They breakfasted together, all three, at a restaurant down the road, and Janiki filled Kamal up on yesterday’s events and Caroline’s plight.
‘So the good news is that she found Asha, the bad news is that now they’re both captured.’
‘For goodness’ sake!’ Kamal spluttered. ‘Why didn’t you tell me that last night when I came? I would have gone round there right away and—’
‘Kamal, if you remember, we had other problems last night,’ said Janiki, glancing at the girl. She was, astonishingly, tucking into her breakfast with appetite. She had calmed down almost as soon as Kamal had left last night, and fallen asleep curled up in Janiki’s arms. Though she had refused to speak a word, she had this morning seemed to have recovered from the shock of last night’s events and allowed Janiki to wash and dress her. Her clothes seemed reasonably clean and in good condition. She and Kamal had to decide what to do next; but first Kamal needed to know the news about Asha.
‘Why didn’t you send round the police right away? Why—’
‘Kamal, you keep forgetting we’re in India, not America. I keep forgetting it too. When Gita came around and told me what had happened that was also my first thought, and she just laughed it off. She’d already thought of everything, called the American embassy, who aren’t being at all helpful. Kamathipura is the problem. The police don’t care, Kamal. They’re completely in the pockets of those pimps, and the fact that Caroline is white isn’t any help. They’d either stroll around there in two or three days’ time and enjoy a cup of coffee with the madam, or not bother at all.’
‘Caroline’s American. This time the American embassy has to help.’
‘I told you – Gita already tried them. And again, Kamathipura is the problem. Try explaining why they should rescue an American woman who voluntarily went into the worst area of Bombay, into a brothel, and see how eager they are to help.’
Kamal said: ‘I’m going to call Wayne. He’ll know what to do. Caroline said he has good contacts; he knows the ambassador. We need to pull some strings.’
Janiki nodded. ‘Yes, do that, call Wayne. But: do you really think Caroline and Asha are in the same room still? Surely they have been removed by now? All we can do is hope that Caroline is astute enough to free them both. I don’t think wild horses could separate her from Asha now, and unless—’
‘My God, Janiki, how can you be so sanguine about all this? Caroline can’t deal with being locked up in Kamathipura by a bunch of goons! Caroline can’t deal with India at all, much less handle a situation like this! I have to go…’
He leapt to his feet as if to rush off to help Caroline.
‘Wait, Kamal, wait… listen: you unloaded another problem on us last night and we really, really need to deal with this little girl as well. What do you want me to do with her?’
They both glanced again at the child, who continued to shovel food into her mouth as if she hadn’t eaten in a year.
‘She’s so thin!’ said Janiki. ‘So now tell me – what happened? How did you get her?’
‘It’s grim,’ said Kamal, sitting down again. ‘They offered me her as a substitute for the girl I was supposed to get, shoved her in the car. I escaped with her. That’s it, basically. All I know is that her own father sells her. I saw it with my own eyes. Her mother is dead, apparently.’
‘Gruesome.’ Janiki shuddered. ‘We should take her to Dr Ganotra, so he can take her into his programme. And she needs to go to hospital, Kamal. She needs to be examined and we need to get social services looking into it. If she’s being trafficked by her own father she can’t go back to him.’
‘I agree, absolutely. But, Janiki – can you do that alone? She’s terrified of men, and no wonder. And yesterday I kind of grabbed her and ran – must have been scary for her. Look – I’ll deal with Caroline and Asha, and you take her to Dr Ganotra, OK?’
‘You’ll be needed, though, Kamal. You’ll have to make a police statement at some point, describe what happened.’
‘I thought the police didn’t care?’
‘They don’t. But with a child as young as this – well, they can’t send her back to her dad and there must be some system set up and they’ll have to investigate. Dr Ganotra will want to know.’
‘Right. Well, when they need me, I’ll come. Right now, I need to go and look for Asha and Caroline. Are you finished? I am. Why don’t you stay here while I run off. What’s the address again?’
Janiki handed Kamal a slip of paper with the address of Asha’s tentative whereabouts on it. ‘But she won’t be there any longer. I guarantee it.’
‘I’m going to the embassy and then I’ll call Wayne. He’ll pull some strings if they aren’t helpful. Caroline told me Wayne’s uncle is a senator. That’ll do the trick.’
Kamal paid the cashier next to the door and loped out into the morning sunshine. Janiki shook her head. His eagerness and sense of urgency was understandable, but going back to that house was nothing less than futile. Janiki had plans of her own. She’d deliver the child to Dr Ganotra and then return to the computer at Tulasa House. Talk to The Vituperator – who had been unavailable yesterday afternoon – and somehow bargain with him. Maybe he was the key to rescuing Caroline and Asha. She had an idea how to do that. But first things first. The child.
‘They tried to sell her to Kamal,’ said Janiki to Dr Ganotra. ‘He managed to rescue her.’
‘Well done,’ said Dr Ganotra, squatting down to the girl’s level, holding out a hand. ‘Namaste, little one. What is your name?’
But the girl recoiled, hid behind Janiki’s back, covered her face with the hem of Janiki’s kameez.
‘She’s like that with Kamal too,’ said Janiki. ‘She’s scared of all men. Her name is Ragi.’
Dr Ganotra stood up. ‘Right. We see that a lot with children this young. Can you come with her to hospital? Stay with her while she’s being examined? She seems to trust you.’
Janiki thought of the computer, but only for a second.
‘Of course I’ll come. She does seem to like me. Come on, beti. Come with Janiki Aunty.’
She held out her hand and the little girl took it and walked with her out of the house. Dr Ganotra flagged down a taxi and they all three entered. Janiki laid an arm around Ragi and pulled her close. The girl stuck a thumb in her mouth and nuzzled into Janiki’s side. Janiki pulled her even closer, and stroked her hair.
Janiki was sitting at Ragi’s bedside – she had now been transferred to a ward – when a nurse approached and said, ‘There’s someone outside to see you, ma’am. Are you able to come?’
Janiki glanced at the girl. She was asleep. She could go. She rose from her chair and walked out of the ward. Kamal was waiting for her.
‘So?’ she asked. ‘How did it go? Did you go to the embassy? Talk to Wayne?’
Kamal looked drained, haggard. ‘I went to the police station first and it was like talking to the Great Wall of China. Then I went to the American embassy, and just as I was going in Gita came out and we had lunch together. They’re not too interested: seems they think Caroline put herself deliberately into harm’s way and it’s a high-crime area. They said the American embassy isn’t a nanny. And you know Bombay. Sluggish, indifferent. So…’ He shrugged. ‘But I managed to get hold of Wayne on the phone and spoke to him. He’s going to ask this senator uncle to intervene, and he’s getting the next plane out. He’s frantic. We’ve not only not found Asha, we’ve lost Caroline as well.’
‘I told her not to go,’ said Janiki. ‘If she’d only waited I could somehow have sent you or some other man instead and you could have officially bought Asha the next day. It was all perfectly arranged; she had to go and mess it all up. So now we have to wait for the Americans to act? But you know, they could both just disappear into a black hole now. You know that, right?’
‘I know. So what now?’
‘What now? Nothing. It’s all a waiting game. It seems that all we ever do in Bombay is wait.’