It took several minutes to locate Sam among the crowds on the waterfront, but finally I found him near the arch, lurking, I must say, rather furtively and looking for all the world like a travelling salesman who had mislaid his stock.
‘Am I glad to see you,’ he said, with a degree of sincerity that left me frankly unnerved.
‘I am only a few minutes late,’ I said. ‘The distance was further from the guest house than I had anticipated.’
‘You’ve come straight from there?’
‘Yes,’ I said, not quite sure as to the purpose of the question.
‘And you were there the whole time since the taxi dropped you off?’
‘That’s right,’ I said. ‘Why?’
He let out a breath, then reached into his pockets for his cigarettes. He passed me one, popped another in his own mouth, then lit us both.
‘Let’s just say I had a visit from some rather large plain-clothes types. Probably some of Dawson’s erstwhile colleagues, or possibly Bombay CID.’
I could not help but stare. ‘They didn’t —’
‘No,’ he said. ‘I gave them the slip.’ He took a pull on his cigarette and exhaled a stream of blue smoke. ‘I got out just before they reached my room. Had to jump across a couple of rooftops. Damn near broke my neck.’
‘How did they know where to find you?’
‘I’ve been wondering that myself,’ he said. ‘At first I thought Dawson might have been setting us up, getting us out of Calcutta before having us arrested, or possibly killed. But the fact that no one came looking for you suggests it probably wasn’t his doing, otherwise they’d have picked us up simultaneously.’
‘Then how?’ I asked.
‘The number Dawson gave me, the one he asked me to memorise, well, I think the line isn’t as secure as Dawson thinks it is.’
‘They’ve tapped his phone?’
‘It’s the only explanation. I telephone him from the hotel, then an hour later, two carloads of men turn up looking for me.’
‘So now what?’ I asked.
‘Well, I’ll need a new place to stay for a start. More importantly, if they know we’re in Bombay, they might also know why we’re here. If so, they’ll be keeping an eye on Gulmohamed. I’m beginning to think that accosting him as he gets off the train tonight might be a tad suicidal.’
My stomach turned as my hopes fell. He was correct of course. There was no way we would be able to get to Gulmohamed tonight. And if the authorities knew we were in Bombay, it would be only a matter of time until they found us.
‘That’s it, then,’ I said. ‘My goose is well and truly cooked.’
Sam shook his head. ‘It means nothing of the sort.’ He clapped me on the back. ‘Your goose is fine, and remember, there’s more than one way to skin a cat.’