No one had slept enough in the last few days, they had been constantly on edge, guessing and worrying about what was coming next. Right here, listening to the family whose brief unity they had caused, Allissa felt the coils of pressure start to unwind.
Allissa, through heavy eyes, looked from one person to the next. Some she’d just met, some she’d known for just a few days, but in the warmth of their company she felt more comfortable than she had for a long time. Maybe home isn’t a place, she thought, resting her head on Leo’s shoulder, it’s a feeling.
Chapter 96
Five minutes must be up, Leo thinks, turning his back on the Ko Tao night. The sea curls up behind him and the stars lead anywhere he could want to go. But tonight, he doesn’t want to be anywhere but here.
Ko Tao is beautiful, and to arrive with Mya has been one of the most completing experiences of his life.
The perfect place, he thinks, remembering the warm shape of the ring in his palm. The sound of the island intensifies around him. Two animals yammer somewhere far off. Sea and sand breathe together in harmony and insects call to one another in the undergrowth.
Light from the window of the cabin they’re staying in shimmers across the water.
Somewhere up the road a car starts, its engine whines for a moment before fading.
Reaching the cabin, Leo looks back out across the dark ocean. Above him the map of stars spreads all the way back to his flat in Brighton. To the life that feels so far away, but to which they will return. Right now though, on this beautiful island, waiting for the answer to the question of his life, it feels like a world away.
“I’m coming in…” Leo says to the door.
Bracing himself, he pulls it open. The room is how they left it. Bags, clothes, the made bed, the long mirror. Where’s Mya?
She must be in the bathroom.
He moves over to the door.
“Hey, you’re full of surprises tonight…”
Nothing. The world is silent.
“I’m coming in…”
He turns the handle. The door moves.
White tiles.
Shower.
He holds his breath.
Sink.
His chest tightens.
Mirror.
The bathroom’s empty. Towels folded over the rail, the shower unused.
No Mya.
Taking control of his senses, Leo checks again. She must be somewhere. Perhaps the restaurant next door?
Leo darts from the cabin back out on to the beach.
His chest tightens and his breathing becomes ragged.
Palm trees curve in ghostly arches of darkness and the few lighted restaurants in the quiet cove glow like jewels.
Running down the beach, breathing hard, Leo stops at the first restaurant. He checks the tables; two couples sit eating, overlooking the now-dark ocean. Mya isn’t here.
He rushes to the next. Panic rising, heart thumping. Mya, where are you? Where are you?
An hour later, Leo has twice checked all the restaurants in the bay, asked each waiter if they’d seen her, described her through gulping sobs of panic. She’s not there.
Dejected, defeated, he returns to the cabin. Maybe she’ll be back soon. Maybe it’s all been a big joke and she’ll be there, laughing at him.
Pushing open the door, the door they closed together just hours before, he knows she’s not.
Leo collapses on to the bed. Where is she?
He feels the tightness in his chest. His lungs fight for air.
Breathe in, and…
Then he sees it. On the dressing table, in front of the mirror, diamonds glinting angrily, the ring.
Chapter 97
Dawn broke over the valley like it had every morning for a million years. Starting low, it lit a line between the uppermost mountain ridges and the sky. At first a thin fracture in the darkness, growing bigger with each moment until the tops of the mountains flared. It then moved on to the lower slopes, lighting each in order, the way an artist might paint a canvas.
Leo stood outside Horan’s family home, looking down across the tumbling landscape to the white peaks, behind which the day was preparing itself. Sunrise is celebrated the world over for its beauty, its simplicity and its hope. This was the most hopeful one Leo had seen in a long time.
Kathmandu and its slovenly passageways, hidden restaurants, noise and dust seemed like a different planet entirely.
“It’s amazing what a bit of sleep can do,” Allissa said, joining him and rubbing her eyes.
Leo looked towards her, her hair standing up at one side where she’d been resting on his shoulder. He smiled, their elbows touching as she stood beside him.
“This is not a bad place to wake up,” he said, looking back towards the sunrise.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
The morning had a cold, fresh bite.
“I think I could wake up every morning here and never get bored of this,” Allissa said as a slither of sun appeared over the peaks of the mountains.
Leo didn’t reply, captivated by the scene.
A large bird pounded the still air.
The morning was fresh and innocent, but the day was coming. With each inch of the rising sun, the temperature would grow, people would wake and traffic would rumble.
Voices came from the house. They spoke quickly, excitedly, until from outside they couldn’t be distinguished from each other. The door opened and Tau came out, he too rubbing sleep from his dark eyes.
“They’re making us breakfast,” he said. “Sleep alright?”
Leo and Allissa nodded in reply and followed Tau inside.
The table was laid with colourful plates and cups, filled with a vegetable soup, roti and milky sweet chai. Starting to eat, Leo realised how long it had been since his last meal and how hungry he was. The others felt the same and ate ravenously, the bowls of soup being replaced and more breads being brought from the kitchen.
Half an hour later, the four made their way back towards the taxi. Allissa, Tau and Leo received hugs and smiles from all members of Horan’s family, as though they were family themselves.
Leo forced Horan’s father to take some money for their hospitality. Although initially he refused, Tau’s encouragement eventually wore him down. He accepted and tucked the notes into a pocket.
Getting into the taxi, Leo felt conscious that he’d not showered in a while – he would do that as soon as they arrived in Pokhara. A moment later, they were bouncing down the track, five people waving them goodbye.
The main road thronged with traffic. Cars, lorries and buses drooled past, bumper to bumper on the thin, precarious tarmac.
Looking at a river hundreds of feet below the mountain road, Leo thought the journey would have been better at night. If Horan was to slip, or one of the oncoming vehicles which frequently invaded their side of the unmarked road was to misjudge, the tiny car wouldn’t stand a chance.
He tried not to think of it and lay back, letting the wallowing bump of the car relax him.
Six hours later, in the heat of the midday sun, they drove into Pokhara.
The car crawled down a lakeside road surrounded by luscious, green, forest-covered hills. Pagodas stood out above the trees in glistening white and gold. Restaurants spilled onto wide pavements along which tourists walked leisurely.
Tau directed Horan to a hotel he knew. The taxi pulled up outside the white painted building and the four got out, stretching and contorting muscles back into use.
They’d offered Horan a night in the hotel, thinking he wouldn’t want to do the return journey straight away, but he refused. Unloading their bags from the boot and taking the money and tip Leo offered, he was back in the car in less than three minutes. Leo suspected he would use the extra money to spend a few days with his family in their beautiful house. He deserved it.
Tau checked them into their rooms, on the top floor overlooking the lake, and each dragged their bags upstairs. Leo and Allissa were sharing
a twin room and Tau stayed next door. It was not discussed that they would share, but when the receptionist said that was all they had available, neither seemed to mind. Secretly, the thought of having company was liked by them both.
Tau suggested they meet later for food – there were many good restaurants and bars in Pokhara and a drink or two were definitely deserved.
Getting into the room, Leo and Allissa dropped their bags. Allissa lay on the bed nearest the door and Leo started the shower. Neither said anything.
While the shower was running hot, Leo plugged in his phone; it had died sometime in the last twenty-four hours without him even noticing. As it powered on, Leo decided he would block and delete Stockwell’s number – no more contact from him was needed.
Seeing steam from the bathroom door, he got up, undressed and let the water rinse the stresses of the last week. It enlivened and invigorated his senses. Leo washed quickly, then just stood there, letting it run from his back.
The last few days were a blur. He heard his phone beep a number of times from the other room but ignored it as the water pummelled his aching muscles.
Drying off and wrapping himself in a towel, Leo sat on the end of the bed.
From the window, the blue surface of the lake skipped and shuddered in the early afternoon light. Beyond, the forest-covered hills sparkled through a revitalising haze.
Leo looked at the sleeping figure of Allissa, the person who without even knowing had brought him here. Her tragedy, her grief, had become twisted with his and changed both their lives. As he thought, she turned in her sleep, dark hair fanned across the pillow behind her.
Circumstances had muddled their lives without control. But now Leo didn’t think he wanted to be anywhere else.
His phone beeped again impatiently. Leo picked it up from the pillow behind him and collapsed backwards, sinking into the mattress. One text message was from his Mum, one from his sister, one from his Nepalese network provider, and one from Stockwell.
He wasn’t sure why, maybe it was the thought of having won the game, a boastful streak, but he looked at Stockwell’s message first. Then he would delete it and block the number.
It was typically concise: You have information I want, but I also have information you want. I’ll tell you everything I know if you tell me where my daughter is.
It took Leo a few moments to see the attached picture.
His heart beat through his throat and he jerked upright. His stomach made a fist.
He had to see this.
Opening it, an image filled the screen. A face he hadn’t seen for over two years. The dark hair tied high, strong cheekbones, broad smile, big eyes. And behind her the unmistakable landscape of somewhere Leo knew she wanted to visit. Hong Kong.
Pre-order your copy of Hong Kong today:
www.lukerichardsonauthor.com/hongkong
Dedication
This book is dedicated to all those I’ve travelled beside.
First, foremost and always, Mark and Valerie, Mum and Dad. Your sense of courage and adventure is my inspiration.
The Music of the City (Tau’s Story)
Having spent over a year getting to know the characters in KATHMANDU, I feel like I know them inside out now. Although I enjoyed writing them all, I’ve especially loved writing Tau. His mixture of courage, confidence, humour and warm-hearted pride has been brilliant to put into words. Not able to say goodbye to him just yet, I’ve written a short backstory. If you’d like to know where he came from and what made him who he is, then I’d love you to read it.
Visit my website and I’ll send it straight over:
www.LukeRichardsonAuthor.com/Tau
Join my mailing list
During the years it took me to write this book, I always looked to its publication as being the end of the process. The book would be out and the story would be finished.
Since releasing it in May 2019 though, I realised that putting the book into the world was actually just the start. Now I go on the adventure again with every conversation I have about it. It’s so good to hear people’s frustrations with Leo’s reserve, their shock at the truth about the grizzy backstreet restaurant and their questions about what’s going to happen next.
Most of these conversations happen with people on my mailing list and I’d love you to join too.
I send an e-mail a couple of times a month in which I talk about my new releases, my inspirations and my travels.
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Or you can get in touch here:
[email protected]
Thank you
Thank you for reading my first novel. The completion of this book has been the dream of many years.
The story of the lamb and the restaurant has been going around in my mind for a long time, so long that I can’t remember how I first came across it. But it wasn’t until I visited Kathmandu that I put the two together, along with our nervous investigator, Leo.
As may come across in my writing, travelling, exploring and seeing the world is so important to me. As is coming home to my family and friends.
Although the words here are my own, the characters, experiences and some of the events described are wholly inspired by the people I’ve travelled beside.
If we shared noodles from a street-food vendor, visited a temple together, played cards on a creaking overnight train, or had a beer in a back-street restaurant, you are forever in this book and for that I thank you too!
It is the intention of my writing to show that although the world is big and the unknown can be unsettling, there is so much good in it. Although the men in the restaurant and people traffickers are bad, evil people, I think they are vastly outnumbered by the honesty, purity and kindness of the other characters. You don’t have to look far to see this in the real world. I know that whenever I travel, it’s the kindness of the people that I remember, almost more than the place itself.
Whether you’re an experienced traveller, or you prefer your home turf, it’s my hope that this story has taken you somewhere new and exciting – even if you’ve been to Kathmandu and found the backstreet restaurant.
Despite the best efforts of me and my team, mistakes will always creep through. If your eagle eyes have picked any out, please let me know at [email protected] and I’ll get them changed straight away.
Again, thank you for coming on the adventure with me, I hope to see you again.
Luke
(March, 2019)
PS. A little warning, next time someone talks to you in the airport, be careful what you say, as you may end up in their book.
Book reviews
If you’ve enjoyed this Kathmandu, I would really appreciate a review.
Reviews are important for two reasons. Firstly, they encourage people who’ve never read one of my books to take a risk. Secondly, Amazon uses them to decide what books to prioritise through their search engine. So, having a number of good reviews can make a massive difference to new authors like me.
It will take you no longer than two minutes and will mean the world to me.
To review Kathmandu, follow the link below:
www.LukeRichardsonAuthor.com/Reviews
Thank you.
Chapter 1
Looking back, Jamie would wish it had never happened.
He would thump so hard against the window of time, hoping that his previous self would hear the warning as the events of the night ran back through his memory. But nothing would change. The night, unedited, would scroll through his thoughts, the same events, leading to the same result, leading to the same events, leading to now.
Opening his eyes slowly, he hopes things are different. They’re not.
The dark cell, the smell of strong disinfectant, the swirling lights through the glass bricks above his bed. Somewhere in the block someone shouts - “No! No! No!” - louder with each repetition. Inside his head he shouts as his memory of th
e night starts again.
Isobel shivers like the last fruit of the forbidden tree. Delectable, vulnerable, obtainable. She leans against the railing of the bar they’re in, her bare shoulders slightly hunched against the evening’s chill. She’s beautiful; he’s never noticed before, or maybe he had but just never thought about it.
London lies in front of her, relaxing into the evening. It’s as though even the city knows what’s going to happen and can’t do anything about it. Isobel traces the routes of the taxis below with her fingertips. Slender pale fingers, long red nails. Being ten floors up is enough to make you feel detached from the world, you can watch it without being part of it.
Isobel straightens up slightly. Maybe she’s heard Jamie’s footsteps joining her on the balcony, maybe it’s the chill of the evening. She moves her right arm around the back of her long, straight, red hair and sweeps it over her shoulder. It falls down her front, curving over her shoulder and past the swell of her breasts beneath the strapless red dress.
From the door to the balcony, Jamie waits, considering his move. He’s had enough drinks to disregard concerns about sleeping with a colleague - how to make it happen, that’s his concern now.
Inside the party flows. Lights strobe and people dance. Jackets and ties are abandoned in favour of careless stomping to the music of the DJ.
Kathmandu Page 24