The Dust Will Never Settle

by Deva, Mukul

The second cop car, a sky-blue Tata Indigo sedan, was harder to spot. It was sitting in the driveway of the adjacent house. He would not have noticed it if one of the watchers had not stepped out for a smoke.

  Still not satisfied, he waited half an hour before making another pass. He needed to be sure there were no more watchers. His life depended on it. Only when he was absolutely certain did he return to his car.

  He could have done the job right away, but Pasha’s instructions were clear – an example had to be made. He hated such complications, but there was no choice. Pasha’s orders had to be obeyed.

  He returned to his car, pulled out his mobile and sent a text. Three minutes later, he received the reply. He deleted both the messages and, settling himself behind the wheel, waited.

  It would be a long wait, but he was patient. The rain kept him company.

  Ravinder was at the fag end of his security review at the Ashoka hotel when his mobile rang.

  ‘Yes, Sanjeev?’

  ‘Sir, it’s me… Nanda.’

  ‘Yes, tell me.’

  ‘The guy is collecting the items at four tomorrow.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘The Garden of Five Senses.’

  ‘Damn!’ Ravinder grimaced as he pictured the venue. It would be a pain to put down a team discreetly. ‘Why did you have to pick…’

  ‘I didn’t. He did.’

  A pro, Ravinder reflected. He’d picked a place and time where the crowds would be heavy.

  ‘Okay, we’ll be there.’

  ‘Sir,’ Nanda asked hesitantly, ‘you are going to be there, right? Yourself?’

  ‘Of course I will.’

  ‘Thank you, sir.’ Nanda sounded relieved. ‘I was worried. Sometimes your people can get trigger happy.’

  ‘Don’t worry about it, Sanjeev. I’ll be there.’

  Ravinder saw Chance and Jennifer coming up to him as he ended the call. ‘Is everything okay?’ The look on Chance’s face made it clear that it wasn’t.

  ‘Well, Mr Gill, I don’t want to seem overcritical, but we are having a problem with the guards holding onto their posts every time we run an emergency security breach drill.’

  ‘Really?’ Ravinder was perplexed; the drill was simple and clear. He had just been through it with Mohite – the minute an alert was sounded, everyone stuck to their posts and ensured nothing moved in or out. ‘Why is that? Any specific problem you could identify?’

  Chance hesitated, aware he was on shaky ground. But he realized the issue had to be sorted out. If something happened to the British MP his arse would be grass. ‘I think it is because Mr Mohite keeps countermanding orders from the control room and issuing fresh ones based on what he feels the threat is.’

  ‘I see.’ Ravinder pursed his lips to contain the curses. ‘Let me take care of it.’

  Chance saw Ravinder check his watch and realized they should be moving on; he trusted Gill. He thought Ravinder to be a reasonable man and had established a good rapport with him. Jennifer and he exchanged glances and then left.

  Ravinder wanted to return to the eighth floor and deal with Mohite immediately, but realizing that Ruby was about to arrive, he headed for the Frontier restaurant instead.

  The maitre d’ was escorting him to their table when Ruby entered. Ravinder’s heart skipped a beat as she spotted him and smiled – so striking was the similarity that he could have sworn it was Rehana.

  Ruby was wearing a pale pink dress and had a matching leather clutch in her hand. Her high heels made her look taller and her black hair framed her face in a perfect oval. She looked beautiful and poised; his heart swelled. Then he noted the aloof expression on her face, it belied her smile, and his heart broke. Though she stood right there, her eyes were far away. As though the closeness they’d achieved just the night before was lost. He sensed an awkwardness hanging heavily between them.

  Ravinder could not let it pass. He felt the need to reach out to her.

  ‘What has happened, Ruby? There is something different about you today.’

  ‘Nothing in particular.’ Ruby shrugged. ‘Just one of those days, I guess.’

  ‘But you’re okay?’

  ‘Don’t worry about it, dad. I will be fine.’

  Ravinder sensed it was more than that, but he did not know how to get through to her.

  ‘The menu, sir.’ The maitre d’ held one out. Just as he was taking it, Ravinder saw Chance and Jennifer enter the restaurant.

  Maybe some company would do both of us some good. Ravinder seized the opportunity.

  He stood up and waved to them. ‘Come, come. Join us. Meet my daughter.’ Ravinder gestured proudly towards Ruby as Chance and Jennifer walked up to them.

  Chance’s eyes widened. ‘So you two are related.’ He grinned. ‘Now isn’t it a small world?’

  ‘You know each other?’ Ravinder asked, surprised.

  Stunned, Ruby struggled to regain her composure. ‘I should say we do,’ Chance answered before Ruby could. ‘We work together.’

  ‘Really?’ Ravinder gave Ruby a long look. Why hadn’t she mentioned that she worked with the MI6?

  Maybe because I never asked… but I did. Now, when he replayed their conversation in his head, he thought she had been evasive. Oh well, it is not as though MI6 agents would go around advertising it. But I am her father and…

  Chance’s voice interrupted his thoughts. ‘We have been working together for almost three years now.’

  ‘Fantastic.’ That was when Ravinder noticed the resemblance between the two women. And Jennifer’s expression – a polite smile plastered on her face, which did not conceal the guarded look she was giving Ruby. He sensed something was afoot.

  Are they both vying for this fellow? A mischievous impulse ran through him.

  ‘Why don’t the two of you join us for lunch? I would love to hear more about my daughter, since,’ he looked at Ruby fondly, ‘she does not talk about herself at all.’

  The lack of enthusiasm on Jennifer’s face was clear. And it was mirrored on Ruby’s.

  Chance began, ‘We don’t want to intrude on a family…’

  ‘Nonsense. I absolutely insist. Please…’ He rose and pulled up the chair facing him for Jennifer, so that Chance had to sit opposite Ruby.

  ‘You two look so alike!’ He gave Jennifer and Ruby a smile. The fact that neither smiled in return did not escape his attention.

  Ruby cursed silently as Chance and Jennifer sat down. She would have to make sure the conversation stayed away from dangerous terrain. All three were already on the lookout for a female British mercenary.

  To Ruby’s relief, the maitre d’ arrived to take their orders just then.

  ‘It is as much fun watching the chefs prepare the dishes as it is eating here.’ Ravinder gestured towards the men working the barbeque a few metres away. ‘Would you like me to help you with ordering?’ he asked.

  All three nodded. ‘That would be great.’ Chance smiled. ‘Easy on the spices for me,’ Ruby added. ‘That’s funny,’ Ravinder said lovingly. ‘Your mother loved spicy food.’

  ‘But I can’t handle it.’

  ‘Me neither,’ Jennifer chimed in.

  Ruby, Jennifer and Chance watched the chefs working expertly with a multitude of barbequed dishes as Ravinder conferred with the maitre d’ and ordered.

  Soon their table was laden with plates of Peshawari dal, burra kebab, karahi gosht, murgh malai kebab, pulao and raan.

  Luckily for Ruby, the conversation remained either on the food or on related trivia. Perhaps, she reasoned, they were reluctant to talk about work in front of her, as it would have to be about the Peace Summit.

  It was the murgh malai kebabs that caused a problem. Despite Ravinder’s caution, they were too spicy for the ladies. Jennifer started hiccupping as the phirni arrived. Passing on dessert, she excused herself and went to the ladies room. Ruby lasted a moment longer and then she too headed there.

  ‘I am really happy that you two managed to get together,’
Chance said as Ruby walked away. ‘Ruby had been apprehensive about calling you.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Yes, she was. I met her the other day and she…’

  ‘You two seem to know each other well,’ Ravinder could not help interrupting.

  ‘Well.’ Chance was unsure of how to proceed. ‘We have worked together for three years now…’

  Ravinder immediately sensed there was more to it. ‘I have been worried about Ruby,’ Chance continued. ‘We all are. You know… considering the horrible way in which her mother was killed. It broke her – so much that the agency psychiatrists recommended she be sent on extended medical leave.’ Chance’s awkwardness was evident, perhaps because he was saying all this behind Ruby’s back. ‘There’s no way she’ll be taken back on duty till the shrinks clear her… it was that bad. I am happy to see her looking so much more relaxed.’

  Ravinder could not hide his shock. ‘You know about this, don’t you?’

  ‘I know that my… that Ruby’s mother has passed away, but,’ Ravinder shook his head, ‘but that’s it. Ruby did not say anything else. I guess she does not like to talk about it.’

  ‘That’s understandable.’

  ‘What happened?’

  ‘No one knows for sure. Just after the recent terror strikes on Jerusalem, she went to Palestine and was taking part in a peace march. The Israelis say that the Qassam terrorists bombed the march. The Palestinians say that the IDF carried out an artillery attack and shells landed on the marchers.’

  Ravinder felt a faint alarm begin to hiss in his head. Something was amiss. Ruby should have told him about this, even if she did not want to talk about her job as an MI6 agent.

  The more Chance told him, the louder the alarm sounded. Even as Chance spoke, Ravinder began to relive everything that had transpired since Ruby had moved in. He realized that Ruby had been evasive about her life. She had not avoided any questions, but her answers had always been vague and sketchy.

  Could Rehana have passed on her obsession for the Palestinian cause to her, he wondered. Could she be the woman Nanda had mentioned? Ravinder couldn’t push the thought away.

  Could she have been the thirteenth woman that Peled had talked about? Could she be the British mercenary Anwar had mentioned who was expected to meet the LeT financier? And could Chance have some of these answers?

  ‘What do you…’ Ravinder leaned forward to question Chance when he spotted the two girls returning. He pulled back, breaking off in mid-sentence.

  Chance sensed the sudden shift, looked around and saw Ruby and Jennifer threading their way back. Jennifer looked pale and ill, the spices had hit her hard.

  Ruby noticed Ravinder pull away from Chance. She also noted the sudden shift in the conversation. She sensed that they had been talking about her. Perhaps Chance had said something that had put her father on guard.

  Instantly she went on red alert. She had to stay focused on her mission. This father–daughter stuff was too much for her to handle.

  The troubleshooter from Aligarh watched carefully as the shift changed. A new set of cops came by in ones and twos and relieved the old set. He did nothing, allowing them to settle down.

  Then, when he felt things appeared as normal as they could get, he checked his weapons and got ready.

  He would do everything to set the example Pasha had ordered. The jihad allowed for no mistakes.

  Ravinder had signed the charge slip and was returning his credit card to his wallet when his mobile rang. He grimaced when he saw the number.

  ‘Good afternoon, sir. How are you?’

  ‘I am fine, Gill.’ Thakur’s unmistakable nasal tone came through loud and clear. ‘Where are you?’

  ‘I am at the Ashoka, sir.’

  ‘Good. I am reaching there in a few minutes. I would like to review the security arrangements.’

  ‘There is no need for you to bother, sir. I have just finished doing that.’

  ‘It is no bother, Gill. This is my duty. I am in the neighbourhood so why waste the opportunity?’

  ‘Right, sir.’ Ravinder sighed. It was going to be a sheer waste of time, but he was the home minister and had to be pandered to. ‘I will meet you in the lobby.’ Ending the call, he turned to the others at the table, ‘Duty calls. I have to go.’

  Chance and Jennifer thanked him for the lunch and left.

  ‘Come, Ruby, let me walk you to the car.’ Ravinder wanted to restart the conversation they were having before lunch, but now suspicion had become part of the bag of emotions that hung between them.

  They were halfway through the lobby, when Ravinder heard Thakur’s voice. ‘Ah! There you are, Gill!’’

  He turned to see Thakur saunter up to them, with his compliment of Black Cat commandos around him. Thakur’s modest white kurta and pyjama contrasted sharply with the black combat dress of his PSOs. The thick gold chain around his neck and the gold plated Rolex on his wrist were hardly modest though. And Ravinder was not surprised to see Mohite beside him. What he had been planning to say to Ruby went unsaid.

  Thakur spotted Ruby and his politician’s smile switched on. ‘And who is this lovely young lady with you? Is she the one from the CIA?’

  ‘No, sir. This is Ruby, my daughter. Ruby, this is Mr Thakur, our home minister.’

  Thakur was beaming as he shook Ruby’s hand. ‘How come we have not met earlier?’

  ‘She has just returned from London, sir.’ Ravinder kept the explanation brief. ‘We were having lunch together. I was just dropping her off to the car.’

  ‘What is this, Gill?’ Thakur said with mock enthusiasm. ‘If you had told me you were busy with family I would never have bothered you. Anyway, don’t let me disrupt anything. Just show me the security arrangements and then you two can carry on.’ He turned to Ruby. ‘Come, my dear. I shall only take a few minutes of your father’s time.’

  ‘I don’t think that is a good idea, sir,’ Ravinder protested. ‘This is a restricted area.’

  ‘Come now, Gill. You must stop being a policeman all the time… she is family, after all. Isn’t that right, Govind?’

  ‘Of course, sir.’ Mohite did his Yes Minister bit. Ravinder had to struggle to keep his exasperation in check. Before he could respond, Thakur had taken Ruby’s arm and was heading for the elevator, talking to her about London. Mohite, fawning over them, led the way.

  Ravinder had to follow. They were getting into the elevator when an idea struck him. If I cannot avoid this… and if Ruby is somehow involved in disrupting the Summit… I could use this opportunity to pass on some disinformation. That would…

  ‘Let me explain the security plan to you, sir,’ Mohite’s voice intruded. Ravinder’s heart sank. In an attempt to impress Thakur, Mohite was going to spill the entire plan to him, right in front of Ruby.

  And Mohite outdid himself by leaving out no detail. ‘Every entry point to the secure floors is manned by ATTF personnel, two per post. Similarly, we have a section-sized picket on both the hotel gates and another section at the two roadblocks set up on both sides of the road leading up to the hotel, and three more sections guarding the rear boundary wall. So, as far as the external security is concerned, nothing but a full-scale military attack can get through.’

  The elevator doors opened on the seventh floor. Leading the way out, Mohite continued, ‘Inside we have two men securing the staircases on either end of the floor. Also, two men at either end of the elevators, so no unauthorized person can enter. This floor will be fully occupied by security and admin staff and the eighth floor is for the delegates… and, of course, for the meetings.’

  Turning left from the elevators, Mohite led the way to the first room on the outer side of the corridor.

  ‘This room and the adjacent two have been converted into our security control room. We will be monitoring and supervising the complete operation from here.’

  He held open the door for Thakur. The minister sauntered in with his entire party in tow. Men were busy setting up a
bank of monitors, there were wires and cables strewn all over.

  ‘They are setting up the CCTV network,’ Mohite explained. ‘Both gates, most of the hotel periphery, the hotel lobby, the elevators, staircases and all entries and exits to the seventh and eighth floors will be monitored 24x7 from here. The camera feed is also to be beamed to Mr Gill’s room, which is just down the corridor on the other side.’

  ‘What are these?’ Thakur pointed at an open cardboard carton containing neatly tied bundles of coloured plastic cards.

  ‘Security access cards, sir, for issue to all authorized personnel. No one can enter without these cards. The blue cards are for the seventh floor only and the red for access to the entire secure zone.’ He eased out a red card and handed it to Thakur. ‘This one is for you, sir. It allows you complete freedom of movement over the secure zone.’

  Thakur idly flipped the card around in his hand. He knew he would not need it, but the card had a nice feel. He pocketed it with a smile.

  Mohite threw the bundle back in the cardboard box and led them out, once again holding the door open for Thakur.

  When he tossed the bundle into the box, some cards slipped out and scattered on the floor. The PSO standing closest to the box bent down to pick them up. Ruby stepped forward and helped him before joining the others in the corridor. No one noticed her palm a red card and slip it into her handbag. Ravinder, on the other side of the minister, saw her bend down, but his attention was on Mohite, he was trying to spot a way to stem his blabbering.

  When Ruby joined them in the corridor, Mohite was saying, ‘Also on the other side of the elevators are the rooms for the MI6 and CIA agents.’ He pointed them out. ‘Directly opposite is the room we have kept for you, in case you want to rest.’

  Ravinder was disgusted. Did the man have no shame?

  Standing at a distance, Ruby watched this interplay with interest. She picked up on the stress between her father and his second-in-command but took care not to show that she was paying close attention.

  Mohite continued, ‘Next to your room, sir, is mine and beyond that is Mr Gill’s. The others are for the security personnel travelling with the delegates.’