Bheem Singh’s face registered surprise.
‘So, your Highness,’ Imran pressed home his advantage, ‘I need you to answer my question.’
Bheem Singh sat back in his chair and studied Imran. ‘I have no comment,’ he said finally, his face passive again. ‘How would I know what is happening in Haryana or Gurgaon? I have no constituency there.’
Imran took another deep breath. ‘Perhaps, then, you will help me understand why the Haryana Chief Secretary’s office claims that you are the one who has pressurised them to withdraw or close the case against Farooq Siddiqui?’
A succession of emotions flitted across Bheem Singh’s face—shock, followed by confusion, which gave way to anger.
‘What are you insinuating?’ he thundered. ‘Are you out of your mind? I hope you have evidence to substantiate your wild allegations! I will report you to the Home Minister. How dare you barge into my office, my home, and accuse me of something like this?’
He recovered his composure somewhat and stood up. ‘You have no idea what you are dealing with. I am involved in a top secret government project. If you want details, go ask your boss. This interview is over.’
Without another word or glance at Imran, he stalked out of the room. After a few moments, two tall, well-built security guards entered the office.
Imran sighed. ‘I was just leaving,’ he told them, and they followed him out.
24
Day 7
Intelligence Bureau Headquarters, New Delhi
Imran sat in Vaid’s office, across the desk from the Director, a sullen and defiant look on his face. Vaid looked both perplexed and angry.
‘What were you thinking?’ he demanded of Imran. ‘Alleging that Bheem Singh was trying to suppress the investigation into the kidnapping case? You promised me that you wouldn’t try and pull any stunts. Do you know the bollocking I got from the Home Minister?’
Imran stared back, unrepentant. ‘Well, it’s true. I got that from a reliable source in the office of the Chief Secretary of Haryana.’
Vaid leaned forward to emphasise his words. ‘But you didn’t get that as an official statement from the Chief Secretary, did you?’
‘I know it is a hunch, sir, but I believe I am right,’ Imran’s gaze didn’t waver. ‘I think we need to tap Bheem Singh’s phones. He claims to be involved in a top secret project, but how is it that the Home Ministry doesn’t know about it? How come we don’t know about it?’
Vaid shook his head firmly. ‘The answer is no. After what happened today, there’s no way I’m going to the Home Minister with a request to tap Bheem Singh’s phones.’
Imran was prepared for this. He had spent some time planning this conversation.
‘Well, then, sir, I’m going to ask you to get me included as part of the security detail for Steve Buckworth, when he visits Bheem Singh tomorrow.’
Vaid stared at Imran as if he had lost his mind. Curiosity kept him from rejecting this request outright. ‘The US Vice President? And what will you gain by that?’
‘Sir, we can’t get an official search warrant on Bheem Singh. And I know I won’t be allowed into that farmhouse after today. But, if I am officially assigned to Buckworth’s security team, they can’t stop me from getting in. While the VP meets Bheem Singh, I plan to slip away discreetly and conduct a search of the premises. I want to come back with evidence to back my hunch.’
Vaid sighed. He knew that Imran was perceptive and highly intuitive and had cracked several cases in the past, going purely by his instinct.
But that had been a different world. They had hunted down criminals. This was bigger. And potentially more explosive. They were not dealing with a petty criminal here. Imran had a former Maharaja in his sights, who was also a prominent politician with immense clout in the ruling political party. The fallout, if he was wrong, could destroy both men.
‘I’ve done some homework before coming to you,’ Imran was speaking again. He placed a dossier on the desk and flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for. ‘You know why Buckworth is meeting Bheem Singh.’
Vaid decided to play along. ‘Bheem Singh put together a consortium through his business contacts across the world and the business they created in the US generated a 1,00,000 jobs in the last six months. The American VP, since he is in India on an official visit to push the aircraft carrier deal, is going to convey the American President’s gratitude and appreciation for this job creation at a time when there is a recession and high unemployment in the US.’
‘Correct.’ Imran smiled. ‘At least that is the official story.’
Vaid waited. He knew Imran was going to throw his punch now.
‘Perhaps this is the true reason for their meeting,’ Imran continued. ‘But then, what reason would Buckworth have had for meeting Bheem Singh on earlier occasions?’
Vaid looked surprised. ‘They’ve met earlier?’
‘Several times.’ Imran glanced at the sheet in the dossier. ‘They’ve been meeting regularly since 2004, when the VP was a Senator. Different places each time. But they’ve met at least 15 times since then, including a meeting earlier this year; approximately twice a year, all low-profile meetings.’
‘They could have been discussing Bheem Singh’s business prospects in the US,’ Vaid argued.
‘Perhaps. But it wasn’t a one-on-one meeting every time. On several occasions they were joined by others; Xen Haojing. Jacques Deaubois. Jeremy Martin. One or more of these others were also present at some of the meetings. Sometimes all of them were there.’
Vaid recognised the names. These were prominent politicians with very public aspirations to lead their respective countries; China, France and the UK. It was also no secret that Buckworth was going to run for President once the incumbent’s term came to an end. It didn’t make sense. What would prompt these men to meet so often over a period of nine years? And why hadn’t any of these meetings caught the attention of the media?
‘There’s more.’ Imran tapped the dossier. ‘During many of these meetings, a European businessman was also present. Christian Van Klueck.’ He paused to see if Vaid showed any recognition of the name.
He did. ‘The Austrian businessman?’
Imran nodded. ‘And Van Klueck is also part of the consortium that has invested in the US and created all these jobs that Buckworth is going to thank Bheem Singh for.’
Vaid looked puzzled. ‘It certainly isn’t possible that the consortium investment was planned nine years ago. All the publicity and hype around the job creation, talks about the investment being planned after the recession struck.’
‘Exactly. So what were these guys meeting for, almost twice a year, for the last nine years? Five politicians and a businessman. If you don’t count the fact that Bheem Singh is also a businessman. And look at the venues for the meetings; Estonia, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Poland, Slovakia, South Africa, Vietnam, Sri Lanka. All countries other than their own. No press releases to the media. No entourages. Almost as if they didn’t want anyone to know they were meeting.’
‘So you think that there is more to this meeting tomorrow, between Buckworth and Bheem Singh, than has been officially announced?’ Vaid began to see where Imran was going with his logic.
‘I think so. This is a one-on-one meeting between Bheem Singh and Buckworth. No delegation accompanying the VP or joining Bheem Singh A meeting to convey thanks from the US, would normally be accompanied by much more publicity, invitations to the press, a large delegation on both sides and all the frills. Why is none of that happening?’
‘So what do you think they are meeting for?’
‘I don’t have a theory about that, yet,’ Imran admitted to his boss. ‘Like I said, it’s just a hunch that something more is cooking.’
Vaid sighed. ‘Fine. But you’re going out on a limb on this one, Kidwai. I’ll get you into the farmhouse. But I’m not getting the Home Minister involved in this. Not without a better reason than a hunch of yours. Once you’re
in the farmhouse, you’re on your own. If you’re wrong about this, just make sure that you don’t mess up there. If something goes wrong, I won’t cover you. Not this time. Is that understood?’
Imran nodded. ‘Got it. But I’ll find something. I can feel it in my bones.’
Right On Track
‘So that’s the plan,’ Farooq said to Murphy. ‘We won’t move in until you give us the signal. And you’ll lie low after that, until we reach the final phase of the plan.’
Murphy looked thoughtful. ‘Seems like a good plan. The only problem I can see is if they find more clues at Barabar and the search goes on. We are now running against time.’
‘I don’t think this trail goes on for much longer,’ Farooq sounded confident. ‘We are going to where the Magadha Empire sprang from, where Asoka had his Capital. The location where the secret is hidden can’t be too far. The description by Surasen, the man who first discovered the cavern 2,000 years ago, mentions a 10-day journey from the Capital of the empire. We are close to finding it now. And I think our plan will ensure that they work to our deadlines.’
‘Very well.’ Murphy rose. ‘You’d better not mess this one up. They aren’t happy with you, I can tell you that.’
Farooq didn’t reply. The secret of the Nine was within his grasp. And he would ensure that it did not elude him.
25
Day 8
The Patna-Gaya Highway, Bihar
Colin looked out of the window of the Nissan X Trail they had hired at Patna, the Capital city of the state of Bihar. They had decided to set up base at the Asoka Palace Hotel in Patna after arriving earlier in the morning. Two hours ago, they had left Patna and were now driving down to Gaya.
‘One kilometre to Bela,’ he announced as they passed a milestone. He glanced at the roadmap of Bihar that lay open on his lap. ‘From Bela, we turn right, off the highway.’
‘I’ll be glad to reach the place.’ Vijay shifted in his seat as he drove. Colin was in the passenger seat next to him, while Radha, Shukla and White were in the backseat of the X Trail. The drive had been tiring. The road was a two-lane highway and in poor shape. With alarming frequency, it would degenerate into a mass of potholes and cracks, making it difficult to maintain a good speed. Even when they did manage to speed up, Vijay often had to slow down as they passed through villages that would keep popping up on either side of the highway. Occasionally, they would have to stop for a tractor-trailer or bullock cart that emerged from the dirt paths that snaked away from the road and through fields on either side.
A signboard announced that they had reached the town of Bela and the car slowed down to a crawl as Vijay manoeuvred through the mass of bicycles, push carts, bullock carts, cycle rickshaws and motorcycles that thronged the road.
Cows and stray dogs mixed freely with the traffic and people and Vijay had to use the vehicle’s horn liberally. He popped his head out of the window and hailed a hawker selling bangles.
‘Where do we turn for Barabar?’
Though the question was aimed at the hawker, four men standing nearby gathered around the car, and began arguing about the best way to reach Barabar.
Vijay waited, patiently, as they discussed the merits of each route.
Finally, one of the men gave him directions, nodding his head all the time as if to reassure Vijay about the accuracy of his advice.
Vijay drove off only to stop a few metres ahead to validate the directions he had been given.
Relieved to find that they had been guided correctly, he followed the directions and they soon found themselves on the road to Barabar.
The road from here was rough and bumpy; mostly potholes and dirt. They had been warned, at Patna, about the state of the road beyond Bela, which had led them to rent the X Trail.
Forty-five minutes later, jolted and shaken by the ride, they arrived at the site of the caves. The landscape was bleak and barren; desolate scrubland with large rocks and boulders strewn around as if thrown there in anger by the hand of a giant. Clumps of straggling trees dotted the scene which was dominated by the hill.
Even as they approached, they realised that Barabar Hill was a misnomer.
The hill was more a huge black rock, not more than 30 feet in height. It rose from the ground like the back of a whale protruding from the ocean. The rock was bereft of any vegetation.
Vijay brought the vehicle to a halt at the foot of the rock.
They alighted and gazed at the desolation around them. Radha shivered. ‘I can see why people are advised not to venture here alone,’ she remarked, looking around.
White waved an arm at the rock-strewn landscape. ‘Most people are probably unaware that this site has an association with Asoka the Great. Considering that it is one of the oldest surviving structures built during Asoka’s reign, it shouldn’t be so deserted.’
Vijay hauled out his black leather bag from the car and pulled out a sheaf of papers.
‘According to this commentary,’ he referred to the papers, ‘The oldest cave is the Sudama cave. It lies on the south face of the rock. Going by the verse, Sudama will be the eldest of the four brothers. That’s the one we need to check.’
Heaving the strap of the bag onto his shoulder, he started off for the southern rock face with Colin by his side. The others followed slowly with Shukla, who couldn’t keep pace with the two friends.
They reached the southern face of the rock and began walking along the black rock wall.
‘Just think,’ Colin said, ‘we are in some ways retracing the footsteps of a legendary Indian king who lived 2,300 years ago. I can’t believe that I’m walking the same path that he’d have trodden. This is the great thing about India. Everywhere you go there’s centuries of history, sometimes thousands of years of heritage. It’s awesome!’
Vijay nodded. ‘Yes,’ he agreed, ‘I had never thought of it that way.’
Suddenly, Colin grabbed his arm and pointed. Just ahead of them, cut into the black rock wall was a rectangular opening.
Vijay and Colin stood before the doorway, staring at the darkness beyond the entrance. Was this the culmination of their journey?
Vijay reached into the bag and pulled out two portable lamps. He handed one to Colin. The twin beams cut through the darkness that filled the interior of the cave, but revealed nothing.
Cautiously, Vijay stepped through the entrance, shining his lamplight all around him.
To his great surprise, he found the light reflecting off the walls. No matter where he trained the lamp, the beam of light shone back at him.
The cave was empty.
‘Wow!’ Colin whispered in awe, joining Vijay and experiencing the same effect. ‘This is amazing!’
‘It is remarkable,’ Vijay agreed.
The artisans who worked in this cave had chiselled the inner walls to a high degree of polish, such that they were like mirrors. They had retained their glassy appearance even today, 2,300 years after they had been built.
The two friends gazed around the cave in awe. A shout made them jump; the echo rolled around the cave, the sound bouncing off from wall to wall, as effortlessly as the light reflected off them.
The others had joined them and Radha had chosen that moment to test the echo.
Vijay scowled at Radha, who was grinning from ear to ear.
‘Why did you have to do that?’ he complained. ‘You scared me out of my skin.’
‘You certainly did,’ Colin agreed. ‘That wasn’t funny, sneaking up on us like that.’
‘I’ve always wanted to do that.’ Radha was still smiling broadly. ‘After reading Forster’s book and learning about these caves, I never believed that I’d be standing in one of them and experiencing the echo first-hand.’
‘This is amazing.’ White was looking around in wonder. ‘Let’s split up,’ Vijay suggested. ‘Radha and I will explore this side of the cave. Colin, you can team up with Greg and Dr. Shukla and check out the far side.’
With nods of agreement, the group split
up.
‘What exactly are we looking for?’ Colin shouted across the cave at Vijay, momentarily forgetting to whisper. Immediately, they were surrounded by a volley of echoes, as each word repeatedly reverberated around the cave, the echoes overlapping with each other to produce an astounding effect.
Vijay walked over to the other group. ‘Inscriptions,’ he whispered.
‘Well, then,’ Colin whispered back, ‘you’ve got your hands full. This wall’s full of inscriptions.’
He shone the beam, at an angle, on the wall and immediately a mass of inscriptions jumped out at them. Line upon line of symbols etched into the stone, some etched over other symbols, sprang to life. Vijay gazed at the inscriptions in bewilderment.
‘This can’t be what we’re looking for,’ White said softly.
‘Doesn’t seem likely,’ Shukla agreed. ‘Some of these are in the Brahmi script, which is the one used for Asoka’s edicts, and others are probably from a later era. Most likely, the inscriptions that have overwritten the earlier ones are from the Gupta dynasty, which flourished in this region in the fifth century AD.’
Vijay strode back to Radha and shone his lamp on the wall, at an angle. This wall, too, was covered with inscriptions. He quickly updated Radha on the conclusion the other group had reached.
Just then, there was a loud whoop from Colin and once again a medley of echoes filled the cave, melting into one another, a harmony of sounds as his whoop reverberated around the cave.
Shaking his head in mock frustration, Vijay grabbed Radha by her hand and they walked over to join Colin, who was now examining the rear of the cave.
‘Sorry,’ Colin grinned sheepishly as they regrouped around him. ‘I keep forgetting about the echo. But look at this.’
He trained his lamp on the rock wall that formed the rear of the cave, revealing a doorway four feet high, in the form of an inverted U.
‘Okay,’ Vijay indicated the opening with a grin. ‘You discovered it. You go first.’
The Mahabharata Secret Page 16