She’s thinking. She sips more of her drink. “What proof have you of any of this?”
“We have extracted sample materials from the disaster site. And we have evidence of falsified receipts.”
“Who is we, my dear?”
“Malik and I.”
“Ah, so we come to Malik again. Cheeky little devil.”
“Mr. Agarwal had assigned Malik to work with the facilities accountant. It was Malik who first noticed the discrepancies.”
“He would. That boy has the eyes of a goat!” She cackles. “Is there anyone who will attest to their part in this—scheme?”
I let out a slow exhale. “No, Your Highness. They are too frightened of repercussions.”
Finally, she wags her command finger. I push the chair out of the way and we continue our perambulation. She sprinkles a little more G&T on the plants.
“Tell me, Lakshmi. Why are you so wedded to the idea that Mr. Agarwal bears no responsibility in this scheme? Could he not be the one who is pocketing the extra monies?”
“I don’t believe so. I know Mr. Agarwal well. He is totally and utterly devastated by the accusation. He comes from humble stock, and he’s devoted to his wife and son. He takes his position at the Palace Facilities very seriously and feels enormously blessed to have it. He would never do something to jeopardize how far he’s come. It would be tantamount to chopping off his own arm.”
This might be the last time I am allowed an audience with Her Highness. I come around and kneel in front of her.
“He has a son—Nikhil—who is just turning twelve. A lovely boy. Such a disgrace upon the father would ruin that boy’s life forever. You know it as well as I do. On the other hand, if Ravi Singh is found to be guilty of this scheme—and I’m sure he’s culpable—he can survive the scandal unscathed. His life will continue as before elsewhere—England, Australia or the States. Samir and Parvati can and will ensure that for him and his family.”
I look into her eyes—alarmed, bewildered—a little while longer. Have I completely destroyed any credibility I’d built up over the years with her?
Then I rise and begin pushing the wheelchair again.
“Lakshmi, what’s your solution to all this? How do we prove the guilt or innocence of the parties involved?”
Malik and I had talked about what our next step should be. “We go to the scene of the accident. The Royal Jewel Cinema,” I say. “We see what materials were used where. Much of the debris has already been removed, but we can test other areas that weren’t destroyed in the collapse. Ask questions of all the parties present.”
She sighs. She looks worn out. I experience a pang of guilt to be the cause of it.
“Leave me be, Lakshmi. I will think on this.” She takes the last sip of her gin and tonic. “I can think better alone in the heat.”
She raises her glass at me in farewell.
I take my glass and set it on the icebox cabinet. Then I pick up my carrier.
What a relief to step out of the orchid nursery! My blouse is soaked through. Under my sari, perspiration is running down my legs. I swallow large gulps of air. Fight the urge to run. It’s as if I’ve narrowly escaped being buried alive.
* * *
Back at the Agarwals’, I’m sitting down with Kanta at teatime when Jay calls.
“Now, I don’t want you or Malik to worry, but I’ve moved Nimmi and the children.”
I hear the effort Jay is making to break the news to me calmly over the phone. I take a deep breath. “What’s happened?”
Across the drawing room table, Kanta looks up at me sharply.
“It’s too easy for people to find our house, Lakshmi, and especially with you gone, she and the children are vulnerable when I’m not here. Last night I was called back to the hospital...”
He’s distracted. I can picture him looking around the room, his cautious gaze alighting on the windows, the door, back to the windows, ears sensitive to foreign noises. Did he remember to lock up?
“Are you all right, Jay?”
“I’m fine. I keep hearing noises. The old shepherd—the one she hired to look after the flock—came to the door. She’d never told him where we live. If he can find her so easily...”
“Of course. Where did you take them?”
“My aunt, the one who raised me, used to spend a month every year at a nearby convent. She wasn’t religious, she just found comfort in their silent ways. She’d help them with gardening and cooking, mending. Always came back refreshed. I talked to their mother superior and she agreed to house Nimmi and the children for a week until the heat dies down.”
He pauses.
“And the police?”
“So far, nothing. But I imagine Canara will shut down their operation for a while.”
I think of the brickmaker in her sari, slapping the mud mixture into the wooden forms. How will she earn her living now?
“Can you give Malik the phone number of the convent, Lakshmi? I think Nimmi would like to hear from him.”
27
MALIK
Jaipur
I had a feeling that if anyone could convince the palace to take a second look at what happened at the Royal Jewel Cinema, it would be Auntie-Boss. She has that ability. She speaks to people in a way that encourages them to listen.
What I didn’t know was that, after her visit, the dowager queen would come to our rescue.
We are standing at the site now: Samir, Ravi, Mr. Reddy, Manu, two Singh-Sharma foremen, a few palace engineers, Auntie-Boss and me.
To my surprise, Sheela is here as well, standing a few feet from Ravi. She’s not in a dress but a proper sari—a red-violet silk—perhaps out of respect for the occasion. With her dark sunglasses, Sheela’s affect is cool and somewhat haughty in an old familiar way. Her chin is lifted as if in defiance of something. She says nothing, speaks to no one.
I have no idea what she said to Ravi about us or if Ravi made up the insinuations. I’d like to think the few moments Sheela and I shared that felt real, intimate, were just that, but I don’t know anymore. Was she only playing up to me to give Ravi ammunition?
In anticipation of the Maharani Latika’s arrival, a narrow strip of red carpet has been laid from the hardscape of the courtyard to the foyer and straight into the theater. The reconstruction seems to be in hiatus. The women and men who carry debris or mix cement are nowhere in sight. The area has been swept clean. The remnants of the accident—bricks, pebbles, dust, cement chunks—all gone. It’s hard to imagine that only four days ago this was the site of the worst disaster Jaipur had seen in years.