EasterSpice

by Cynnamon Foster

  What did that mean? And who did she mean by “we”? And why did I think I saw a touch of something—maybe anger flit across her face? “That’s good to know. That she’s safe, I mean. Do you take people to the party with you often?”

  Another neck bobble. “I have invited people in the past.”

  I smiled. “That’s good. Very kind of you. People new to the office?”

  “Oh yes. I try to make people feel at home here. Moving to a new country away from your family can be hard, especially moving here. People don’t welcome outsiders.”

  My mind whirled. I guess this was the opening I’d been waiting for. “So you only invite foreigners?”

  Bala paused abruptly, then started again as if she were surprised at my question. “That’s not the case. I have invited many people, from here and elsewhere.” Her clipped pronunciation of every word was almost unnerving. The King’s English on crack. I was making her nervous and it seemed more forced and obvious.

  I decided to go with my hunch here. “Have you ever heard of a woman by the name of Angela Mohammed? She worked here a while ago.”

  The bobble head returned and Bala pursed her lips, hardening them into a thin line. “It doesn’t sound quite familiar. This is a big organization. There are so many people coming and going on any day.”

  I nodded. “That’s funny, because they say she worked right in this department…”

  Bala snatched her desk drawer open again and grabbed her handbag. “I must use the facilities,” she said. “It’s hard to remember everyone who comes through here. The home office sends a lot of people. I think Elisheba will be in soon.” She turned on her heels and practically ran away.

  I smiled. I was onto something. I’d never said that Angela was from the home office. Bala was hiding something, and I was about to find out what.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sam

  There were lots of people just milling around, so no one paid attention to me. Sweat poured from my forehead. I watched the front gate of the company from a decent vantage point. Across the street, I stood in the shadows of an alcove set a few feet back from the street, offering just enough dark to conceal me and just enough shade to protect me from the sweltering heat.

  Transit strikes were common here. Rather than stay inside, people just milled around, stuck where they’d started. Most couldn’t get to work or out of the neighborhood they lived in. I couldn’t say I’d be doing that if my circumstances were the same. I’d be sleeping in somewhere rather than hanging out on a street corner trying to flag down a ride, but everyone operated the way they did out of necessity.

  The oppressive heat sat on my chest like a two-ton wrestler, making it hard to breathe. It was a minor miracle I hadn’t completely soaked through my shirt already. My shoulders felt as if the whole ninety-plus degrees was sitting on my shoulders, slowing me down. Even with the strike, there were throngs of people moving through the streets; all of them seemed to be able to move faster than I could. I was only looking for two.

  Armed guards outside office buildings watched everyone closely as they eyeballed everyone else. Indian people stared at everyone without apology, especially if you stood out the way I did. I was used to it by now. It was nothing personal.

  The motor court in front of the building had long been closed to car traffic, so no cars got close to the building anymore. September eleventh had changed things for these people, too, but the company never stopped. They were used to this high-end, crazy level of security and the machine guns didn’t seem to bother the workers at all. People here worked on both Indian and American time, so there was almost always a flow of workers in and out of the place. It was never truly deserted—at least outside.

  The blocked motor court meant that everyone had to stop and enter at the same place, closer to the street, so it was much easier for me to do my job than it might have been. I could see practically everyone who approached the place from my spot.

  I didn’t have to wait long. Bala practically ran from the building. She kept looking over her shoulder, almost as if she was being chased. I raised my eyebrows. She crossed the street and disappeared inside a café. I almost followed her, but just as I stepped out of my alcove, a car pulled up in front of the building and stopped just outside the gates. I shrank back into my hiding spot to watch.

  Rick was inside the car, and as far as I could see, Elisheba was with him. I smiled. Score one for Elisheba. An all-nighter. I couldn’t be mad at her. Nights could be cold and lonely in a place as hot as hell.

  Unfazed by the heat, Rick opened his window. His driver got out and fended off the beggars who came by. The car was in a no-parking zone, but the uniformed guard who stood sentry at the gate seemed not to see him. Nothing unusual, so far. More often than not, rules here were more of a suggestion than a certainty.

  He didn’t seem to rush. Rick was probably in that car, offering Elisheba the world. She would like that. She thought power was sexy and would be impressed by Rick; he appeared powerful and in control, an island of calm in the middle of chaos.

  He’d wanted to tell me his secrets. Who knew what he had told her after a night together. I didn’t know if she was just doing her job, or if she was into him. It really wouldn’t matter if the end result was the same, did it?

  After about ten minutes, the driver opened the door and Elisheba got out. He must have bought her clothes because she looked fresh. She flashed her ID and the guard moved aside to let her into the complex. She barely made it out of earshot of the car when Bala came running from the shop she’d gone into. I expected her to run after Elisheba, but she did something surprising instead. She got into the car with Rick.

  By her animated motions, it was clear she was yelling at Rick, and not good things either. I could almost hear her over the noise of the street. The driver stood outside a few paces from the car, but he didn’t seem too alarmed. I leaned farther back into the shadows. As long as no one started running, neither would I.

  Rick seemed to be taking his time. Unlike Bala, his movements seemed slow and deliberate. He ran his hand through his graying hair, pushing the swoop into place. I’d seen him do this a few times last night. His Western-style shirt was crisp and white, and as he moved his hand down, his cufflinks glinted in the sunlight. In the middle of so much poverty and squalor, Rick reeked of money. This was even more intriguing than his mismatched eyes. Here was an obviously mysterious and powerful man who showed no hint of being ashamed of his obvious display of wealth in a country with so many poor people. Still, a part of me admired someone who could become Big Willy in a country not his own.

  Rick slid over close to Bala, but she pushed him back forcefully, then slapped him. His sweet nothings didn’t appear to be working on her. Whatever was upsetting her appeared to be very bad. Finally, Bala jumped from the car and headed back toward to building. I held my breath as I waited for what would happen next.

  I didn’t have to wait too long. Rick got out of the car and followed her. The guard at the gate didn’t even stop him. Power was some interesting shit. I needed to alert Desiree. She had incoming.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Desiree

  I tried to look at Elisheba’s recordings even though I knew there was little to see. I could only catch snippets. Rick’s face. “Elisheba,” he said finally. “You are quite exquisite.” I bet his peculiar accent tickled her in all the right places. Hell, he’d been tickling me until he’d passed me off to an operator for the night. Rick, raking her with his eyes. A crushing kiss. Rick speaking again. “You must understand though, that if I do, and you betray my confidence, you will be in grave danger. Those I work with would not understand.”

  That part was interesting. What confidence? Who did he work for? Rick sounded as if he’d stepped out of the middle of a bad spy movie, but it was believable. I wanted to know as much as possible about him and his business. Like Elisheba, I was being sucked into Rick’s world, and I was only getting a few snippets of the conversation.<
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  Elisheba’s voice this time. “But are you? What if I want some of these secrets for myself? When my debt is paid, what’s next for me? I can’t see anything past today.” What did that mean? Had Elisheba blown her cover? My face darkened. The video fuzzed. “I’ve always felt as if I was meant for something greater than what I’m doing.”

  There was a lot of muffled conversation, some obvious sex and then Rick talking again. “We will have time to see what you’re made of and what you’re meant for. Destiny has a way of finding people like us.” People like us. We had a problem. I had to let Sam know.

  I didn’t get a chance to leave. Elisheba sauntered in, looking happy and freshly sexed. She stopped in her tracks when she saw me. “About yesterday—”

  “What? I assumed you were off enjoying yourself. You don’t owe me any explanation. Except maybe about why you didn’t tell me what kind of business your friend Rick runs.”

  She walked to her desk. “I didn’t know him until last night. Just like you.”

  “Oh? You sure got comfortable fast. Were you with him all night?”

  Her face darkened. “I don’t see how that’s your business.”

  A laugh escaped my lips. “Oh? Have you forgotten why you were here? This isn’t exactly a pleasure trip, is it, Elisheba?”

  She blushed, but didn’t answer at first. She played with the mouse on her computer. “He’s a nice man.”

  “Is he? Have you forgotten that we can see what you do?”

  She jumped to her feet. “You don’t understand. You never have. Everything has always been perfect for you.” Her words were filled with venom. “Rick and I understand each other. For the first time, I can see something in my future other than just a daily grind.” Desperation lined her face.

  I wasn’t sure of everything they had planned, but they’d planned big. I didn’t get chance to ask. Bala blew into the work pod, and she seemed to be just as angry as Elisheba was.

  She screamed at the top of her lungs. “What have you done?”

  Elisheba spun around, and we both stared at her. “Bala,” I said. “Is there something wrong? We can go to HR if there is a problem with Elisheba’s work.”

  “This has nothing to do with work.” The crazed look in her eyes worried me. “She has ruined my life.”

  I tried my best to calm the situation. “That’s harsh. Most of these things can be cleared up with a simple meeting.”

  “Shut up. You know nothing.” She turned on me. I backed away from her and quickly put a desk between us. “As a matter of fact, you should leave and stop asking so many questions. Every time someone gets involved from the home office, I get hurt. I can’t afford to get hurt anymore.”

  My curiosity was piqued. Just what did she mean by that? Was she saying that she did know something about our dead woman? “How have I hurt you, Bala?”

  “I told you, it’s her.” She pointed at Elisheba. “She didn’t go with the plan. She was supposed to meet Rick and he was supposed to find her a suitable match.” Bala didn’t seem to be talking to us anymore. She was so crazed now, it didn’t appear that she was even aware that we were still in the room. “No match, no pay! Don’t you understand?”

  Elisheba and I looked at one another from the corners of our eyes. She shook her head slowly.

  Bala continued her rant. “The other one was the same way. I will not be cheated.” She paced the office, hands on her hips. “Did he tell you he loved you? Did he? That is not how we do it here.”

  My mind whirled. Details clicked into place. I paced toward Bala. “Bala, what do you mean? What happened to the other one who didn’t go with your plan?”

  She laughed. “She was too American. She didn’t want to get married at all. He wouldn’t pay me for her, either.”

  “So, what happened?” I was stabbing in the dark and hoping that she was so crazed that she wouldn’t even realize that I was baiting her. “What did you do?”

  “I didn’t have to do anything. I wanted to have her killed. I didn’t though. She drowned. I thought I would reason with her. I served her lunch.”

  “Lunch? You were friends?” Elisheba was drawn in now, too. She was telling us that she did know the woman who had died, the one whose death had brought us all here in the first place.

  Bala paced. “Not friends.” As she shook her head, a crazed look spread across her face. “I served her salad. I really didn’t mean to hurt her. I just wanted to scare her.”

  My eyes widened. “What was in the salad, Bala?”

  “Nothing. Salad greens. From my garden. Tomato leaves.”

  Elisheba and I both gasped at the same time. Tomato leaves are poisonous. She didn’t have to say more. The picture was clear. They ate salad, and then our dead lady went swimming. Cramps would have made it impossible to make it across. She’d drowned after tomato leaf poisoning.

  Tears streamed down Bala’s face now. She slammed her hand on the desk. Elisheba and I both jumped. Bala wasn’t finished. She wiped her face with the back of her hand again. “Were you going to run away with him?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “You can’t. He won’t pay if you do. I need the money. For my family. You rich Americans don’t understand that.”

  “I do understand. I’m not rich.” Elisheba looked stricken. “I have nothing.”

  “Oh, you have something. You have Rick.” She walked closer to Elisheba. “I love him, you know. But he thinks I’m beneath him. And my family would never approve of him. He’s a man with no country.” She looked distant again. “I get no money, and you get the man.”

  The next few minutes happened so fast they were a blur. Bala ripped the computer monitor from the desk nearest her with strength that was not natural for her small frame. She lifted it, intending to crash it into Elisheba. I jumped forward and jumped on Elisheba, expecting a crash.

  It never came. Sam had crept into the work pod just in time. He grabbed the monitor from Bala at the top of her swing, letting it crash on the floor behind him. It exploded on impact. Shards of glass flew everywhere and the smell of smoke overwhelmed us. He jumped onto Bala, pinning her to the ground.

  Rick wasn’t far behind Sam. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and activated it, killing any chance of fire. As the smoke cleared, Bala sobbed.

  Rick seemed more stunned than all of us. He dropped the fire extinguisher and practically ran to Elisheba’s side. “I had no idea that she was so unstable. I had no idea that she felt the way that she did.” He helped her up, but left me on the floor.

  There was no more fight left in Bala. Sam pulled her to her feet, then handcuffed her hands behind her back.

  “Is she under arrest?” Rick asked.

  Sam shook his head. “No, that’s not what I do. The dead woman’s family will decide her fate. I’ll turn her over to them.” He herded her out into the hallway, leaving me with Rick and Elisheba.

  “Elisheba, give me your bindi, please.” I spoke almost too loudly.

  Confusion fluttered on her face, but she removed it and handed it to me. I waited until I was sure that Sam was out of earshot, then dropped it on the floor and crushed it under my heel. “What are you two going to do?”

  Rick put his arm around Elisheba. “I want to take her to the coast. To Goa. I have a place there where she will be safe and have time to think.” Goa was a resort area, a beach. There were parts so remote there were barely any services. Many people went there to get away from the city or to vacation.

  Elisheba smiled. “I’d like that.” She turned to me. “But won’t you have to explain? The camera?”

  A slow smile crept across my face. “Oh that? It was damaged in the tussle.”

  Elisheba nodded, but said nothing. She didn’t have to.

  * * * * *

  We left before the crack of dawn, but the six-hour ride was worth it. I alternated between sleeping in the car and asking questions. “Where are we going again?” I’d asked.

  Sam turned to me and smiled. “To see the embodiment of love.�
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  There was nothing that could be said to that. I turned his words over and over in my head but couldn’t make heads or tails of them. I’d learned to just go with the flow with Sam, and a long ride and relaxing weekend sounded wonderful right about now. I needed an escape.

  We checked into the hotel before midday. The scene was very similar to Bangalore. Lots of security and throngs of people, but this area was obviously older. Many of the buildings looked like ancient forts or castles morphed for modern use.

  The bellman dropped our bags and left. Sam strode over to the windows and threw back the doors. I put my bag down, planning to unpack it.

  “Desiree. Come here, please,” Sam called my name gently. “I have something I want you to see.” This was the softer Sam, the one I’d fallen in love with. Working together was exciting, but this was the heart of what I loved about him. Business Sam had been put away, at least for the weekend.

  I turned around to join him on the balcony. “I was trying to unpack my…” The words caught in my throat. My breath was absolutely taken away.

  Sam was outside, leaning on the railing, facing me with a slight smile on his face. Behind him was the most beautiful sight anyone could imagine. The courtyard outside our room was filled with magnificent trees like nothing I had ever seen. They had to be hundreds of years old, filled with pods that resembled brown bananas. Beyond them, the Taj Mahal dominated the horizon. A slight haze hung in the sky, making the majestic building seem even more surreal. “Babe…” I was speechless.

  He wrapped his arms around me. “I know. Television and pictures don’t do it justice.”

  “You did this for me?” My eyes welled up with tears.

  “Of course. You deserve it.” He paused. “Shah Jahan built this for the love of his life. She died before it was finished, but the symbol of their love has endured for centuries. I can’t build you a palace like this—”