by Robin Cook
For several beats Jennifer and Inspector Naresh Prasad’s eyes locked together before Jennifer self-consciously looked away.
“Don’t look now,” Jennifer said in a low voice over her shoulder at Neil, “but that short policeman was staring at me.”
“Let’s not get paranoid.”
“Really, he was. Do you think he recognizes me from being in the cycle rickshaw?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea. Stop and turn around. Let’s see what he does. I mean, if he recognizes you from being involved, we don’t have a lot of choice. We have to talk to him.”
Jennifer stopped but didn’t immediately turn around. “I feel nervous,” she said.
“Turn around!” Neil said under his hand to keep from being overheard. They were only about twenty feet from the policemen. If the bazaar hadn’t been quite so noisy, they might have been able to hear parts of the man’s conversation.
Taking a breath, Jennifer slowly turned. At that point it was not a clear line of sight between herself and Inspector Prasad. When she and Neil had abruptly stopped, they had blocked the right-of-way, and people trying to pass were backing up. Still, Jennifer could see the side of the policeman’s face, and if he turned his head only ninety degrees, he would be looking directly at her. But he didn’t turn his head, nor did he interrupt his conversation with the uniformed officers.
“He’s not looking at you,” Neil said.
“He doesn’t appear to be,” Jennifer agreed.
“Let’s get out of here before he does,” Neil said, grabbing Jennifer’s arm and giving it a tug.
As the crowd thinned, they were able to pick up the pace and soon emerged from the shadows and tunnel-like atmosphere of the bazaar. The enormous Jama Masjid was now in front and to the right. Jennifer slowed and glanced back over her shoulder into the depths of the bazaar, although she couldn’t see far.
“I feel more exposed out of the bazaar than in it,” she said. “Let’s get out of here.”
“I’m with you,” Neil agreed.
They both started to run, but as they did so, Jennifer kept glancing back over her shoulder.
“You’re really becoming progressivly paranoid, I’m afraid,” Neil commented between breaths.
“You’d be paranoid, too, if someone pointed a gun at you and got killed in the process.”
“I can’t argue with you there.”
Around the front entrance of the mosque they had to slow with the crowds of tourists and those who preyed on them. Jennifer continued checking over her shoulder, and as they neared the parking area, it paid off.
“Don’t look!” Jennifer said, continuing forward. “But that short plainclothes policeman is actually following us.”
Neil stopped, but didn’t turn around. “Where is he?”
“Behind us. Come on! Let’s get out of here.”
“No. Let’s see if he approaches us,” Neil said. “Hey, I’m responsible for you leaving the scene of a crime. I don’t want you getting into trouble for it.”
“Now you’re saying conflicting things.”
“I’m not. Really. As I said, if he recognizes you as having been in that cycle rickshaw, we need to talk to him. Can you still see him?”
Jennifer turned around and scanned the crowd. “No, I don’t.”
Neil turned around and looked. “There he is, moving away from the mosque. Another false alarm.”
“Where?”
Neil pointed.
“You’re right.”
They watched as Inspector Prasad disappeared up the street that butted into the Jama Masjid.
Jennifer glanced at Neil and shrugged. “Sorry!”
“Don’t be silly. Until he turned up that street I would have thought he was following us as well.”
Jennifer and Neil continued on, entering the parking lot. Neil, as the taller one, was able to rise up on his toes and see over the sea of cars. The first black Mercedes they saw was not the Amal Palace car, but the second one was. Then it took the parking attendants almost twenty minutes to move all the cars boxing it in. Five minutes after that Jennifer and Neil were back on the main road heading south toward the Amal Palace.
“I thought you were going to go to Karim’s,” the driver said to Jennifer, while glancing at her in the rearview mirror.
“I lost my appetite,” Jennifer called from the backseat. “I just want to go back to the hotel.”
“Have you seen any sights here in Delhi?” Neil asked Jennifer.
“None,” Jennifer said. “This was to be my big attempt. Unfortunately it was a bust.” She held out her hand. It was trembling, not as much as it had been right after the shooting event but grossly shaking nonetheless.
“Despite this disaster, I gather you are doing much better dealing with your grandmother’s issues than you thought you would be able to do.”
Jennifer took in a deep breath and let it out through partially pursed lips. “I guess I am. I didn’t realize how much of a separation I would be making between my grandmother’s body and her soul or spirit. I don’t know if it is a side benefit of going to medical school and having worked with cadavers or what. Of course, when I looked at Granny’s body the first time, it got to me. But since then, I’ve been thinking of it as just a used body, and what it can tell us about how she died. At this point I really want there to be an autopsy.”
“Are they going to do an autopsy for you?”
“I wish. No, no autopsy. They have a signed death certificate, and once that’s signed, they want the body embalmed or cremated. My grandmother’s case manager is dead set, so to speak, on getting the body disposed of and has been ragging on me from day one, which for me was Monday morning.”
“Where is the body, in a morgue?”
“Yeah, sure,” Jennifer voiced with a mocking laugh. “Granny’s body and that of a man named Benfatti are in a cafeteria cooler. Yesterday morning, I actually saw my granny’s body in there. It’s not a perfect location for lots of reasons, but it’s okay. It’s cold enough.”
“What’s this other body you mentioned?”
“There have been two other similar deaths. One was so similar to my grandmother’s it seems eerie. The other is sorta similar, but my guess would be that he was discovered immediately after he suffered whatever the other two suffered, because on the third one they actually went through a real resuscitation attempt.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I’ve met the wives. I also talked both of them into not allowing their husbands to be embalmed or cremated. I think we have three bodies of people who have suffered some kind of a fatal medical crisis. The hospitals want to call it a heart attack, whether it’s warranted or not, because all three have each had some kind of cardiac history. To tell you the truth, it has been my sense that the hospitals just want to get rid of these cases as soon as possible, and frankly, that has made me suspicious from day one.”
“Could any of this be a kind of defense on your part as a way of helping you deal with the emotional aspect of losing your grandmother?”
For a moment Jennifer turned and stared out the car window. It was a good question, even though her first response was irritation that Neil would be capable of thinking she was making all this up. She turned back to Neil. “I think that there is something wrong with these three deaths. I think they were not natural. I do.”
It was now Neil’s turn to stare. He chose to stare out the front window. When he looked back at Jennifer, she was still looking at him. “It would be something hard to prove without autopsies. I assume you’ve been trying to get one.”
“To some degree,” Jennifer admitted. “As I said, once the death certificate is signed, they don’t think about autopsies. They just want to get the body out of the cafeteria cooler. But the reason I’m treading water today is because something is happening tonight that could turn this all around.”
“What do I have to do, guess?” Neil complained when Jennifer paused.
“I j
ust want to make sure you are listening.” Jennifer said. “Did I ever mention to you that Granny was a nanny to a woman who’s become quite well known as a medical examiner?”
“I believe so, but remind me again.”
“Her name is Laurie Montgomery. She works as a medical examiner in New York City along with her husband, Jack Stapleton.”
“I can recall your mentioning Laurie Montgomery but not Jack.”
“Well, they just got married a couple of years ago. I called her Tuesday, right after I’d seen Granny. I just wanted to run some things by her, and she shocked me by offering to come immediately. I guess I didn’t know that Granny meant so much to her. I should have. Maria had that kind of effect on people. But then a problem arose: Laurie and Jack are in the middle of an assisted reproduction cycle, meaning Jack’s got to be around to perform.”
Neil rolled his eyes.
“Anyway, to solve the problem they both are coming and are scheduled to land tonight.”
“The fact that they are coming won’t hurt,” Neil said. “But I’m not so sure you should put such hope on it. If you’ve been unable to move the authorities here, I wouldn’t count on a couple of medical examiners doing much better. I happen to know that forensic pathology is not a really popular field here in India, and whether or not an autopsy is done is not up to the doctors.”
“I’ve heard the same. And to add to the trouble, there is some controversy over which ministry oversees what. The morgues are under the ministry of home, while medical examiners who use them are under the ministry of health. Also, the decision of whether an autopsy is indicated in a specific case is up to the police and the magistrates, not the doctors.”
“That’s my point. So I wouldn’t get your hopes up too high just because a couple of sharp medical examiners are coming to town. I get the feeling that you have done just about as much as anyone could do.”
“Maybe so, but I’m not going to give up, although I’m tempted after this episode today. I tell you, if Laurie and Jack weren’t coming tonight, I’d be out of here.”
“I’d be the one trying to get you to go, and I’m not sure it wouldn’t be the most sensible idea.”
They rode in silence, each lost in thought and each looking out their own window at the kaleidoscopic view of the Delhi street scene. After a while Jennifer hazarded a glance in Neil’s direction. She was still shocked by his presence. He was perhaps the last person on earth she’d expected to see when the curtain was whipped back while she was cowering in the toilet in the filthy butcher shop. She studied his profile. There was very little indentation where his nose abutted his forehead, like a head on a Greek coin. His lips were full, his Adam’s apple large. She thought he was a handsome man, and she was flattered that he came. But what did it mean? She had essentially given up on him because of the way he had brushed her off. Although Jennifer was unaccustomed to vacillating once she’d made up her mind, Neil’s effort in coming nine thousand miles suggested this might be the time to start.
“Are you planning on going out to the airport to welcome your friends?” Neil asked suddenly.
“I am. Would you like to come along?”
“Don’t you think you’d be safer staying in the hotel?”
“Maybe so, but security is high at the airport and at the hotel. I think I’ll be alright.”
“I’ll go with you, if I’m invited.”
“Absolutely,” Jennifer said.
Jennifer held her hand up. It was still shaking like she’d had eleven cups of coffee.
Every so often, Jennifer glanced out the back window. She was concerned about being followed, as she apparently had been when she left the hotel. Unfortunately, with the dense traffic and general chaos of the street, it was difficult to tell. But when they reached the Amal Palace Hotel and turned up the lengthy ramp, something mildly out of the ordinary happened.
Once again, she had glanced out the back as they rose up the driveway, and she was about to face around when a small white car pulled into the driveway behind them. But then it stopped, blocking the drive. Jennifer tried to see how many people were in the car, but she couldn’t, as the hazy sun was reflecting off the windshield.
Looking forward, she could see they were about to reach the porte cochere. Glancing back, she saw the small white car back out of the drive and drive away after causing a lot of honking, beeping, and angry shouts. Someone must have made a wrong turn, was all Jennifer could think, yet in her sensitized state it seemed out of the ordinary.
“Are you finished with the car?” the driver asked Jennifer, pulling her attention away from the curious antics of the white car.
“Absolutely,” Jennifer said, eager to get into the hotel. “Thank you.”
“I’m impressed you took a car,” Neil said, as they walked toward the entrance doors.
“I don’t know if I’ll get away with it,” Jennifer admitted. “The company, Foreign Medical Solutions, out of Chicago, is paying my hotel bill, but I don’t know whether it’s for extras or not. If not, it will have to go on my credit card.”
Inside the lobby they hesitated. “Are you hungry?” Neil asked.
“Not at all,” Jennifer admitted. “I feel like I ODed on caffeine.”
“What would you like to do? Or would you like me to make a suggestion, since you’re so wired?”
“The latter,” Jennifer responded without hesitation. She didn’t feel capable of thinking about practical issues.
“When I checked in last night, I was told they have a full spa with weights, stationary bikes, the works. Do you have some gym clothes?”
“I do.”
“Perfect. Maybe a little workout is what you need. After we do that, maybe you’ll be hungry for something, and if so, we can have it out by the pool. Then, later this afternoon, if you are up to it, we could go over and meet with someone in the consular section at the American embassy. They can give you their take on the episode in the bazaar and what you should do.”
“I don’t know if I want to go the embassy, but the idea of a workout and going out to the pool was my original plan. I’m definitely up for it.”
“Miss Hernandez!” a voice called out. Jennifer turned in its direction. She could see one of the concierges waving a slip of paper. She excused herself from Neil and stepped over to his desk.
“You are back early,” Sumit said. “I hope you enjoyed your sightseeing.”
“It wasn’t quite what I had in mind,” Jennifer said, reluctant to tell him exactly what had happened.
“I’m very sorry,” Sumit said. “Is there something we could have done differently?”
“I think it was my problem,” Jennifer admitted, and then changed the subject. “Do you have something for me?”
“Yes, we do. We got this urgent message for you. You are to call Kashmira Varini, and here is the message and the number.” Jennifer took the number. She was vexed to be bothered. On her way back to Neil, she opened the message. It said, “We have arranged to do something very special for your grandmother. Please call Kashmira Varini.” Jennifer stopped and reread the message. She was mystified. The first thing that went through her mind was that perhaps they had seen the light and were planning on doing an autopsy. Continuing on, she showed the message to Neil.
“This is the lady who’s been my bête noire,” Jennifer said.
“Give her a call!” Neil responded, handing the paper back.
“You think so? I just cannot believe that she might be doing something appropriate.”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
The two of them walked back to the concierge desk. Jennifer asked if there was a phone in the lobby that she could use to make a local call. Without a second’s hesitation, Sumit grabbed one of the several phones he had, lifted it up on top of the counter, and gave it a push toward Jennifer. As if that wasn’t enough, he lifted the receiver, handed it to her, and then punched an outside line with his index finger. All this was done with a gracious smi
le.
Jennifer tapped in the number and stared up at Neil while the call went through. She truly did not know what to expect.
“Ah, yes,” Kashmira said when Jennifer identified herself. “Thank you for getting back to me. I have excellent news. Our CEO, Rajish Bhurgava, has arranged something extraordinary for your grandmother. Have you ever heard of the burning ghats of Varanasi?”
“I can’t say that I have,” Jennifer responded.
“The city of Varanasi, or Banaras, as the English called it, or Kashi, as the ancients did, is by far India’s holiest Hindu city, with a religious legacy that goes back more than three thousand years.”
Jennifer shrugged at Neil, indicating she still had no idea what the hospital had in mind.
“The city is sanctified by Shiva and the Ganges and is by far the most sacred place for rites of passage.”
“Perhaps you could tell me how this all relates to my grandmother,” Jennifer said impatiently, recognizing it had nothing to do with an autopsy.
“Of course,” Kashmira said enthusiastically. “Mr. Bhurgava has arranged something unheard of for your grandmother. Although the burning ghats of Varanasi are reserved for Hindus, he has obtained permission for your grandmother to experience her rite of passage in Varanasi. All I need is for you to come to the hospital and sign a release.”
“I don’t mean to offend anyone,” Jennifer said, “but whether Granny is cremated in Varanasi or New Delhi doesn’t make a lot of difference to me.”
“Then you don’t understand. Those people cremated in Varanasi gain particularly good karma and a markedly good rebirth in the next life. We just need your permssion to proceed.”
“Mrs. Varini,” Jennifer said slowly, “tomorrow morning we will be coming to the hospital. I will be with my medical examiner friends, and we will come to some kind of agreement.”
