The driver broke down and tearfully confessed: ‘Sir, this is the truth, I swear on my life. I took the lady about a kilometre from here to a waiting car. A white Ambassador, sir … Oh god … punish me for my greediness that I did this for a hundred rupees … I was told that it was a rehearsal for a film. Believe me, sir …’
But Major Samant was already on his way, having instructed Jeevan by a sign to take the driver into custody.
About three kilometres further on he saw a white Ambassador parked by the roadside. It was empty. There was a footpath leading from the spot to an empty field. As he looked towards it, Major Samant bitterly cursed to himself. A helicopter was rising into the sky, going due east.
He was brought back to reality by the arrival of his own jeep. The Major kept his voice under control as he asked the driver:
‘And what made you abandon the jeep?’
‘Why, your message, sir! You asked me to bring Navin Sahib to you’, the driver said, surprised.
‘I asked you? When and how?’ The Major was equally taken aback. The driver fumbled in his pocket and produced a piece of paper torn from his memo pad. The Major read the message on it:
Driver Sharma,
Please bring Navin Sahib to me immediately. He is in his barracks.
Major Samant
The handwriting and the signature below were unmistakably his. And there was also his official stamp underneath.
7 The Ransom
The phone rang at eight in the night.
Although a call had been expected, the shrillness of the bell brought everybody to attention. It was Major Samant who lifted the receiver.
‘Major Samant speaking’, he said. He knew that the call was from the kidnapper. A handwritten note delivered late in the afternoon to the security guard at the Science Centre had warned them to expect a phone call at eight.
‘I want to talk to Dr Laxmanan’, the voice had a foreign accent. Samant motioned to Laxman, who picked up another receiver. The recordist tapping the conversation was already busy with his work.
‘Laxman speaking.’
‘This is to assure you, Dr Laxmanan, that your wife is safe in our custody …’ The voice at the other end betrayed no emotion.
‘Who are you? Where are you speaking from, you wretch?’ Laxman was beside himself.
‘Pacify yourself, Dr Laxmanan. You have to listen carefully to what I say next … your wife’s safety depends on it’, the voice continued.
Major Samant, who was listening in, patted Laxman on the back. Laxman nodded to indicate that he had regained his self-control. Both listened intently.
‘In exchange for the safe return of Urmila, I need the following information by two o’clock tonight.’ The voice continued, ‘I need the correct specifications of Guru’s CPU—I repeat, correct details … please don’t palm off false information any more. And I need Vaman delivered to me … How the exchange is to take place will be communicated to you at one o’clock … that is, at one hour past midnight. Be sure to take all this seriously … or else.’
‘Or else, what? Speak up, please!’ Laxman shouted. But the click at the other end told him that further shouting would be futile.
The recordist, who was listening carefully, played the tape once again before giving his opinion: ‘It is Karl Shulz all right.’
Samant issued instructions to locate the source of the call. But Laxman now broke down completely. He shook Samant by the shoulders and said through sobs, ‘So much for your security! The tiger has snapped the decoy … that is all you think about … but who is going to bring back Urmila? Tell me that … Will anybody here tell me that?’
There was silence in the communications room. Even Samant had nothing to say. But from near the door, a mechanical voice was soon heard distinctly.
‘I will tell you, Laxman. The responsibility is mine. Come, let us locate Urmila.’
As everyone looked towards the door they found the tiny figure of Vaman standing there.
The helicopter carrying Urmila descended on a field beside the national highway linking Bangalore and Hyderabad. Although it was dark, Urmila could make out something that looked like a farmhouse standing some distance away.
‘Be my guest tonight, Mrs Laxmanan.’ Shulz bowed as she stepped onto the ground. She had already recognized the other person in the helicopter as the notorious Balu.
‘Please follow me.’ Shulz led the way with a tiny torch, with Balu bringing up the rear. There was a narrow footpath amidst overgrown grass, and soon Urmila found herself at the farmhouse.
It was a dilapidated structure with no windows and two doors, both of which were closed. Balu opened the one away from the highway to reveal a room lit by a lantern. Urmila saw that something like a meal was laid out on a table, a rickety chair beside it.
Two rough characters suddenly materialized out of the dark. Balu’s men, she surmised. She was right, for Shulz spoke in his quiet but menacing tones: ‘Balu, you and these pals of yours had better guard the lady well. But no rough work with her, mind you … or I will skin you alive.’ Even those hardened criminals paled at that warning, Urmila noted. Then Shulz turned to her and said politely. ‘Madam, it now depends entirely on your husband. If he is prompt with what little I have asked for, your stay here need not be even until dawn … If he is foolish enough to try to cheat me, I’m afraid you will not see dawn.’ He pointed towards a corner of the hut.
Urmila looked and shivered. A rectangular pit two metres by one metre, and about half a metre deep had been dug there. When she turned round Shulz had disappeared.
Everyone followed Vaman to a computer terminal, to which a small gadget had been attached.
‘I made this little toy’, Vaman explained. ‘It will collect the signals and, with Guru’s help, process them to tell us where Urmila is.’ A map of India had appeared on the terminal.
‘Signals? From where?’ asked Navin. He was one of the crowd.
‘From the little transmitter I had fixed in Urmila’s molar … that was my secret weapon which only three people here know about’, Vaman said.
‘Well, I am not amongst the favoured three’ Navin retorted. Major Samant thought Navin looked a little uneasy. Why, Samant wondered? Or was it his imagination?
But he was distracted from his thoughts by what was happening on the terminal monitor. A green light, like a tiny dot, had appeared within the map of India. The dot was flashing with intensity.
‘That is where sister Urmila is’, Vaman pointed to the dot triumphantly. ‘I could not get it earlier because she was airborne, in a helicopter, and because my transmitter does not act very efficiently in mid-air. But now that she is on the ground, I can locate her. She is stationary now.’
‘But where exactly is she?’ Laxman asked with desperation.
‘We will soon find out by changing the scale of our map’, Vaman replied. He enlarged the scale so that first only the southern parts of India, then the border between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, and then the national highway from Bangalore to Hyderabad appeared on the screen. The green dot continued to flash steadily.
‘Your maps of the region are not worked out in great detail, otherwise I could have told the location within the error of one centimetre. As it is, I can only tell you the approximate location with regard to the nearby villages and the national highway.’ Vaman pointed to two villages on the highway, and continued: ‘According to my calculation, sister Urmila is about a quarter of a kilometre away from the national highway and at a spot which lies ten point three five kilometres from the southern village.’
‘Good enough for me! I will now arrange a helicopter and a crack group of commandos who have been on standby ever since we decided to go ahead with this project’, Major Samant said with enthusiasm.
‘Then why don’t we get Umi out before one o’clock? Let Shulz shout himself hoarse after that.’ Laxman was also infected by the new optimism.
‘Take it easy, all of you!’ Vaman cautioned. ‘Your helico
pter will be noisy and alert whoever is keeping guard on Urmila.’
The Major wiped his perspiring forehead. This tiny robot was now teaching him strategy. But the little figure was right. Aloud, the Major said, ‘We will drop the task force ten kilometres from the spot and let the rescuers cycle to the spot.’
‘That is well thought out, Major’, Vaman applauded. Then he added, ‘And I suggest that you mount the rescue operation after one o’clock.’
‘Why? Wouldn’t sooner be better?’ Laxman asked impatiently.
‘Vaman is right, Dr Laxmanan. It is now clear that Shulz is not where Urmila is. Figure it out youself. He will call us at one and we will have to deliver the goods to him within the hour. So he won’t be far from here. If we rescue your wife after one o’clock, he won’t know that his operation has misfired. We will then be able to catch him too, red-handed. If, on the other hand, we rescue Urmilaji much sooner, he will get suspicious and disappear altogether … Dr Laxmanan, you have already done so much for us; may we request you to allow us this extra time?’ Major Samant asked as softly as he could manage.
Somewhat reluctantly, Laxman nodded agreement. Arul whispered in his ear, ‘A brave decision, Laxman. All of us are beholden to you.’
8 The Mole
The electronic clock in the communications room showed seconds ticking away. To Laxman the time taken to go from 00.59.00 to 01.00.00 seemed like ages. He expected Shulz to be punctual … so methodical had he been until now.
The phone rang at 01.00.04. At Samant’s nod, Laxman picked up the receiver and identified himself. Because the Major had attached a loudspeaker to the phone box, everyone in the room could now clearly hear each word that Shulz spoke.
‘Dr Laxmanan, listen carefully. In the drawer of the cash register of your canteen you will find a yellow sheet of paper. It has a map of your locality with two points, A and B, clearly marked. At a quarter to two, Vaman must appear at point A along with the information I asked for. The information has to be in the form of the package you got from the container—not an interpreted or doctored version. Let me warn you, I have means of checking whether the version is genuine. It had better be, for your wife’s sake! The car which brings Vaman to A must return right away, after flashing the headlights twice. And after fifteen minutes Vaman should walk to the spot marked B to be picked up … is everything clear?’
‘Yes … but what about my wife? Where is she?’ The Major smiled in approval at the desperate note of anxiety in Laxman’s voice. Karl Shulz must not know that Urmila had been located and would be rescued shortly.
‘All in good time, Dr Laxmanan. If you fulfill your side of the bargain, trust me to do the same. At six in the morning, you will know her whereabouts.’
The loud click informed everyone that Shulz had signed off.
By now a security guard had retrieved the yellow sheet, found exactly where Shulz had said it would be. Major Samant took it as another addition to the mounting evidence that Shulz had an accomplice right there in the Science Centre itself. Otherwise, how could Urmila be kidnapped on her very first outing? Who had waylaid the jeep driver with a false note and flattened one tyre?
‘Let the experts look for fingerprints right away!’ Samant stole a glance at Navin as he said this. Navin himself was staring at the yellow sheet.
‘I brought it along carefully, sir.’ The guard had used gloves while holding the paper. But he had more to add. ‘It is strange, though, that the paper has a perfume.’
‘No doubt used in lovers’ correspondence … we will soon find out’, Samant added drily as he sniffed the paper before passing it on for examination.
It was now five past one. He had to give marching orders to the commandos. He walked over to the radio phone and spoke: ‘Operation Umi: Come in.’
‘Ready for action, sir’, the reply came in loud and clear.
‘Go ahead.’
The commando task force had, in fact, reached the intended spot by midnight. First by helicopter and then on bicycles, the commandos had completed their journey unobtrusively. Their last lap on the highway was completed without lights. Fortunately for them, the traffic on the road was thin. If any truck driver had noticed a bunch of cyclists riding without lights, he had not reacted to that sight.
‘Stop’, the leader of the unit ordered, himself slowing down. He had spotted the farmhouse. But to be doubly sure, he examined under torch light the location printed out by the computer. ‘This is it, men … let’s go and wait over there.’ He pointed to a spot about fifty metres from the hut, where the tall grass provided good cover. The five commandos were soon swallowed up in the darkness.
‘Vaman … don’t you need some of us to come with you?’ Laxman asked anxiously.
‘No, Laxman! We don’t want to make Shulz suspicious—at any rate not while Urmila is still in his custody. And don’t worry about me … I can take care of myself with this little toy’, Vaman replied.
The ‘little toy’ was a laser gun that Vaman had made during the day. He demonstrated it on a metal target and even Major Samant was impressed.
‘Yes, I can take care of myself even though our friend is tall and hefty. Have you forgotten the story of David and Goliath?’
Laxman was not surprised that Vaman knew about this tale from the Old Testament. Nothing would surprise him about Vaman’s ability any more. As Vaman got into the car, Laxman pointed to the briefcase in his hand.
‘Make sure that Shulz does not suspect that he is getting false information again.’
‘Have no fear! Shulz will have no opportunity to suspect’, Vaman said.
Major Samant had one parting order for Vaman. ‘Don’t be overzealous with your toy, Vaman. We want Shulz alive.’
There was a pause before Vaman replied. ‘I don’t expect the need for the gun will arise.’
As he left for the rendezvous, Major Samant looked at his watch. It was a quarter past one.
‘Please, Major Samant, can you turn the light away?’ Navin was in great discomfort, but his appeal had no effect on the Major, whose face was set hard as granite.
‘I have to get the truth out of you, Dr Navin, and sometimes I can read it better in a face than when I hear it spoken. The light helps.’
Earlier, when Major Samant had politely sought a word with Navin, the latter did not expect to endure what seemed to him ‘third degree’. Samant had taken him to a closed room and seated him at a table with his face barely a foot away from a table lamp with a 100 W bulb in full power.
‘Let me congratulate you, Dr Navin, for your deception.’ The Major spoke from a corner where he could not be seen. ‘I thought that you had turned over a new leaf and were cooperating … Tell me, when exactly did you start helping Shulz again?’
‘I swear to you, Major, I have not helped Shulz on any occasion since the day I promised to go straight’, Navin said with passion.
‘Ha! Swearing will get you nowhere. This paper with your fingerprints speaks for itself.’ The Major showed him the yellow, scented paper and added. ‘The map is drawn with a green ball pen like the one you possess and which nobody else has here. The letters are in your handwriting, so my experts assure me.’
‘I admit the paper is mine. The pen could also be mine … but I’m baffled by your evidence. I am sure it is fabricated. Someone is trying to frame me’, Navin remonstrated shrilly.
‘Seventy per cent of the criminals caught red-handed say so. Let me give you my version. You were dead scared when Shulz killed Pyarelal. Scared enough to cooperate with him again. And with your plans for matrimony with the socialite Miss Runa, I am sure you needed money too … it all fits.’
A series of loud knocks at the door interrupted Major Samant. He opened the door to be confronted by Arul and Laxman, both highly agitated.
‘All is lost, Major’, Arul blurted out. Major Samant suddenly felt deflated.
‘Tell me quickly, is Urmilaji …’ he began apprehensively.
‘Not Urmila. We are still awai
ting news of her.’ Laxman added, ‘It is about Vaman. A great mix-up has occurred. He was to take a package of false data to Shulz. It was all packed in a briefcase. I saw him take it with him …’
‘Yes, Dr Laxmanan, I too saw him take it.’ The Major was now somewhat calmer in mind.
‘But that was the wrong briefcase, Major! Someone put the correct package in Vaman’s briefcase. And the false one is still here in another identical briefcase’, Arul said as he produced a briefcase.
‘Yes, the original, correct package is gone’, Laxman confirmed. ‘So Shulz has got what he wanted, thanks to this mix-up.’
‘Where did you find this case?’ the Major asked.
‘Lying on Navin’s table. In fact we discovered it accidentally, as we went to look for him there. We cannot understand how it happened Major.’
‘I do. It all fits’, the Major said. Then turning to Navin, he added, ‘Perhaps all this is fabricated too? Dr Navin, I have no alternative but to place you under arrest. Let me put you somewhere for the night where you cannot cause any more mischief.’
Arul and Laxman stared at Navin. The Major felt he owed them an explanation. ‘What you have found fits naturally into the whole picture. Dr Navin has truly outwitted us. I will give you the details in the morning when we shall all sit in judgement on this master accomplice. He has throughout been aiding and abetting Shulz. As far as Shulz is concerned, our only hope now rests in Vaman … Can he handle that master criminal? Come on Dr Navin, follow me.’
As Navin left the room he stared long and hard at the briefcase. To Arul and Laxman, that look communicated a deep desolation and despair.
At five past one the commandos started moving towards the hut, crawling on the ground to avoid detection. There were no bushes near the farmhouse to conceal them from watchers within, but the almost total absence of moonlight helped.
Near the house the leader of the unit and one commando went to the left and the other three to the right. A man armed with a gun and a walkie-talkie stood alert at the door facing the highway. The commandos had no difficulty recognizing him as Balu. At the other door sat another watchman, apparently half asleep. The task force had no knowledge as to whether others were inside. If there were, they must not know that their colleagues were being overpowered.
The Return of Vaman - A Scientific Novel Page 15