THE STERADIAN TRAIL: BOOK #0 OF THE INFINITY CYCLE by M.N. KRISH

Author:M.N. KRISH [KRISH, M.N.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2013-12-16T18:30:00+00:00

28

‘What do you mean your laptop’s disappeared?’ Lakshman asked.

‘It’s lost. Missing from the suite. Not to be found,’ Joshua said tetchily. ‘Anything rings a bell?’

‘You mean it’s been stolen?’ Lakshman said.

‘Yeah, stolen, right. Sorry missed that one.’

‘This is serious, Josh.’

‘You’re telling me?’

‘When did it happen?’

‘I don’t know. Must’ve been sometime today, probably when we were in Kanchipuram. I worked on it last night before going to sleep.’

‘When did you find out it was missing?’

‘Just now, obviously. I was planning to give you the paper in the morning but forgot, so I thought I’d email it to you and went to get the laptop. But the bag was empty. I’ve searched everywhere in the suite. It’s definitely gone. I’m not sure what to do.’

‘Did you complain to the hotel manager?’

‘No, not yet. I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea.’

‘Mind giving me a few minutes? Let me think a little and call you back.’

‘No. I’ll call you back,’ Joshua said. ‘In fifteen minutes. I’m afraid the phone in the suite may be bugged. If someone could get into the room, it wouldn’t take much effort to tap my phone. I’m actually calling from a payphone downstairs.’

Lakshman laughed. ‘Relax, Josh,’ he said. ‘This is still a low-tech country. If someone wants to tap your phone, they don’t have to plant any listening device in your room. All they need to do is go monkeying up the telephone pole or break open the junction box in the street-corner and hook on. They can listen to you even if you’re calling from a payphone in the hotel.’

‘My God!’ Joshua gasped.

‘Just go back to your suite, open up the mini-bar, take a shot and relax. I don’t think anyone’s tapping your phone. I’ll call you back as soon as I think of something.’

Whether Joshua needed a shot or not, Lakshman did. Of coffee. He wheeled out his Vespa and headed home – one of those little luxuries living on campus afforded him.

The caffeine sent the blood coursing to Lakshman’s brain and he called Joshua right away.

‘Is the laptop the only thing missing or is some money gone as well?’ Lakshman asked.

‘Only the laptop’s missing, and oh, all the CDs. The money is all there, but I’d kept that in the locker with my passport and stuff. I left my camera on the table and it’s still there; it’s actually more expensive than the laptop.’

‘So whoever it was, he came only for the laptop and the CDs?’

‘That’s what it looks like. But why?’

‘The Sulba Sutra paper is there on the laptop, isn’t it?’

‘Yeah . . .’ Joshua said.

Silence.

‘What do we do now?’ Joshua asked.

‘You can go and complain to the hotel management, but nothing much is going to happen. They’ll apologize, institute an internal inquiry, or say they will and that’ll be the end of it.’

‘Won’t they call the cops?’

‘No! They’re not going to call the cops, nor are they going to let you.’

‘Why?’

‘They’ve got their so-called reputation to think about. They wouldn’t want the cops messing around.

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