Dark Ruby--Black River by Robert Mitchell

Author:Robert Mitchell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: buried treasure India, treasure search diamonds rubies India, tomb-raiding India, looting ancient monuments India, British military 19th Century India
Publisher: ROBERT MITCHELL
Published: 2019-02-17T00:00:00+00:00

Thirteen

“Good morning, sir,” the voice said, the speaker stepping back a pace as I turned. “I’m sorry if I frightened you.”

It was a security guard. I had no idea where he had come from. He seemed to have materialised from nowhere and was suddenly right behind me, not more than two metres away.

“I’m a guest here,” I replied, and even I could hear the tremor in my voice. “You gave me quite a scare.”

“I’m very sorry sir. I did not mean to frighten you.”

“Not a problem,” I said, my voice still shaking. “It’s fine. It’s okay.” And I knew that the way I sounded was making it a problem.

“Excuse me, sir,” he asked as I turned and went to keep on walking. “Can I see your room key, please?”

Didn’t he believe that I had a room, or was he just making sure? I quickly shoved my hand into my pocket and showed him the key card.

“Very good, sir. Please accept my apologies.”

“Not a problem,” I said again.

“It is quite late, sir,” he said. Why the hell was he checking up on me? Did he somehow know that Ali and Mumtaz had been in our room the previous night? Did he think we were up to something not quite legal? He would be right if he did.

“Yes, yes,” I replied, my voice shaking even more. I showed him the camera tripod. “I want to get some pictures of the town and the streets and the animals and all the rest of it before the sun comes up. I want to get photos of the town waking up. The camera is in my bag.”

It sounded stupid even to me. There wasn’t even a bulge big enough for a camera.

“Well, sir, I hope you get some very nice pictures, yes sir, some very nice pictures. Good night sir.”

“Yeah, right, see you later.”

He smiled, raised his clasped hands to his chest, bowed slightly, and then turned and walked back through the gateway towards the hotel lobby. I waited a few seconds before walking quickly down the quiet street. There was no traffic. Varanasi was asleep.

Mumtaz was waiting for me about fifty metres down the street, standing beneath the shadowed darkness of a large tree. I didn’t see him until I was almost on him. It was the third jolt to my nervous system that morning. Lizzie had given me the first one when she had shaken me awake, the security guard the second. I didn’t think I would be able to take a fourth.

“You are late, Mr Robertson,” Mumtaz said quietly. I looked at my watch. It was ten past two.

“Do you want to find these rubies?” I asked, annoyed. Who the hell did he think he was? If it hadn’t been for Lizzie and me and our great-grandfather’s notebooks, he and his brother wouldn’t have been getting a damn thing.

“Of course,” he replied. “And the diamonds as well, of course.”

“There aren’t any bloody diamonds,” I replied sharply. “And if you want to help me find the rubies then just shut the hell up.

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