De Silva felt a jolt of excitement. This was better luck than he’d anticipated. ‘I’ll come this afternoon if it’s alright with you.’
‘Of course; I look forward to it.’
**
The grandson eyed de Silva and Singh warily when they walked into the interview room. He was girlishly handsome with black hair that curled to his shoulders. The whisper of a moustache darkened his upper lip.
‘This is Inspector de Silva of the Nuala Police,’ said Singh. ‘He has some questions. It will go better for you if you answer them truthfully.’
The young man’s expression was sulky, but de Silva saw there was also fear. He decided to start with a kindly approach that was probably far gentler than the treatment the lad’s grandfather would have meted out to him.
Reluctantly at first, but becoming more forthcoming with de Silva’s judicious prompting, the grandson admitted he had been present when Velu was murdered.
‘Who were you working for?’ asked de Silva.
The young man shivered and cast a longing glance at the barred window where a meagre ray of sunshine struggled to penetrate the shadowy room. ‘I never knew their names.’
‘Were they white men?’
‘Yes.’
‘Describe them to me.’
When he finished, de Silva nodded. ‘It sounds like Edelman and Coryat.’
‘I’ll check if Coryat’s body’s still at the undertakers,’ said Singh. ‘If so, the lad can identify it.’
A queasy look clouded the young man’s face. Not a hardened villain then, thought de Silva.
‘What were you doing for them?’
‘Digging. They were looking for treasure. After all the rain, it was dangerous. We’d already had one mudslide, but they wouldn’t let us stop.’ Sweat beaded his brow. ‘I wanted to get away. I wouldn’t have been there at all if it hadn’t been for Velu. He owed money. The moneylender was going to have him beaten up if he didn’t pay.’
‘What about you? Did you owe money as well?’
The young man’s gaze shifted away. ‘No,’ he muttered.
‘Perhaps you wanted to make a quick buck?’
There was no answer, and de Silva didn’t press him.
‘Who killed Velu?’
‘The fat man.’
‘How did he sound?’
‘He spoke English, but he didn’t sound like a Britisher.’
Edelman: de Silva was certain of it.
‘Why did he kill Velu?’
‘Velu was crazy. He argued about how much he was being paid. He said it wasn’t enough, and he wouldn’t go on. The fat man said he had to finish the job. Velu said no. The fat man raised his gun.’ He mimicked the action. ‘And pouf…’
‘What happened after that?’
‘I ran. They weren’t fast enough to catch me. It was getting dark, and I lost them in the jungle. I stayed there for a long time.’
‘What did you live on?’
The young man pulled a face. ‘Grubs, lizards. Sometimes birds.’
‘I imagine such a life doesn’t appeal for long.’
The young man shrugged.
A thought came to de Silva. ‘You said the work was dangerous because of the rain. Was it raining when Velu was shot?’
The question seemed to surprise the young man. ‘It was in the morning, but it stopped.’
De Silva nodded. ‘Thank you, you’ve been a help. I’m sure Inspector Singh here will see to it that the magistrate’s made aware of that.’
Singh went to the door and called a constable. ‘We’re done. Take him back to his cell.’
So, de Silva reflected, as the young man was led away, Jane had been right. The scream he’d heard on that rainy evening on the old Hatton Road had been the wind playing a trick on his ears. But how lucky he had doubted her. If it hadn’t been for that, he and Prasanna and Nadar wouldn’t have gone back to search, and Velu’s body would probably never have been found.
Chapter 31
A few weeks later
The great and the good of Colombo were gathered in the museum to celebrate the arrival of a new item for the collection: the statue recovered from Joseph Edelman along with the rest of the loot he had planned to smuggle to Europe. He had finally been tracked down trying to board a ship at Jaffna. It was likely de Silva would have to testify, but otherwise, all that was left for him to do was identify the man who had impersonated Professor Jayakody. After studying numerous files of photographs held at the Colombo station, he was able to tell them he was a man called Zamir Maheshwari.
Fonseka had also been arrested. He denied having anything to do with Rudi Chockalingham’s accident. Hoping for lenience, he had turned King’s evidence against Edelman, but greed had undone him; his career in the police was over.
The gold statue took pride of place in a large display cabinet in the centre of the great hall, surrounded by the best of the other finds.
‘I feel out of place,’ de Silva said to Jane as they stood together nearby.
‘What nonsense! If it wasn’t for you, the case would never have been solved.’
‘A few other people helped.’
‘Your contribution was the most important.’
She sipped her champagne and looked round the hall. ‘The Governor General and his wife are here. Look, they’re talking to the Petries. Archie’s with them too, and Florence, back from her holiday. We should go and say hello.’
De Silva hesitated. His work had brought him into contact with the Petries several times and he liked them, but the Governor General and his lady were a more daunting prospect.
Jane wasn’t to be resisted, however, and they joined the group.
William Petrie made the introductions. Afterwards, de Silva couldn’t remember what the Governor General had said, but he was aware it was very complimentary. William congratulated him, and Lady Caroline gave him one of her sweet smiles. ‘Another victory for you, Inspector,’ she said. ‘Success is becoming a habit.’
De Silva feared he might flush like a schoolboy. He was saved by the Director of the Museum who came to claim the attention of the Governor General and his wife and the Petries. Florence started to engage Jane in a long conversation about her travels. De Silva found himself alone with Archie.
‘Excellent outcome, eh, de Silva?’ he remarked. He stared down into his champagne glass. ‘Do you like this stuff? Overrated to my way of thinking. Give me a decent whisky any day.’
‘I agree with you there.’
Clutterbuck gestured to the statue. ‘Pretty piece, isn’t it? I’m told it’s worth a king’s ransom. Good to know it’s staying here where it belongs, not being spirited back to London.’
‘Two things still puzzle me, sir.’
‘Mm?’
‘Firstly, how did Joseph Edelman know that Henry Coryat was hiding something from him?’
‘I’m sorry, I thought you’d been told. Fonseka revealed it was due to the man you identified as Zamir Maheshwari. He may be a crook, but he knows his onions.’
What on earth did onions have to do with it, wondered de Silva
‘Edelman’s a canny customer. He decided he wanted another opinion apart from Coryat’s. Edelman knows about jewellery, but he’s not an expert on antiquities. Maybe he’s been cheated before. Maheshwari already knew quite a lot about the hoard from old tales in the antiquities world. Apparently, there are theories going back many years that it was hidden somewhere in the Hill Country. He was suspicious about Coryat’s assertion he’d handed over everything, especially as, in his view, Coryat had exaggerated the value of some pieces.’
‘Why would he do that?’
‘Edelman was paying him for his work. I imagine Coryat thought Edelman would be more generous if he believed Coryat had found him a fortune. When Fonseka tipped Edelman off that you were coming to Colombo, they thought you might have some good pieces. Hence the episode on the train.’
‘That’s the other thing I don’t understand. How did Edelman
know who I was? It can’t just have been inspired guesswork, especially as he would have been looking for a man on his own and not a couple.’
‘It wasn’t. Fonseka purloined the photo from your old file at Colombo headquarters and sent it to him.’
‘So, Edelman set up the robbery?’
‘Indeed. The unfortunate thief was his servant. It’s not clear yet whether Edelman always intended to do away with him, or whether that was unplanned.’
De Silva thought back to the moment on the train when the thief had fallen out of the door. In the confusion of the robbery, de Silva hadn’t seen his face very clearly, and it had been too dark to make out what was going on between him and Edelman at the train door. Edelman could easily have pushed him.
He also remembered seeing Edelman leave the station concourse. Why hadn’t he noticed at the time? The driver had helped Edelman into the car, not the servant, although he’d been with him at the start of the journey, and Edelman had talked about him being on the train after the staged robbery. No servant would be so disrespectful as to take a seat in a car before his master. Clearly, the reason why the servant hadn’t held the door was that he was lying dead by the train track.
‘In any case,’ Clutterbuck continued, ‘Once Edelman heard you had nothing of great value to show, he came straight back to Nuala to confront Henry Coryat.’
‘Why would Coryat get involved in the first place? I thought he was highly respected in the academic world. He seemed to live frugally. Surely he wasn’t after money?’
‘Not money; although we believe the lure of owning a precious object may have swayed him. There was something else though. It was hushed up at the time, but several years ago, Coryat stole from the museum. When he was found out, he returned his loot, and was allowed to retire with his honour intact. He moved to Nuala, presumably hoping to put everything behind him and spend the rest of his life writing up his researches. He would have succeeded if Edelman hadn’t heard a rumour about him. He probed further and threatened to expose Coryat if he didn’t help him.’
‘Why not just use Zamir Maheshwari? Wouldn’t it have been less risky?’
‘Maheshwari likes to keep in the background. I’m surprised he agreed to meet you at Fonseka’s house. Probably Edelman insisted he did, anticipating you wouldn’t be parted from your treasures. I’m afraid he’s slipped through the net, but one day he’ll make a mistake.’
Florence and Jane joined them, Florence radiant from her cruise. ‘My dear Inspector,’ she trilled. ‘Such a wonderful experience. You and Jane simply must go.’
‘I feel as if I already have,’ Jane whispered as Archie and Florence moved away to talk to other friends and acquaintances. ‘Florence is so full of her tales of the sea.’
Tucking her arm in his, he smiled. ‘If you’d like to, we’ll find a way.’
He glanced around the hall. ‘There’s Charlie Frobisher over there. Shall we go and say hello?’
‘Do let’s. He’s such a delightful young man.’
She contemplated Frobisher for a moment. ‘Florence tells me that Archie says he has a very promising career ahead of him. Does he have a wife?’
‘Not so far as I’m aware.’
‘You know how keen the Colonial service is for its staff to be married.’
He looked at her with an expression that pantomimed despair. ‘Don’t tell me you’re plotting already.’
She smiled. ‘As if I’d dream of it.’
****
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Other Books by Harriet Steel
The Inspector de Silva Mysteries #1
Trouble in Nuala
When Inspector Shanti de Silva moves with his English wife, Jane, to a new post in the sleepy hill town of Nuala, he anticipates a more restful life than police work in the big city entails. However, an arrogant plantation owner with a lonely wife, a crusading lawyer, and a death in suspicious circumstances present him with a riddle that he will need all his experience to solve.
Set on the exotic island of Ceylon in the 1930s, Trouble in Nuala is an entertaining and relaxing mystery spiced with humour and a colourful cast of characters.
The Inspector de Silva Mysteries #2
Dark Clouds Over Nuala
In this second book in the series, the arrival in the hill town of Nuala of the heir to an English earldom signals more trouble for the hapless Inspector de Silva and a new mystery to solve. Throw in a mega-rich Romanian count, his glamorous countess and an enigmatic British army officer and the scene is set for another entertaining mystery.
The Inspector de Silva Mysteries #3
Offstage in Nuala
Inspector de Silva is caught up in the excitement when a professional theatre company comes to Nuala, but matters take a dark turn when the company’s actor manager is murdered. Our inspector has a new case to solve, and he must consider some very unpalatable motives for the crime. He will need all his persistence, coupled with his wife, Jane’s, invaluable help to unmask the villain of the piece.
Set on the exotic island of Ceylon in the 1930s, The Inspector de Silva Mysteries provide a colourful and relaxing read spiced with humour and an engaging cast of characters.
Becoming Lola
The true story of how Eliza Gilbert, the daughter of an obscure Ensign in the British Army and his cold Irish wife, became the nineteenth century’s most notorious adventuress, Lola Montez.
“Throughout Becoming Lola, I kept having to remind myself that the story was based on historical fact. It is a fascinating journey following a woman’s single-minded determination to get the very best for herself at all costs.” Historical Novel Society
“A fascinating read. Lola was such a gutsy character, and Harriet Steel has captured her times and adventures very vividly. It's a must read if you like wild women and strange adventures.” Beth Webb, Author of the Star Dancer trilogy.
Salvation
It is 1586, plagued by religious strife at home and with the Royal Treasury almost exhausted, England holds her breath. When will Philip of Spain launch his Armada?
In this world of suspicion and fear, three people pursue their own struggles for happiness and salvation.
When an enemy threatens to reveal his illicit affair with a married woman, young lawyer’s clerk, Tom Goodluck, is forced to leave his old life behind him. An aspiring playwright, for a while his future in the burgeoning world of Elizabethan theatre looks bright but then events take an unexpected turn that threatens his very existence. His mentor and friend, theatre manager Alexandre Lamotte, comes to his rescue but Lamotte’s past hides tragedy and a dark secret. In trying to save Tom, he puts everything he has achieved at risk. Meanwhile Tom’s lover, Meg, is forced to set out on a path that will test her mettle to the limit.
City of Dreams
After a whirlwind courtship and marriage to dashing Frenchman Emile Daubigny, Anna, the teenage daughter of a Russian furrier, moves to Paris with her new husband, looking forward to a life of gaiety, love and comfortable affluence.
Married life and the social scene in the most fashionable city on earth is everything Anna hoped it would be, but when Emile vanishes without trace and she is evicted, Anna is forced to discover the city’s poverty-stricken dark side of harsh streets and squalid tenements, where the temptation for a penniless young lady to become a kept woman is overwhelming.
To
make matters worse, war with Prussia looms and Anna and the city she loves will both struggle to survive.
Following the Dream
The sequel to City of Dreams continues Anna’s story in the vibrant city of Paris.
Dancing and Other Stories
Profits from this collection of short stories will be donated to WaterAid, a charity working to bring clean water and sanitation to villages in the Third World. The collection takes a light-hearted look at some of the big issues in life: love, hate, friendship, jealousy, revenge and biscuits. It includes the prize-winning story, Dryad, co-authored with bestselling author, Joanne Harris for the BBC competition, End of Story.
Fatal Finds in Nuala (The Inspector de Silva Mysteries Book 4) Page 17