by Robin Cook
“You head upstairs,” Jack said to Laurie. “I’ll arrange transportation to the airport, then be up.”
“You got it,” Laurie said, and she rushed off.
“And we’ll see you guys sometime tomorrow,” Jack said to Neil. “You heard where we are staying in Varanasi, and I know Jennifer has Laurie’s cell phone number, so keep in touch and keep her here in the hotel!”
“Will do,” Neil said.
Since it Was a little after one in the afternoon, Neil walked across the lobby and poked his head into the main restaurant, thinking he might see Jennifer.
As he scanned the restaurant’s interior, the maître d’ caught his eye. “Your companion hasn’t been in today,” he said to Neil.
Neil thanked him. The Amal Palace Hotel continued to amaze him with its level of service. He’d never been to a hotel where the employees seemed to remember the guests to such an extent.
Wondering if she could be down using the spa facilities, and since the elevator that accessed them was next to the restaurant, Neil boarded and rode down. The elevator door opened at the spa’s front desk, and Neil inquired if Jennifer Hernandez was receiving any services, such as a massage, at that moment. Since the answer was no, Neil walked down the hall and checked the stationary bikes: no Jennifer. Continuing on, he exited the spa into the garden and walked to the pool.
With a hazy sun and a temperature hovering in the mid-eighties, the pool was a popular destination, and a number of people were taking advantage of poolside dining. Since he’d not found her elsewhere, Neil was actually surprised not to find her there. It was remarkably pleasant.
Guessing that she must still be in her room and possibly still sleeping, maybe with her phone ringer turned off, Neil debated what to do. If she was still sleeping, she truly needed it, and he wasn’t going to wake her. Consequently, he decided to do what he’d wanted to do the night he’d arrived—namely, put an ear to her door. If he heard either her moving around or showering, or the television playing, he’d knock. If all was quiet, he’d let her sleep.
With the decision made, Neil retraced his steps toward the spa entrance. One way or the other, he decided he’d come out to the pool himself.
Chapter 34
OCTOBER 19, 2007
FRIDAY, 4:02 P.M.
NEW DELHI, INDIA
Rather than heading directly to her room after coming through the bungalow’s front door, Veena made a beeline for the library. She felt agitated and wanted reassurance, and there was only one person who she felt could provide it, and that was Cal Morgan. He’d already done so several times in regard to the same issue, and she was counting on it again, even though this occasion seemed to her to be the most serious.
As she came through the open door, she was relieved to see him doing paperwork at the library table. She did a double take when she caught sight of Durell stretched out on the couch, a book on his chest, and an ice pack perched on his upper forehead. It was at that moment that Cal became aware of her presence and glanced up. They both spoke at the same time, neither able to understand the other.
“I’m sorry,” Veena said nervously, her hand fluttering up to her face.
“No, it’s my fault,” Cal said, putting down his pencil and grimacing in the process. He had an ice pack balanced on the top of his left shoulder.
There was a moment of awkwardness as they both began to talk concurrently for the second time. Cal chuckled. “You first,” he said.
“There was a disturbing development this morning,” Veena said. “It has me upset.”
Durell swung his legs around and sat up. He was rubbing his eyes; he’d been asleep.
“Tell us what it was!” Cal said.
“Late this morning, Maria Hernandez’s body disappeared. The hospital is convinced the two forensic pathologists that Jennifer Hernandez arranged to come to India took it. They must be planning to do an autopsy or they might have already done one. What if they discover she died from succinylcholine?”
“We’ve been over this before,” Cal said, with some frustration. “Especially after this amount of time. I’ve been assured the human body rapidly gets rid of succinylcholine by breaking it down.”
“Also, remember,” Durell added, “that if they find some of the breakdown products, it doesn’t matter. The woman actually had succinylcholine during her surgery.”
“I Googled succinylcholine,” Veena said. “There have been cases where people have been convicted of killing their wives with succinylcholine, and its presence was proved by forensic pathologists.”
“I read those cases as well,” Cal said. “One of them injected the drug, and it was found in the injection site. We’ve used an existing IV. The other one, the drug was found in the idiot perpetrator’s possession. Come on, Veena! Stop being so paranoid! Durell and I researched this. It’s foolproof in our situation. Besides, I’ve recently read that isolating the drug is not easy. To this day a lot of people question the work of the toxicologist involved in the intramuscular injection case.”
“Are both of you completely convinced these New York forensic pathologists are not going to find it?” Veena implored. She wanted to believe, but her guilty mind kept suggesting otherwise.
“I-am-con-vinced,” Cal said, pronouncing each syllable in a staccato fashion. He was tired of the issue.
“Yeah, man, it’s not going to happen,” Durell corroborated.
Veena breathed out noisily, as if deflating, and collapsed into one of the library chairs. She was exhausted from her anxiety.
“Now, we have a favor to ask you,” Cal said. “We need your help.”
“The way I feel, I can’t imagine I could be of any help to anyone.”
“We feel differently,” Cal said. “Actually, we think you might be the only one that can help us.”
“What is it that you need?” Veena asked with a tired voice.
“This morning the same people that we had talk to your father brought us Jennifer Hernandez,” Cal said without elaborating. He stayed silent and let his statement sink in.
“Jennifer Hernandez is here at the bungalow?” Veena asked warily, as if she might be frightened that Jennifer was now invading her sanctum.
“She’s out in the room under the garage,” Durell said.
“Why is she here?” Veena asked, a little frantic. She sat up straight.
“We decided we needed to know what made her suspicious,” Cal said. “You’re the one it has bothered the most. Right in the beginning, you wanted us to do something about her.”
“I didn’t want you to bring her here. I wanted you to get her to leave India.”
“Well,” Cal said, “we need to find out what made her suspicious so that we can change it. We don’t want anyone suspicious. I mean, look how it has affected you! You’re a wreck. We need you to talk to Hernandez, since you’ve already spoken with her. We think she’ll talk to you, or at least there’ll be a better chance, because she won’t talk to us.”
“No,” Veena said definitively. “I don’t want to talk with her. She made me feel terrible when I did. Conversing with her reminds me of what I did to her grandmother. Don’t make me do it!”
“We don’t have much choice,” Durell said. “You have to do it. Besides, Cal implied it’s for your peace of mind as well as ours.”
“It’s true, Veena,” Cal said. “Plus, I don’t think you want us to call off our friends who are leaning on your father, keeping him in line and away from you and your sisters.”
“That’s not fair!” Veena yelled, color suffusing her cheeks. “You promised that was to be forever.”
“What’s forever?” Cal questioned. “Come on, Veena. It’s not like we’re asking you to do something difficult. Hell, she might not even tell you. If that’s the case, so be it. But we need to try. We think you’ll be able to do it.”
“If she tells me, what then?” Veena demanded. “What will happen to her?”
Cal and Durell glanced at each other for a moment.
“We call the people that brought her here so that they can take her back.”
“Back to her hotel?” Veena asked.
“That’s it. Back to her hotel,” Durell agreed.
“Alright. I’ll talk to her,” Veena said, with sudden resolve. “But I cannot promise anything.”
“Nor do we expect you to,” Cal said. “And we know it is a little hard for you, since she reminds you of her grandmother. That’s natural. What’s also natural is that we don’t want bumps in the road like this in the future, especially when everything is going so well.”
“When do you want me to try?”
Cal and Durell looked at each other. It was a question they had not specifically discussed.
Cal shrugged. “No time like the present.”
“I want to get out of my uniform and take a shower. How about half an hour.”
“Half an hour it is,” Cal said.
Veena got up and headed toward the door. Just before she got there, Cal called out, “Thanks, Veena. Once again, you’re a life-saver.”
“You’re welcome,” she said. “We really do have to find out what made her suspicious. I’m not going through all this again.”
“Alright, here’s how we’re going to do this,” Cal said. He, Durell, and Veena had walked to the garage from the house. “First, I’m going to put in the electrical fuses. Then we’re all going to walk down the stairs, with me in the lead. I’ll unlock the door, and Veena, you step in and call out her name. If she doesn’t respond, like last time, say you’ll be back when she feels more like talking. Apologize for having to turn out the light again, but say it’s the nasty men who insist. And then leave. We might have to do this a few times. We think she has the potential to be violent.” Cal shared a glance with Durell, who merely raised his eyebrows and offered a slight nod in agreement.
Everything went as planned. After Cal had opened the door, Veena stepped in and was about to call Jennifer’s name when she saw her sitting on the couch. Veena grabbed the door and closed it in Cal’s face. She then walked over to Jennifer and sat down next to her.
Neither spoke; they just warily eyed each other. Despite her squinting eyes, Jennifer’s face had registered surprised recognition almost from the moment Veena had stepped into the room.
“I believe you understand that there is something specific we have to know,” Veena began. She held herself stiffly.
“I understand there is something you would like to know,” Jennifer said. “Get me back to my hotel and I’ll tell you.”
“The deal is you go back to your hotel after you tell us. Otherwise, you have no reason to be cooperative.”
“Sorry. You’ll just have to trust me.”
“I think it is to your advantage to deal with me instead of the two men who run this show.”
“You are probably correct, but the fact of the matter is that I don’t know any of you people. But I can tell you this, I’m shocked you’re involved.”
“So that is your position. You refuse to tell me what made you suspicious that your grandmother’s death might possibly not have been natural.”
“I don’t refuse. I offered to tell you but in neutral territory. I don’t like being locked up in this bunker.”
Veena got to her feet. “I guess you’ll just have to wait until morning. I have a strong sense that if you think about it overnight, you will see the benefit of dealing with me and not the others.”
“I wouldn’t count on it, Nurse Chandra,” Jennifer said without moving.
Veena walked back to the door and suddenly wrested it open. Cal almost tumbled into the room from having his ear pressed against it.
“I think she needs some more darkness,” Veena said. She pushed by the two men and climbed the stairs.
Cal grabbed the heavy door, and after giving Jennifer a quick glance, pulled it shut, locked it, and followed Durell up the stairs. After locking the upper door, he walked over to where Durell and Veena were chatting.
“That was mighty fast,” Cal commented. “Didn’t you try to convince her?”
“Not a whole lot. Couldn’t you hear through the door?”
“Not very well.”
“She’s very adamant. At the moment, trying to convince her of anything is a waste of time. My sense is she’ll feel differently in the morning, and I told her as much. Another fifteen or sixteen hours in absolute darkness and isolation will do wonders. I don’t have to go to the hospital tomorrow, as it is Saturday. I told her what the conditions are, and I told her I’d be back.”
The two men looked at each other and nodded. “Sounds good,” Cal said, but with a tone that suggested he wasn’t convinced.
They walked back to the bungalow. “Are we watching a movie tonight?” Veena asked.
“Yeah, we got a good one,” Durell said. “Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven.”
“I need distraction,” Veena said. “I’m still tense from worrying about Maria Hernandez having an autopsy. I can’t get it out of my mind.”
When they got to the bungalow, Veena headed toward her room. “See you guys at dinner.”
Cal and Durell watched her walk away.
“She’s really smart,” Durell said. “I think she’s absolutely correct about the Hernandez woman.”
“She smart alright, but now I’m bothered by her sudden flat affect. That’s the way she was when she went off and ODed. We should stop by her room every couple of hours and make sure she’s okay. And whoever sees Petra and Santana first, tell them to do the same.”
Chapter 35
OCTOBER 19, 2007
FRIDAY, 4:40 P.M.
NEW DELHI, INDIA
A football was just millimeters beyond the grasp of its intended target’s fingertips. As a bullet pass from a former college quarterback, it was traveling fast and in a tight spiral when it ricocheted off the surface of the pool. When it touched down to earth the second time, it collided with Neil’s butt. Just before the collision Neil was fast asleep, but not after.
Leaping off the poolside lounge chair, Neil was ready to take on the opposing army. The fellow in the pool who’d missed the pass was yelling for Neil to toss him the ball while the ex-quarterback on the other side of the pool was cracking up. In a moment of fury, Neil got the ball and booted it as hard as he could in the direction of the laughing quarterback, but it sailed way over his head and deep into the trees that lined the property.
“Thanks, man,” said the none-too-pleased fellow in the pool.
“Don’t mention it,” Neil replied. He’d recovered enough to feel some degree of guilt. He fumbled for his watch. He’d fallen asleep somewhere around three, after expecting Jennifer to appear at any moment. He’d left several messages on her room’s voicemail. The fact that she’d not shown up was beginning to scare him.
“Four-forty,” he said out loud. He was shocked. He grabbed his stuff, put on his robe, and headed indoors. As he passed the workout room, he took a look: no Jennifer. When he got on the regular hotel elevator he asked for floor nine. He wanted to check her room before changing out of his bathing suit.
When he arrived at room 912, he rang the bell, pounded on the door, and shook the doorknob without waiting for a response. He put his head to the door. “That’s it,” he said out loud when he heard nothing.
Descending to his own room, Neil threw on his clothes. When he was fully dressed, he headed for the front desk and asked to see a manager. Typical of the Amal Palace Hotel service, a manager appeared almost by magic. “Good afternoon, sir. I am a guest service officer. My name is Sidharth Mishra. How can I be of assistance?”
“My girlfriend, Jennifer Hernandez, in room nine twelve, was supposed to sleep in today,” Neil said urgently, “but this is ridiculous. It’s now after five, and she doesn’t respond to my calling or pounding on her door.”
“I’m very sorry, sir. Let us try to call.” Sidharth snapped his fingers at a woman sitting at one of the check-in desks. “Damini, would you mind seeing if you get a response
in nine twelve.”
“Has she ever done anything like this in the past?” Sidharth questioned Neil, while Damini called.
“Not to me she hasn’t,” Neil said.
“If there’s no answer, we’ll head right up there.”
“I appreciate it,” Neil said.
“There’s been no answer,” Damini said. “Voicemail has picked up.”
“Let’s go, then,” Sidharth said. He also asked Damini to accompany them.
As they rode up in the elevator, Neil began to wonder nervously if he’d given Jennifer good advice about not getting involved with the police the day before. He knew that in a similar situation back in the United States there would be consequences for leaving the scene of a crime.
“Is there someplace Miss Hernandez might have gone?” Sidharth asked. “Could she have gone shopping, anything like that?”
“I’m sure not,” Neil said. He was tempted to mention the possible attempt on her life and that she was afraid to go out of the hotel.
They arrived on the ninth floor and hurried down to 912. Sidharth pointed to the “Do Not Disturb” sign. Neil nodded and said, “It’s been there all day.”
“Miss Hernandez,” Sidharth called out, after ringing the bell. He knocked a few times, after which he took out a master key card. He opened the door and stepped aside for Damini. The woman ducked into the room but immediately reappeared.
“The room is empty,” Damini said.
Now Sidharth went in as well. They looked in the main part of the room and in the bathroom. Nothing seemed to be amiss, except the shower door was ajar with a dry towel slung over the top. Sidharth even made a point to feel it.
“It just looks like she merely stepped out,” Sidharth said.
Neil had to agree. Except for the shower door and the “Do Not Disturb” sign still displayed, everything appeared normal.
“What would you like us to do, Mr. McCulgan?” Sidharth asked. “Nothing seems overwhelmingly suspicious. Perhaps your friend will be back for dinner.”
