Fullerton took a step back and raised his hands in air. “I can’t make the authorities apprehend those two. I can only share what they’ve been accused of and what they did in my district.”
Wilhelm’s nostrils flared as he held a steady gaze on Fullerton. “The reason we’re paying you is to ensure that our expedition across India runs smoothly. Instead, you failed to keep those two miscreants in prison and now they’re here—and they’re ruining all our plans.”
“I’m sorry for the inconvenience,” Fullerton said. “Things here aren’t like they are in Germany. We can’t just go around flinging people into jail on a whim.”
“Felix told me you found a way to do that in Maredumilli. So, why not here?”
“This isn’t my city.”
“Then make it yours,” Wilhelm said.
“I’ve done all I can do for now.”
“Go put pressure on the chief superintendent. I’m holding you accountable if this situation isn’t resolved to my satisfaction.”
“But, sir, you must understand, I—”
Wilhelm pointed at the door. “Go.”
Reinhard, who had been out with the other troops scouring the streets for any signs of Richard Halliburton and his accomplice, entered the room as Fullerton was exiting. He didn’t attempt to step aside, putting the full weight of his shoulder into Reinhard.
Reinhard stopped and stared at Fullerton, but the man didn’t turn around as he stormed out of the room.
“What did you say to him?” Reinhard asked, nodding in the direction of Fullerton.
Before Wilhelm could answer, the sound of the front door slamming echoed through the room.
“Some men need extra motivation to do the job they’re required to do,” Wilhelm said while staring into his glass of port. “Especially that man.”
“I take it the police haven’t found our two meddlers,” Reinhard said, settling down onto the stool next to Wilhelm.
“They found the truck, but it was empty,” Wilhelm said. “The driver said that we cleaned out all our belongings so he drove home on two flat tires so he could fix them there.”
“And we’re just letting him walk away?” Reinhard asked.
“It was a sensitive situation, but we will pay him a visit tonight now that we know where he lives.”
“You think that will make a difference? If he believes we took the treasures, then—”
Wilhelm shook his head, sneering in disgust as he interrupted. “He knows exactly what he’s doing. I have no doubt that Mr. Halliburton is paying the driver handsomely to keep quiet or has cut him in on the spoils. Either way, we will have a tough time convincing him to join us without sufficient motivation.”
Reinhard sighed and ordered a drink. “Sometimes, there are people who will never be swayed to our way of thinking. You can’t reason with them. In many cases, they’re unable to see how they’re wrong. So you have to take a different approach when forced coercion won’t bring about what you desire.”
“Is there a point to your philosophizing?”
“I’m getting there,” Reinhard said. “When I was in school, there was a boy in my class who had a toy sailboat. He carried it everywhere he went like it was a pet but never once placed with it in the pond on the school grounds. One day, I asked if I could play with his boat. He refused and retreated from the rest of the class. I decided to ask every day because I wanted him to see what an incredible toy it was and how it could float on the water. As I pressed him, he became angrier and more violent. One day, I attempted to take it, but he flew at me, knocking me to the ground. We fought for a few minutes until one of the teachers saw us and tore us apart. I received a warning for the incident and was told that if I engaged another student like that again, I would be expelled. That wasn’t an option since I was terrified of my father and what he might do to me. So, I decided that if I was going to get my hands on that boat, I needed another strategy. The next day, I spoke with all the boys in my class and offered them a small bounty to retrieve the toy boat. And it worked. The boy just handed it over to another student, who promptly brought it to me. I raced to the water and launched the boat, much to the excitement of everyone—except the little boy, of course.”
“I almost shed a tear,” Wilhelm said, his response dripping with sarcasm.
“Look, we’re in foreign territory and not in a position to impose our will on that truck driver. But we might be able to accomplish the same goal by making it worth the while of other people in the city to help us out.”
“We’ve already placed a bounty on him.”
Reinhard nodded. “So we increase it. Someone will come forward if the reward is handsome enough.”
“What amount do you think will coax the people of Jaipur to take action? A hundred pounds?”
“Two hundred,” Reinhard said. “They’ll never get out of here alive.”
“Make it so, ”Wilhelm said.
Reinhard sprang from his seat and then exited the pub. Wilhelm ordered another drink.
* * *
RAJIV WAS RELAXING on the rooftop, smoking his pipe as his after dinner treat. He was exhausted from a hard day of work and settled into his favorite chair to watch the sun slip beneath the horizon. The sounds of music filled the streets as it did every evening in Jaipur, while Rajiv rocked gently to the rhythms of the festive songs.
Most evenings, Rajiv shared the moment with Smita. But not tonight. Rajiv’s monkey had taken a liking to the Americans and had become their shadow. No amount of enticement could draw Smita away from his new friends, who didn’t seem bothered by the animal’s mischievous spirit. But Smita knew his way home, and if he was being ignored, he’d either split or let everyone know about it.
Rajiv was halfway through his smoke when he noticed a big commotion in the street. He got out of his chair and strode to the edge of the roof so he could see what was happening. Men raced down the street, shouting at people sitting outside on their doorsteps. Meanwhile, other groups of boys huddled up before dispersing in opposite directions.
“Rajiv!” a young man from the street called out.
“What’s happening?” Rajiv asked with a smile.
“There are two American criminals on the loose in Jaipur.”
“What have they done?”
The young man shrugged. “I don’t know. But what I do know is that a constable told me there is a reward of two hundred pounds to anyone who knows where they are.”
“Two hundred pounds?” Rajiv asked as his mouth fell agape.
“That’s right. You heard me correctly. Two hundred pounds.”
Rajiv spun around and dropped his pipe on the table next to his chair. He raced back inside and didn’t stop running.
Sandeep needs to know about this—or maybe he doesn’t.
Chapter 23
RICHARD AND DAVID WRAPPED their heads with navy-blue cloths to form neatly tied pagris and donned matching white shirts and dhotis before venturing out into the streets. Smita followed after them before he latched onto Richard’s leg and summited him, perching on his shoulder.
“You’re quite persistent,” Richard said to Smita, who only responded with a toothy grin. “And cheeky too.”
They shuffled along, keeping their heads down as they walked toward the fort.
“You realize this mission is doomed,” David said. “Once this fails, we’re going to—”
“I’m going to sock you in the mouth if you continue to spew such nonsense,” Richard said. “This plan is going to work.”
David ignored the threat. “As I was saying, when this plan doesn’t work, we’re going to need to be proactive in contacting Harvey so he can get another team of agents in place to prevent the Reichswehr from stealing out of the country with an immense fortune.”
“There’s only one problem to your depressing scenario,” Richard said.
“What’s that?”
“We still have the entire fortune. The Germans aren’t going to get their hands on it; we�
�re going to see to that.”
“I think we’d be better off trying to sneak it onto a train and take it away from Jaipur,” David suggested. “We’d at least have somewhat better odds.”
“Nonsense,” Richard said. “We need to do the thing they’d least expect. For all we know, they think we’re trying to steal the treasure away for our country. Returning it to the fort is not what they’ll expect. And if we do that, we can get out of here without any further charges being brought against us.”
“I heard that little phrase—further charges,” David said. “That’s because you know there are already charges pending against us.”
“Yes, but we’re in a larger city now. We can get those reduced or dropped without having to return to the dark forest to reclaim our good names.”
“The British legal system doesn’t work like ours,” David warned. “Getting a fair trial isn’t a given.”
“It’s not a given back home either, but at least it’s more likely than not.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
Richard sighed. “Well, all this yammering on about nothing is worthless because this plan is going to work. You’ll see. Isn’t that right, Smita?”
The monkey clapped his hands and grinned.
“When you can only get an animal to agree with you, you should know that something is amiss,” David said.
“You can thank me later,” Richard said. “In the meantime, I’m going to pretend like you didn’t just doubt me.”
“Sorry, it’s in my nature,” David said. “I’m just not as confident as you are.”
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived near the outskirts of Jaipur where several tourist camps were stacked next to each other, all of them with some gimmicky mechanism for transporting sightseers up the long ramp leading to Fort Jaigahr. For the purposes of Richard’s plan, Thomas Cook & Son’s tour company appeared to be the most promising and also the most challenging. It utilized a fleet of elephants to usher customers up and down the pathway that zigged and zagged to the fort’s gate, a much more exotic method compared to horses or the traditional rickshaws.
With only an hour of daylight left and access to the fort closed more than an hour earlier, the stables holding the elephants were locked. Richard shook the gates just to be sure, and they didn’t open.
“Now what?” David asked.
“We need to get inside if we’re going to pull this off tonight.”
Richard knelt and peered toward the far wall where a rack of keys was affixed. He helped Smita down to the ground.
“You’re gonna get the monkey to do this?” David asked before sighing. “I hope you’re beginning to see that my skepticism is appropriate.”
Richard ignored David and gestured toward the keys. “Go get them for me, Smita. Be a good boy.”
Smita eased through the bars and bounded toward the area where Richard pointed. Looking back once more, the monkey received the affirmation he needed and leaped up the wall. He grabbed one of the empty nodules with one hand and swung up to snatch a set of keys with the other. Once he hit the ground, he scurried to Richard.
“Good boy,” Richard said, rubbing the monkey’s head.
Richard stood and cast a sideways glance at David. “You were saying?”
“Dumb luck,” David said as he cracked a smile.
Richard opened the gate, and then they slipped inside to inspect the elephants. Several of the elephants were lying down, their decorative crimson saddle blankets hung up in the corner of each stall. He climbed over one of the fences to inspect it more closely.
“What do you think?” David asked. “Is this going to work?”
Richard shoved his hand inside and felt along the stitching. The strength of the fabric and the depth of the pockets were the two major determining factors. Satisfied that they would get the job done, he turned toward David.
“We have a winner,” Richard said. “This is going to work.”
“We need to get back before it gets too late, especially if we intend on transporting all of the treasure back here tonight,” David said.
“Before we do that, we need to go see Sandeep again.”
“What for? Those Reichswehr operatives might be waiting for us there.”
“We need his help,” Richard said.
“It also jeopardizes the entire mission if one of the constables wants to question him again.”
“They’re done with him. The Germans are going to focus their search for us. And as long as we keep our heads down—”
“We’re going to look rather suspicious, with or without Sandeep.”
Richard smiled and slapped David on the back. “Trust me. We’ll be fine.”
They hustled toward the center of the city, which had become much more lively as the sun was getting closer to disappearing for the day. Richard and David kept their heads down as they wove in and out of the people bustling through the streets.
When they drew near to Sandeep’s house, they darted down an alley, approaching from behind.
“If you’re so sure no one is going to be there, why aren’t we marching up to the front door?” David asked.
“We should still be cautious,” Richard said as Smita squawked. “See, even Smita agrees.”
“Just keep Smita quiet,” David said. “And just for the record, I think this is a bad idea.”
“Your dissent has been registered.”
Richard headed up a stairwell that led to the rooftop. However, just as he ascended high enough to see the balcony, he stopped and eased back down.
“What is it?” whispered David.
“Wilhelm is here with several of his men,” Richard said. “They’re speaking with Sandeep.”
“I knew it,” David said. “He’s turning us in.”
Smita sprang off Richard’s shoulder and raced onto the balcony.
Richard and David quietly descended the steps, listening to Wilhelm’s conversation with Sandeep.
“There’s a handsome reward if you have any information about where these men are,” Wilhelm said.
“How much again?” Sandeep asked.
“Two hundred pounds,” Wilhelm said.
“Well, in that case—”
Smita disrupted their conversation by screeching.
“What is it?” Sandeep asked.
Richard hit the last step when he could almost feel everyone looking at him. The scuffle of feet toward the edge made him turn around for a quick glance. They were all standing near the stairs and staring at him.
“There he is,” Wilhelm said. “Seize him.”
Richard and David broke into a dead sprint.
Chapter 24
WILHELM SHOUTED ORDERS to the Reichswehr agents hustling down the steps in pursuit the two U.S. Army Intelligence operatives. Perched above the city on the second story roof of Sandeep’s house, Wilhelm held a powerful vantage point and used his booming voice to keep the hunt close. He watched as Richard and David wove back and forth like a pair of rats in a maze. However, after a couple minutes, Wilhelm could no longer see them or his men.
“Let’s go,” he said to Reinhard.
“What if they come back?” Reinhard asked.
“Give them more credit than that. They didn’t get this far by making dumb decisions. Now, come on.”
Wilhelm reached inside his jacket and fingered his gun. He drew it out, keeping it aimed toward the ground.
“Put that away,” Reinhard said in a stern tone. “We’re archeologists, not soldiers. Remember?”
Wilhelm didn’t allow anyone to speak to him so harshly, except for Reinhard. The unit’s second in command took advantage of the permission granted to him to state serious concerns frankly when necessary. Wilhelm never liked it when Reinhard talked to him in such a manner, though there was no protest.
Wilhelm shoved his gun back into its holster as they navigated through the alleyways of the city.
“Where did you last see them?” Reinhard asked.
/> “They were about three blocks to the east from where we were.”
“And did you notice any pattern to their escape?”
“No, it was sheer chaos, a race for survival.”
“Don’t worry, sir. We’re going to find them—and the treasure.”
“We better,” growled Wilhelm.
As they approached an intersection, they cut to the right and dodged the onslaught of people shuffling home as nightfall had set in and the evening revelry in the streets was dying down. After a matter of minutes, Wilhelm realized he hadn’t seen a single member of his crew.
“Where did they go?” Wilhelm said. “They couldn’t just disappear like that, at least not two Americans in the middle of an Indian city.”
“But there are quite a number of British people in this area, so it might be easier to blend in than you think,” Reinhard said.
“It’s either that or we’re stupid,” Wilhelm said. “They could still be right here, just beneath our noses.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over this, sir. We were at a significant disadvantage from the beginning. They only have to avoid capture, while we have to pluck them from an eclectic mixture of people in Jaipur. I don’t need to tell you that our task is far more challenging.”
Wilhelm growled. He needed to take his aggression out on someone, and he preferred it to be the two Americans. However, he wasn’t sure that was going to happen any time soon.
A man pushed his way past the German commander and his second and drove his shoulder into Wilhelm.
“Hey! Watch it,” Wilhelm sneered.
The man didn’t flinch, continuing his route as if nothing of significance had happened.
“Hey! I’m talking to you,” Wilhelm barked again.
Unresponsive to Wilhelm’s angry calls, the man continued trudging along. And Wilhelm decided to make an example out of the man. Without hesitating, Wilhelm rushed up grabbed the man by his collar, pulling him backward. Wilhelm drew back his clenched fist and prepared to strike when Reinhard put his hand on Wilhelm’s shoulder.
“Not now,” Reinhard said. “The last thing you need to do is make a scene. Just let him go.”
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