“Bang goes lunch,” Lillie spurted.
“We need to pull a divine rabbit from a cosmic hat to find Sundeep now. We should just go back to Aidan Kirkwood.”
“Well, I’m famished. I’m not going anywhere until I’ve had a good Indian.”
“If I can be of help,” the cabby interjected, “I know a place with excellent Indian food and reasonable prices. Jewel of the Eastern Wind, not far from here.”
“Good chicken tikka masala?” Berdie queried.
“Blazing good.” The fellow chuckled.
“Then, dear sir, lead us on,” Lillie commanded.
The Jewel of the Eastern Wind was chock-a-block with people. Still, they didn’t wait long amongst the red-and-gold décor to be seated. Once at the table, Berdie began to scan the menu.
“Lillie, did you hear anything I said in the cab?”
Lillie ran a finger down the menu. “I think I’ll get a vindaloo.”
“Enjoy lunch. We’re going home when we’re done,” Berdie pronounced. “I’ll explain to Mr. and Mrs. Raheem I should never have agreed to try to find Sundeep.”
“Berdie.” Lillie lifted her chin. “You’re in a hair-shirt mood, aren’t you?” She leaned forward over her menu. “It’s that conversation we had this morning, isn’t it? You think you’re past it.”
“Not past it,” Berdie snapped quite sharply. “I never said I was past it.”
“There’s the spirit.” Lillie smiled.
A waiter pushed by their table. “It’s not enough we’re packed in here”—he lifted his voice to another server—“but some fool’s double-parked out in front. There’s a jam.” He glanced toward the kitchen door, where a young man had just entered the dining room. “Amol, where have you been? Take care of your table.” He nodded toward Berdie and Lillie.
“Amol?” Lillie stared at Berdie. “That’s the name of Sundeep’s best friend. Do you suppose?”
“Lillie, this is Slough. How many Amols do you imagine there are?”
A young man Sundeep’s age hurried to the table, pad and pencil at the ready. “Welcome to Jewel of the Eastern Wind,” he said, a bit breathless. “My name is Amol, and I’ll be serving you. What can I get you to drink?”
“Yes, Amol, hello,” Lillie greeted. “Permit me to ask you a question, if you will. Are you a friend of Mr. Hardeep Raheem’s nephew, Sundeep?”
The lad started. His widened eyes shifted and went into a squint. “No. Who wants to know?”
Berdie caught her breath. He didn’t have long ears or a cotton tail, but she knew a divine rabbit when it stood before her very eyes.
“No, never heard of him.” The fellow turned his gaze to the pad. “What to drink then?”
“Tell me, where I can find him? His aunt and uncle are beside themselves with worry.” Berdie was firm.
“Who are you?” A horn outside blasted, and Amol’s eyes darted to the large window at the front of the restaurant that faced the road. His cheeks took on a flush and he discharged a tiny gasp.
Berdie looked the direction in which he gazed. Now she gasped. The white van double-parked in the road outside read Raheem’s Greengrocer cross the side.
“Lillie,” Berdie clamored, “get your bag.”
On her feet, and disbelief thrown to the eastern wind, Berdie scrambled for the door. “Stand aside, please,” she shouted as she pushed and elbowed her way to the entrance, Lillie trailing behind.
“He’s done nothing wrong,” Amol shouted after them. “Nothing.”
Once out the door, Berdie allowed nothing to stand in her way as she rushed to the street. A car blasted its horn, making her jump, but she soldiered on until she was within arm’s reach of the van. The vehicle engine roared, and it lunged forward. “Stop,” Berdie screamed. “Sundeep, stop.”
Berdie heard the squeal of brakes as Lillie stepped into the road. A cab came to an abrupt halt.
“You mad?” the cabby screamed at Lillie from his opened window.
“Get in,” Berdie shouted at Lillie. “Get in the cab.”
Berdie raced to join Lillie at the black vehicle.
Lillie tussled with the door and rammed herself in the backseat, leaving the door open.
Horns blared from several vehicles.
Berdie scooted onto the seat next to Lillie. “Follow that van,” she commanded the driver.
“This isn’t Hollywood,” the lean cabby retorted.
Berdie watched the van screech to a halt as two people tried to cross the road in front of it.
“Follow that van and there’s twenty quid in it for you,” Berdie bribed.
“Thirty.”
Berdie grimaced. “Get on then.”
The cabby set his meter, and Berdie flew back against the seat as the car launched forward to the chase.
“This is exciting,” Lillie squealed, obviously past napping.
“You pay my fine if I get nicked.” The dark-haired driver glanced in his rear-view.
Berdie huffed as the work van commenced forward again. “Just keep the van in sight and mind how you go.”
“Truth be told, I’ve always wanted to do this,” he barked while accelerating. “I just always imagined it would be with some hardened and famous DI.”
9
“Hello, I’m not going to try that.” The cabby stopped his vehicle and nodded toward the narrow alleyway between two small warehouses, where Raheem’s greengrocer vehicle just barely eked through.
Berdie and company were in the heart of Slough’s industrial area, littered with warehouses, outbuildings, and cargo-shipping containers the size of mobile homes.
The fellow spoke over his shoulder. “Besides, just three streets over and not over a week ago, a cabby was relieved of his cash at knifepoint.”
“I see,” Berdie retorted. “That’s fine—we’ll walk from here.”
Lillie reared. “Walk?”
“You know: two legs, one foot in front of the other, that sort of thing.”
The cabdriver laughed.
Lillie didn’t. “Is that wise?”
Berdie got out of the cab, industrial odors assaulting her nose, and handed the driver his promised thirty pounds, plus the fare.
“Are you coming, Lillie?”
Lillie wore a face Berdie would only describe as vexed, but nonetheless, her dearest friend gave a quick glance about and exited the cab.
Berdie knew the untidy litter in the area, stained and broken objects on the verges, windblown papers, to say nothing of the nearby factory odors, wouldn’t appeal to Lillie. But these things were a part of their tracking process. And so be it.
“Want me to send a copper round in a bit?” The cabby closed his window halfway.
“Yes,” Lillie clipped.
“No, but thank you.” Berdie began forward progress into the alleyway.
“It was a doddle, you know, not the chase I imagined,” the fellow yelled from the window opening and rocketed off into traffic.
Lillie watched the retreating cab.
“Come along, Lillie. The more swift we are, the more likely to catch Sundeep up.”
Lillie looked wistfully in the direction the cab had taken, and then stepped after Berdie. “You’ve had some half-witted ideas, my dear Sherlock, but this one takes the biscuit.”
“Look. He can’t be going far now. It looks as if the alley is blocked just beyond us. You see?”
Several yards past the opening where they now walked, a huge metal shipping container sat at a rather awkward angle. Berdie could see the work van pull to the side of it and stop.
“That was hardly an exciting chase,” Lillie mumbled. “Sundeep drove like my granny.”
“When a nineteen-year-old lad drives like that, it tells us he’s into something dodgy. He didn’t want to call attention to his movements because he’s in some sort of trouble. Speeding would be too risky.”
“Didn’t he realize he was being followed?”
“I shouldn’t think so. Our cabby was quite clever about staying cov
ert, and I daresay Sundeep would have put on a bit more speed if he noticed.”
Berdie grabbed Lillie by the arm and pulled her flat against the nearby wall of the warehouse.
Sundeep emerged from the van with a carrier bag, the logo for the Jewel of the Eastern Wind printed on it. He strode to the door of the brown metal storage container and easily opened it, entering without showing any concern.
Lillie took a quick breath. “He’s been living in a cargo box?”
“Give him a moment to settle.”
Berdie deftly began her forward movement and noted that the tire tracks the van had made were the only ones in the area. There were clangs and bangs from nearby factories, but nothing especially close.
“Are we just going to knock at the door?” Lillie asked in a whisper as she followed.
“Oh yes, and to think we didn’t bring a housewarming gift.” Berdie half laughed under her breath. “Most of these containers have locks that can’t be opened from the inside. Obviously, Sundeep comes and goes, so the lock must be disabled. That’s what we’ll assume.”
“You’re not suggesting we barge in.”
“Lillie, would I do this if I thought we were in real danger?”
Lillie swallowed.
“We just want the element of surprise on our side. You pull the door open in one go, and I’ll step inside. Oh, and let me do the talking.”
Lillie paled. “What if he’s armed?”
“Perhaps a plastic knife from his takeaway? Surprise, Lillie, is a one-up factor.”
“Right.” Lillie didn’t sound convinced. She opened her bag and silently rummaged, producing a fingernail file that she slipped into her skirt pocket. “Right.”
Berdie moved to the non-hinged side of the door. “Lord have mercy,” she whispered, and motioned Lillie forward.
Lillie grabbed the handle with both hands.
Berdie nodded.
With pulling momentum that rivaled a plow horse, Lillie swung the metal door open, being carried backward with it.
Bag over her shoulder, Berdie thrust herself through the opening, anchored her feet, and stood her full five-foot-six height, plus two-inch wedge heels. “Hello, Sundeep.”
The clatter of a plastic fork hit the metal floor and echoed round the container as the stunned teen jumped to his feet. Eyes wide, he gaped in astonished silence. Then he found his voice when recognition dawned. “You’re the vicar’s wife.”
“Mrs. Elliott, yes.”
With one swift glance about, Berdie took in the tatty metal lanterns that provided a pittance of light. It revealed several boxes, including one on which lunch balanced, and an open sleeping bag sitting atop a large wooden pallet. She returned her gaze to the young man. “It’s OK, Lillie, you can come in,” she called out.
Lillie appeared in the doorway, holding her shoulder bag against her chest like an ancient military shield, with one hand in her pocket. She frowned. “Did you try to do in the commander with that bomb blast?”
Sundeep jabbed his index finger toward her. “You see?” he yelled. “Do you see? That’s exactly why I did a bunk, yeah? Profiling, that’s what it is.”
Berdie drove her palms forward. “It’s OK, Sundeep. You needn’t lose your rag. Stay calm,” she soothed with an even, quiet tone. “I’m not here to accuse. Now, why don’t you just continue eating your lunch, and let’s have a chat.”
“How did you find me?” His voice was ragged.
“We went to lunch at the Jewel of the Eastern Wind.”
“We didn’t actually eat lunch,” Lillie murmured.
“We came upon Amol, and then we saw the van. We followed you.”
Sundeep threw his head back, almost as if in disbelief, and slumped back into the folding garden chair from which he had stood. “Bloo—”
“Ah,” Berdie cautioned. “Ladies present.”
“Right, here in the Palm Hotel tearoom.” His words dripped with sarcasm.
“If you’re not guilty, why are you hiding here?” Lillie asked, still clinging to her designer shield.
“It’s the ambiance, yeah?”
“OK,” Berdie interjected. “Lillie.” Berdie pointed to a large wooden crate, big enough to sit on, near the door. “If you please.” Berdie then pulled another sturdy box closer to Sundeep and sat down on it.
Lillie edged her way to the crate Berdie had ordained and sat tentatively.
“Sundeep, I’m here because your aunt and uncle are worried sick about you.” Berdie used her disgruntled-mother voice.
The lad dropped his head. “I’m sorry about that.”
“And your parents don’t know where you are.”
He shook his tousled hair.
“Why did you leave the way you did?”
He gave a terse nod toward Lillie. “Did you hear her accusation?”
Lillie lifted her chin.
“Tell me, Sundeep. I’m here to listen. Why did you run off?”
“Straight up?”
“Out with it.”
“When I went to your home, it just felt weird: some nutter going ape on the phone…”
“Go on,” Berdie urged.
“There were people in and out, everything seemed all go, and when I heard the blast, I panicked, yeah?” Sundeep took a deep breath. “My aunt and uncle are established in that village, but I was the new kid, an outsider. I knew the Old Bill would target me. I’ve had a slight tangle with them here before, yeah?” He looked down. “And I’m not a grass,” he barely mumbled.
“What?” Lillie coaxed.
Ignoring Lillie, he gazed at Berdie. “The further away I got, the further I had to go.”
Berdie looked into Sundeep’s dark brown eyes. “Innocence usually stays and pleads its case.”
Sundeep shifted his eyes downward. “Yeah, well, it didn’t this time.”
Berdie tilted slightly forward. “Is there something that you’re not telling us?”
“And then there’s your mobile,” Lillie interrupted.
Sundeep sat up in the chair, looking almost relieved. “My mobile? You found it then?”
Berdie glared at Lillie and then directed her conversation to Sundeep. “No, we’ve not found it. You’ve lost it?”
The lad nodded.
“When did it go missing?”
“That day, I had it in my pocket when I left my uncle’s shop.” He jammed his hand into the pocket of the leather jacket he wore. “In here, yeah, but when I went to ring up my uncle, just before I got to your house, it wasn’t there anymore. It must have fallen out. And I’ve searched every inch of the van. Nothing.”
“You lost it doing your deliveries that day?”
Sundeep shrugged. “Must have done.”
“A likely story,” Lillie snapped. “You do realize the call that sent Reverend Elliott on a wild-goose chase was made from your mobile.”
Sundeep knotted his brow. “I’ve never rung the vicar.” He paused. “You mean the call at the vicarage? That crazy call? It was made from my mobile?”
Berdie nodded.
“But I was there, right there in the hall. You were there. You saw me.”
“Yes, Sundeep, I know you didn’t do it, but someone used your mobile to make that call.”
Sundeep groaned and put his hands to his head. He looked at Berdie, his eyes pleading. “They’re going to try to pin this on me somehow, aren’t they? The golden boy from London.”
Berdie wanted to say something comforting, but “Yes, you’re the main suspect” wasn’t exactly fitting. “Things can work out, Sundeep.”
The young man leapt from his chair. He kicked the edge of an empty box, sending it through the air until it crashed against the side of the cargo container.
Berdie heard Lillie slightly gasp.
“I think we should go,” Lillie squeaked.
Sundeep turned to face Berdie. “I didn’t blow anyone up. I have nothing to do with any of it, I promise you.”
Berdie silently nodded. “Try to calm
yourself.”
Sundeep closed his eyes, as if to block out all the dark injustices of the world, and gradually reopened them. He stuck his hand in his trouser pocket. “Please tell Aunt Sharday that I’m sorry about all this. And let Uncle Hardeep know I’ll pay him back for the petrol.”
He pulled a small, shiny object from his pocket and handed it toward Berdie. It was a key. “I know it’s a cheek, but would you take the van back to my uncle, like?”
Berdie stood. “Why don’t you drive it back and apologize yourself?”
Sundeep held the key forward in his palm.
Berdie took a deep breath.
The distressed lad pointed to a cardboard box. “That was part of your delivery order, Mrs. Elliott. I’m afraid I’ve eaten most of it. I’m short of readies, but I’ll make it right.”
“Sundeep, I’m not concerned about you paying me for what you’ve eaten of my order. You’re welcome to it. But I really think you’d be better off going to the police. Tell them what you’ve told us.”
He fumbled the key in his fingers. “Mind your driving. It accelerates a bit slow off the mark, yeah. The left rear light is dodgy, and the window on the passenger side sometimes sticks.”
He extended his palm, the small, shiny object nestled in it.
Berdie pursed her lips. It would be far better if Sundeep were to return the van himself, which would be cake with icing on it. But on the other hand, if she returned with the van, the entire family would have a modicum of relief and they’d get their vehicle back. Better a cake without icing than no cake at all. She grasped onto the key tightly.
Lillie jumped up and was at the door. “Leaving is a splendid idea.”
“She’s going to grass me up?”
Berdie heard Lillie rummaging through her bag, and it prompted Berdie to open her own shoulder bag. She removed a St. Aidan of the Wood Parish Church business card and gave it to Sundeep. “If you remember where you might have lost your mobile, try to ring me. If there’s anything I can do to help, you know where I can be found.”
Lillie was already out the door when Berdie took her first steps toward it.
There, near the box on which Lillie had perched, a ten-pound note lay on the floor. Berdie half grinned and turned toward Sundeep. “And I shouldn’t think Lillie will grass on you, tell the police where you are.”
Enigma of Fire Page 13
