by P. G. Van
“Do you remember putting on the deadbolt, love?” Nick asked, and I shook my head.
“If you don’t have the deadbolt on, I can open everything from the computer and sneak you guys back into the palace.”
“Let’s do that, and Mitch, I want the blueprints of the palace… every available detail,” Nick ordered following Mitch back into the palace through the side door.
Almost two hours later and spending over an hour together under the warm shower, Nick and I sat in the living area waiting for Mitch to come back.
“You feeling better, sweetheart?”
“Never felt better,” I said smiling at the memory of our time in the rose garden under the rain and an encore under the shower in the bathroom shortly after.
“I’ve missed my tigress,” Nick confessed.
“You need to stop treating the tigress as a kitten.” I pointed out to the shift in his manner since we had our twins.
“Point taken.” He winked, his dimples making me want him again.
“I want to go back down the tunnel again with some flashlights,” I said.
“Agreed. We’ll have Mitch go with us this time, and we will go when there is light outside.”
“How many people know about the passage?” I asked wondering if we discovered something that was not really a secret.
“I will know when I see what is published to the outside world and what’s in the blueprints from the Utilities Department.” Nick’s voice was stern.
“Does the secret passage indicate anything?”
“It may, or it may not. It makes sense if there is something so precious that needs to be smuggled out of the palace…” I didn’t let Nick finish. “The sword?”
“Not necessarily. Kings had panic rooms and secret passageways built centuries ago… they just weren’t this sophisticated,” Nick said, his fingers steepled.
“The markings were clearly added more recently by Rajaram,” I stated.
Nick nodded in agreement. “That’s what makes me wonder what he wanted his heir to do.”
“And why is that tied to the chain?” I added.
“Well, the chain identifies an heir who is as passionate as you are to find the answers and gives access to the journals that gave you all the clues,” Nick pointed out.
“Not all the clues, Nick. When we were trying the various combinations, the information was a combination of what was in the journals and what my grandpa had told Nate and me as stories.”
“Rajaram was counting on you, baby. He knew his heir would find the answers and more. No pressure, love.” Nick smiled.
“Thank you for saying that,” I teased, laughing.
“What doesn’t make sense is why someone would spend all that money to look for the chain. Were they after the trust funds or something more? Did they want to get to the journals to find the secret passage?” Nick asked softly.
“Let’s take a step back. The trust has a lot of money. People could be just after the money the trust offers,” I said shaking my head.
“True, and it is a lot of money, so let’s say all they wanted was the money. It doesn’t explain the call I got from a royal family about purchasing lands that are owned by the trust.”
“Let’s just look at it as a lot of people are interested in buying the lands,” I said trying to remove the anomaly of someone outside the country interested in the land.
“Okay, someone here wanting to buy the land is normal but for someone with a high profile and outside the country wanting to buy the lands… that tells me there is more to it than the purchase being an investment,” Nick stated with confidence.
“Is the palace part of the trust?” I asked, and Nick shook his head.
“The palace and the area around it is exempt from the trust and cannot be sold even by the heir.”
“The heir owns the trust, gets the journal, and gets to live in the palace,” I repeated, remembering what Sanjana had told me in our previous conversations.
“There’s the money for motivation, and if there is more than money that motivated the hunt for the chain, people are after more than just money.”
“What can be a bigger motivation than money for people who only care about money?” I asked.
Nick chuckled. “A lot more money… maybe the endless amount of money a twin to the Koh-i-Noor diamond would bring them.”
Chapter 19
Mitch showed up later that day looking like he was bursting to share everything he found out. Nick and I settled into a couch opposite Mitch as he laid out all the documents he collected over the last couple of days and earlier that day from the utility company.
“What do you have for us, Mitch?” Nick chuckled as if he sensed Mitch’s impatience.
“Someone out there is after something more than money. The trust offers a lot of money, but they want something more, and for the life of me, I cannot figure out what that is.” Mitch sounded dejected.
Nick looked at me for a moment before speaking, almost to see if I was going to object sharing information with Mitch. I didn’t have any. If there was anyone we trusted, it was Mitch. We trusted Mitch with our lives.
“Mitch, there is something more than money that may be involved here,” Nick said, his voice a whisper.
Mitch narrowed his eyes but did not say anything immediately. “What are you talking about?”
“A sword, a sword with a diamond on it, a diamond that is a twin to the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond.” Nick’s voice was steady.
Mitch took a deep breath. “The Koh-i-Noor diamond? The same one that is on the Queen of England’s crown?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t get the link between the diamond and the trust.” Mitch ran his fingers through his hair like he was ready to wrack his brain.
“Mitch, there is a…” My voice trailed when I saw Nick shake his head.
“Let him think through everything, Sameera. Mitch has more information than we do,” Nick declared looking at Mitch as he pressed his fingers to his temple.
A few minutes passed, and Mitch finally looked up. “Something about the lands owned by the trust is making people want the lands, but why? They are not so valuable to have a Board member look for the chain to claim them.”
“A Board member?”
“Yes, one of the Board members who happens to be Sanjana’s father-in-law and a longtime friend of the family. The contact Reetu gave led me to him,” Mitch growled.
“We met Sanjana’s father-in-law the other night. He was very nice, and I’m sure his family has wealth that will last them for many generations. Why would they want more money?” I shook my head in disbelief.
“We have proof he was the one making the trust money disappear, and it is being used for his political campaign,” Mitch said looking through his notes.
“Does Sanjana or her father know? Are they involved?” I asked hoping they weren’t involved. Mitch shook his head, and I let out a sigh of relief.
“What do we know about this man?” Nick asked.
Mitch flipped through his notes. “A very trusted family friend, and that’s why Sanjana was married to his son. The man’s grandfather was one of Rajaram’s trusted men and was the original Board member.”
“Trusted enough to know about the secret pathway in the palace?”
“Maybe.” Mitch shrugged.
I looked at Nick. “Trusted enough to know about the twin diamond and its whereabouts?”
Nick looked at me in silence like he was processing my question. “If someone knew the whereabouts of this diamond, there would be no hunt for the chain.”
I took a deep breath to calm my beating heart. “What if… what if they think the sword is hidden somewhere… hidden in a property owned by the trust?”
“Interesting,” Nick said looking at me. “Why specifically somewhere in the property owned by the trust? Why not in the palace? If I had to put something away, I would put it far away from me or very close to me.”
“In this c
ase, what would far away be?” I asked, softly.
Nick looked at me for a long moment. “Somewhere no one else knew, and only I can get to it.”
“And near?”
Nick looked around the room. “Somewhere in the palace.”
“Would you put it where only you knew about it if you wanted your next generations to have to it?” I asked.
“Good point, so why is everyone interested in the lands and not the palace?” Nick looked at Mitch.
“Nick, the Board member is not interested in the palace, only in the lands… specifically, the farmlands that cannot be repurposed for anything else,” Mitch stated rather curiously.
“What do the journals say about these farmlands?” Nick asked looking at me.
“Nothing… from what I remember, there is no reference to the trust or the lands.” I shrugged shaking my head.
“Mitch, did you say the Board member’s grandfather was Rajaram’s trusted man?”
Mitch nodded.
“Could Rajaram have told his trusted man about where the sword might be hidden?” Nick suggested.
“Told him about the sword being hidden in the fields? Why?” I shook my head.
“Something doesn’t add up.” Nick rubbed his thumb on his stubble.
“What if… what if it was a decoy?” I blurted out.
“Decoy… to keep them away from the sword?” Nick asked, his eyes narrowed like he was thinking hard.
“Is the sword a myth, or does it really exist?” Mitch asked.
“If the sword doesn’t exist, why are people after these lands? What makes the lands so precious?” Nick asked looking at me.
“I wouldn’t believe it even if you told me you hid something in the middle of the fields.” I smiled.
“Mitch, what is so special about these farmlands? Why would the royal family from another country be interested in these lands?”
Mitch looked at his notes. “Nothing special, the largest piece of land owned by the trust, a little over ten thousand hectares…”
“That’s twenty-five-thousand acres,” I murmured.
“What are they doing with it now?”
“Agriculture. Everything that is grown there goes to the orphanages,” Mitch added.
Nick stood up and looked at the ceiling. “Something doesn’t add up.”
“What?”
Nick turned slowly to look at me. “The land… has some value, not anything close to what these Board members are interested in. I don’t get what makes that piece of land so attractive?”
“Does it have prospects of being the next big resort or something?” I asked, smiling.
“It’s nowhere close to a major city, no major highways, and there’s a major river so no other natural resource than water…”
“Hold it, Mitch… natural resource? This is the land where the Koh-i-Noor diamond and its twin were found. Where exactly were they found or at least the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond?”
“Here… along the banks of the river Krishna… not far from here,” I said feeling the excitement from the possible connection.
“Wait… people think that land is a diamond mine?” Nick asked almost laughing.
“What if someone built that story to mislead them?” I chimed in.
“Mislead them from what?” Mitch asked looking confused.
“The sword,” Nick and I said in unison surprising each other.
“What?” Mitch shook his head.
“Rajaram planted enough evidence to let people believe the land was filled with diamonds, the condition in the trust that it never be repurposed, and the word he slipped to his trusted man or men about the diamonds in the land.” I covered my mouth with my palm.
“Never be repurposed but can be dug through for diamonds?” Nick scrunched his nose.
“Unless the lands are sold to someone else, and they can do anything with it,” I said.
“That was the motivation for the group to find the heir, and that’s why the desperation to find the chain and fake an heir who would do what they want them to do,” Nick stated confidently.
“And what did Rajaram really want his heir to do?” I asked somewhat disappointed about how the Board wasn’t being honest.
Nick walked over to where I sat and took me into his arms by my shoulders. “He counted on an heir like you to find out the real reason for him to leave his family.”
“None of this information gets us anywhere close to the real truth,” I said burying my face in his chest.
“We are one step closer to the truth, sweetheart.” Nick pulled me closer into his arms and planted a kiss on my temple.
Chapter 20
“I don’t have a good feeling about this, Nick,” I said stepping into the hidden room behind the chest again the following day.
“We’ll be fine, love. Mitch is not going anywhere, and we have light and a way to talk to Mitch.” He held up the flashlight and the walkie-talkie.
“What do you think we’ll find down there? We saw nothing in the escape tunnel yesterday,” I said, not convinced we needed to go down the dark tunnel.
“Sweetheart, if you don’t want to go… you can hang out in the garden and meet me there.” Nick smiled.
“No, I don’t want to sit out if you are going.” I gently ran my fist into his chest shaking my head.
“Okay, Mrs. Bhatia, I guess you’ve made your choice… after you.” He smiled gesturing me to unlock the doors I had unlocked the previous day.
I swallowed nervously and stepped in front of the antique lock. I turned to look at Mitch. “Mitch, please come get us if we lose communication on the walkie-talkie.”
“You got it, Ms. Nick,” Mitch assured.
“Nick, do you have something to keep the door downstairs propped open?” I asked remembering how I accidentally shut the door.
“You know we can get out even if the door shuts,” Nick said trying to comfort me.
I put my arms around him as my heart thudded for reasons I didn’t know. “I’m feeling nervous.”
Nick kissed my forehead. “We are one step closer to finding out the truth.”
I took a deep breath and started turning the knobs to the combination, the combination that was now ingrained in my brain. I turned when we heard the familiar sound of the doors opening and closing at the same time.
Nick took my hand in his interlacing his fingers in mine. “Stay with me, baby.”
I nodded following him down the circular staircase as Nick inspected the walls for potential openings.
“Nick, what should we be looking for?” I asked unsure what to expect.
“Look for anything that looks off. The walls, dents in the walls, knobs like in the panic room…” His voice trailed off as he inspected a chipped area on the wall.
The room with the door that led to the exit path looked completely different with the additional light. I had not noticed the engraved artwork on the walls when we were there the previous day.
“This is so beautiful.” I ran my fingers on the walls holding my phone light.
Nick ran his hands over the wall inspecting the walls for openings by tapping and knocking.
“I don’t think there is another opening other than the one to that side,” Nick stated and pushed open the door.
I placed the wooden block I had in my hand to keep the door to the escape tunnel propped open.
“Ready, baby?” Nick smiled pulling me to his side.
“Nick, what are we looking for?” I asked again closely following him into the tunnel that looked larger than I had thought it to be in the dark the previous day. I looked at the high stone ceilings and the stones that lined the walls as far as my eye could see in the light.
Nick stopped halfway through the tunnel. “I don’t think there is anything out here.”
“What do you think would be hidden here, Nick? The sword?”
“Maybe?”
“What if the sword was a myth?” I said softly.
“It’s
possible, but I am convinced whatever it is Rajaram was trying to protect was the reason he left his family.”
“What?” I stopped in my tracks unable to accept the harsh truth behind the words.
“Why would he abandon love for something… a thing, even if it were the Koh-i-Noor diamond. How can you say such a thing?”
Nick turned to look at me and took me into his arms when he saw me shake almost in anger and disappointment. “I’m not saying he left his family for the diamond but… what if the diamond signified something more important than love?”
“How can anything be more important than love?” I challenged fighting back angry tears.
“Sweetheart, what if the diamond or the sword, for that matter, was a symbol of responsibility, duty, love… love toward his people?” Nick ran his hand over my back in an attempt to calm me down, but I could not shake away the feeling that Nick could be right, and I did not like the reason.
Why did Rajaram give up his life to protect a lifeless object?
*****
“Nate, it’s so good to see you.” I smiled looking at her on video chat.
“Meera, you look relaxed. You should stay there longer.” Nate laughed.
“Right and let the girls and mom drive you nuts?” I laughed.
“The girls? They are angels… Mom not so much. Is it me or has mom suddenly turned into this passive-aggressive woman?”
I laughed shaking my head. “Why would you say that?”
“I’ll be in the middle of some fun with the girls, and out of nowhere, she reminds me that Srini and I need to have our own and I shouldn’t wait any longer.”
“It’s okay, Nate. She probably knows how much you enjoy playing with little kids.”
“I love Anya and Naina to death. You’ll have to fight me to take them back.”
I laughed wiping the happy moisture at the edge of my eyes. “You can keep them until you go back to work.”
“I want them for myself,” Nate said, and I knew she wasn’t entirely joking.
“They are yours, too, Nate. Why do I not hear them?”
“Mom insisted on taking them for a walk by herself. She told me today, I am obsessed with them, and I needed to get used to not being around them.”
