The Trail to Spring

Chapter 22

"You won't believe what happened yesterday," Atifa said, in an excited voice as soon as I picked up her call.

"I was just eating lunch when that lizard detective called and requested me to visit Mr. Barui's place, to get some documents that he had collected about that murderer house maid, Mrs. Pyne. So I went there in the afternoon. Mr. Barui lives in a bungalow type of place and he is rich. Like super rich. I mean he is literally wrapped up in wealth in his luxury house, along with countless servants who does his every single bidding. I don't know how that lizard can afford to let go of such a rich father! I mean, I would have practically leaped at the opportunity of leading such a life if I was given a choice. And did I tell you about the garden..."

"Atifa, I think you are trailing away," I informed her, "What did you actually call me for?"

"Oh, yes, sorry," she seemed to be blushing on the other side as far as I could understand from her voice, "Actually, I had never been to such a millionaire's place before so I became kind of hyper excited. As I said, I had gone to Mr. Barui's place yesterday and he seemed to be as polite and handsome as the first time we had met him in that lizard's place. He handed me some documents and asked me to click their pictures and send them to that lizard because he said his hands weren't steady as he had an accident a long time back and he couldn't trust his servants on such an important job. I tried to skim through those documents and it seemed like they contained Mrs. Pyne's background or something, nothing much interesting. Honestly, I think Mr. Barui was just kidding or something on behalf of that lizard detective. Maybe that detective felt sorry or something because he had hijacked my expedition with you and wanted me to feel as if I was taking an active part in this case. Not that I complain or whatever. I am helping solve a murder mystery- how cool is that? But here's the important part. Just as I was leaving his place, I noticed something kept inside a glass case in his cabinet. You could never guess what it was. It was a revolver!"

"So?," I asked, "Why can't he keep a revolver? Many people keep them for self defence."

"Maya, I think you don't understand. It wasn't a toy pistol. It was an actual living breathing revolver that can actually kill people," she said, almost shouting in her excitement.

"I always thought that the bullet did the killing," I said.

"Ha, ha," Atifa fake- laughed from the other side, "You joke now. But I am warning you. I have never heard of a man who keeps a revolver in his cabinet and doesn't use it one time or another."

"Alright, have you finished with your doomsday warning now?," I interrupted as she stopped to take a breath, "I am trying to trace dada at the moment. I don't think we will succeed, but we are trying and I don't think you are helping."

"You are stubborn, Maya, almost to the point of being selfish," she said, "You won't listen to anything except the thing you are doing at the moment. It is the single most important quality that I love and hate about you."

"What are you talking about, Atifa?," I asked. I was surprised by the sudden change in her tone. She sounded as if she was hurt.

"I am talking about your decision to go to Darjeeling with that lizard detective," she said, "Seriously it sucks when your best friend prefers a complete stranger over you."

"I chose the detective because I thought he could help me better. I need to find my brother, Atifa. And I need you to stand behind me for that," I said. I felt an uncomfortable tension creeping up in our conversation and I felt bad at that. Atifa was one of the few people on whom I could depend at the moment and I needed her to support me.

"I will stand behind you, Maya," she confirmed, "But I sometimes wonder whether you ever will."

"Look," I said, "I'll come back and we'll go to the South City shopping mall and spend a whole day there eating and trying out clothes and watching movies, just as you always wanted to. A whole girls day out, without any other friends or parents. I'll do anything you say. Just don't back out now, Atifa. I need you."

"Okay, sis," she said after a while, her voice taking on her usual tone again.

I heaved out a sigh of relief.

"I'll pray to Allah that you get back your brother, come home safe and then after, be my slave for the rest of your life," she said.

"Yeah, you wish," I finally smiled for the first time today.

After I hanged up the call, I didn't feel as miserable as before. Atifa could always cheer me up in any situation and that's what I liked so much about her. I realised how much I had started to value our friendship. It's at times like these that you need your friends to lean back on and find support. More so, when you know that you will face an almost inevitable failure and I felt thankful that I had Atifa to help me through this difficult period.

I looked at my wrist watch and saw that it had been almost about half an hour that I had been sitting alone in the car. I got out and walked back to the hotel that Rakesh was in. The receptionist informed me that the detective had left a long time ago. I returned back to our car to see our driver Sukhiji sitting inside and listening to a Nepali song on the radio.

"Your boyfriend has gone to find a suitable restaurant to have lunch," he said, when I enquired about the detective.

I blushed.

"He's not my boyfriend," I pointed out.

"I couldn't help but notice, miss," he said, "You have not visited any tourist spots here since you came. Even your companion, he asked me to take a leave yesterday. I can tell, you two like to take things slow, don't you?"

I couldn't bear to go through the actual purpose of my visit yet again from the start so I just nodded as an answer.

But I was surprised on hearing that the detective had allowed Sukhiji to take a leave yesterday. It would have been much easier for him to search if he had a car with him. Another one of his eccentricities, I thought.

I sat down on the passenger seat beside Sukhiji.

"You are very lucky to have experienced snow fall yesterday, miss," he said, pointing up to the sky, "It hardly ever snows in Darjeeling."

I was busy listening to a Nepali song on the radio with Sukhiji when Rakesh finally walked up to us. I was glad he came back because I didn't know Nepali, and couldn't really understand what the songs were about except for those occasional moments when Sukhiji would spread out his arms or look at the sky while singing the words of the songs in chorus.

"I found a restaurant," Rakesh said, "It isn't a five star one of course, but good enough for grabbing a quick bite. Let's go."