MYSORE WILD GOOSE CHASE

(a travel mystery)

by

VIKRAM KARVE

The Mysore race-course is undoubtedly the most picturesque race-course in India . The lush green grass track, the verdant expanse right up to the foot of the rugged Chamundi hills which serve as a magnificent backdrop with the mighty temple atop, standing like a sentinel. The luxuriant ambience is so delightful and soothing to the eye that it instantly lifts ones spirit. And on this bright morning on the first Saturday of October, the atmosphere was so refreshing that I felt as if I were on top of the world!

I love this place, its so beautiful, I said.

And lucky too, Girish added. I have already made fifty grand. And Im sure Bingo will win the Derby tomorrow.

Girish appraisingly looked at the horses being paraded in the paddock, suddenly excused himself and briskly walked towards the Bookies betting ring.

I still cant describe the shock I experienced when I suddenly saw Dilip, bold as brass, standing bang-on in front of me, appearing as if from nowhere. Excuse me, maam, he said. I think you have dropped this. In his hand was tote jackpot ticket.

He was looking at me in a funny sort of way, neither avoiding my eyes nor seeking them. I understood at once. I took the tote ticket he proffered, put it in my purse and thanked him. He smiled, turned and briskly walked away towards the first enclosure.

I felt a tremor of trepidation, but as I looked around I realized that no one had noticed in the hustle-bustle of the race-course. As I waited for my husband to emerge from the bookies betting ring, in my minds eye I marveled at the finesse with which Dilip had cleverly stage-managed the encounter to make it look completely accidental.

It was only after lunch, in the solitude of my hotel room that I took out the jackpot ticket and examined it. I smiled to myself. The simplest substitution cipher. A last minute resort for immediate emergency communication. That meant Dilip wasnt shadowing me; he hadnt even expected me at the Mysore race-course. But having suddenly seen me, wanted to make contact. So he quickly improvised, contrived the encounter, and left further initiative to me. The ball was now squarely in my court.

I scribbled the five numbers of the jackpot combination on a piece of paper. For racing buff it was an unlikely jackpot combination which did not win and the ticket was worthless. But for me it was contained some information since I knew how to decipher it. To the five numbers I added the two numbers of my birth-date. I now had seven numbers and from each I subtracted Dilips single digit birth-date and in front of me I had a seven digit combination. I picked up the telephone and dialed (Mysore still had seven digit telephone numbers). It was a travel agency a nice cover. I didnt identify myself but only said, Railway Enquiry?

Oh, Yes, madam, a male voice answered. I recognized it at once. It was Dilip, probably anxiously waiting for my call. You are booked on our evening sightseeing tour. Seat no. 13. The coach will be at your hotel at 3 in the afternoon. And dont carry your mobile with you. We dont want to be tracked.

I looked at my watch. It was almost 2:30. Time for a quick wash. I tore up tote ticket and scribble paper and flushed it down the toilet. It was too dangerous to keep them around once their utility was over. And should ticket fall into the wrong hands, one couldnt underestimate anybody. For human ingenuity cannot concoct a cipher which human ingenuity cannot resolve.

The tourist bus arrived precisely at 3 oclock and soon I was in seat No. 13, a window seat. I had hardly sat down when Dilip occupied the adjacent seat No. 14. He was carrying the ubiquitous tourist bag, but I knew what was inside - the tools of his tradecraft.

Thanks for coming, Vibha, he said.

I was scared youd do something stupid, indiscreet. I scolded him.

You havent told your husband about your past?

No.

Why?

I dont know.

Tell him now. Theres no place for secrets between husband and wife

I cant. I dont want to. Its too late now. I was getting a bit impatient now. Listen, Dilip. This is dangerous. What do you want? My husband.

Hes gone to Ooty. Its a four hours drive. Should be half-way by now, Dilip interjected looking at his watch.

He is coming back tomorrow.

I know. In time for the Mysore Derby. Your horse Bingo is running, isnt it?

How do you know all this?

Its common knowledge. Besides I make a living prying into other peoples lives. Dilip paused for a moment. Dont worry, Vibha. The races start only at two tomorrow afternoon. Weve got plenty of time together. He wont know. I promise you.

The bus stopped. We had arrived at the MysorePalace .

Come, Vibha. Let me take your photo, Dilip said, talking out his camera.

No, I snapped.

Okay. You take mine. Ill stand there. Make sure you get the Palace in the frame. He gave me the camera and said, Have a look. Its a special camera. Ill focus the zoom lens if you want.

I pointed the camera in the direction of the palace and looked through the viewfinder. But the palace wasnt in the frame. The camera had a ninety degree prismatic zoom lens. I could see the tourists from our bus crowding around the shoe-stand about fifty meters to my left, depositing their shoes.

The Targets - Who? I asked.

Lady in the sky-blue sari, long hair. And the man in the yellow T-shirt and jeans, still wearing his Ray Ban aviator.

I happily clicked away, a number of photos, the target couple not once realizing that it was they who were in my frame.

I dont think they are having an affair, I said, once we were inside the cool confines of the MysorePalace , admiring the wall paintings of the Dasera procession. The boy looks so young and handsome. And shes middle-aged and her looks- so pedestrian. A most improbable combination.

Thats why the affair is flourishing for so long!

I gave Dilip a quizzical look.

Three years, Dilip said. Its going on for over three years. The woman is a widow. She gets a maintenance from her in-laws property. They want to stop it.

I dont understand, I said.

The right of a widow to maintenance is conditional upon her leading a life of chastity.

What nonsense!

Thats what the lawyer told me. The one who commissioned this investigation, Dilip said. Theyll probably use this evidence to coerce her into signing-off everything. Maybe even her children.

What if she doesnt agree?

Then well intensify the surveillance. A no holds barred investigation. Two-way mirrors with installed video cameras, bugs with recording equipment, Dilip paused, and said, In fact, in this case Im so desperate for success that Im even considering computer morphing if nothing else works.

I was shocked. Isnt it morally disgusting? To do all these unethical dirty things. Extortion? Blackmail? To what length does one go?

Once you have the right information, the possibilities are endless, Dilip said softly, Its not my concern to worry about moral and ethical issues. I never ask the question why. I just state my fee. And even if I do know why, Ive made it a policy never to show that I understand what other people are up to.

What are you up to Dilip? And why me? I asked.

Dilip did not answer. He just smiled and led me towards our bus. I was glad I had not married Dilip. I had never known he could sink to such depths. I hated him for the way he was using me. Taking advantage of my fear, my helplessness. Shameless bully.

Nalini, my elder sister, had been right about Dilip. But for her timely intervention, I would have married Dilip. Even eloped with him. I shudder to think what life would have been like had I married Dilip.

Its beautiful, Dilip said, looking at the famous painting - Lady with the Lamp - at the MysoreMuseum .

Yes, I answered, jolted out of my thoughts.

Remember, Vibha. The last time we were here. Its been almost ten years.

I did not answer, but I clearly remembered. It was our college tour. And Dilip had quickly pulled me into a dark corner and kissed me on the lips. A stolen kiss. My first kiss. How could I ever forget?

Vibha. Tell me honestly. Why did you ditch me so suddenly, so mercilessly?

Nalini told me not to marry you, I said involuntarily, instantly regretting my words.

And then she forced you to marry Girish, your brother-in-law.

Girish is not my brother-in-law. He is my co-brother.

Co-brother indeed! He is the younger brother of your elder sister Nalinis husband. So he is your brother in law also isnt it? Dilip said sarcastically.

So what? I snapped angrily. Its not illegal. Two brothers marrying two sisters. And its none of your business.

Business! Dilip said. Thats it. Two sisters marry two brothers. So its all in the family. The business. The money. The tea estates and coffee plantations. The industries. The property. Everything.

So thats what you had your eyes on, didnt you? My fathers property! I knew it was a cruel thing to say and I could see that Dilip was genuinely hurt. Instinctively I realized that Dilip was still in love with me. Maybe he was jealous of my successful marriage, my happiness and probably my wealth, my status in society and thats what had made him bitter. But seeing the expression on his face I knew that Dilip would not harm me, for he was indeed truly in love with me. Im sorry, Dilip. Forget the past and lets get on with our surveillance, I said looking at the target couple.

And so we reached the magnificent Brindavan gardens, posing as tourists in the growing crowd of humanity, stalking the couple, taking their photographs as they romantically watched the water, gushing through the sluice gates of Krishnarajasagar dam, forming a rainbow admits the spraying surf.

After sunset we enjoyed the performance at the musical fountain sitting right behind the couple. Suddenly, the lights went out, everyone stood up and started moving. Trying to adjust our eyes to the enveloping darkness, we desperately tried not to lose track of target couple as they made their way, in the confusion, towards Lovers Park.

It was pitch dark. But through the lens of the night vision device I could clearly discern two silhouettes, an eerie blue-green against the infrared background. The images were blurred and tended to merge as the two figures embraced each other, but that did not matter since I knew that the infrared camera would process the signal through an image intensifier before recording, rendering crystal-clear photo quality pictures.

Lets go, Dilip whispered, and we stealthily negotiated our way out, but in hindsight, there was really no need to be clandestine about it since we were just another couple ostensibly having a good time in the dense foliage of Lovers Park as it was known.

Pondering over the days events I realized how right Dilip had been. Surveillance involves hours of shadowing and stalking training and tracking your target, sitting for hours in all sports of places like hotels, restaurants, parks, cars etc, hanging around airports, railway stations, bus stands or even on the streets, waiting and watching. A man and a woman would appear for less conspicuous than a single man or a pair of men. And if they look like a married couple its even better for the cover.

I wondered why Id agreed to do all this. Maybe because I felt a sense of guilt, a sort of an obligation that I owed Dilip. Any girl always has a feeling of dept towards a decent man who she has ditched. Or maybe because I wanted to find out what life would have been like had I married Dilip. Or maybe because I was scared that Dilip would blackmail me. Dilip was the only secret I had kept from my husband a skeleton I wanted to keep firmly locked away in the cupboard. I guess it was a combination of all the above reasons,

The tourist bus reached my hotel at precisely 9.30 p.m. Before getting down from the bus, Dilip handed over the bag containing the infrared device, special cameras and all paraphernalia to a man sitting right behind us.

Who was that man? I asked after the bus drove away with the man in it.

Never mind, Dilip said leading me into the foyer of the hotel.

No, I insisted. I want to know.

It is sometimes important for an operative conducting surveillance to put himself, his own self, under observation, Dilip said nonchalantly.

At first the sentence sounded innocuous, but gradually comprehension began to dawn on me, and as I realized the import of those words I experienced a chill of panic. All sorts of thoughts entered my brain. Photographs of Dilip and me. Oh my God! The man may even have bugged our conversation. The possibilities were endless. I looked at Dilip. Didnt he have any scruples? My impulse was to run to my room and lock myself up. But when Dilip invited me to have dinner with him in the restaurant I knew I dared not refuse. I had no choice. Dilip now had me at his mercy. He had his manacles on me. The only way to escape Dilips clutches was to tell Girish everything. But could I? Especially after today! I couldnt even bring myself to imagine the consequences.

After dinner I invited Dilip to my room for a cup of coffee. I knew it was suicidal but I had decided to give Dilip what he wanted and get rid of him, out of my life, forever.

The moment we entered the room, the phone rang. It was for Dilip- a mans voice - probably the same man sitting behind us in the bus.

Dilip took the receiver from my hands and spoke, I told you not to ring up here What?........ But how is that possible?......... Oh, my God! I am coming at once.

What happened? I asked him.

We got the wrong couple on the infrared camera in Lovers Park. Couldnt you see properly?

No, I said. Just blurred images.

Instinctively I rushed with Dilip to his office-cum-laboratory. He told me not to come, but I did not listen, a strange inner force propelling me.

I looked at the blurred images on the PC monitor. Then as Dilip kept zooming, enhancing the magnification and focus, the images started becoming clear, and as I watched something started happening inside me and I could sense my heartbeats rise.

It was Nalini and Girish. Or Girish and Nalini. Whichever way you like it. It doesnt matter. Or does it? Nalini, my elder sister - the very person instrumental in arranging my marriage to Girish. And Girish - my beloved faithful husband. Their expressions so confident, so happy, so carefree. So sure they would never be found out. So convenient. How long was this going on? Living a lie. Deep down I felt terribly betrayed. I felt as if I had been pole-axed, a sharp sensation drilling into my vitals, my stomach curdling as I threw up my dinner.

It was extraordinary how clear my mind became all of a sudden. Listen, Dilip, I said emphatically, I want a full-scale comprehensive surveillance. Two-way mirrors, bugs, video, audio - the works. A no-holds barred investigation. And dig up the past. I want everything.

No, Vibha ! Dilip said. I cant do it.

You cant do it or you wont do it? I asserted. Listen, Dilip. You have to do it. I want you to do it.

Why, Vibha. Why?

I smiled and said, Dilip, remember what you said in the afternoon about your professional credo and motto: You never ask the question why. You just state your fee. I paused. So my dear Dilip. Dont ask any questions. Just state your fee. And do a good job!

But, Vibha. What would you do with all this information? Dilip protested.

The possibilities are endless, I said, almost licking my lips in anticipation, as I could feel the venom rising within me. Yes indeed! The possibilities are endless!

Now the real chase had begun!

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright 2006 Vikram Karve

http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com

vikramkarve@sify.com