Fear of the Fathers (49 page)

Oggi took a few sips of water and immediately regretted it. He lurched to the side of the boat and began retching heavily into the previously unsullied water.

“That's not very nice for the poor little fishes,” said Stratton.

“Better out than in,” said Oggi. “A couple more of those and I'll be right as rain.”

“Charming,” said Stella. “It's not as if I don't feel bad enough already. All I need is you puking for the duration.”

Oggi swilled his mouth out and spat it over the side. “Well, if you don't like it princess, then you can always swim.”

“Maybe it's you who should be doing the swimming,” she said. “You could do with the exercise.”

“Now, now children,” laughed Stratton. “Play nice.”

Oggi returned to his seat and sipped some more water, this time managing to keep it down. His stomach was not the only problem though. After ten days of solid cocaine abuse his nose was clagged to the rafters, and his head resembled a blacksmith's forge. He was beginning to wish he'd kept a little powder back just to take the edge off. As it was, he knew he'd be in for a good few days of hell before he felt even remotely normal. He consoled himself with memories of long nights with Latvian lovelies.

Half an hour later the pilot killed the engine and the launch drifted up into the shallows. Stratton leapt out and encouraged Titan to do the same. The others followed in their own time. With all their gear safely on the beach they waved goodbye to the boat and waited for their guides to arrive.

They had been dropped off in a small white-sanded cove surrounded by a thick mass of tropical greenery. While the others took cover in the shades of the palms Stratton followed an eager Titan up the beach. After almost two weeks of inactivity the panther was bursting with coiled energy. At first he was slightly wobbly, his legs buckling as he tried to break into a trot. But with a little assistance from Stratton he eventually found his balance, and within ten minutes he was gambolling up and down the surf like a newborn.

“Ah,” said Stella. “Look at them playing together.”

“Yeah,” said Oggi gruffly. “It's just like
Born Free
isn't it? Brings a lump to your throat.”

“There's no need to be sarcastic Mr Grumpy. It's not our fault you're out of class As.”

Oggi mumbled something inaudible and turned over on his side to try and catch a few zeds.

“This is beautiful, isn't it?” said Jennings staring out into the endless ocean.

“Yeah, it is,” agreed Stella. “It's the sort of place you'd want to be shipwrecked. Plenty of fruit in the trees, plenty of fish in the sea, it's idyllic really. It's a shame we're not going to be here that long.”

Her forecast was accurate. Only five minutes later two Indian men appeared on the far side of the beach. They made their way across and introduced themselves as Jimi and Tali, shortened versions of their proper names which they felt would be too much of a mouthful for their English charges.

“It is good to meet you,” said Jimi, the larger of the two and quite obviously in command. “You must come with us to the Jeeps.”

They walked across the cove and into the trees on the far side. Jimi and Tali led them down a well-trodden track through the dense wood. The journey was mercifully short, and before any of them had time to moan about their feet or the weight of their packs, they were travelling down a dusty trail in two weatherbeaten open-top Jeeps: Stratton, Oggi and Titan in the first with Jimi, and Jennings and Stella in the second with Tali.

The trees gradually dispersed, opening out onto miles of arid plains set against a backdrop of distant mountains. Jennings sat back and, ignoring the occasional jounce of the heavy suspension, allowed the world to drift by in all its lazy glory. The sun and copious amounts of water had formed a deadly, detoxifying alliance, and his previous cloudiness had been replaced with a serene clarity.

In the other Jeep Oggi wasn't quite so relaxed. Every bump, bounce and jolt was pushing him nearer the edge. His head was lost in space and his spin-cycle stomach felt like it was going to revolve right out of his mouth. He'd already been sick numerous times, and now all that came up when he leant over the side was bile.

Stratton was in the front of the jeep chatting away to Jimi. He found out that both Jimi and Tali were going to stay with them throughout their jungle expedition.

“We know of what you bring,” said Jimi, “and we are most happy to be of service.”

“Are you a friend of the monks'?” asked Stratton.

“Yes, most definitely,” said Jimi. “We were brought up by them. Whoa—” They hit a big pothole and lurched upwards out of their seats. Jimi grinned. “The roads, they are not like English roads – no?”

Stratton laughed. “Not exactly, but they're not that much different, believe me.”

“Fucking hell!” shouted Oggi from the back. “Are you trying to fucking kill me or what?”

“So,” said Stratton, ignoring Oggi's moans. “You were saying that the monks brought you up. How did that come about?”

“When we were very young – I was probably four or five, Tali a year younger – a great flood hit our village. It was only a tiny village with five families living in five little huts. We were used to the monsoons of course, but this particular year was like no other – the rains came down as if the devil himself had unleashed it. Whereas before we were safe from the flooding, this time it came right up the valley. It happened overnight and we were totally unprepared.” He turned to Stratton. “Do stop me if I am going on too much, please. People say I am too much of a talker.”

“Not at all,” said Stratton. “I'm interested. I like details. Please go on.”

“Anyway, where was I…The first thing I knew was the water hitting my face as I slept. It was running right through the hut at a couple of feet, and it was still rising. I jumped out of my bed and ran over to wake Tali who was still asleep. Then my father appeared at the door. He told us to clear out of the hut and get to higher ground. He told us that our mother was unwell and that he would have to carry her. We wanted to stay with him, but he urged us to go on and find safety. He said we were too small to survive much longer. And he was right, because by now the water was up to our chests.

“I lead Tali out, and almost immediately we were hit by a rush of water. It took our little legs away and we were swept up in the current. As I splashed around in the dark my hands hit something on the surface – it was a log from one of the huts. I reached out and clung to it with my free arm, the other still holding on to Tali. I don't remember much after that, just that I prayed and held on to the log and my brother so tightly I almost passed out.

“In the end that is what I must have done, because the next thing it was morning and I woke up on the bank of a strange river. Tali was next to me, huddled in my arms. We got to our feet and started shouting for help, but there was no answer. We were lost and alone and Tali started to cry. I also wanted to cry, but the knowledge that I must look after Tali made me strong. I hugged him and told him everything would be alright.

“We wandered through the jungle, hopeful of finding a familiar clearing or stream. But the longer we walked, the more hopeless it became. I realized that we were nowhere near our home and that we were lost to the world. Eventually, so tired and hungry we could drop, we slumped down against a tree and passed out again.

“The next time I woke, a man was standing over me with his hand on my head. He was dressed in a long white robe, and his long dark hair flowed down his back. He told me not to be afraid. His voice was such that I believed him. He picked up Tali, who was still unconscious, and I followed him through the jungle to his home.

“He was a monk and he lived in what he called a ‘temple' with three other monks. The ‘temple' was no more than a large hut really. There were no carvings or statues, just four plain rooms. He took Tali to one of these rooms and laid him down on a bed. He then stood over him and moved his hands slowly up and down his body, holding them just above his skin. Within half an hour Tali was up and about, his weariness gone. We were washed and fed and given beds for the night.

“The next morning one of the monks left the temple to search for our parents. He returned two weeks later with bad news. He said that the entire village had been wiped out and that we were the only two known survivors. From then on they took it upon themselves to care for us.”

“Wow,” said Stratton. “That's some story. I can't imagine how frightened you must have been.”

“We were for a while, but children are very hardy. We adapted well to the situation.”

“I thought the monks would have tried to find you a new family,” said Stratton. “Did you not have any relatives?”

“Not that we knew of. The monks said that we had been sent to them by the universe and that it was their responsibility to care for us. I feel extremely fortunate that they found us. We learnt more from them than we could possibly have done in our little village. We were taught to read and write, and we were taught other languages.”

“Yes,” said Stratton. “Your English is excellent.”

“Thank you,” said Jimi. “They also taught us mathematics and sciences. By the time we headed for the outside world we were probably the most educated young men in Kerala state.”

“How much contact with the outside world did you have when you were growing up?” asked Stratton.

“Not much,” said Jimi. “We would perhaps travel out once a year. But you have to remember that the temple was right in the middle of unforgiving jungle. It was almost a hundred miles to the nearest settlement. It was not a journey to take on lightly.”

“Is the jungle still unforgiving?”

“Yes,” said Jimi. “It is a difficult journey. It might be wise to leave the lady in an hotel.”

“I don't think she'd appreciate that,” said Stratton. “I'm certainly not going to tell her.”

“As you wish,” shrugged Jimi. “But I warn you now – this jungle is not for the faint-hearted.”

After nearly two weeks of determined exercise Kamal felt he was finally ready to leave the cottage. He was a long way from full fitness, but he was able to walk about without assistance and it was no longer a labour to eat and breathe. Marvo was unhappy with the situation and wanted him to stay on for at least one more week, but Kamal had made his mind up and nothing was going to stop him.

“She already has a two week start on me,” he said to Marvo over breakfast. “I cannot leave it any longer. Although I fear it might already be too late.”

“Well it's your life,” said Marvo. “I just hope it works out for you.”

“Did you get me the address?” asked Kamal.

Marvo grabbed a slip of paper off the worktop. “Yeah, I got it for you,” he said, handing it across.

“Thank you,” said Kamal. “Just add it to my bill.”

“Don't worry about it,” said Marvo. “The guy owed me a favour anyway. I just hope it helps you out.”

“It will. That is where she will go, I am sure of it. I can only hope that she has not made a move yet.”

Marvo sighed. “I don't know Kamal. I don't like this at all. You'll be better off getting on a plane and living happily ever after back in India. You know me – I'm the last person to give up on somebody, but all that's going to happen here is you being dragged down with her. Ask yourself – is it really worth it?”

“Three weeks ago I would have said definitely not. But I have changed since then. I have been appointed to look after this girl, and I must see the job through to the end – whatever that end may be.”

“Well, I've made my point,” said Marvo. “It's obvious you're going to carry on whatever I say. So I'll just say good luck. And remember – you're welcome back here anytime, whatever the circumstance. If you need help just say the word.”

Kamal smiled and bowed his head in respect. “Thank you my friend. I hope we will meet again under better circumstances.”

Patricia Stone twitched and snuffled her nose and brow yet again to try and get a view of where she was. The blindfold, however, was not for moving, and she resigned herself to more long hours of sensory deprivation. She was taped fast to a chair. Both her hands and legs were bound impossibly tight, and her mouth was filled with material. She had tried rocking the chair off its legs, but it was set to the floor. She had no idea how long she'd been there.

Her main concern was not for herself but for her daughter. She hadn't seen or heard anything of her since kissing her goodnight. All she knew was that the mad woman had tied, gagged, and blindfolded her in the bedroom and carried her downstairs to the basement. Since then she had been sitting in the soundless dark, unaware of anything but her own body.

Eventually she heard the basement door open and light footsteps coming down the wooden stairs. There was a rip of tape followed by a low whimper.

“Mummy!” sobbed the voice. “Where's my mummy?”