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.I shook off his grip."Got to get to Riyadh." My voice was a thick-tongued mumble."Next plane.""Not yet." Chandra had taken my arm again, and this time his grip was firmer, holding hard enough to hurt."You want to pursue Ameera's tormentors? Very good; I commend the intention.But before you think of doing that, you must know of some other matters.You realize that they are murderers?""They killed Rustum Belur, and I think they killed a woman called Valnora Warren.""It comes closer to home than that.When Ameera told the servants here to leave, one of them refused to go.Xantippe asked to speak with him privately, downstairs." Chandra lowered his voice to a whisper, glancing at Ameera."When the police arrived they searched the whole house as part of their routine work.Mr.Chatterji was found in the pantry.Dead.He had been stabbed, many times."He followed my look."She does not know.There will be a time for such news.Not yet.It was enough effort, after the treatment of her injuries and after the police were finished here, to ease her into sleep.We talked about many things.We have surprisingly much in common, and Ameera has an excellent mind.But she could not rest, for all our talk, until we came to music.It worked where words could not.""That was you? Playing the ragas?"Chandra smiled, and there was a flash of the old, superconfident prodigy."For my sins.The instrument was not in great condition, and the technique is rusty—but she did not complain.I know the music of Bihar, the folk tunes and the festival dances of her native area.I think that I played well.Perhaps there is still more to life than jute.""But your fingers—I saw them last week.They were not in shape to play.""Indeed?" This time the smile was different, a sad glint of oriental resignation."Now you mention it, I think I noticed."He held up his left hand.The soft fingertips were bloodied and torn from the pressure of the vina's seven thin strings."It was in a good cause.My suffering was nothing compared to hers.And now she is asleep, peacefully, without drugs."He looked at his watch, and I realized that it was late afternoon.He had spent the whole day here."Chandra, what about your work? I've already taken more of your time than a friend should ask.""Assume that I do this for Ameera—not for a feringhee with no sense.Do you still talk of running off to Riyadh, now that you know what may face you there? Your enemies have more knowledge and more resources, and they are ruthless.How will you know what to do there?""How did I know what to do in Calcutta?" Despite the logic of his argument, my resolve was strengthening."Chandra, there are other factors involved here.Earlier today, you were playing the Bhairava raga for Ameera.Correct?""True enough.What of it?""I recognized that piece.""So? It is famous enough."I shook my head."To you.But I don't know Hindu music at all.Yet I recognized it.Don't you see what that means? I'm getting some of Leo's memories.I was told this would happen, and it has started."He pouted and shrugged his chubby shoulders."That is excellent.But if you stay here longer, you will receive more memories.Why not wait until you know exactly where to go, and what you are doing? There will be risks in Riyadh, but here you will be safe.""That's not the whole story." I was stammering, and cursed myself for my lack of control."I'm getting Leo's memories, and they will help—that's the good news.But I'm also getting flashes of sensory distortion.When I was first waking up here everything seemed out of proportion and the time scale went crazy.If I'm going to follow Scouse and Xantippe to Riyadh, I'll have to do it soon.The doctors warned me to watch for those symptoms.A few days from now I'll be in no condition to chase Zan, Scouse, the Belur Package or anything else."I paused.My manner was much too emotional to persuade Chandra.Perhaps it was the sight of Ameera, a tiny child-figure with her bandaged feet and rope-cut wrists, that upset me so."I must go now," I said at last."Time is short.If I can find a charter jet at Dum-Dum Airport and leave tonight, there's a chance that I can be in Riyadh before Zan or Scouse."Chandra was behaving oddly, too.At my last sentence his face had twisted into a scowl, and now he was shaking his head violently."Before you think of going within a thousand miles of that —that woman, you must know one other thing.She expects you to follow.Can you not see the danger? She plans to trap you in Riyadh.Look at this, and then tell me if you wish to be in that city when she is there."He had gone over to the window sill and picked up a sheet of paper."Here." He held it forward."A message, Lionel—for you alone [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]