The Trail to Spring

Chapter 29

As we drove out of Darjeeling, I noticed that the detective was trying to hide his face whenever we passed by a police officer even if it was just a traffic constable.

Sukhiji was busy lip singing to 'Kabhi Nahi Rona' by Kishore Kumar and didn't care at all about what we were doing behind. But for me, the detective's fear was infectious and I soon started fearing too, even though I didn't know for what and that was making me tensed further.

I remembered the scarred man and his wink and I shivered in disgust. Something was wrong and I knew it was bothering Rakesh too. He had said that the man was not following him. Then that could only mean he was following me. But for what reason?
The detective was wearing his broken sunglasses and he was busy fidgeting with his harmonica.

Finally when Rakesh had made absolutely certain that we would not come across any more police officers for the foreseeable distance, he turned towards me.

"Soon after you went away from Mrs. Majumdar's place yesterday," he said, "Inspector Gupta, the presiding officer in the Guind murder case and a few other constables arrived. I was personally surprised to see Inspector Gupta there because she had vehemently protested my theory back in Kolkata. So I couldn't understand what she was doing in Darjeeling herself. Anyway, I showed her our prisoner, and told her Mrs. Pyne's story. I contemplated whether I should tell her about Pops and just decided to come clean with everything.

"I believe she had a pen drive in her possession?," she had asked after listening to what I had to say.

That's when I knew something was wrong. Pops had made it absolutely clear that the police had no idea about the pen drive and it would ruin his whole business if they got to know that there was one. And here was the Inspector asking me about the pen drive as if she had known that there was one from the very beginning. And more importantly, the Inspector was hardly surprised when I told her about Pops' connection to the murder.

I knew something was wrong.

I felt that Inspector Sara Gupta was not being completely honest in her duty as an officer and I couldn't bring myself in trusting her with Pops' pen drive. So despite having it inside my pocket at the time, I excused myself to your room saying it was there and locked the door behind me. I opened up the window and tried to get out from there but there was an officer standing on guard and I had to tussle with him. That's how my sunglasses, which I had on then, broke. I somehow managed to get out of his grip for a moment but it was enough of an opportunity for me to run away from him and that place. I ran and ran until I was sure that no one was following me anymore. I spent the rest of the night preparing my disguise. I thought a blind man would be a nice one, given your natural proclivity towards them. I knew that you would try and visit the rest of the hotels in the list that I had made for you and fortunately I remembered their names. So as I was waiting for you to arrive in one of those hotels this morning, I spotted Sukhiji in his car and just sat down in front of him to gain his and yours attention."

Sukhiji turned back towards us on hearing his name.

"Did you say anything, babu?," he asked, decreasing the volume of the radio.

"I was saying to my friend that you drive pretty well," Rakesh replied, "These mountain roads are no joke."

"That is true, babu. I have been driving these roads for the last ten years, and I know them as well as the back of my hand," he said, nodding in agreement and turning in front again.

"So much for this thing," the detective said, taking out the pen drive from his pocket and observing it carefully, "I think I'll open it myself and see what's inside."

"I feel sorry for Mrs. Majumdar," I said, "I wonder what she would have felt having her place raided by a murderer and the police and to see that her guests had left her so abruptly."