‘And however fanatically devoted. Yes, I see that. It takes specialist knowledge to make bombs.’
‘Yes. Could Ajit Ghose have done all this quite alone? So by letting it be known that the case is closed, I think Inspector Raju is setting out to put someone else at his ease, too – and off his guard.’
At breakfast in the hotel dining-room, when most of the delayed travellers were already present, Inspector Raju made his announcement. First in Tamil, then in English, for the benefit of the foreign element, which even included a couple of innocent Germans, late arrivals and pathetically ignorant of all that was going on. In halting German Larry translated for the hapless engineers from some northern hydro-electric undertaking:
‘Everyone present is now at liberty to proceed, subject to leaving with the police particulars of exactly where he can be contacted in the new few days, if it should be necessary. The case is now satisfactorily concluded, but we may need to get in touch with certain witnesses in connection with the detailed documentation of the events of yesterday. Will everyone who is ready to leave please report first to the police office on the premises. Thank you!’
Madame Bessancourt, without a word, rolled up her knitting and put it away in the capacious black bag that never left her side. Monsieur Bessancourt, with the same deliberation, picked up his Panama hat in one band and their overnight portmanteau in the other, and they were ready. The first to be ready, as they had been the most patient and imperturbable during the delay. Police matters were to be accepted and respected in every country, but no need to waste time once the release was given. They passed by the table where Larry’s party sat at breakfast, and performed their ritual bow as gravely as always.
‘Are you heading back towards Madurai?’ Larry asked, by way of making conversation in passing.
‘No, we are going on to Kottayam, and then down the coast to Quilon and Trivandrum.’ Monsieur Bessancourt glanced down at the folded map in his breast pocket as if for confirmation. ‘And on to the Cape afterwards. And you?’
‘The other way. We go back on our tracks nearly to Madurai, then south towards Tirunelveli. Later we shall be going on to the Cape, too.’
‘Then perhaps we may meet there,’ said Madame graciously. Inevitably, Dominic thought. Nobody is going to be touring this near to Cape Comorin, and not go the rest of the way, and by any route the distance is much the same. The odds are we shall all meet there.
‘We must go and tell our plans to the inspector. It is tragic that this beautiful place had to be spoiled by such an act. And for your so terrible experience I am sorry. I hope you can forget what you could not help.
They all murmured their thanks and appreciation, and wished the departing travellers: ‘
The Manis had come in too late to hear the announcement; only Sushil Dastur, fussing anxiously about their table and exerting himself to make sure the tea and eggs should be just as they preferred them, listened with patent relief and gratitude, glad to have good news to relay to his employers as soon as they appeared. Theirs, after all, had been the worst situation; had they not spent the entire morning in the boat in which the bomb had been planted? Naturally they had all protested their horrified innocence, and exonerated one another, but all the same they must have spent an acutely uneasy night.
‘Even we,’ Larry remarked, ‘should have been feeling pretty queasy, if all five of us hadn’t spent the entire day together – barring the odd private moment, of course. An example of safety in numbers.’
Sudha Mani fluttered into the dining-room at last looking the worse for a restless night, her pretty face rather puffy and pale, her husband treading heavily after her, as though unusually deflated and tired. If he had not had good news to relay, Sushil Dastur would probably have been suffering for their discomforts. As it was, the watchers could see from across the room the sudden glow of relaxation and ease as Mr and Mrs Mani heard that they were free to leave; and in a very few moments the old assurance and self-esteem began visibly to re-inflate their sagging curves. Sudha reached for the tea-pot, and with recovered appetite they attacked the eggs that were set before them. To judge from their distant exchanges, seen but not overheard, they even had heart to reproach Sushil Dastur for the cook’s shortcomings before they dispatched him, fairly obviously, to see their luggage portered back to the hired car, their bill paid, and the Tamil driver aroused from his semi-permanent repose in the back seat. They meant to lose no time in getting away from this place which had promised so radiantly and performed so viciously. No doubt they regretted ever hearing the name of the distinguished Mahendralal Bakhle, let alone bringing a letter of introduction to him.
‘I suppose we’d better pack up and get out of here, too,’ Larry said.
‘I’ll go and settle the bills,’ said Lakshman, rising.
The girls, in slightly embarrassed haste, began a duet of insistence on paying their share, but Larry quashed that at once, or at least postponed all consideration of it. ‘Later – don’t bother now. Lakshman will pay everything, and we can think about it later. After all, there’s no hurry, you’re coming down with us as far as the railway. Go ahead, Lakshman, and we’ll go and check out with the inspector.’
They had to pass close by the Manis’ table on their way across the dining-room, and Sudha, just recovering her volubility in full, halted them with an appealing hand.
‘Can you imagine what people are saying! – Think how terrible for us! It was that boatman! – Yes, right in the boat with us all that time, and looking like any other boat-boy, so quiet and willing. And we could have been blamed – such a dreadful position we were in.’
‘I’m sure the inspector didn’t suspect you,’ Dominic said soothingly. ‘Naturally he had to question all of us.’
‘Yes, but even now we must tell him where we are going, where we can be found… Why should that be, if it was that boat-boy?’
‘That is mere routine,’ said Gopal Krishna comfortably. ‘Even if there is no arrest and no trial, because the man is dead, still they must file the records of the case. And suppose they should want to confirm some detail of the time with us? Or with Mr Preisinger here? It is the same for all.’
‘That’s it exactly,’ Larry confirmed soothingly.
‘You are going on towards the coast?’ asked Mani.
‘No, back towards Madurai.’
