Lost Girl, page 11
Namita shook her head. ‘No one knows. Perhaps Yug’s mother can answer our questions, but she is a UK resident. Raunak’s source gave him all this information on the condition that he’d keep him anonymous. He says there was a mad rush to cover it up for some reason. The case was never investigated and the file buried. He remembers it because at that time, he felt really bad for the mother-son duo who had come from abroad and had to run from pillar to post and he believes they were pressurised to take back the case. He does not say by whom.’
‘So what about friends? These kids would have had friends, wouldn’t they? Someone they were staying with,’ Vanessa pointed at the photograph where a beautiful, scar-free Shanaya was laughing into the camera with a group of what looked like friends. ‘Who did the police talk to when they were investigating the case?’
‘As far as we could glean from the net, these photographs have been taken in UK. They do not know anyone here. There was another name that popped up when Raunak talked to his source. He remembers Vaishnavi Rawat being one of the persons who had given their statements to the police.’
‘Who is Vaishnavi Rawat?’ Aiden asked.
‘Do you know Tushar Rawat? The Tushar Rawat?’ Namita asked.
‘You mean, that young, dynamic politician who is being groomed to be the next big thing on the political scene by his parents? The heir apparent of the Rawats?’ Aiden asked.
‘Yes, the very same.’ Namita nodded. ‘Vaishnavi Rawat is his wife.’
‘So what about her? Was she a friend? Does she know anything about the case?’ Vanessa asked.
‘That is for us to find out. The source tells us that she had given a statement, but after that the case went south. Vaishnavi disappeared from the scene and hasn’t been in the public eye since. It has been widely circulated in the press that she has been ill for a really long time and has been undergoing treatment outside the country.’
‘What was her statement? It isn’t in the report anywhere,’ Vanessa was frowning at the papers in front of her, shuffling through them.
Namita nodded, ‘Exactly. It isn’t in the records, which in itself is pretty suspicious. And no one seems to remember anything about it,’ she finished, her tone acerbic.
‘And how do we trace her if she is abroad?’ Vanessa asked.
‘That’s where you come in,’ she said, turning to Vanessa. ‘How would you like to go to Delhi, Vanessa? I have a feeling this case has to be investigated under the radar. We cannot tell anyone what is going on.’
Vanessa looked down at the photograph she was still holding in her hand. Shanaya’s face, pretty, unscarred and happy, laughed back at her. ‘Yes, I’ll go. I need to find out what happened to her and she deserves to know too. I want her smiling like this again.’
‘You’ll have to be very discreet,’ Namita said. ‘You understand that, right? Raunak can’t help you in his capacity as a cop. I mean, all these records and files have been obtained under the radar and we cannot get Raunak into trouble. Also, we cannot let Shanaya or Yug know what’s going on. If Yug is guilty, we do not want to alarm him or make him take any drastic steps. So, we have to be very careful.’
‘Careful about what?’ They turned and saw Shanaya walking into the office . She looked pale and close to being sick again.
‘Oh, hi, Shanaya. Come on in. We would like to introduce you to Namita Patil. She is the new officer-in-charge here at Fagu,’ Vanessa said cheerfully.
Aiden saw Shanaya go paler, if that was possible, but she managed to smile at Namita.
‘Hi,’ she extended her hand and Namita took it.
‘I finally get to meet you. I have heard so much about you from Vanessa.’
‘Nothing bad, I hope.’ Shanaya’s smile was tentative. She looked like she would rather be anywhere else than here.
‘Oh, don’t worry. They couldn’t adore you more,’ Namita assured her. ‘You are much prettier in person, I must say.’ Aiden saw Vanessa gather all the papers and photographs and thrust it into the file, which she pushed under the pile of files already on the table.
Shanaya touched her scar, the way she always did whenever anyone told her she was pretty. ‘Even with this?’ she asked Namita wryly.
‘Even with that,’ Namita said firmly. ‘In fact, it makes you look quite badass.’ She grinned.
A smile suddenly spread across Shanaya’s face and she said, ‘Thank you. I never looked at it like that.’
‘Namita was here to tell us to be careful. They found a body on the hills yesterday,’ Vanessa said casually.
Shanaya showed no emotion whatsoever. ‘Yeah, I heard. So many people are talking about that. Well, at least I have finally stopped being the sensational news around here. People have something else to talk about.’ Aiden could see the strain on her face. Something was definitely off.
‘Well, your story is sensational.’ Namita smiled. ‘Anyway, I should be going.’ She started to leave but stopped at the door and turned around. ‘If you are up for it, I will make the arrangements for you to go tomorrow morning itself,’ she asked, looking at Vanessa.
‘I’m up for it, yes,’ Vanessa replied.
Nine
It was not dawn yet. The chilly wind rustling through the trees felt icy on Phavit’s nose and lips. It seemed to slice through his clothes and skin. He shivered, blowing into his hands to keep warm. Where was Shanaya? Phavit checked his watch for the umpteenth time. It would be daylight soon and then they wouldn’t be able to make it. They had to be at work too. She had promised him that she would meet him here by four and it was way past four thirty now.
He heard the soft crunch of boots on the forest floor and swung his torchlight towards the sound. Shanaya appeared suddenly in front of him, like a vision. The early morning chill had made her cheeks and nose red. His heart never failed to skip a beat every time he saw her. She had tied her hair into a high ponytail and the scar stood out starkly against her skin.
‘Sorry,’ she whispered. ‘I had to make sure Nijoyee didn’t see me leaving. She came in early today and I had to wait till she went into the kitchen to slip out.’
‘Why is she there so early?’ Phavit asked in surprise.
‘Vanessa is going to Delhi today. So I guess she came to help her get ready.’
‘Delhi? Why is Vanessa going to Delhi?’ Phavit looked at her sharply.
‘I think it has something to do with the case. The corpse? She is definitely on the case with the new cop.’ She said wringing her hands. She turned her face up at him. ‘You know, I did not get a chance to thank you for that jacket you got me. Aiden and Vanessa asked me to wear the jacket. They wanted to see if I still had it.’
‘Did they say anything about it?’ Phavit asked.
Shanaya shook her head and he let out a breath of relief, but she added, ‘I don’t think we have fooled Vanessa, though. I think she suspects we … I … replaced the jacket.’
‘Why do you say that? I mean … if she suspected anything, she would have said something to you about it, right?’
‘I know her, Phavit,’ she said tiredly and he wondered how long had it been since she had slept, really slept, without those dreams and nightmares she had regularly. ‘When I walked in on them talking to the cop yesterday at the café, I am sure they were talking about the case,’ she was saying.
‘You are being paranoid,’ Phavit brushed off her concerns. ‘Knowing Vanessa, she would have come straight out and asked you about it. No, I don’t think that is the case. Maybe they found some lead on the corpse. If that is the case it can only help us, right? I mean … think about it, if they find out who the girl is, perhaps we can find out who you really are.’
He saw Shanaya’s forehead crease and then she opened her mouth to say something but stopped. She merely took his hand and said, ‘Maybe. Come on, let’s get going before someone see us here.’
They walked uphill in silence and Phavit wondered what it was that she had been about to tell him. He wasn’t sure he liked this new equation between them. She was keeping too many secrets, he thought unhappily. Something in her had changed. She had become more brooding and quiet. Maybe it was the headaches, which he knew had started again. Still, she insisted on searching the hills, looking for clues. He wasn’t even sure what they were looking for.
They were doing this quite often since finding the corpse. Whenever he asked, she would tell him, she did not know what she was looking for either but that she had a feeling she would find the answers here. She wanted to know where she had come from that day. He had lived in Fagu almost his entire life, except for the years he had spent at university. There was nothing up here, just unfriendly terrain that could kill you if winter got particularly harsh. The tourists were not allowed to go too far up either. There were boards put up everywhere warning of the dangers of going too far up. And if the forest officials caught you, they would fine you. But as locals knew the forest officials were hardly ever around to keep a check and anyone feeling a little adventurous could climb higher. Most people avoided the hills further up, for fear of animals and also unless you were an expert or a local, climbing the treacherous terrain could lead to serious accidents.
The Gompa, an ancient Buddhist monastery, was the limit. Even there people came only once in a year, around Buddha Jayanti to offer prayers in the sanctum of the monastery.
They stopped at the place where the Josephs had found her. It was where they always started. A sort of retracing of her steps of that fateful night. They never really figured out much because they would invariably end up on the same paths, again and again. She would always end up confused and frustrated towards the end of the exercise. He wondered how much she really remembered from that night. After all, she must have been barely conscious by the time she reached this place.
‘Alright. So tell me what do you want to do? We have searched this place countless times by now,’ Phavit swung his flashlight around.
‘Yes, we have,’ Shanaya’s voice was thoughtful. ‘Vanessa told me I had slipped down that trail, over there.’ She swung her own flashlight towards the trail. He already knew that. They had been over that before, but still he followed her, climbing slowly, holding on to trunks of trees and branches. When they had reached the place from where Vanessa had found her trail, they stopped, like they always did. But today, instead of trying to follow the normal trail they usually took, Shanaya knelt down and parted the bushes around them with her hands. A small creature probably a rodent, jumped up startled and scuttled away.
‘What are you doing?’ he asked, perplexed, dropping down on his knees next to her.
‘We have followed the more obvious trails and have always ended up with nothing. I want to know if there is any hidden trail, something I may have used and is now buried under these bushes.’
They shone their flashlights around, pushing aside the thick undergrowth. They had been doing that for a few minutes when she gasped. ‘Phavit!’ she called, her tone excited. Turning towards her, he saw that she was holding a particularly thick thorny bush aside and shining her torchlight through it. Behind it was a path, narrower and overgrown with weeds, nearly out of sight in the dark.
Phavit balked. ‘Where did that come from?’ he asked. They had been through here innumerable times and had somehow missed that each time. He couldn’t believe it.
‘I’m not sure. Vanessa told me she and Aiden had ventured to find out if any of these paths led to a house or a hotel, but we have to remember that they could only come back once I was in the hospital and that must have been a few days later. And this place must have already been under snow by then.’
They pushed through the cobweb of creepers and bushes and sure enough, it hid a broader path. ‘Well, I’ll be damned,’ Phavit said.
They took the path slowly, exploring it till they came to a small slope. ‘I remember that.’ She said, pointing ahead with her flashlight. Phavit followed the line of her sight and saw the odd three-tree groove.
‘The Devadaru trees?’ he asked, looking up at the tall Cedar trees.
‘The what?’
‘The Devadaru tree, also called the Devadar tree. They are sacred to the people here. It is worshipped as a way of pleasing Lord Shiva. The locals here believe that these particular ones were planted by a monk who came from over the hills. From somewhere in Tibet. He is supposed to have built the Gompa, as well.’ he said.
‘The Gompa?’
‘Yes, it is a Buddhist monastery. People climb these hills once a year to pay respects to the monk on Buddha Jayanti. The monk was said to have come in search of peace and built the ashram with his own bare hands. And then for many years he stayed there learning the scriptures. People still believe his spirit lives there and praying to him keeps their kids safe and healthy.’ He smiled, to himself. ‘As a kid, I would come with my mother, not to pray but for the toys and sweets that used to be sold there. A fun fair used to be part of the celebrations.’
‘A monastery, huh?’ she muttered. ‘How far away is it?
‘The Gompa? About half hour if you are climbing up and between twenty and fifteen minutes, if you are running downhill, I guess.’ Phavit shrugged.
‘Can we go there now?’ she asked.
‘Sure, why not?’
As they started to trek up, she said, ‘Do you remember the dream I told you about? The one that led me to search these hills?’ When he nodded, she continued. ‘In that dream, I am always running downhill and next to me is a girl. At first, I used to think that it was just a part of the trauma I was reliving, in my unconscious state. And that girl,’ she stopped and swallowed. ‘That girl … I always heard her cry out in pain, like … like she was hurting or like maybe …’ she stopped.
‘Dying?’ He asked. ‘And you think that girl … that corpse we found is of that girl? You think she was with you on this hill that night?’
She nodded, ‘I am not sure, but it is a part of my nightmare.’
‘Shanaya?’
‘What if … what if … I am the bad person here, Phavit? I keep asking myself whether I left her here to die?’
‘Don’t!’ he said quietly. ‘You were hurt too, remember. Maybe whoever did this to you also hurt the girl.’ He looked at her searchingly. ‘Is that why you are not ready to tell Aiden about this?’
She pulled in a trembling breath and said slowly, ‘Maybe,’ her voice trembled. ‘Imagine if they found out; if you all found out that I am not the nice, sweet girl you all think me to be. Pops would hate me. Also …’ she faltered.
‘Also what, Shanaya?’ he prodded gently.
‘It … it would explain why no one came for me for so long. I mean, may be I was a different person then and that is why no one misses me. Maybe I am not a good person.’ She pursed her lips.
‘Oh, for heaven sake, Shanaya ! Don’t beat yourself up like that.’ he turned around and faced her. ‘You have to stop doing this. You are not a bad person, you cannot be, and no one will hate you. Least of all Aiden. He adores you.’
He could see her eyes fill with tears as he spoke. He pulled her into a comforting embrace. ‘You know … I heard Vanessa tell Pops the other day that she hoped I wouldn’t break his heart. I don’t want to disappoint him.’ Her voice sounded small and muffled.
Phavit tightened his arms around her. He so wanted to protect her from everything. She was hurting and he wished he could just make it all go away. She had already suffered so much. He kissed the top of her head. ‘You won’t,’ he said quietly. ‘And someone will come for you, I am sure. It will just be a matter of time, believe me.’
She sniffled and impatiently wiped away her tears. She gave him a watery smile. ‘I am dumping on you again, aren’t I?’
‘That’s what friends are for, no? You can tell me anything.’ He smiled back reassuringly. ‘But I think we better keep going. We have to find that monastery.’
They started the climb again and soon they came upon the gate of the monastery. Shanaya stopped short, staring at the façade. ‘This is it. This was it, I am sure,’ she whispered to herself.
‘What do you mean, this was it?’ Phavit asked, his heart beat quickening. Could this be it? Could her memories be returning?
She walked towards the monastery, as if in a daze. ‘Yes, this was certainly it.’ She seemed to have forgotten that he was with her. He followed her in, letting her take a moment, watching her keenly.
‘I remember calling for help. There was a girl with me, Phavit. I remember her crying. There was nobody to answer our calls.’ Her voice broke.
He put a hand on her shoulders, ‘This place is normally deserted through the year, except on Buddha Jayanti, which is usually in May. When you were found, it was early November. Nobody in their right mind would come here then. So that’s probably why one would have heard your cries for help.’ He tried to picture it, two girls here banging on the doors, crying for help. Another girl, she had said. Perhaps that same girl whose body they had found?
He watched her, as her eyes took in the place. He saw the toll this was taking on her. The beads of perspiration on her upper lip, the whiteness around her taut mouth, the pulse beating at the base of her neck rapidly. Finally, she looked up at him, her lips trembling. ‘Yes, it was cold. Very, very cold.’ She looked like she was on the verge of collapsing.
‘Shanaya …? I think we should head back,’ he suggested. What the hell was he thinking, bringing her here? They had to go back. Aiden would kill him if he found out.
‘No, please. Let’s go inside,’ she pleaded.
‘We cannot go inside, unless you intend on breaking and entering. This belongs to the tourism department and is kept locked throughout the year. This place is pretty much deserted,’ he protested.
‘Alright then. Let’s just explore the grounds,’ she begged.
‘I must be out of my mind,’ he muttered. Unsure, he looked toward the monastery and then back at her. Just looking around wouldn’t hurt, he told himself. ‘Maybe just a few minutes. Are you sure, though? You look like you are going to be sick.’
