by Leena Clover
Tony voiced what I was thinking.
“Not really ...” Vicky mumbled, picking up another chicken wing from his plate.
“But?” I knew a but was coming.
“I may have used some emoticons. And a couple of times, when I stepped away to get a soda, one of the guys typed I dreamed about her and wanted to see her.”
“Oh my God!” I was speechless.
The Jyothi I knew was rough at the edges, and she was innocent. I was sure she had never played the casual flirting game before.
“Then what happened?” Tony asked, nudging me to be quiet.
We wanted the whole story out of him. There was no point in getting him riled up prematurely.
“Nothing. Like I said, I didn't hear from her until this August. She kept calling the lab. Then someone gave her my home number and she would call me here. She wanted me to meet her for Fall break. But I couldn't make it.”
“Did you ever meet her?”
Vicky Chopra was quiet for a minute. Then he confirmed my suspicion.
“Yes.”
“How? When?” I burst out, unable to stop.
“Well, a group of students here were going to Pioneer for the Dandiya dance. I tagged along. I didn't really have any plans. I thought, maybe I'd run into her. Maybe not.”
“Did you have a photo of hers? Or her address? How were you planning to recognize her?”
He just shrugged. Some silly fantasy, I thought.
“What happened at the dance?” Tony asked.
“We danced a bit. Talked to many girls. But none of them were her. There was a queer girl standing in the corner, staring at the folks who were dancing. Some people were whispering and pointing at her. I heard the name Jyothi.”
“And you were disappointed in her looks,” I blurted out. “So who were you hoping for. Julia Roberts or Madhuri Dixit?” I demanded, naming the two film stars Indian guys are usually crazy about.
Vicky Chopra had the grace to look ashamed.
“Hey! It’s not like I had promised her something.”
“So is that where you met her then?” Tony asked patiently.
“No. I never talked to her that day.”
I felt disgusted.
Vicky Chopra continued. “She came here. Hunted me down.”
“What?” Tony and I both exclaimed together. “When?”
“In mid October? Not sure when exactly. But it was after the dance. She just turned up. Said she had no place to live. Her roomies kicked her out it seems.”
“We know that,” I confirmed.
“She wanted me to help her get admission over here. And she wanted to live here, right here in this house, until then.”
“Why was that a problem?” I asked.
Vicky Chopra looked astonished.
“Why? This is bachelor accommodation. Guys live here. How could I keep a girl here?”
I knew Indian guys can be very old fashioned, but something didn’t add up. I was sure he would’ve had no such qualms if Jyothi had met with his approval.
“She came on to me. It seems she had this strange idea in her mind. She thought I would take care of her.”
“And why would she think that?” I glared at him.
I suspected what was coming.
“How do I know? She was a crackpot. That's why. Crazy stalker girl!”
Vicky Chopra’s mouth twisted in a grimace and he forgot to wipe off the sauce that smeared a side of his mouth.
“Living off me, eating my food!” he complained. “She ploughed through these like they were her last meal.”
He waved a chicken drumette in the air, and tore off the meat with a vengeance.
“Are you saying you have zero responsibility here?” I asked, fascinated by how many chicken wings he was putting away.
“I never thought anyone would take a chat session seriously. Or a casual I Love You.”
Tony put his hand on my shoulder and asked Vicky what happened next.
“I told her she couldn't stay here. She begged. The more she begged, the more she pissed me off. I let her stay the night and asked her to leave in the morning. When I woke up, she was gone. I assumed she caught a ride back to Pioneer.”
Then he said in a burst.
“I honestly meant her no harm. Now I think maybe I should have been gentler. If you see her, please tell her I'm sorry it didn't work out the way she wanted.”
“Sure we will,” Tony assured him.
“If we find her …” I rubbed it in.
Vicky Chopra rolled his eyes.
“So what do they add to the water at Swan Creek? How come every chick there is crazy?”
A faint memory resurfaced for a second, but I couldn’t grasp what I was trying to remember.
Tony frowned at Vicky.
“One last question. Did she call you again? Or write to you? Or mention where she was going next? Please, this is important.”
“Sorry. But no. I haven't heard from her since. And you’ll have to excuse me now. I’m getting late for class.”
We thanked him and stepped out of the house. I stumbled and looked back.
“I’m sorry. But have we met before?” I asked suddenly.
He shrugged.
“Not to my knowledge.”
Vicky Chopra wasn't looking handsome anymore in my eyes. In fact, he was looking like the heartless monster he was.
I was so mad I could punch someone. Tony rubbed my back, feeling my anguish.
“Calm down, Meera. We need to report all this to Stan ASAP.”
I nodded.
I climbed into the truck and didn't say a word as Tony swung into a fast food drive thru. I was not in the mood to stop anywhere. I just wanted to get home soon as possible. Suddenly I craved a comforting hug from my grandma.
Chapter 38
I was lost in thought as we sped along on the Interstate on our way home. Traffic was sparse. A few trailers passed us but other than that it was a long endless road with wide open fields on both sides. I wouldn't trade them for a hilly landscape any time.
I wondered what had bothered me about the guy, and tried to jog my memory. I couldn’t shake the image of him hogging those chicken wings. Chicken Wings. Chicken!
I slammed a fist into the dashboard, connecting the dots.
“I don’t believe him. He was leading us on!”
“About what? Are you referring to anything specific he said?” Tony asked.
“ He’s a big fat liar.”
“How so?” Tony raised his eyebrows, turning back quickly to watch the road.
“Did you see him ripping into that chicken? No way Jyothi would ever stay in that house. The way he made it appear, she was begging him to stay on.”
Tony nodded.
“Maybe she never came out of there. Maybe he has her locked in the basement.”
Tony widened his eyes and paused to see my reaction.
“My God, Tony! Can you be serious about this? It’s not like you to be flippant about a girl's safety.”
That sobered him up.
“We are going straight to the police. There is too much at stake here.”
He slowed down as if letting another car pass. After a few minutes he sped up. The gauge read 90. I stared at Tony's expression.
“Angling for a ticket, cowboy?”
His response was to brake hard and come down to 50 miles per hour. He switched lanes, sped up again, switched back to the slower lane, and then eased his foot off the gas pedal, swerving toward the shoulder. I shuddered as the truck caught on the grooves at the edge of the shoulder and for a while we bumped along.
“On second thought,” I said. “Maybe you feel like a DUI.”
Tony gave me a grim look.
“We are being followed!”
He pointed to a car behind us. A dark Buick was ambling along sedately.
“That one?” I asked, and laughed.
“Not funny. That car's been on our tail since we left Wichita. Won't pass us. Speeds up when I do.”<
br />
“So? Maybe they're just having some fun. Playing with you.”
“But why stick to us on this road?”
“I don't know. Maybe they're going to Oklahoma City. Or Dallas?” I gasped in mock horror.
“Like every other car on this road?”
“It’s not a laughing matter, Meera. Now I am beginning to think I saw this car even on our way to Wichita.”
I brushed him off.
“You're being paranoid, bubba!”
“I don't think so,” Tony maintained his stance.
Neither of us spoke for an hour. Soon, Tony was taking the Swan Creek exit off the freeway. I was getting impatient as we merged onto the highway. Five minutes later, we were pulling up in front of the police station. Stan waved at us as we went in. After a cursory greeting, we asked to be seated.
“I have to share something with you,” I started.
Stan guessed what was coming. “Is this about the missing girl?”
We nodded.
“You don't have to do any more sleuthing, Meera. In fact, I insist on it. The Chief will back me on this.”
Tony spoke up.
“I totally agree. After what we found out today, I think Meera needs to stay away from this whole mess now.”
Stan looked interested.
“Let's go into the conference room. I will get the Chief so we can both listen to your report at the same time.”
Soon, we were ensconced in the station's conference room. I clutched a paper cup of coffee I'd managed to get out of a machine. I did my best to give them a short version first. Then I went into details about what Vicky Chopra had said, and how I could swear he was lying.
The Chief interrupted me.
“You took on quite a risk, young lady. Can't say I approve.”
I paled, wondering what kind of backlash I was facing now.
“Regardless, one thing's for sure. This case is out of our jurisdiction now. It went out of our hands soon as the girl crossed the state line. Once this kid confirms she was there, the Feds will take over.”
I had completely missed this aspect of our trip.
“I think it is all for the better. The trail is already cold. We really need better resources to ramp up the hunt.”
We nodded mutely.
“Take my advice. Forget about this now. And don't meddle. The Feds won't take kindly to anyone interfering in their investigation. Is that clear?” He asked sternly.
I was so exhausted, I would have said Yes anyway. I had thought a lot on the drive back. I was neither trained nor equipped to search for Jyothi. Now that I was convinced the authorities were taking it seriously, I had to let go and get on with my life.
We stood up and thanked the Chief and Stan Miller. There were handshakes all around. I trashed my coffee cup and turned to leave when I heard Tony speak up.
“Something strange happened today. I think we were followed.”
“Oh please!” I began but Stan held up his hand.
“Could it be someone going on the same route?” Stan asked Tony.
Tony recounted his efforts to 'shake' the pursuer.
“I think I saw the same dark Buick on our way to Wichita too. Could it be someone from town tailed us all the way there and back??” Tony persisted, then thought of something.
“Was it a police tail?” he asked Stan and the Chief.
They assured him it wasn't.
“Did you get the license tags, or see the driver?” Stan asked.
Tony shook his head.
“Never got that close. Although …” He thought a moment. “They could've been custom tags. Or had something written on top.”
“Like a rental?” Stan pressed.
“That's right!” Tony agreed. “Could easily be a rental. It was a dark sedan but a late model.”
“We are still looking into the suspicious lady who was lurking outside Sylvie's. And Jyothi got into the car.”
I jumped in.
“But now we have multiple people spotting her at Dandiya dance. And later even in Wichita. So even if she got into this car, I guess she was alright.”
Stan was reluctant.
“Well, it does appear so. But we are still investigating. And now this car is following you. I wonder why.”
I let out a big yawn and Stan clicked his heels.
“You guys take care now. And remember, leave it to the authorities. No more sleuthing.”
“Any progress on the Prudence case?” Tony asked Stan.
Stan started shaking his head, and suddenly, the pieces fell into place.
“I know! Now I know!” I jumped in excitement.
I gazed from Tony to Stan, my eyes wide enough to pop out of their sockets.
“I know where I saw him. Prudence. Airport …”
“Hold on, Meera. Say what now?” Stan looked mystified.
“Vicky Chopra. The guy we me today? He was with Prudence at the airport. She was calling him Vic. But I’m sure it was him. I saw them when I went to pick up Motee Ba at Will Rogers.”
“Are you sure?” Stan was skeptical. “They all look the same, you know.”
I forced myself to ignore Stan’s grand observation.
“Not to me, Stan!”
I thought some more.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
The Chief had come back to see why we were still sticking around.
“And you know what? I think I saw him earlier too. At Willow Springs. Before the July 4th fireworks. He was sitting on a blanket and he was with Prudence.”
Stan had turned red.
“What are you saying, Meera? Do you mean they were together?”
“I don’t know. I just saw him with Prudence.”
“So he knew both the girls …” the Chief said speculatively.
“I think we should go now, Meera,” Tony put an arm around my shoulder and pulled me along.
I leaned against Tony as we came out of the police station.
“Take me home, please,” I pleaded.
We dragged our feet into the kitchen just as the pressure cooker let out a whistle. Motee Ba took one look at me and opened her arms.
I closed my eyes and breathed in her familiar Chanel, mixed with the buttermilk stew bubbling on the stove.
“Dinner's ready. Let's eat first!” Motee Ba ordered. “And then you can talk.”
“Yes, Granny!” Tony flopped down on a chair and stretched his legs.
Dad and Jeet came in, followed by Pappa. For once, Jeet didn't say a word as he set the table.
After our fill of piping hot Khichdi Kadhi, I finally pushed my plate away. I let Tony do most of the talking.
Dad couldn't hide his worry.
“Why did you hotfoot it to Kansas, I don't get it. Anything could've gone wrong.”
“I say,” Pappa raised his voice. “Stop this tomfoolery at once. At once, do you understand? This family has had enough trouble for one year.”
He glared at Tony expectantly.
“Sure,” Tony said meekly. “I mean, Yes Sir!”
Motee Ba spoke up.
“What I don't understand is why someone should follow you. I'm sure you must be mistaken, Tony.”
“That's possible, Granny. Yes, I think that's it.”
Tony soothed her, but I am not sure he was convinced himself.
“Stay away from all this now, you two,” Dad said in a no nonsense voice. “Let the authorities do their job.”
Chapter 39
I went about my usual routine the next few days. Sylvie was talking about a special holiday menu. I walked into the diner one Saturday morning, having promised Becky to work on some new recipes.
“Have you seen this, Meera?” she rushed out of the kitchen as soon as she heard me greet Sylvie.
She slapped a newspaper in my hand. I picked it up and stared at the bold headlines emblazoned across the front page.