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the officer. "At present, suspect is traveling south on automated public
transport. There is a possibility, as yet unconfirmable, that suspect is
following a small group of students. Transport has just left Canning Central
on way to Basanti Main."
Keshu found himself cursing again. Though still within his district, the
foreign woman was far south of his present location. That made for awkward,
but not insurmountable, logistics. While conversing with the lieutenant, he
instructed the shuttle pilot to turn and head south as soon as airspace became
available.
"How many people do you have on her and can they tell if she is armed?" he
asked sharply.
"Two undercover officers, rotating observation, Chief Inspector. No visible
weapons, but of course that is hardly conclusive. Do you want us to pick her
up?"
"No, no," Keshu responded quickly. "We have to move very carefully here,
Lieutenant. We have to have something irrefutable to take into court." He
thought furiously. "I was told that officers have been to her apartment. I
don't suppose they found anything incriminating, or I would already have been
informed."
"I have seen the reports of the search, Chief Inspector. No weapons were
found, if that is what you mean."
Keshu considered. "Anything less incriminating but still suggestive,
Lieutenant? Media recordings of recent killings? Anything that might indicate
souvenirs taken from one of the murder sites?"
"No, Chief Inspector. Nothing at all." The voice on the other end of the
communicator hesitated. "There was one item that caught my attention, though.
I thought it rather a strange thing to find in the living quarters of a
foreigner, even one who qualifies as a long-term resident."
"Don't keep it a secret, Lieutenant," Keshu chided him impatiently.
"No, Chief Inspector. It was a shrine."
Acknowledging his orders, the shuttle was slowing and descending toward a
staging area that bulged out of the right side of the expressway like a
blister on an artery. He was already pumping a command request into the
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chopper's transmitter. As the pilot set down smoothly on the empty platform,
Keshu continued questioning the distant but responsive lieutenant.
"What kind of shrine?"
"Very strange," the officer repeated. "It was as well maintained as any shrine
in a well-to-do Indian home. When I saw mention of its existence in the
report, I expected it to be a shrine to Ganesh or Krishna, those being the
gods Westerners seem to find the most comforting. But it was not. It was a
shrine to Kali."
Keshu swallowed hard. Leaning to his right, he peered out the transparent
bubble of the shuttle, scanning the pollution-stained sky. "I don't know about
you, Lieutenant, but I, for one, do find that suggestive."
"Yes, Chief Inspector," the distant officer agreed. "Also creepy."
"But not grounds for arrest, and certainly not for prosecution. We need much
more than that, Lieutenant Johar. We can't remand a person into custody on the
basis of uncharacteristic theological preferences, a perceived visual match
with a computer simulation, or even for carrying a weapon that might match the
one used in certain attacks." A black spot in the sky was growing steadily
larger as it approached the platform on which he had ordered the shuttle to
land.
"Tell your people to keep their distance, to make sure they aren't detected by
the suspect, and not to do anything. Understand? They are not to approach the
suspect in any way unless it looks like the woman is going to be alone with
the students she may be following. At that time, and only under those
circumstances, are your people allowed to move to stage two."
"Understood, Chief Inspector."
"I want to be very clear on this, Lieutenant." Keshu spoke slowly and
emphatically. "If this woman is by chance the person we are after, and we
alert her that we are on to her, she may change her modus completely. Or
worse, leave India altogether. As a noncitizen, we cannot hold her. We need to
be absolutely certain we have our killer before we pick her up, and that we
have sufficient evidence to bring cause and to convict. Otherwise, we may not
get a second chance. This case is too important to risk on second chances."
"I understand fully, Chief Inspector. It would be useful, I suppose, if she
were to attack the students she seems to be following. Without being allowed
to harm them, of course."
"Yes, catching a suspect in the act is always the ideal situation. We can but
hope." Growing larger, the black spot resolved itself into a police stealth
chopper. Switching gears, he added, "Downline your present location,
Lieutenant. I'll be airborne again in a minute or two and on my way in your
direction. And for the love of Guru Nanak, keep your people clear of the
suspect."
The specially equipped chopper barely had time to touch down on the service
platform before Keshu leaped aboard. In the waning light he hurried forward to
take a seat behind the copilot. It took only seconds for his communicator to
wirelessly relay the information the lieutenant had supplied and enter it into
the chopper's navigation system. Upon confirmation from the pilot, the craft
rose and turned south toward the indicated coordinates as it rapidly gained
altitude. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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