he was thinking. ‘Untouchable . . .’
Hex snorted. ‘Thanks.’
‘No,’ said Paulo. ‘Untouchable . . .’ He pointed to the people flowing through the market stalls. An untouchable squatted down at the corner, watching for tourists. ‘Look at him. Nobody sees him. Nobody even looks at him. I bet if one of us dresses up as an untouchable, nobody will even notice us. We can be invisible.’
‘Brilliant, Sherlock,’ said Hex. ‘Where are you going to get your outfit?’
Paulo looked at Li. ‘Shall we do some more shopping?’
‘We’ll get a map too,’ said Li. ‘We must be very familiar with the streets. The moment Trilok’s mobile becomes active, we need to know where to find him.’
18
T ESTS
Amber was in a corridor. It was empty, but there were voices at the other end. She passed a bathroom, then a room with easy chairs and a television. She went in and switched it on: the noise would help cover any sounds she made as she moved around. There were bars on the windows, just as Mootama had described. It was definitely the safe house.
Was Bina here?
Amber came to a closed door. She listened. All quiet. Did she dare go in? Taking a deep breath, she turned the handle and pushed the door.
It was a dormitory: six beds were arranged along the wall. A man lay on one of them, reading. He looked up at Amber.
Amber had to bluff it out, pretend she was meant to be there. After all, there would hardly be intruders with that security lock on the door. ‘Sorry. Wrong room.’
‘Women’s room is next door,’ he said.
‘Thank you.’ Amber retreated quickly.
The next room was another bathroom and then there was one more room at the end. No medical facilities, then; it was just residential. All the testing must be done out in the clinic. As Amber approached the room at the end she heard laughter. Female laughter.
She opened the door. Four faces looked round at her. Amber scanned them briefly, but none of them was Bina.
They were all older – mid-twenties to mid-thirties – and skinny like the people from Nayla. Villagers who were selling their kidneys.
‘Come in, dear,’ said a woman in an orange sari with curly pink patterns. ‘No need to hide. Come and join us.’
‘Oh, how lovely,’ said a woman in an emerald-green sari. ‘A young one!’ She looked at her companions. ‘Isn’t she a lovely girl?’ She patted the bed next to where she was sitting.
Amber felt herself blush. She wasn’t used to effusive behaviour. Her parents hadn’t been like that and it just made her uncomfortable. But she went and sat down, and called up the photo of Bina on her mobile.
‘I’m looking for my friend. Have you seen her?’ She passed the phone to the woman next to her, who wore a splendid sari with red and navy patterns.
‘Her friend’s in here too!’ exclaimed the emerald woman.
Amber’s heart leaped. ‘Have you seen her?’
The woman in the red sari was shaking her head. ‘No, dear, I haven’t. But I was having my tests this morning, so I may have missed her.’ She handed the phone to the next woman, in the orange sari.
‘Lovely girl. No, I haven’t seen her, and I’ve been here since yesterday.’
She passed the phone to the next woman, the one in emerald green, who looked at the picture and handed it back to Amber. ‘She’s very pretty, your friend. Who could forget if they’d seen her!’ The woman looked intently into her eyes. ‘Don’t worry. We will be your friends while you’re here!’
Amber realized they thought she was asking about Bina because she was apprehensive and wanted moral support.
‘Oh yes,’ said the woman in red. ‘We’ll look after you until your friend arrives!’ The emerald woman’s enthusiasm seemed to be catching.
‘It’s lovely in here,’ said the woman in orange, looking at Amber earnestly. It seemed her arrival had unleashed an outburst of mothering instinct. ‘I am being taken good care of. They will only operate if I can afford to
Hex snorted. ‘Thanks.’
‘No,’ said Paulo. ‘Untouchable . . .’ He pointed to the people flowing through the market stalls. An untouchable squatted down at the corner, watching for tourists. ‘Look at him. Nobody sees him. Nobody even looks at him. I bet if one of us dresses up as an untouchable, nobody will even notice us. We can be invisible.’
‘Brilliant, Sherlock,’ said Hex. ‘Where are you going to get your outfit?’
Paulo looked at Li. ‘Shall we do some more shopping?’
‘We’ll get a map too,’ said Li. ‘We must be very familiar with the streets. The moment Trilok’s mobile becomes active, we need to know where to find him.’
18
T ESTS
Amber was in a corridor. It was empty, but there were voices at the other end. She passed a bathroom, then a room with easy chairs and a television. She went in and switched it on: the noise would help cover any sounds she made as she moved around. There were bars on the windows, just as Mootama had described. It was definitely the safe house.
Was Bina here?
Amber came to a closed door. She listened. All quiet. Did she dare go in? Taking a deep breath, she turned the handle and pushed the door.
It was a dormitory: six beds were arranged along the wall. A man lay on one of them, reading. He looked up at Amber.
Amber had to bluff it out, pretend she was meant to be there. After all, there would hardly be intruders with that security lock on the door. ‘Sorry. Wrong room.’
‘Women’s room is next door,’ he said.
‘Thank you.’ Amber retreated quickly.
The next room was another bathroom and then there was one more room at the end. No medical facilities, then; it was just residential. All the testing must be done out in the clinic. As Amber approached the room at the end she heard laughter. Female laughter.
She opened the door. Four faces looked round at her. Amber scanned them briefly, but none of them was Bina.
They were all older – mid-twenties to mid-thirties – and skinny like the people from Nayla. Villagers who were selling their kidneys.
‘Come in, dear,’ said a woman in an orange sari with curly pink patterns. ‘No need to hide. Come and join us.’
‘Oh, how lovely,’ said a woman in an emerald-green sari. ‘A young one!’ She looked at her companions. ‘Isn’t she a lovely girl?’ She patted the bed next to where she was sitting.
Amber felt herself blush. She wasn’t used to effusive behaviour. Her parents hadn’t been like that and it just made her uncomfortable. But she went and sat down, and called up the photo of Bina on her mobile.
‘I’m looking for my friend. Have you seen her?’ She passed the phone to the woman next to her, who wore a splendid sari with red and navy patterns.
‘Her friend’s in here too!’ exclaimed the emerald woman.
Amber’s heart leaped. ‘Have you seen her?’
The woman in the red sari was shaking her head. ‘No, dear, I haven’t. But I was having my tests this morning, so I may have missed her.’ She handed the phone to the next woman, in the orange sari.
‘Lovely girl. No, I haven’t seen her, and I’ve been here since yesterday.’
She passed the phone to the next woman, the one in emerald green, who looked at the picture and handed it back to Amber. ‘She’s very pretty, your friend. Who could forget if they’d seen her!’ The woman looked intently into her eyes. ‘Don’t worry. We will be your friends while you’re here!’
Amber realized they thought she was asking about Bina because she was apprehensive and wanted moral support.
‘Oh yes,’ said the woman in red. ‘We’ll look after you until your friend arrives!’ The emerald woman’s enthusiasm seemed to be catching.
‘It’s lovely in here,’ said the woman in orange, looking at Amber earnestly. It seemed her arrival had unleashed an outburst of mothering instinct. ‘I am being taken good care of. They will only operate if I can afford to
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