Long Odds in Nuala by Harriet Steel

Author:Harriet Steel [Steel, Harriet]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-06-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

‘We finished talking to the last of the bookies this morning, sir,’ said Prasanna. ‘None of them could recall any unusually large bets being made on Bright Star.’

Nadar, who stood beside him in de Silva’s office with the afternoon sun filtering through the window, nodded. ‘Or any of the other horses in the Hill Country Cup, sir.’

‘I’m sure you’ve done your best.’ De Silva sat back in his chair and considered his next move. ‘I think it’s time to widen the net. I’ll have a word with Inspector Singh over at Hatton.’

‘Shall I get him on the telephone?’ asked Nadar.

‘Just make sure he’s available to see me then I’ll go down in person.’ The drive to Hatton was always a pleasant one and it would blow the cobwebs away. Perhaps it would also help to dispel the frustration he felt at the lack of progress in the case. It wasn’t Prasanna’s or Nadar’s fault, but their report hadn’t lifted his spirits.

After Nadar had ascertained that Singh would be able to see him, he left his junior officers in charge of the station and set off. The Hatton road snaked through countryside dominated by tea plantations. On all sides, rolling hills cloaked with the vibrant green of tea bushes stretched into the blue distance. The tops of some of the hills were veiled in a light mist. Here and there, the silvery gleam of a waterfall caught the eye.

Hatton came into view and the road descended a little, still twisting and turning, affording views of the shining waters of the lake that lay on the other side of the town. It was considerably larger than the lake in Nuala and wilder with numerous trees around it. The town was also larger than Nuala, with many more substantial bungalows and houses than one saw at home, as well as several more temples.

On the final stretch of road leading into town, he came up behind a convoy of bullock carts taking huge bundles of tea to the market. Thanks to the carts and the increasing amount of other traffic, he was forced to slow down, and it took him another ten minutes to reach the police station.

It was larger than Nuala’s, housed in a single-storey building with whitewashed walls punctuated by black columns. De Silva was aware that it was also a lot busier. Singh had around a dozen men at his disposal whereas he had only Prasanna and Nadar. He hoped Singh would be able to spare some of them at short notice.

When de Silva was shown into his office, Singh got to his feet. He was a tall, sinewy man, dressed in crisply ironed khaki shorts and tunic, topped by a white turban. His sharply contoured, bearded face habitually looked severe but today it was softened by a smile.

‘Good morning, my friend. It’s always a pleasure to see you. I hope nothing serious has brought about this urgent visit.’

‘A pleasure to see you too, but regrettably that’s not my only reason for coming.

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