He was through.
Bright lights glared from overhead strips. Gleaming metal. Knives on the wall. He had to work quickly.
Steaming ovens and stoves to the left, work surfaces strewn with half-prepared dishes, diced vegetables and meat. Tau looked towards one of the cuts of meat. He didn’t recognise it. It was large, almost eight inches in length, with a gleaming white bone jarring from the centre.
Sounds from the restaurant chased him. He had to work quickly.
Most of the storage spaces were open. The bag would be seen in seconds from there. It had to appear to be hidden.
Tau moved through the kitchen, looking left and right. At the end of the first set of steel work surfaces the room opened to the right. Shelves displayed spices and baskets of herbs. Two large fridges hummed in the still room.
Tau could hear noise from the restaurant behind him. A plate clattered to the floor.
The drunken, laughing voices of tourists raised together.
Beyond the shelves, half-hidden in the shadowy corner away from the bright lights of the food preparation area, stood a piece of furniture with no place in the gleaming kitchen. A wooden cupboard. Ornate, classical, carved wood. This would do.
Not knowing what to expect from its contents, possibly chef’s whites, or the dark outfits the two men in the restaurant wore, Tau pulled one of the doors open. He certainly didn’t expect to see what he did.
In the cupboard hung a variety of clothes. Different colours, sizes and styles. T-shirts, trousers, shorts, bright shirts, long shirts, short ones. He pulled one from the far right-hand side, a large bright blue shirt which hung lower than most. It wasn’t until he pulled it out he noticed the dark stain across the front.
The door of the kitchen opened behind him.
Two pairs of feet on the tiles.
Two voices.
Chapter 85
Allissa hated doing nothing. She felt useless standing in the doorway, knowing that the problem she and Leo had got themselves into was being solved by someone else.
“I wish they’d hurry up,” she whispered, looking at Leo. “I feel terrible asking Fuli to do this. She’s been through enough.”
Leo nodded in agreement.
“She’s in no danger though, any issues she’ll be straight out here,” he reassured.
Two pairs of eyes were fixed on the end of the passage, the door, the bulb and the circling moths.
* * *
Tau stepped backwards into the shadow as far as he could beside the cupboard. For a moment he’d considered trying to climb in, but looking at the size of it he realised that wouldn’t be possible. He pushed his back flat to the cold wall and stood still.
The voices grew closer as the men walked into the room. They were talking in Tamil. Tau knew only a few words of the language.
“…bunch of idiots,” one said, Tau couldn’t see which.
“…shame… …busy,” the other replied. “…have them…”
“…later… …what happens…”
Tau’s breathing grew tight, he felt the suffocation of his shallow, noiseless breaths.
His thoughts became jumbled.
They’d assumed these men had been paid by Stockwell to kill Leo and Allissa, but was that all?
The talking stopped. One of the waiters scrabbled around with dishes and the door opened.
The other stepped out into the section of the kitchen where Tau was barely hidden.
The waiter took a step towards him.
Tau was sure he must have been seen, barely covered by the shadow.
He held his breath.
The moments passed.
The waiter’s eyes remained focused on the fridge.
He opened the door and removed something. It looked heavy. Tau saw the strain on his biceps.
Tau pushed himself back onto the wall. The cold, damp bricks hurt his shoulders.
The waiter took a step backwards.
He was taller than Tau with a darker complexion, although thin. Tau could see the beads of sweat form on his brow in the humid kitchen.
He pulled from the fridge a large metal tray. On it was what looked like a slab of meat. It was thick, pink and fresh.
It was long and thin, an exposed bone pointed towards Tau, still barely covered by shadow, but unnoticed.
It wasn’t until the waiter had removed the entire tray that Tau could see it all. He breathed in sharply. The spell was broken. The waiter looked towards him, straight at his shadowed face.
Tau hadn’t noticed. His eyes were still plainly focused on what was on the end of the cut of meat the waiter had removed from the fridge.
A human hand.
Chapter 86
Tau looked up. His eyes locked with the waiter’s. Dark pools hiding a thousand sins, highlighted by the same, contorted, oily smile.
Tau was the first to move.
Dropping the rucksack into the shadow beside the cupboard, Tau launched himself at the waiter. He sprung with all the force and speed he could muster.
The waiter, with no hands free, took the force in his shoulder. He was off balance.
The plate dropped. A dull crash under the weight of the arm, which rolled limp against the wall.
The waiter stumbled backwards. Tau recovered his balance and prepared to continue the attack. He was now engaged, this needed to happen.
With both hands he pushed the waiter, slamming him back against a metal cabinet on the far wall.
Struggling to recover his balance, the waiter lashed with fingers and fists. Metal pans clanged to the floor.
Tau knew his time was limited. He could probably deal with one of the men, but if the other came in he was done for. It would either be over in the next few seconds or he was going to lose.
Pulling one of the long metal dishes from the work surface, Tau swung it high. It was heavy, made with thick metal and had been prepared with onions, spices and meat ready for the oven. Food scattered around the kitchen.
Holding it high, Tau didn’t hesitate for a second. This man had killed Jack.
The waiter’s outstretched arm deflected Tau’s first strike. He yelped in pain as it thumped against his forearm.
Tau knew it wasn’t over. He raised the dish again. The waiter, distracted by the pain in his arm, didn’t react quickly enough as Tau brought the dish down a second time.
The waiter crumpled to the floor as the dish connected with the side of his neck. The force was hard. The shock rippled up Tau’s arm, stinging his shoulder.
Tau knew he had to leave. Now.
Not letting go of the tray, he pushed open the kitchen door. The restaurant was as it had been. Although to Tau, weeks could have passed.
Fuli stood as soon as she saw Tau. Her previous expression of nonchalance replaced by one of concern.
The other waiter, taking orders in the far corner of the room, saw Tau leave the kitchen door and straightened up. He was taller than his brother.
The customer, a blonde-haired man, continued to talk. The waiter wasn’t listening. His eyes bored into Tau.
Tau tightened his grip around the dish.
The blonde-haired man, still trying to explain what he and the girl at the table would like for dinner, attempted to tap the waiter on the forearm for attention. The waiter, slapping the man’s arm away, started to cross the restaurant.
The noise in the restaurant subsided as all eyes darted between the waiter and Tau.
Tau’s eyes dashed towards Fuli, catching her stare. He nodded subtly and looked towards the door.
Tau swallowed hard and raised the tray above his head, both hands gripping the coarse metal. Fuli darted for the door, her stool clattering to the floor.
Tau knew he needed to get out. He needed to get past the waiter who was now only two strides away. He raised the tray higher, hoping the threat would be enough.
A collective gasp echoed around the walls of the small space. All eyes were on the waiter and Tau. People pushed chairs backwards to get
out of the way.
Tau held the dish high. He had one shot. The time needed to be right.
Calculating distance, speed and time, Tau brought the tray down with everything he could.
It moved inch by inch.
One swing, one gesture, one hit. Tau just hoped it would be enough.
He was too late.
Before the dish had built up speed, the waiter’s strong grip closed around it. The dish was pulled from Tau’s grasp and thrown across the floor. It skittered harmlessly to the concrete. Then Tau was pushed backwards, crashing into the wall.
Tau fought back with a right hook. The waiter didn’t move.
Tau tried again with a fist to the stomach, but again the waiter made no sign of pain.
Towering over Tau, the waiter straightened up, his grin widening.
Diners in the restaurant were entranced, watching the scene.
Then the world shook as the waiter delivered a crippling elbow to the side of Tau’s face.
And another.
Tau felt himself go dizzy. He slumped against the wall and waited for the third.
Chapter 87
What was going on inside? All Tau needed to do was drop the bag and get out. What was taking so long?
Outside, two pairs of eyes watched the restaurant’s shady door beneath the hanging bulb, circling insects thickening in the humid night. It now looked like a solid globe, only under scrutiny could it be recognised as thousands of darting, twisting insects.
Leo inhaled deeply as the door moved, only incrementally at first, before springing open with Fuli flying out into the night. She had, in her eyes, the look of a wild animal. Something running from a predator. Unpredictable, dangerous.
Allissa stepped out of the shadow to show Fuli where they stood. Fuli’s eyes darted towards her, but her legs didn’t stop. She continued running full pelt away from the restaurant into the warren of passages.
On a precipice of decision, Allissa paused. With a single look at Leo, a look that showed belief, belief in him, she ran after Fuli.
As Allissa disappeared into the darkness, Leo turned. It was him, the bulb, the door and somewhere behind that, the restaurant and Tau.
What was going on in there to put that look of fear in Fuli’s eyes?
Leo took a hesitant step. The doubts swarmed his mind. He couldn’t do this. Who was he to think that he could do this?
He felt the tightness in his chest. The struggle for breath. He couldn’t do this.
Leaning forward, Leo rested on his knees to aid his breathing. The air tasted thin and sickening.
Looking up at the bulb against the orange strip of sky, he remembered something Allissa had said that afternoon.
“When the time comes,” she’d said, “I’d trust you to do the right thing.”
Taking a deep breath, Leo straightened up. He was not one of the insects that darted around the bulb in the turbulent night. He could choose what to do. He could choose the right thing.
Stepping forward, he put a hand on the flaking paint of the dark door and pushed.
Inside was chaos. One of the waiters stood facing the back wall, away from the door through which Leo was walking. Around, diners stared in silence, ignoring plates of food and dark bottles of beer.
Behind the waiter, against the wall, Tau was slumped, hands limp at his sides. Seeing him for the first time, Leo felt sick.
A dull thump reverberated around the walls of the restaurant as the waiter cracked an elbow across Tau’s face. From the look of things, it wasn’t the first one. One eye was already bloody and he wasn’t fighting back.
I’d trust you to do the right thing.
On the ground beside the door lay one of the dishes the Himalayan Lamb had been served in two days before.
Bending slowly, eyes locked on the waiter’s broad back, Leo picked up the dish. He straightened up, raised the dish high between two white-knuckled hands, and walked slowly, stealthily, silently behind the waiter.
The moment was his.
Swallowing hard, Leo focused completely on the man in front of him. The man who had tried to kill them, who had chased them through the night, who had killed Jack and now was beating Tau.
I’d trust you to do the right thing.
Leo brought the dish down.
The crack rolled around the restaurant, the shock jarred his arms, and the waiter, who a second before had been pummelling Tau, crumpled to the floor.
Chapter 88
Looking from the rear window of a taxi, Allissa watched the aperture of the passage, leading to the bulb, the door and the restaurant, grow small. Thinking of Jack, and the countless other people who hadn’t made it out of the city because of that place, she hoped that the events of the night would put an end to it forever. When they were safe, she and Leo would need to track down Jack’s family. The thought was a horrible one, but they would need to know the truth.
Just a few short minutes earlier Allissa had followed Fuli, running in a state of shock after what she’d seen behind the dark door. Catching up with her, putting an arm across her shoulders to slow her run, Allissa spoke soothingly to her. She knew Fuli wouldn’t understand, but perhaps the sound would transcend her panic.
When Fuli turned, her eyes still wild and wet, Allissa hugged her, told her it would be okay and that she was safe. The hug seemed to last a long time. When Allissa looked up, she saw Leo and Tau coming towards them. Tau was bloodied, swollen and resting on Leo’s shoulder.
Two minutes later they’d squeezed in to a taxi, the relief palpable.
As the taxi rumbled and shook, Tau told the others what he’d seen in the kitchen. Leo and Allissa listened in silent shock. Fuli looked disinterested from the front window.
“They do what?” Leo asked, upon hearing the description of the arm in the fridge.
“We weren’t a one-off?” Allissa said, the memory of the meal they’d eaten there two nights before rolling in her stomach. The colour drained from Leo’s face.
“Seems that way,” Tau said. “Seems like they’d been doing this a while. You should have seen it, it was disgusting. Like a piece of meat at the butchers, you know? How they hang the carcass of the…”
“Stop the car!” Leo shouted in desperation, pulling open the door despite the speed.
Tau yelled at the driver who pulled to a stop.
Allissa watched as Leo jumped out, ran a few steps to the side of the road, and emptied his stomach into a drainage channel that was still swollen with piles of dirt from last night’s storm.
The thought of eating there, eating a person, made Allissa feel the same.
“I’m sure it wasn’t Jack’s,” Tau said apologetically. “Was too big for that, he was skinny.”
Allissa looked at his swollen face and tried to let her own nausea pass.
“What do we do? We’ve got to do something about that,” Leo said, getting back in the car a couple of minutes later.
Tau shouted towards the driver and they set off again.
“Stick with the plan,” Tau said. “If we go to the police and tell them what we know they’ll laugh us out of there. But once they’ve gone and seen it for themselves, they can draw their own conclusions.”
Allissa agreed, remembering the officers’ reaction the morning they’d woken up in the cell. They’d been laughed out of the station once, and she was in no rush to repeat it.
“This has played right into our plan though,” Tau concluded, trying to smile. “The bag is there too, right back in the kitchen. All we have to do is get the police through the door. We just need the final piece,” he said, looking towards Fuli who wasn’t engaged in the conversation. “Then we’ll get out of here.”
Allissa and Leo nodded. When they’d discussed leaving Kathmandu that afternoon, Allissa had been against it at first, as she had some kind of home here. But then she remembered how well Fuli and Chimini were doing with the guesthouse; they knew how to run it themselves. They could do that without her. And she may only b
e away for a few days.
“Don’t forget to invite our friend along,” Allissa said, finding the card that had been given to the hotelier, a hurriedly scrawled number on the back.
Tau took it, smiled through his inflamed face, drew out his phone and dialled the number which seemed to connect straight away. He spoke hurriedly into the phone in Nepalese, then in English, then hung up.
“Answerphone,” he said. “I wish I could be there to see this go down. I’d like to give that guy a bit of… you know.” He threw a punch into the air.
“Looks like he’s already got the better of you,” Allissa said with a smirk.
“Yeah, it’s not really fair,” Tau said. “I didn’t have time to warm up. I think I could be a boxing champion.”
The taxi pulled up outside the police station. Leo looked out at the grey concrete building with uncomfortable recognition.
Fuli got straight out of the car with the speed and attitude of someone who just wanted to get the job done.
Without thinking, Allissa got out too. Making Fuli do this made her feel terrible. There were stories of young women being treated badly by the police, but in the last few months things had seemed to improve. The police had closed numerous trafficking operations and given vulnerable women temporary accommodation.
Allissa knew the story they had asked Fuli to tell wasn’t far from the painful truth. She would say she had been brought to Kathmandu by the men who operated from the restaurant. She would give details about their criminal activities of prostitution, drugs and murder, and say that she had escaped that afternoon, leaving the bag.
Allissa, hugging Fuli tight outside the police station, wished she had the words in Nepalese to praise her courage.
“Thank you,” was all she managed, holding Fuli at arm’s length for a moment.
Fuli turned and walked up the steps as Allissa got back into the waiting taxi.
Pulling away into the light evening traffic, Allissa watched Fuli reach the top of the stairs and go inside. As the taxi turned a corner and the police station drew out of sight, Allissa wished her problems would be solved with a visit there, then she too could stop running.
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