shook his head and pursed his lips. “Even if the stars aligned for us, by the time we found out about it, the Reichswehr unit would’ve had time to disappear again. I feel like we’re chasing a ghost across this godforsaken country.”
“Well, what do you want to do now?” Richard asked. “Want to get on a train tomorrow and return to Simla to deliver the good news to Harvey in person?”
“Let’s hold off on that,” David said. “I’m tired and need a drink.”
* * *
LATER THAT EVENING, Richard and David found a small English-style pub three blocks from their hotel. Richard swilled his ginger beer, while David polished off his second pint. The two men continued to speculate on what it was that Wilhelm wanted with Erden, though neither of the agents could conceive of an idea that made sense.
“It just seems so random,” Richard said. “At this point, the only thing that we know is that Wilhelm knew we were following him and wanted to throw us off his trail.”
David shrugged. “Maybe that’s it, though didn’t he send one of his men to kill you? How would he even know if you’re alive or not, especially since you threw him overboard in the middle of a storm? There’s no way he survived that.”
“I don’t know. There was a German in Maredumilli. It could be him. Or there could’ve been a rendezvous location for the assassin from the Gold Shell to report the outcome, and if he never made it there, that could’ve signaled that I was still alive.”
David stared at his empty glass. “We’re just guessing right now. The truth is we know little more than we did before we came here. At best, we’ve lost several more days in tracking them down.”
“Speaking of which, we need to get back to our hotel and get to bed,” Richard said. “Our train leaves at 7:00a.m. tomorrow, and I want to be well rested for the ride seeing that I haven’t met any generous benefactors to grant me a first class ticket.”
“You’re probably right,” David said as he stood and slid his chair beneath their table.
Once the two agents left the pub, they walked a block before a man tapped Richard on the shoulder. He spun around to see a man clad in a saffron robe. David, who had continued walking, hustled back to rejoin Richard.
“What do you want?” Richard asked. “Were you friends with Erden?”
The monk nodded. “I’m the one who convinced him to join the monastery. I thought it would be a safe place for him.”
Richard furrowed his brow. “A safe place? Was he in danger?”
“Yes,” the monk said. “He knew too much—and I knew eventually it would catch up with him.”
“Knew too much about what?” David asked.
“Our country’s greatest secrets. He was chosen to be the guardian of all of India’s wealth, keeping it safe from the British.”
“Was this some kind of order?” Richard asked.
The monk nodded. “It was established long ago when the British first came here and began to colonize India. The leaders were powerless to stop the English from ruling, but they created a group called Abhib, short for abhibhaavak. It means guardian in Hindi.”
“And Erden was chosen?” Richard asked.
“Years ago, his grandfather became the first guardian and passed the duties along to his son and then Erden. He never told me everything he knew, but he explained once that instead of writing down where all the wealth was stored, there were individuals dispersed all across the world who knew where a single treasure was hidden. However, Erden was responsible for knowing where each one of those people were when the British were finally expelled from our country.”
“So the identities of their locations died with him?” David asked.
“There are two other guardians, but the information has never been written down. The leaders at the time deemed it better that way in order to protect that list from ever falling into the wrong hands.”
“It might be a little too late for that now,” Richard said. “Is there anything you can help us with?”
The monk nodded. “I share a room with Erden—and I also shared his secret. He knew he was dying in the middle of the night. I woke up to try to help him.”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone this?” David asked.
“I was responsible for bringing Erden into the community,” the monk said. “If I told them what I knew, they would’ve rejected me. Such an offense is an unforgivable one, even within Buddhism.”
“What did he say?” Richard asked.
“He told me the location of all the men and made me commit it to memory. And then he told me what the Germans wanted.”
“And?” David asked.
“They inquired about a treasure, though Erden didn’t tell me which one. He just told me the name of the man the Germans sought. He’s Dalir Abbasi, an art dealer in the market in Torkham, Afghanistan.”
“Afghanistan,” Richard repeated as his eyes widened.
“Yes,” the monk said. “They have a few days’ head start. You must hurry if you intend to find these men and deal with them accordingly. However, I’m afraid it might be too late.”
A train whistle pierced the night sky.
“That train leaves in five minutes,” Richard said to David. “And we need to be on it.”
“The train won’t take you all the way there,” the monk said. “You must travel through Khyber Pass to reach Torkham.”
“But isn’t Khyber Pass forbidden right now?” David asked.
“We’ll have to get creative,” Richard said.
Chapter 13
RICHARD AND DAVID NEEDED five days to reach Peshwar, India’s last major outpost, before entering the Khyber Pass. During the trip, Richard had managed to snag first-class tickets for himself on all five legs of the journey, while he secured passes for three first-class legs for David. Their conversations ranged from favorite baseball teams to the recovery effort taking place in Europe since the end of the Great War. More than anything, Richard began to develop a deeper appreciation for his colleague and all that he had done since the conflict ended.
Upon reaching Peshwar, the conversation shifted toward their purpose for being there and how they could travel through the Khyber Pass to reach Torkham, Pakistan. Finding an art dealer in a small market seemed simple enough, but getting there the greater—and far more dangerous—challenge, a fact they learned upon speaking with an officer at the military outpost in Peshwar.
Lieutenant Langhari explained that Khyber Pass was the only suitable thoroughfare for automobiles to travel between Afghanistan and Pakistan for hundreds of miles in either direction.
“The thieves living in the mountains have made a sport of robbing tourists and other naïve travelers. When the British military threatened to lay waste to the pillagers’ way of life, they came to the peace table and negotiated a deal. On Tuesdays and Fridays, all vehicles would be left alone, but the other days of the week, anyone traveling along that path is fair game. As a consequence, Tuesdays and Fridays constitute a mad dash along the steep road early in the morning to avoid driving through the sun-baked cliffs in the heat of the day.
“What’s the best way to get through?” Richard asked.
“I can take you to Landi Kotal, which is the last Pakistani village before you begin your ascent up Khyber Pass,” Langhari said. “I have to check on how our border agents are doing, and you are welcome to join me.”
“And then what?” David asked.
“You can’t very well hike up the pass. However, you might be able to find someone to let you ride with them for the right price.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” David said.
“In that case, I’m leaving in about an hour. Just wait outside the gates here, and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
When Langhari returned, he ushered Richard and David to a transport truck, and the three of them crammed inside.
“I’m sorry that this isn’t a more comfortable ride,” Langhari said.
“We’ll manage,” David said. “Or at least, I’ll manage. I’ve spent plenty of time riding in third class carriages on trains across the continent, unlike Mr. First Class here.”
“Don’t act like I’m some sort of English lord,” Richard fired back. “I’m just resourceful.”
“And conniving,” David sniped.
Langhari shook his head. “Getting from one point to another can be challenging no matter how you travel. The fact that you both were able to get this far is a testament to your good fortune and your fortitude.”
When they reached Landi Kotal, the officer wished Richard and David good luck as they departed. They found a hostel Langhari had recommended and secured their personal effects before asking around about vehicles that would be traveling over the pass early the next morning.
The mail carrier was the only one who had space in his vehicle, though he wasn’t immediately inclined to allow the two agents to join him even with the offer of several pounds.
“It’s very hot when we reach the summit,” said Fahad as he eyed Richard and David closely. “Just because I have room doesn’t mean I should try to fill it with two people.”
“I’m pleading with you,” Richard said. “Is there anything else I can do to persuade you to take us?”
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