“I refuse to believe the worst about people, no matter how hard you might try to convince me. You go ahead and judge Sarita, but I’m going to withhold any kind of accusations until we find her.”
“Which might not ever happen—and you know it.”
“Do you think we should just leave?” Richard asked. “Because I certainly won’t feel like this mission was a success if we do. I want to see this thing through to the end before meeting back up with Harvey.”
“Fine,” David said, “we’ll keep looking for her. We can’t very well fill out a report until we know what’s actually happened with all the treasure anyway.”
“Excellent. Now I recommend we circle the market several times to see if we missed her somehow. She has to be here.”
“Okay, but stay alert,” David said. “The Reichswehr agents are everywhere.”
Richard and David spent the next half hour slowly moving in and out of the crowd in search of Sarita. A couple times, Richard thought he found her only to be fooled by another woman who held a similar striking appearance. David grew impatient and recommended they look elsewhere.
“But what if she comes back?” Richard asked.
“What if she’s already on a train to Calcutta? We could play this game all day long, but it’s not going to change the fact she’s not here. And the more time that passes, the less hopeful I get that we’re going to get back the fortune.”
Richard spun to look in the opposite direction when he collided with a man carrying a bucket of hot coals. Jarred loose by the contact, several of them fell to the ground and two of them fell onto Richard’s foot. He let out a yelp before crumpling to grab the burned skin. David knelt next to his colleague.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Richard removed his hand to peek at the wound. The skin had already turned red, and a searing pain throbbed in his foot.
“I’m sorry,” the man said. “I didn’t see you and. . . Hey, aren’t you one of those Americans who—”
“Do I sound like a bloody American?” Richard asked in a feigned English accent, which was good enough to immediately quell any doubts about the origin of his birthplace. “You just dumped blazing coals on me, and all you can think about is getting some reward. Go on.”
The man scooped up the remaining coals with a castiron spoon and lumped them back into his bucket. Richard waited for the man to disappear before moving. Once he was gone, Richard attempted to get back on his feet but stumbled again.
“Are you all right?” asked another man who had stopped nearby.
Richard didn’t look up as he waved off the man and conjured up his British accent again. “I’ll be fine.”
“Richard,” the man said, “is that you?”
Richard looked above to see Sandeep standing with a basket tucked underneath one arm and his pangi in the other.
“Please tell me that lid is fastened tightly,” Richard said, realizing it was safe to switch back to his natural speaking voice. “I just got hot coals dumped on my foot. The last thing I need on top of that is a snake bite.”
“It is you,” Sandeep said. “What are you doing out in the open like this? Those German soldiers are still looking for you along with the rest of the city. It’s not safe for you to be here.”
“In more ways than one apparently,” Richard said, glancing down at his foot. David and Sandeep helped Richard upright.
“Just keep your head down and come with me,” Sandeep said. “I’m almost certain the Germans are still watching me.”
“Where are you taking us?” David asked.
“I have a friend who runs an apothecary. She’ll be able to give Richard something to soothe that burn.”
“Are you sure she’s trustworthy?” David asked.
“You won’t meet a better person,” Sandeep said. “I can assure you of that.”
They peeled out of the main square and scurried along a road for a few minutes until Sandeep darted down a side street and knocked on a door.
“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” David said. “Why don’t we stand aside and out of view while you get the balm for Richard’s injury?”
Sandeep shrugged. “If you insist.”
Richard and David stood with their backs against the wall, heads down to avoid being easily noticed. The door creaked as it opened, and a woman’s voice echoed in the alleyway.
“Sandeep, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit today?” she said.
Richard recognized her immediately. He looked up and strode up behind Sandeep.
“Sarita,” Richard said, “we thought you were gone?”
Sarita eyed him carefully before glancing to the left and right. Then she gestured for them to come inside.
“What happened?” she asked once they were all safely in her house.
“It’s a burn from hot coals,” Richard said. “I was—”
“We have the same question for you,” David said. “We were starting to wonder if you’d run off with all our possessions.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I—I had somewhere to be.”
“Where are the bags we asked you to take care of for us?” David asked.
She sighed and looked down. “They’re—they’re some place safe.”
“What are you not telling us?” Richard asked. “It’s okay, whatever it is.”
“Go ahead, Sarita,” Sandeep said. “Tell them where you were.”
She shuffled across the room toward a table that contained several potted plants. “Let me get something for that burn on your foot.”
“Sarita, it’s okay,” Sandeep said. “They’re not going to tell anyone.”
“Tell anyone what?” David asked.
Sarita turned around and was holding an aloe leaf. Kneeling next to Richard’s foot, she cracked open the leaf and applied the soothing balm.
“Where are our bags?” David asked again.
Richard held out his hand, gesturing for David to calm down.
“It’s at the leper colony,” she said as she looked at the floor. “No one else will go there to tend to their other sicknesses, something I learned when my uncle contracted leprosy. So, I started making regularly scheduled visits twice a week.”
“And you’ve never gotten the disease?” Richard asked.
“I’ve been doing this for five years now, and I’m completely healthy. But what I do there is a well-kept secret. If anyone found out, my business in the marketplace would be ruined.”
“We won’t tell a soul,” Richard said.
“But what about our bags?” David asked. “We need those back as soon as possible.”
“I can’t go for another three days,” she said. “The women who deliver food to the colony hide me beneath a blanket on their cart. If I were to go up there, someone would see me, and it’d be devastating.”
“Then we’ll go,” Richard said. “Tell us where it’s hidden.”
“Okay,” Sarita said. “I’m so sorry I didn’t bring it back with me, but I just couldn’t carry it. The bags were too heavy. What was in them?”
“Just some things we found that we’re trying to return to the rightful owner,” Richard said.
“I’ll draw you a map,” she said. “But you must wait until night time. The colony is on the site of a dilapidated fort and is guarded by several men to make sure the lepers don’t escape. So, the tricky part will be getting out of the fort, not getting into it. And you’re going to need the cover of darkness to help you.”
The three men watched as Sarita sketched the location of the bags, giving Richard and David detailed instructions on the route to take in order to avoid detection. When she was finished, she rolled up the plans and handed them to David.
“I hope you’re able to retrieve them without any incident,” she said. “If you think the punishments handed down through British law are severe, I urge you not to test our country’s customs when it comes to leprosy. You’ll find them to be most unforgiving and inhumane.”
/> “Come,” Sandeep said. “I know where we can hide you until nightfall.”
The three men strode toward the door, and all but Richard exited. He lingered for a minute on the steps.
“I appreciate what you did for us,” Richard said.
“And I appreciate you keeping my secret,” Sarita said.
“Of course,” Richard said. “Now, there was one other thing I was wondering if you could help us with.”
“Anything. Just name it.”
Richard smiled. “I think you might actually enjoy this too.”
Chapter 31
AS NIGHT FELL OVER Jaipur, Sandeep led Richard and David to the leper colony to retrieve the treasure. The castle was positioned at the edge of a lake, the gates constructed on land, while the rest of the structure was built out over the water. According to Sarita, she hid the bags in a dried out well that had been almost entirely filled in. She covered the top with a board, counting on the fact that no one would even be tempted to look inside.
Explaining while she sketched out the directions, Sarita had said the well was located in a remote area of the castle ruins. However, she stressed getting out presented the stiffest challenge.
“This is as far as I go,” Sandeep said.
Richard studied Sandeep closely. “Are you scared of contracting the disease?”
Sandeep nodded. “You don’t have leprosy in America?”
Richard shrugged. “I guess I haven’t thought about it much. We just send all the lepers to Louisiana.”
“And they get cared for there?” Sandeep asked.
“I’m not sure, but I’ve never been afraid of getting it. I’m far more afraid of the Germans starting another war.”
“But if your arms fall off, who cares about war?” Sandeep asked.
“I’m going to pretend like you didn’t say that,” Richard said. “I’m trying to think positive thoughts here, and you’re not helping.”
Sandeep smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you tonight, just as you asked.”
“Not a minute before midnight,” Richard said. “We’ll be ready.”
“Good luck,” Sandeep said before he patted Richard and David on the back and then spun in the other direction.
Richard peered through his binoculars at the pair of turrets still intact over the steel gate leading inside the fortress.
“What do you see?” David asked.
“Well, Sarita was right about one thing,” Richard said. “Those two guards don’t care about anyone getting in. They look entirely disinterested in who enters. But I doubt anyone is leaving through those front gates.”
“What other options do we have?” David asked.
“From what I can tell, not many. If we weren’t attempting to recover such heavy metal objects, I might suggest leaving through the water.”
“Well, that’s definitely not going to work. Anything else?”
“We need a diversion—and a boat.”
David sighed. “And where do you think we’re going to get one of those at this time of night?”
Richard shrugged. “I’m sure we can borrow one. There are plenty of them beached on the shore.”
“I’m nominating you for that task. The less time I spend in the water, the better.”
“Suit yourself,” Richard said. “I’m more than happy to handle the arrangements.”
“I’ll set up the ropes,” David said. “Meet me back here in an hour.”
* * *
AN HOUR LATER, the two agents reconvened. After hiding a fresh pair of clothes given to him by Sandeep, Richard managed to find a seaworthy boat devoid of nets, traps, and lines—all the hallmark supplies of a fisherman’s vessel. The particular one he dragged into the water had a faded paint job, and the wood appeared weathered. He paddled out to the far south corner of the castle and tied off there, just below where David had affixed a pair of ropes.
“What did you find out?” Richard asked.
“There’s a section on the base of the wall that would be relatively easy to sneak into if we distracted the guards. But getting out is going to require both your swimming skills and your wits. Because once you draw their attention away from my location, I’ll be stranded in the water and an easy target if they see me and presume I’m escaping. Besides, the entire city is still looking for us, according to Sandeep.”
“We’d lose the treasure and go to jail,” Richard said. “I doubt Harvey would like that outcome.”
“And neither would I,” David said. “Let’s go before the moon rises too high and causes us even more problems.”
Richard and David crept up to the castle and used a small ledge for their footing to navigate around the perimeter to the more accessible area. When Richard surveyed the portal, he wasn’t sure if the opening was created by a blast from a cannon or natural erosion over time. Either way, getting inside would’ve been relatively simple had one of the guards along the wall taken up a position above the section.
Richard picked up a large chunk of rock and hurled it out into the water, drawing the guard’s attention away from the hole. Seizing their opportunity, Richard and David stole inside and initiated their search for the well. They followed Sarita’s detailed map and notes, leading them right to it. Per her advice, they stayed in the outer perimeter of the fortress, avoiding the people sequestered there.
Within ten minutes, they found the well just as Sarita had described it. David struck a match, revealing a board that covered the opening.
“This must be it,” Richard said.
He and David worked quickly, setting aside the top. However, when they went to look inside, it was empty.
“I knew it,” David growled. “She was playing us for fools this entire time. I’ll bet she’s on a train by now, laughing the entire way.”
“That’s one possible scenario,” Richard said. “However, there could be another explanation.”
David sighed before responding in a whisper. “When are you going to wake up and see the world for what it really is, Richard? How long is it going to take for you to recognize that the idea of people being inherently good is little more than a myth? Humans are rotten to the core.”
Richard chuckled. “I guess I’ll stop thinking that way when I’m convinced you’re right about everyone. You’ve grown hardened after serving in the field of espionage. And a good spy always knows not everything is as it seems. How long will it take before you accept that fact?”
The clanking of metal against the stone floor arrested both Richard’s and David’s attention. They rushed toward the sound in the adjacent room. When they arrived there, an eerie stillness fell over the place.
“I thought she said no one came to this part of the castle,” David said.
“Apparently, someone got curious.”
“Too curious,” David said with a growl.
Richard struck a match and glided around the wall, inspecting it for any sign of other people. Just as he nearly completed his search, he heard another clanking noise, the sound of metals banging off stone. As Richard was drawn to the commotion, he struck another match and held it out in front of him. He gasped when the eyes of a man were illuminated in the darkness, revealing a disfigured face and one eye that had nearly lost all its color.
“Looking for this?” the man asked with a toothy grin.
Richard looked down at the man’s hand and noticed a golden chalice.
“Give it to us now or else you will live to regret it,” David said.
The old man snickered. “Keeping some of your stolen treasure would fall very low on my list of regrets. A simple glance at my face ought to tell you that much.”
“As would hurting you fall on mine,” David said.
“Gentlemen, there’s no need to issue threats,” Richard said. “I’m sure we can come to some sort of civil agreement.”
“I keep this cup,” the old man said. “You can have everything else.”
Richard drew back and stared at the man. “Everything
?”
“Just like that?” David asked, snapping his fingers for emphasis.
The old man nodded. “You obviously need it worse than I do. Besides, it doesn’t matter how many riches you have if you’re living in a leper colony. The government will seize all your possessions when you die, using it to pay for all the supplies and food as well as the guards’ salaries who protect this place.”
“They don’t look like they’re protecting you,” David said. “More like they’re protecting the rest of the city from you.”
“You don’t know them like we do,” the old man said. “They’re like family to us.”
“Then why not give them the treasure?” Richard asked.
The old man smiled and shook his head. “Sometimes your family can be cruel.” He pulled up his shirt to reveal a deep scar across his midsection.
“They did that to you?” Richard asked.
The old man nodded. “And they’ll do it to you, too, if they catch you here. That much you can be sure of.”
“Thank you,” Richard said as he snatched up one of the sacks near the opening and twirled the burlap around to cinch it shut. David grabbed the other one, and the two men began the most harrowing portion of their mission: the exit.
Richard hustled toward a stairwell beneath the closest turret near the docked boat in the water. Working in tandem to repel down the pair of ropes positioned over the outside of the wall, Richard and David used one hand to grip the cord and the other to keep the jewels and coins from dropping into the water. Once they reached the boat, they secured the two sacks. David eased inside and wrapped his hands around the oars.
“On my signal,” Richard said as he tossed David the rope that tethered the boat to the castle.
“And how will you let me know?” David asked.
“You’ll know it when you hear it.”
Richard climbed back up the fortress walls and slung himself onto the parapet when he was met by one of the guards.
The Raja's Lost Treasure Page 17
