The Crow Chronicles, page 20
‘Yes,’ Budhboo’s voice had gone cold and his eyes glazed over. Kaw continued relentlessly.
‘And to penetrate the security ring that was thrown around Doodhraj—that would have been virtually impossible. You said so yourself that the security provided was more than adequate. By all accounts, the place was teeming with security birds.’
‘Shri Kaw, are you suggesting that the incident was an inside job? That the security forces of the Keoladeo National Park were involved in any way? Because if you are, you are making some very dangerous allegations.’
‘I’m not alleging anything or pointing fingers at anyone,’ Kaw replied blandly. ‘I’m just stating facts and possible inferences therefrom. You will agree, of course, that we have to examine every possibility from every angle, no matter how distasteful. In our job, a suspect is guilty unless proven innocent. And, I’m afraid, all the birds who were near Doodhraj that night are suspect. As I said, we make no exceptions. I’d like a list of all the birds who were on security duty that night—to ask them a few questions.’
‘What about Titiri and Achaanak? They could have been involved.’
‘Perhaps, but it seems unlikely. Achaanak was with me at Fatehpur Sikri that night,’ Kaw replied. ‘As for Titiri, my guess is that he was busy writing up reports on the Festival of Birds and his editorial blasting you.’
Kaw prepared to leave. ‘Well, gentlemen, it’s been a pleasure meeting you here and I’m sure we understand each other much better now. I’ll be expecting that list of names by this afternoon. Good day.’
And once again, the two supremos were left contemplating each other bleakly over the ever-looming threat that was Kaw.
Billa broke the silence at last, an element of panic in his voice.
‘Budhboo! That bastard is trying to pin the Doodhraj defeathering on us. You heard him. And he’s so damn cocky he virtually warned us about it. We’ve got to do something! The time has come for . . .’
‘. . . draconian measures!’ completed the bandicoot. ‘I think you’re right, Billa. He’s plotting something and is so bloody arrogant he couldn’t stop himself from telling us.’
And then, as Budhboo put it later, fate pointed the direction. There was a deferential knock on the door and a Ghana Ghoul entered on command. He addressed Billa.
‘Sir, there is a wildcat at the tunnel entrance who would like to speak to you. He says he’s one of the Goonda Billis and that he has some very important information regarding the white crow.’
Billa looked at Budhboo. ‘Show him in,’ he ordered.
The Goonda Billi slunk in, his eyes sliding between Billa and Budhboo. He greeted both obsequiously and then addressed the tomcat.
‘Sir, there have been developments! You know you told us to report any matter pertaining to Shri Kaw?’
‘Yes, so?’
‘There is a contract out for him!’
‘What?’ Both Billa and Budhboo reacted so explosively that the Goonda Billi slunk a few steps back in surprise.
‘What do you mean, contract? And issued by whom? Come on, cat, speak!’
The Goonda Billi’s tail began to lash. It seemed he had brought important news—and that made him feel important.
‘He’s wanted dead or alive, sir! Though preferably alive. There’s an ornithologist fellow behind it who is paying. Anything you ask for. Apparently this Kaw made a fool of him when they were in Bombay. He lost his job because of the crow. He’s even willing to stand by and take delivery immediately.’
Budhboo licked his lips. Billa felt his fur rise in excitement.
‘Wait outside,’ he ordered the Goonda Billi. ‘You have done well.’ Then he turned to Budhboo.
‘This is it! Our chance to get rid of that white bastard for good. And get paid for it as well. Poetic justice, I would say.’
Budhboo nodded thoughtfully. ‘Ah, yes, but we must be careful. And ensure that nothing, absolutely nothing goes wrong.’
And with a sinking feeling Billa realized that there were a hundred things that could go wrong. The crow spelt nothing but trouble.
‘My God! But how do we pull this one off? That crow is very well guarded and probably knows about the contract by now.’
Budhboo had been thinking furiously and this usually boded ill for the victim of his scheming.
‘We trap him alone, Billa,’ he said. ‘We inform him anonymously that members of the Samiti would like to meet him. Alone. Without even that Craven Raven fellow of his.’ Budhboo paused and his eyes gleamed as yet another diabolical idea clicked into place.
‘And at the same time we anonymously tip off Titiri and that sparkplug sidekick of his about this secret rendezvous. And then, we strike.’
‘Do you think Kaw will come there alone? He’s no fool.’
‘Oh, he will. Especially since in our note we shall make it clear that the Samiti will otherwise inform the press that the great mafia-killer was afraid to meet their representatives.’
Billa was now in a lather of excitement.
‘Budhboo, I’m going to be on this one personally.’ The bandicoot grinned. ‘Of course! I think I’ll join you. It’ll be a pleasure to see Kaw’s face when he realizes he’s been trapped and outwitted. We’ll put the Goonda Billis on the job—that crow won’t stand a chance against three wildcats! But one thing: we only show ourselves once Kaw is all trussed up with nowwhere to go.’
‘What about the other two? The lapwing and shikra?’
‘If all goes well, we kill them. We’ll stake a team of six Kala Talwar storks out for them. The wildcats get the crow, the Kala Talwars get rid of these two.’
‘What if the Goonda Billis botch the job?’ As always, Billa played the pessimist. ‘What if Kaw escapes?’
Budhboo shook his head slowly.
‘There will be no escape for Shri Kaw this time. If the Goonda Billis botch the job the storks will have to pitch in. We’ll put three more on standby just for that. And, in the very remote chance that Kaw does get away, what can he prove? After all, he went there of his own accord. They attacked him. The security forces, acting on intelligence reports, staked out with a view to protecting Shri Kaw. They came to his rescue and killed several members of the Samiti in the ensuing encounter. There will be too much confusion to make out who is attacking whom. Those killed will include Titiri and Achaanak and the three Goonda Billis, all notorious members of the outfit. We emerge from the incident covered in glory. How does that sound?’
‘Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!’ Billa breathed. ‘Okay. Let’s take it from here! Kaw is dead. What happens to the contributions?’
‘They will continue, rest assured! I’m sure Mr Craven Raven would not like to be thrown out of here. And once Kaw is out of the way, the other crows will cease to be a threat.’
‘All right! So far so good! Now, what about the time and place?’
Budhboo frowned as he thought.
‘About the location,’ he said slowly. ‘I was thinking in terms of Python Point, just beyond the Mansarovar. It is deserted at the best of times and the topography is ideal for an ambush. The Goonda Billis and the Kala Talwars can conceal themselves in the bushes and thickets that are all around, and we can instruct Kaw and the other two to rendezvous in one of the sandy tracts. The attack will be carried out after dark. The Goonda Billis are nocturnal by nature and, if you’ve noticed, Kaw shines like a lighthouse in the dark. He’ll make a beautiful target.’
‘We’d better tie up things with this ornithologist fellow. He’ll have to be there to take delivery of Kaw,’ he added.
‘What about our dear Prime Minister?’
‘We leave him out of it. Ignorance is bliss!’
‘There’s going to be a hell of an uproar regarding Kaw’s disappearance. Especially if there’s going to be no body.’
Budhboo shook his head. ‘I’m not so sure about that. You’re forgetting that Titiri and Achaanak won’t be around to make a noise. And, with evidence that they were members of the PVS, we’ll have enough reason to shut down Did-He-Do-It? permanently and clamp down heavily on the rest of the press. As for the absence of Kaw’s body—we say that he’s probably fled in fear of his life. Frankly, I don’t think there are many birds who are going to miss him. Any persistent and stubborn ones will disappear themselves.’
Billa unsheathed his claws and sharpened them on a branch.
‘It gets better and better,’ he purred.
‘Yes. Now I think it’s time we met our benefactor and discussed the price we place on the head of that arrogant crow.’
9
Baiting the Traps
‘The time has come for us to make our move,’ Kaw declared flatly as he and Craven Raven discussed their meeting with Billa and Budhboo at the Ghonsla. Craven Raven nodded and awaited his orders. He had noticed the aura of suppressed excitement around his boss ever since their return from that terrible place. It signalled that the crownies would be going into action very soon. Kaw continued. ‘Tomorrow we shall pay the next instalment into the fund. Doodhraj’s feathers will be smuggled in with it. Once the delivery team is inside Stinky Tops it will have to bribe some of the Ghana Ghouls for access to the private chambers of either Billa or Budhboo. The feathers will be concealed in one of them.
‘That afternoon we tip off Titiri and Achaanak—ostensibly claiming to be an anonymous Stinky Tops source. We tell them when to go, where to look and which Ghana Ghouls to bribe. And that the evidence they are likely to uncover can change the history of the park. They’re bound to go racing off, and then, hey presto, find Doodhraj’s tail hidden there. Achaanak takes a few photographs and they call us in because we are in charge of the inquiry and they trust us more than they do anyone else. And, even if they don’t, we shall be moving in almost immediately after anyway.’
‘How so?’ asked Craven Raven innocently.
‘We shall be patrolling the neighbourhood. With a crack team of crownies. We move into Stinky Tops, arrest the cat and the bandicoot as well as all the Ghana Ghouls present and take over the government! In other words, what they call a bloodless coup.’
‘What about the Prime Minister and the King?’
‘We take the Prime Minister into custody. If two of his closest ministers are so deeply involved in the scandal then some of the suspicion must fall on him. Later on we can exile him to the Delhi zoo or some place like that. As for His Majesty, we simply inform him that our investigations into the Samiti have led to these shocking discoveries and that we propose to thoroughly clean up the government. His role as chief hunter-bird in the park remains undisturbed. If he is upset we can ease some of the laws regarding hunting in the park. He’s bound to like that.’
‘If Budhboo and Billa resist arrest?’
‘We kill them. Otherwise we take them to the Ghonsla to await lynching, I mean trial. They seem to like it there.’
‘What happens after we, er . . . take over the government? If there is resistance?’
‘I don’t think there will be any resistance. If there is any, we’ll deal with it.’
Craven Raven looked around him.
‘I suppose it would be nice to move into Stinky Tops. Now I’d better fly off to the Crownies’ Thicket and pick the hit team for tomorrow. They are really going to enjoy themselves!’
Unknown to both Kaw and Craven Raven, there was to be a hiccup in their carefully crafted plan. They had chosen for the attack the same night that Billa and Budhboo had picked for the abduction and possible assassination of Kaw himself. In the meanwhile, the excitement was beginning to build up at the offices of Did-He-Do-It? as the investigation into Kaw and the crownies warmed up. Achaanak’s zealous digging had unearthed several enigmatic nuggets of information. He spoke enthusiastically as Titiri debriefed him.
‘I’ve chatted up several of the crownies, sir—trying to get them to talk about the past. Some have admitted indirectly that they may have been involved in shady dealings before they met Kaw. But apparently he changed their lives completely. Beat the shit out of them and made them reform. Now they look upon him as their guru. They’d do anything for him!’
‘What about all these rumours regarding the Crownies’ Thicket? That crows are being politically and ideologically brainwashed and trained for subversive activities?’
‘I interviewed the training manager there: a big military looking fellow who takes his orders from Craven Raven or Kaw directly. According to him, they are merely coaching crows how to be, and I quote, “more disciplined, civilized and chivalrous birds”. He says the course will turn those crows into birds the park can be proud of.’
‘Why only crows?’
‘According to him, the course is open to all species. Apparently six mynas did apply but dropped out. They found it too tough.’
‘Hmmm . . . maybe you should enrol, Achaanak. It’ll be a good way to get inside information. Now, anything specific on Kaw?’
Achaanak’s huge sunflower eyes bulged excitedly.
‘Wait till you hear this, sir! There’s a contract out for him, only none of the birds of the underworld are willing to touch it. Of course, this sort of information is difficult to confirm . . .’
‘A contract? To kill Kaw? Do you think our old friends Billa and Budhboo are behind this? We know they hate Kaw.’
The shikra shook his head.
‘No, sir! They wouldn’t need to put out a contract: they have enough hitbirds on their payroll. Besides, they did invite Kaw over to inspect the Ghonsla—and he’s emerged unscathed.’
Titiri paced up and down, his wattles bobbing.
‘You mean there is a third party involved? Someone from Kaw’s past?’
Achaanak grinned happily.
‘It appears so. At first I thought I would warn Kaw about this contract—but it appears that he’s been tipped off already. Lately he’s been keeping a very low profile. He flies off to the thicket early every morning and returns after dusk. There’s no more posing for photographers.’
‘I see. Have you staked out his penthouse? Kept a watch on visitors? That kind of thing?’
Achaanak looked a trifle sheepish.
‘Actually, boss, I did a little more than that!’ he admitted. ‘I put a couple of Parakeet Recorders on the job. They’ve been recording the visitors’ remarks over the last few days . . .’
‘And . . .’ Titiri could feel the adrenalin surge.
‘Listen,’ said Achaanak and switched on the recorder. Over the speaker came the voice of the parakeets, repeating word for word, and intonation for intonation, and voice for voice, all that they had heard.
A man’s voice, sounding worried.
‘He’s not here! I’ve scrutinized the tree thoroughly. He appears to have vanished. The white bastard!’
Then a girl’s voice, a little indistinct, ‘. . . but we saw him here all right! And we’ve checked with so many other people.’
The man’s voice again. ‘Yes, I know. And we’ve got information that he’s still here. He was spotted flying over the Saponmori early last morning. I suppose we’ll just have to wait.’
A babble of voices from other visitors interrupted and Achaanak switched off the recorder.
Titiri’s eyes gleamed.
‘Find them, Achaanak, and interview them! There’s something strange going on. I can feel it in my wattles. There’s a big story lurking about somewhere here and we’ve got to crack it. Before it blows up all around us!’
And by the following afternoon it seemed that the blow-up was imminent. Achaanak swept into Titiri’s office, his eyes blazing with excitement, his shrill warning cry ‘Ki-Kee! Ki-Keee!’ clearing the path ahead of him.
‘Boss, something big is afoot! We’ve received two—I repeat, two—anonymous tip-offs in the course of the afternoon. One message says we ought to go to Python Point tonight if we wish to witness an event that will have a vital bearing on the future of the park. A momentous, epoch-making event, it says!’
‘And the second message?’
‘The second says we should bribe our way into Stinky Tops tonight and have a good snoop around Shri Budhboo’s private chambers. There is evidence lying there which would reveal the true extent of corruption within the government. It even mentions the names of the Ghana Ghouls we should bribe! So what do we do, boss?’ Achaanak was so excited he could hardly keep still.
‘We go,’ said Titiri succinctly. ‘But we’ll have to split up. You cover Stinky Tops—you’re good in that sort of habitat. But take care. I’ll check out Python Point. Tomorrow’s edition of Did-He-Do-It? should have some very interesting headlines.’
And at Kaw’s penthouse a similar problem was being sorted out. Billa and Budhboo’s invitation to Kaw, on behalf of the Pakshi Virudh Samiti, had arrived. Craven Raven brought it to his boss.
‘Ah, so they wish to initiate a dialogue with us,’ said Kaw laconically, as he scanned the note. ‘A secret meeting at Python Point tonight.’ He smiled grimly. ‘A perfect place for an ambush, don’t you think?’
Craven Raven nodded solemnly. ‘Yes, sir. And especially since they want you to stand alone and unarmed in the centre of one of those sandy tracts which are so conveniently surrounded by bushes and thickets.’
‘I wonder who they really are . . .’ Kaw murmured.
‘Beg your pardon, sir,’ said Craven Raven, ‘but we’re due at Stinky Tops tonight for the coup.’
‘Ah yes, so we are. A previous engagement. How terribly inconvenient! I tell you what, Craven Raven—we’ll split forces. I’ll keep my appointment with the Samiti—can’t let them down, can we? You go off to Stinky Tops, effect the arrests and await my arrival. And do apologize to Budhboo and Billa for my absence!’
Kaw mused a while and went on. ‘Though actually I won’t be at all surprised if I bump into them at Python Point. Which will make your job easier, Craven. Yes! So that is what we will do—I think it’s imperative we keep both places covered.’
‘You will go . . . er alone, sir?’ asked Craven Raven diffidently.
