by Amit Nangia
“Do what? Kidnap the boy? Oh yes, because we had been planning some other goddamn thing for days?”
“No, but…the other boy…”
“I did what we had planned. Wasn’t it what I was supposed to do?”
Silky was going to say something, but I couldn’t let her live her assumption that I was dumb. “But Silky, you were not supposed to be there. You were supposed to be hanging around with a hangover. Somewhere here, right?”
“Fine, you did what you had to. B…but…but not that way! Not after you’d made a mistake by picking the wrong boy. You know it was so late, you were almost sure to…to…” Her voice broke, and she covered her face with her hands. She was avoiding my other question.
She rocked back and forth, kind of sobbing and laughing, smiling and frowning, all at the same time.
That seemed to bring Thakur back to life. He let out a laugh nervously, slapping his hand on his knee.
He beamed at me, “And what a surprise, Tiwari! I got to hand it to you, boy. I bet there isn’t another man that could have pulled a stunt like that and gotten away with it!”
“Just shut up, Thakur!” I raised my voice for the first time. I am not a kid, and you better note that down this time.
“Huh? You’re asking me to…Look, Tiwari…”
“I asked you to shut up!” I was going to do the talking today.
“But…” He brushed the back of his hand against his mouth. “W…well, sure. Anything you say.”
“Thakur, you remember our first meeting?” He stared at me, blank. “You had given me a card when I first came here,” I said. “You wrote your name and your address, along with your telephone number on it, you know. Just in case I needed to get in touch with you. It’s in your own handwriting, by the way. Not just a printed business card that I might have come across accidentally. And do you remember the notes and the kidnapping plan you had scribbled?”
I paused, letting it sink in on him. He wet his lips uneasily.
“Sadly, you cannot have it back now, because I don’t have it. And, I won’t tell you where it is. But I’ll tell you this: I’ve got a good friend or two around here. And if anything should happen to me, the cops will get that card and the kidnapping plan mighty fast and they’ll be told where it came from. I have also given the whereabouts of the other boy to my friends so that he can identify you in case you try to cheat me.”
I was lying, of course. Probably Thakur had a good hunch that I was. But I wanted to take my chances anyway. I knew he wasn’t very bright, and he didn’t have the guts to cross me just on the assumption that I was lying.
His eyes flickered with an evil spark as he tried to make up his mind. His fingers brushed at his jacket nervously, lingering at the gun in his inside pocket. He wanted to do it, I was sure. But he couldn’t take the leap after what I had just told him. I’d already outsmarted him once today by picking up the wrong guy and making him an eye witness to the job. So if I’d done it once, why wouldn’t I do it again? I was a pretty screwed-up rascal anyway.
“Tiwari,” said Silky, nervous to the core, and gulping down her drink to gather her thoughts, “What’s all this?”
I didn’t answer her; I didn’t even look at her. I sat watching Thakur a moment longer, grinning at him. Then, I got up and walked over in front of him.
“You’ve got a fancy weapon in that pocket, haven’t you? You were all set to use it an hour or so ago. Why don’t you do it now?”
His lips parted, more to draw in breath than speak. His lips moved silently, helplessly.
It was my moment and I sealed it with Rampyari. I put my foot up on the armrest of his chair, and he stared at it in disbelief. I pulled my jeans up from the ankle and pulled out Rampyari, my lucky charm, my companion in life and death, my Rampuri chaku. Just as I yanked it open right in front of Thakur’s face, all colour was drained off it and he looked paler than Aryaman. Ready to do anything by my orders. I caught him by the collar, and yanked him up to his feet.
“Can’t make up your mind, huh? Or are you scared? You didn’t find yourself a scapegoat, Thakur. You found in me your end.” I let go of his collar, placed Rampyari right near the jugular vein, and said in mock grandeur, “Breaking news: I am not that stupid.”
I gave him a little punch under the heart, just a little tap with my fist. Thakur grunted, his face went white, and I tapped him again. Around the heart, down in the kidneys, and up on the wishbone. And his face seemed to turn from white to green, and his tongue slid out from between his teeth.
Thakur staggered forward but I hit him harder. He banged into the wall, rebounding drunkenly, and crashed backward again. I don’t like people assuming me to be foolish. Mein iska baap hun, bachcha nahi.
I reached under his coat and pulled his gun out. Shoving it into my belt, I dropped him down into his chair, and went back to the sofa.
Thakur sat bent over, hugging himself. He wasn’t really hurt bad, just temporarily paralyzed with pain and fear.
Silky had been sitting glued to the chair till now. When she saw Thakur doubled over, though fine, she screamed at me, “Tiwari!” She said sharply, “I want to know what this is all about!”
I made sure she would see fire in my eyes. “You have known it all along, Silky. I told you right from the beginning… I told you I wasn’t stupid, and I don’t like it when people try to act over smart with me.”
“But, but what’s that got to do with it?” She paused and went on in a lower voice. “Does it have something to do about my drinking last night? I’m terribly sorry about that, darling. I just started drinking and made such a mess of myself that I was ashamed to face you.”
I chuckled. This woman was something. Trying to salvage the situation by lying through her teeth. Now I was her darling also. “Forget it! I know why you didn’t turn up today for the job and let me go alone.”
“But…” She hesitated again. “I’m sorry I let you down today, Tiwari. But I just didn’t see how I could go through with it. I wouldn’t have been any good to the plan.”
“Ya right! But just an hour later, you were sober enough to drive. Wonderful, isn’t it? And you followed my car just after I pulled the job…pretty well!”
“Well…” She nodded slowly. “Yes… Thakur thought we ought to do that much to help, at least. If something went wrong, we could have pulled you out of it… I was sick, but I was worried about leaving you to do everything. And Thakur thought I…we…”
“That’s right, Tiwari.” Thakur was back to normal. “That’s just the way it was.” They shared glances, and I laughed, without a word.
Silky’s eyes flashed, “And it’s a good thing we were there, don’t you think? If we hadn’t been, you’d have taken the wrong boy.”
“Yeah? Hasn’t it maybe occurred to you till now that I could have picked the wrong boy up deliberately?”
“Deliberately! But, but why would you do that?” She looked taken aback, “What’s he talking about, Thakur?”
He looked at me uneasily. He cleared his throat, tried to work up a smile. Thakur knew I knew; but I didn’t know if Silky knew everything. It was a pretty good act on her part. You’d have almost thought she didn’t know. Or did she really didn’t know?
“Answer me!” she said. “I swear, if this keeps up much longer, I’ll, I’ll…”
“Now, now, Silky,” he squirmed, “There is nothing to get excited about. Tiwari has just got the wrong idea on things and I don’t blame him. He’s been under a big strain today.”
“Will you stop stalling and tell me!” Silky shouted.
I put a finger on my lips, hinting at the closed door behind which the child lay asleep.
Thakur spoke up in a hushed tone, “I guess Tiwari feels that we were about to double cross him by coming on the point of crime and killing him and taking away the boy. Of course, he’s all wrong, but you see how it might look to him.”
Silky’s glass slid out of her hands. It bounced against the carpet, and then topple
d onto its side, the ice tinkling as the glass rocked back and forth. There was an expression on her face I’d never seen before.
“So that’s what you think,” she said, “…that’s what you think of me.”
“You’ve given me enough reason, darling.” I said, sarcasm dripping off every word I uttered, “Why shouldn’t I think that about you? If a person won’t stop at kidnaping, why would he stop at murder? You didn’t turn up for the job with me, but turned up with Thakur and a gun when I finished the job.”
“Now, now,” said Thakur. “What’s the sense in all this glooming around? We had a little misunderstanding, but it’s all over now. We’re all square with the world again. We got what we wanted, and now we’re all set to collect the ransom.” He looked at both of us by turn, observing the change in our expressions.
Silky laughed, “Oh, yes! We don’t trust each other, but we are going to collect a ransom together.”
Silky got up suddenly and went into her bedroom. I started to get up too, just instinctively without thinking. Wanting to go after her, to ask her if something was wrong. And then I caught myself, and settled back down again.
“I think we should move ahead with the plan,” Thakur was back to his casual business tone. He reached for the bottle, and poured into his glass, half filling it. He was trying to be friendly and casual, but his hands shook. Underneath his big, easy smile, he was scared stiff. “Now, I was thinking I’d mail the ransom note tonight, if that’s okay with you. They’ll get it the first thing in the morning that way.”
“Look, Thakur,” I said, “We’ve been through this earlier. I did my bit, with whatever little help you could offer. Now you know what you have to do, and there’s no point in taking my permission for it.”
“Yeah, but…” He hesitated. “Well, I don’t want you to get any wrong ideas this time. Plus, I don’t want to do anything that maybe you, uh…”
“I won’t get any ideas without a damned good reason. Just don’t give me any reason, and I won’t get any ideas.”
His smile warmed up, began to look a little more natural. “Now you’re talking. There’s no use getting all up in the air and acting unfriendly.”
I got up, cutting him off and went into the bedroom. I eased the boy’s handkerchief out of his pocket and took it back into the living room.
Thakur smiled, “I’ll send it with the ransom note to make it look genuine.”
I buried the uniform of the chauffeur in the backyard, and even those ugly sunglasses along with the other things that had helped me in the role. I came back, bathed and flopped down on the bed for a while. I kept tossing around, trying to straighten my mind out. I didn’t feel much like laughing, but yet I did. Rampyari’s assuring presence on me was enough to make me happy. My lucky charm, my Rampyari. You did good to me today.
I’d played one hell of an angle on them. My angle.
I lay there, wondering if Silky was also a part of Thakur’s plan to double cross me or was she genuinely surprised and hurt with my allegation. Thakur could have been using her as well. Maybe it was all Thakur’s plan to steer clear and put us both off each other. Could be.
When I left my room after nightfall, Silky and the boy were at the dining table. She was holding him on her lap, not eating anything herself. But it looked like he was eating quite a bit.
He finished after a few minutes. They left the kitchen, the boy holding on to her hand, and I saw her take him into the bedroom.
Silky came in, pulling the door shut behind her. I looked up from the magazine I had picked up and nodded.
“How’s the boy doing? Did he eat his dinner all right?”
“Didn’t you just see him eating?” She shrugged. “Don’t tell me you don’t know. You seem to know everything. You even know things that are actually not true.” She poured herself a drink, that mean little smile playing around her lips when she saw me frown.
“I want to say something, Silky.” She merely put the glass away from her lips, without looking up at me. So I continued, “I’ve been thinking things over, and I think I might have been wrong in assuming things about you.”
“Really! You think so…maybe? How kind of you, Einstein!”
“Just about you, not Thakur. I know what he was planning to do, but you didn’t have to be in on it. You’d have had to ride along with him after he’d done it, but you might not have known about it beforehand.”
She nodded over her glass.
“Look, I… Did you or didn’t you? Just tell me.”
“Tell you? Oh, is that going to change what you think? It was me who told you to go away and not get stuck in this job. I care for you, you fool. I have never felt like this for anyone. And you…”
Her eyes glinted. “But as I said before, my answer doesn’t count.”
I shoved my plate away. I had known her so intimately, yet Thakur had mingled my thoughts beyond imagination.
Silky poured another half a glass of whiskey and settled back in the chair.
I got up suddenly and went to the door. I stood there, wanting to leave, knowing I had to get away from her. And feeling and wanting just the opposite. I didn’t want her to think I was suspicious of her; but I didn’t want her to think she could get away with double-crossing me either.
“That door,” Silky said, “If you go through it, you’ll find a lane, and at the end of the lane, there’s a highway. . .”
“Yeah? But is the door wide enough for two people?”
“Wide enough for us, you mean?” Silky looked at me, unblinking.
“Look,” I said, “I’m not sure I know what you are hinting at. Do you mean we just walk off and forget about the money? You’re ready to forget the whole thing, if I am?”
“The money has nothing to do with the matter, Tiwari.” Her voice was soft and soothing now, “After all, it was always supposed to be a means to an end, wasn’t it? Whether it would take us to the desired end or not – this happy partnership of ours – depends largely on us.”
“Well, sure, but…”
“So there’s our door to life. Let’s see if it’s wide enough for both of us.”
She got up and went into her bedroom. I listened to her moving around, wondering uneasily what she was up to.
It was almost twenty minutes later that Silky came back, with her bags packed and all ready to go. She nodded to me, and started for the door. I was too startled to move for a second. Then, I jumped up and got in front of her.
She was ready to leave with me. She was ready to choose me over the money. She loved me.
I let her bag fall from her hand as I held her shoulders, pushing her slightly inwards. She hugged me tight and kissed me on my cheek.
I was sleeping light the whole night; we had someone else’s child in the house and we had to be pretty careful. Silky’s drunken sleep was no good a sentry. I dozed off peacefully when I heard Silky moving around the house. I woke up a few hours later, almost the middle of the day.
Silky was fidgeting with her iPad. She had a habit of reading her news on it, unlike Thakur who held the newspaper like it was his shield against me. Her tech-savvy habits had drawn me to her from day one. I had been charmed by her gadgets and she had no inhibitions in teaching me how to use them and stay up to date. Thanks to her, I was no more that technologically challenged. While reading from the screen nestled in her lap, she sipped whiskey. Where does she put all that whiskey, though! I needed tea; she whiskey. Ram milai jodi.
Thakur also had a drink, settled back on the couch, taking things easy. He’d been all pepped up telling me that the family had got the ransom note, and they’d asked the police to stay out it, or so the newspapers put it. And it looked like the police were going to let them have their way.
I sat down, looking from Silky to Thakur. He wiped the pleased grin off his face, turned on a concerned frown.
“If there’s no trouble, like we’re all hoping, we don’t need the boy alive. In fact, it’s a lot less risky for us if he is dead. Th
ey have to take our word for it that we’re going to return him. We get the money either way. If we plan to return him, he might help the police identify us. You see we’d be a lot safer without him. But…”
He stopped to hear my response. I couldn’t speak. It was hard to talk in a cold blooded way, the way he was talking. I was a thief, not a murderer. I didn’t know what was in their minds, whether they were just putting forth an act or whether they really didn’t want the boy to live. I knew them enough to be sure that if they did want him dead, they’d ensure that he met his end. And the only way I could stop them was to prove that their idea won’t be the smartest thing to do.
I cleared my throat and spoke authoritatively, “I don’t look at it that way. That family will not give us a penny if they don’t get the boy, alive. They are rich people, you know. They’ll probably spend every penny on putting rewards and private detectives to hunt us down if you don’t give the kid back. It would sure be a lot better for us if the boy was alive.” Both Silky and Thakur were listening attentively and I added with a dash of sarcasm, “I suppose we should stop taking everyone but us as fools.”
Thakur frowned, chewing his lip. He hesitated, nodded slowly, “Yeah,” he sighed. “I guess you’re right. But there is one more thing that can lead to us getting caught.”
I looked up, surprised, “What is that?”
“You have left the papers in my handwriting with your friend. Were you serious about that or was that a joke? I am sure you wouldn’t pass that card and arouse suspicion for yourself and me for no reason, isn’t it?” He laughed and nudged me with his elbow. “You were just having a little joke with me, no?”
I shrugged, but didn’t say anything. Itni asani sey nahi chhorunga tujhe, bhosdi key.
“But that’s not being fair! Suppose something happens that’s not my fault at all? I play it straight with you, but someone else pulls something and your friend releases the notes to the police!”
I still didn’t say anything. He looked at me uncertainly.