Fatal Finds in Nuala

by Harriet Steel

  Chapter 28

  By Saturday, de Silva had finished the Dickens, played several games of Scrabble with Jane, and studied his garden catalogues, choosing some new varieties of potatoes for the gardener to plant if the rain ever stopped. He liked the sound of a new variety called Arran Pilot and a long, knobbly one with the strange name Pink Fir Apple, that looked more like a pink ginger root.

  He and Jane had also driven down to Hatton for her to collect a dress she’d had made at a shop she favoured there. He’d debated dropping in at the police station to see how Inspector Singh was getting on with his murder investigation; it was still in his mind that there might be a connection, but Jane’s pursed lips indicated it wasn’t advisable.

  ‘The police in Colombo are perfectly capable of looking into that if need be,’ she said firmly.

  ‘I’ve left Prasanna and Nadar on their own long enough,’ he said after breakfast.

  ‘They promised to telephone if something came up they couldn’t deal with. And life in Nuala’s rarely as dramatic as it has been recently.’

  ‘I know, but I don’t want them to think I’ve forgotten them.’

  ‘I’m sure they won’t.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘And think of the advantages for our cricket team.’

  ‘That’s what’s bothering me. I think I’ll just go down for a few hours. Make sure they’re keeping their socks up. This life of leisure can’t go on indefinitely.’

  When he reached the station, Prasanna and Nadar were in the public room, giving every indication of being hard at work. He wondered whether Jane had telephoned after he left Sunnybank to ensure he was given the impression everything was under control. He wouldn’t put it past her.

  ‘Have you had any news about Mr Coryat’s murder, sir?’ asked Prasanna after they’d exchanged greetings.

  ‘No,’ de Silva said flatly. The young men’s surprised expressions made him regret he’d answered so baldly. ‘Of course, I’m being kept up to date with the case,’ he added hastily.

  He picked up the file in front of Prasanna. It was labelled “Traffic Offences”.

  ‘I’ll look over this in my office. Bring my tea in, would you?’

  When he’d closed his office door, he dumped the file on the desk. It landed with a thunk, raising a puff of dust. A case that might be of national importance was unfolding in Colombo and here he was, reduced to checking routine paperwork.

  He sat down and opened the file. Scanning the first page, he jabbed a comment into the margin and made a hole in the paper. The ink smudged. As he reached for a piece of blotting paper, his arm caught the inkwell and it nearly fell on the floor; he caught it just in time. At the same moment, the telephone rang. He put the inkwell back in its place and picked up the receiver.

  ‘There’s a call from Colombo, sir,’ said Nadar.

  De Silva’s pulse quickened.

  ‘From police headquarters? Do they give a name?’

  ‘No name, sir, and it’s not from headquarters.’

  He frowned. ‘Where then?’

  ‘The General Post Office.’

  An irritable expression came over de Silva’s face. Who on earth would be calling him from the General Post Office? Was he going to be put in charge of missing parcels and letters now?

  He exhaled wearily. ‘You’d better put them through.’

  ‘Is that Inspector Shanti de Silva?’ asked a tremulous voice. It was a woman’s.

  ‘Yes; to who am I speaking?’

  ‘My name is Ayomi.’

  The name meant nothing to him. ‘What can I do for you, Ayomi?’

  There was a long pause. De Silva wondered what it could be that was so difficult to say. At last the woman spoke again.

  ‘I am engaged to be married to Rudi Chockalingham.’

  Ah, this was interesting. ‘Go on.’

  ‘He desperately wants to speak with you, Inspector de Silva. He...’ There was another pause.

  ‘Can he come to the telephone?’

  ‘No, he’s not here. He’s still in the hospital. The doctors won’t let him out until they think he is well and his memory has come back.’

  ‘You say he desperately wants to speak to me, but how does he remember who I am?’

  ‘Some of his memory has come back, but he has only told me that.’

  ‘That’s good news. But why has he only told you?’

  ‘Because he doesn’t remember everything. He knows you came to see him, but not the reason for it. People come from the police headquarters asking him questions, but they won’t tell him what it’s all about. He’s afraid he’s made mistakes and is in trouble. Please, Inspector, help us.’

  De Silva sucked air through his teeth, considering. ‘It will take me a good while to come down to Colombo. Is there any way Rudi and I can talk on the telephone?’

  ‘No, sir. He’s not allowed any calls.’

  ‘Very well, I’ll come down as soon as I can, but it’s a considerable journey. I won’t be with you before Monday. Where will I find you?’

  ‘Oh, thank you, thank you! I work at the Post Office. I finish at five o’clock.’

  ‘Until five o’clock on Monday then.’

  He ended the call and leant back in his chair, the traffic file forgotten. What would be revealed on Monday, and why was Rudi unwilling to talk to anyone but him? The thought crossed his mind that Rudi remembered perfectly well what had happened before his accident and what his mistakes had been. What he didn’t know was quite how much hot water he was in, or how best to get out of it.

  It was good to be back in the game. But for the moment, apart from telling Jane, he’d keep this development to himself.

  Chapter 29

  On arrival in Colombo, he booked into a hotel and dropped off his bag. Given the time of his meeting with Ayomi, it would be too late to return to Nuala that night. He bought breakfast at a street stall then wondered what to do until it was time to meet Ayomi.

  On his principle of no stone unturned, it occurred to him that it would be a good idea to visit the museum. He might be able to find out more about Professor Jayakody. If the museum was like most public institutions, it would have photographs of its officers and reams of information about them on display. It was a habit he’d always resisted at the police station in Nuala. He knew what he looked like, and he spent enough time putting up with the sight of Prasanna’s and Nadar’s ugly mugs.

  He took the precaution of buying a length of cloth in the market and went back to the hotel. Fashioning a turban that covered a large part of his face, he put on the traditional tunic and trousers he had brought with him to go to the hospital then looked in the mirror. Good: if he saw Jayakody at the museum, he doubted the man would recognise him.

  At the museum, he found what he was looking for in the entrance hall. A series of wooden boards were attached to one of the walls, displaying the names, photographs and academic qualifications of the museum’s officials.

  It took him some time to find Mahindra Jayakody, largely because he didn’t recognise the man’s photograph. Jayakody’s domed head betrayed no hint of hair. He stared solemnly out at the viewer through horn-rimmed spectacles; his light-brown skin was pock-marked and his nose bulbous. In short, he wasn’t the man de Silva had met at Fonseka’s house.

  **

  Workers streamed out of the General Post Office shortly after five o’clock. De Silva had been waiting outside for several minutes, admiring the magnificence of the place. Its rusticated stone walls, pedimented windows and massive columns reminded him of the Italian Renaissance palaces he’d seen photographs of in one of Jane’s art books. Strange that in all his years in Colombo, he’d never looked at it properly before.

  He wondered how he would find Ayomi among all these people, but it was she who found him. She was older than he’d expected and far less glamorous than Rudi’s previous girlfriends. She had a lovely smile, and dark eyes that looked as if they didn’t miss much.

  ‘It was clever of you to guess who I was,�
� said de Silva after the initial pleasantries were over. ‘I thought it was advisable not to come in uniform if I’m to get in to see Rudi without any questions being asked.’

  She smiled. ‘Rudi described you very well.’

  ‘Did he now? What did he tell you?’

  ‘He said you had kind eyes.’

  ‘Hmm.’

  He swiftly warmed to Rudi’s betrothed as they made the journey to the hospital and joined the crowd waiting for visiting time to commence. They had agreed that de Silva would claim to be Rudi’s cousin if anyone asked.

  ‘Do you think anyone will stop us?’ he asked.

  ‘Sometimes there’s a guard at the door, but not always. It’s not allowed but they go out to smoke.’

  De Silva had spent many hours thinking about how he would handle the business. He always concluded that it was impossible to believe Rudi had acted dishonestly. Whatever he’d done, de Silva would hear his confession in confidence. If that was the wrong thing to do, and he couldn’t persuade Rudi to give himself up, he’d take the consequences.

  Fortunately, there was no guard at Rudi’s door. A look of immense relief flooded his face when they walked in the room. He hauled himself up on his pillows. ‘Shanti! You’ve come! I’m so grateful.’

  He and Ayomi exchanged a kiss then she sat down on a chair in the corner to listen.

  Starting at the beginning, de Silva told the story of the villager, Velu’s murder; the finds in the jungle; his encounter with Joseph Edelman on the train; the meeting with Fonseka and the man who had turned out to be impersonating Jayakody; Henry Coryat’s murder, and the missing statue.

  ‘It’s my belief your crash was no accident,’ he concluded. ‘I think Fonseka arranged it. He wanted you out of the way.’

  Rudi ran a hand through his hair and grimaced. ‘I should never have talked to Fonseka.’

  ‘Did you tell him I was coming to Colombo and the reason for the visit?’

  Rudi flushed. ‘I told him enough, I’m afraid. Fonseka! Of all people. How could I have been such a fool? He’s fiercely ambitious. Always wants to know everything that’s going on.’ He laughed bitterly. ‘Usually with a view to stabbing a colleague in the back so he can take another step up over their body. I’ve always been wary around him. I think he knows I don’t trust him.’

  ‘Yes, but how did the subject come up in the first place?’

  ‘I wrote down your name and number while we were on the telephone and left the note on my desk. I was called away and it was only when I got back that I realised it was on view. Fonseka must have seen it, and the Nuala telephone number made him suspicious. He stopped me in the corridor and said he’d intended for weeks to buy me a drink to celebrate my engagement. I accepted, and it went from there.’

  He smiled ruefully. ‘He bought the best arrack. You know how it is.’

  De Silva refrained from saying that drinking too much was a mistake he’d avoided in over twenty years of police work. His friend had suffered enough for his lapse of caution.

  ‘What a mess. And it’s all because of me.’

  ‘Stop blaming yourself; there’ll be a way out.’

  ‘I hope so,’ Rudi said with a groan. ‘What will you do now?’

  ‘Fonseka took your place by underhand means, and he took me to see an impostor. He’s involved with Edelman. Let’s hope no one else at the station is, but we can’t be too careful. I want to talk to Archie Clutterbuck, the assistant government agent in Nuala before going any further. I’ll advise we wait until Edelman’s found before we pick up Fonseka.’

  ‘What do you want me to do?’

  ‘Stay right where you are and keep up your story that you can’t remember anything. I’ll insist the guard on your room is tightened up too. The last thing we want is Fonseka trying to silence you.’

  A movement in the corner reminded him that Ayomi was still there.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I didn’t mean to frighten you.’

  ‘It’s alright, Inspector. It’s no surprise Rudi’s in danger. But I’ll sleep more easily now we have you to help us.’

  **

  Rudi was lucky to have found Ayomi, reflected de Silva as he left the hospital. With her beside him, he might make old bones.

  But the current danger to his old friend mustn’t be underestimated. The sooner he got back to Nuala and reported to Archie Clutterbuck, the better. It would be a relief when Edelman was tracked down. He wondered if Fonseka would lose his nerve and try to escape with him.

  He ate at the same street stall where he had bought breakfast. They cooked an excellent curry. He washed the meal down with coconut water and went to a bar for a glass of arrack before going back to his hotel.

  He telephoned Jane from there to tell her he would be home the following day. Briefly, he filled her in on events in Colombo.

  ‘Your poor friend, Rudi,’ she said. ‘I hope he won’t be in trouble. Can Archie be persuaded to intercede on his behalf?’

  ‘I’ll do my best. I’ll have to stay here tonight and let you know in the morning when my train will get back to Nanu Oya.’

  ‘Sleep well, dear.’

  ‘You too.’

  Chapter 30

  ‘I told you to take it easy for a few days,’ Archie Clutterbuck said severely. His expression softened. ‘But I suppose the result justifies the disregard for my orders.’

  ‘Thank you, sir.’

  ‘I’ll have a word with the Chief of Police in Colombo. If there are no other blemishes on your friend’s record, I expect his lapse will be overlooked.’

  ‘There won’t be. I’m sure of it.’

  ‘Good. I agree it’s best to wait until Edelman’s found before arresting Fonseka. That’s a job for the Colombo force. If they catch Edelman with his loot he may confess. Otherwise, you’ll need to go down to give evidence. Are you prepared to testify you’re certain that the man you heard at Coryat’s house was Edelman?’

  ‘I am, sir.’

  ‘As there were no witnesses, I have my doubts we’ll be able to prove your theory about Rudi Chockalingham’s accident, but we’ve enough on Fonseka otherwise.’ He scratched his chin. ‘I wonder who impersonated Jayakody. It would be interesting to find out. Fonseka will have to be convinced it’s worth his while to divulge the man’s name. I suppose none of the other faces on the boards at the museum rang a bell?’

  ‘No, sir.’

  ‘Well, I think that wraps things up for the moment. I’ll say it again: take things easy for a few days.’

  De Silva took a deep breath. ‘What about Velu, sir?’

  ‘Velu?’

  ‘The murdered villager.’

  ‘Ah, him. So much has happened since then, I almost forgot.’ He sat silent for a few moments, hands clasped and thumbs slowly rolling round each other. ‘Are you certain there’s a connection?’ he asked eventually.

  ‘The finds near his body, and the timing, so close to Coryat’s murder, convince me of it.’

  Clutterbuck shrugged. ‘Very well; you’d better pursue that line of inquiry.’

  Walking back to the Morris, de Silva’s step was lighter than it had been on arrival at the Residence. He had considerable cause for satisfaction. But he would have felt even better if Clutterbuck’s reaction to the mention of Velu had been less grudging. The man hadn’t been the most upstanding member of society, but he still deserved justice. And, de Silva vowed, although at present it’s not entirely clear how, I’m going to see that he gets it.

  **

  ‘Good news,’ he said when he got home.

  ‘I’m so glad, dear. Tell me all about it.’

  ‘I think Rudi’s in the clear; Archie’s on our side. The Colombo boys are still looking for Edelman though.’

  ‘Will you be needed again?’

  ‘Only if Edelman refuses to confess once he’s arrested. If that’s the case, although I can’t swear to it he killed Coryat personally, I can testify that he ordered him to be killed. It should be enough to pu
t him away for a few years.’

  ‘Well, you can relax now.’

  ‘I plan to, and I promise to forget about work for the moment. What about going out tonight? Would you like to see a film?’

  ‘Lovely. They’re showing a Charlie Chaplin this week.’

  ‘Then let’s go.’

  **

  De Silva was surprised to see Sergeant Prasanna and his wife Kuveni leaving the cinema after the film. He thought they preferred Indian films with their colourful costumes and singing and dancing.

  ‘I wanted to see the famous Mr Chaplin,’ Kuveni said when Jane and de Silva caught up with them.

  ‘I hope you enjoyed the film,’ said Jane.

  ‘We laughed, but it was also sad.’

  ‘Yes, when you stop to think about it, Modern Times is sad as well as funny. Two sides of the same coin.’

  ‘I may not be in until Monday, Prasanna,’ said de Silva. ‘I’ll bring you and Nadar up to date then. Have you anything to report in the meantime?’

  ‘No, sir. It’s been quiet.’

  ‘Good. Enjoy the rest of your evening.’

  **

  Inspector Singh’s call interrupted the quiet Monday morning.

  ‘How’s the investigation going?’ asked de Silva. ‘Do you need my help?’

  ‘It’s good of you to offer, but that’s all settled. It was a domestic affair. The man had decided to do away with his wife and mother-in-law.’

  ‘Nasty.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘We must meet for a drink sometime. Compare notes.’

  ‘An excellent idea. Maybe sooner than you think. I promised to let you know if that village headman’s grandson turned up. One of my men caught him stealing in the bazaar a few days ago. I’m holding him until the magistrate sits later this week.’

  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.’