E. Killik Klaw - Chapter 4: Lucknow

In time the man had returned with a two litre bottle of water and
together they roused Kirsten and made her drink. She accepted the
kindnesses without question and was soon asleep again. By the time the
train pulled into Lucknow she was awake and some colour had returned to
her cheeks. The man who had helped had departed the train before she
woke. Ben abandoned the intention to take her to a doctor, it was too
late and he was sure something to eat and a quiet night was all she
needed.

Kirsten, on the other hand, wanted to head straight to Delhi.

'No.' He said. 'You should stay here.'

'You can't tell me what to do.' She snapped back.

'You're not well enough, you should rest.'

'You don't even know what's going on?'

'No I don't.' Said Ben, his temper rising. 'But you owe me an
explanation.'

Kirsten said nothing.

'If we go now,' Ben continued, 'we won't get there till nearly
midnight and we'll be the only people in the station, and what are you
going to do that late anyway. Far better to rest here tonight and go
during the day tomorrow, we'll get a hotel in town where they'll never
think of looking and they'll never realise we were here at all. I can
pay if you need.'

'No.' She said. 'I can pay.'

The taxi ride to the hotel demonstrated how weak Kirsten still was,
by the time they checked in she was out of breath and half asleep. Ben
took her straight to her room and ordered her a sandwich, she collapsed
onto the bed and Ben poured her a glass of water.

'Try and drink as much as you can,' he said, 'and eat something and
get some sleep.'

'I'm not hungry.'

'Well try and eat what you can.' He said, and then 'I'm
famished.'

Kirsten smiled. 'Where are you going to be?'

'By the pool I expect, with a beer and a book. I'll come get you for
dinner shall I? If you're up by then.'

'Please.'

He stood in an embarrassed silence, waiting for room service to
arrive.

'Ben.' She said.

'Yes.'

'You said I owed you an explanation.'

'That doesn't matter.'

'They're keeping my mother prisoner in Delhi. I've got to get
her.'

'Keeping her prisoner? Why?'

I don't know, I'm hoping she'll tell me.'

'But who are they?'

'Just monks.' She said. 'At least that's what I always thought.'

'How long...' Started Ben but was interrupted by a knock at the
door, room service. Ben tipped the man and gave Kirsten her sandwich.
'Try and eat.'

'I will.' She said, nibbling at the edges. 'See you later.' Ben
dumped his own stuff in his own room and headed down to the pool where
a few furious laps and a couple of cold beers went down very well. His
book on the other hand remained untouched, too wrapped up in thought.
He did catch the eyes of a couple of American girls who were chasing
the last of the sunlight around the poolside, but did nothing about
it.

When he knocked on Kirsten's door she was up and about, showered and
changed, and claiming to feel fine. Both of them had their appetite
now, Kirsten with a vengeance and she ate a large three course meal in
the hotel restaurant. She was lively and animated and quizzed Ben
incessantly on everything about his life, his home, his holiday, his
plans upon returning but would not be drawn on about herself. Ben did
not push.

After they had split the bill she announced she felt bloated and
dozy and went up to her room to watch telly. Ben retired to the bar,
secretly pleased to be alone, having her around would cramp his style a
bit and he was hoping to meet those two Americans. They were not there
so he found a British newspaper and sat on his own with a beer
wondering if it was worth trying to find somewhere more alive in town
but thinking he was too tired, besides, they might still turn up.

Somewhere during the second beer and towards the end of the
newspaper a monk sat down opposite him and said 'Ben Carter I
presume?'

Ben dropped his paper with a loud rustle and looked, open mouthed,
at the monk who was delicately propping a walking stick up on the
chair. He was not one Ben had seen before.

'How do you know my name?' he said.

'The hotel in Patna.' Replied the monk. 'My name is Anselmo.'

The monk proffered his hand but Ben merely looked at it, keeping his
own to himself until the monk gave up.

'That was some trick at the station.' Anselmo said. 'it took us
forever to find out where you had gone. Brother McGuckin had quite a
black eye.'

Ben said 'Good.'

'You seem to have befriended Kirsten?'

'Yes.' Said Ben leaning forward on his knuckles. 'I have befriended
Kirsten.'

'Then there are some things I must tell you.'

'Oh. How did you find us?'

'With a lot of work.' The monk said rolling his eyes wearily.
'Asking at hotels in every town between Patna and Delhi.'

'Hotels just give out that kind of information do they?'

'Not without some persuasion.' The monk said, glancing around as if
to give a reproachful glare to some unhelpful clerk. 'But yes,
eventually, if the right person asks.'

'How many of you are there?'

Anselmo ignored him having attracted the attention of a passing
waiter. He ordered a coffee and asked Ben if he wanted anything.

'No.' Said Ben with a scowl. He waited for the monk to answer his
question, damn sure he wasn't going to repeat himself. The monk took
his time.

'There are two of us in Lucknow at the moment, although you will not
meet the other tonight. At least four will arrive tomorrow morning,
probably twice that many.'

'And what do you want with Kirsten?'

'My dear boy, she is a minor and is under out care, we want to take
her home.'

Ben said nothing.

'You have asked some questions,' said the monk, 'and now I would
like to ask some. But first it would perhaps be helpful if I explained
a little and clarified the situation. I do not know what Kirsten has
told you.' Not much, thought Ben but he said nothing.

'Kirsten lives at out monastery in the mountains in Bhutan. Her
legal guardian is her uncle, brother DeMontford, who unfortunately
cannot be contacted at the moment. Yesterday morning Kirsten ran away
from home. We do not know precisely why but the fact that she headed to
Delhi together with, other things, suggests it is to do with her
mother. Has Kirsten mentioned her mother at all?'

'Why should I tell you?'

'There had been...' The monk began but was interrupted by the waiter
with the coffee. Ben ordered himself another beer.

'Kirsten's uncle.' The monk began again, pausing to sip ever so
gingerly at the hot coffee. 'For Kirsten's own good her uncle chose to
mislead her on certain matters pertaining to her family. I am concerned
that if I were to tell you, you may pass this information on to Kirsten
without realising what it would mean to her, how much it might upset
her.'

'She deserves to know the truth.'

'I cannot argue with that but it is not my decision.'

'Surely it is between you and your conscience.'

The monk sat back and drank his coffee. Ben's beer arrived. At length
he said 'I need your help so I will have to trust you, what you tell
Kirsten is between you and your conscience, as you put it.'

Ben nodded.

'Shortly after Kirsten was born her father was stricken by an
illness of the mind and tried to murder her. Her uncle was forced to
kill him to save her.'

Ben paused, beer bottle at his lips.

'Kirsten was always told that mother died in childbirth but this is
not true, Kirsten's mother suffered the same illness.'

'What was it?'

'We do not know. She was sent to a hospital for people sick in the
mind.'

'An asylum.'

'Yes.' Said the monk. 'I forgot the word, an asylum. Kirsten was
given to the custody of her uncle.'

'And her mother is in the asylum now?'

'No. Not for some years. There was nothing they could do to help her
but she continued to pose a definite danger to the child, fortunately
our order owns a facility in Delhi where she could be cared for and
kept secure.'

'So why the lie.'

'It was felt by some to be kinder to make the lie, also it was to
avoid precisely this situation, the woman is still a very real danger
to Kirsten.'

Ben sat back and mulled over what he had been told, still distrusting.
'You said you needed my help.' He said. 'What for?'

'To persuade her to come home.'

'And why should I do that?'

'Apart from your conscience?' Said the monk with a sly smile.
'Finding you here has necessitated calling in a number of favours and
there is only so long before this becomes a police matter. It that were
to happen they might view your involvement tantamount to
kidnapping.'

'Are you threatening me?'

'Son. I am a man of god. If it did come to that I would do all in my
power to defend you. But let us hope it does not come to that.'

'You want me to persuade her to give herself up?'

'In a manner of speaking.'

'And what makes you think I could.'

'You helped her at the train station, she trusted you with her
belongings. It seemed evidence enough.'

'I suppose I don't have much choice.'

'You could overpower me and escape tonight. Don't ask me where you
would go though. If she tries to leave Lucknow we will have to take her
back by force. It would be, unpleasant.'

Ben sat back, drank his beer, and thought. The monk drank his
coffee.

'She has been ill.' He said at length.

'Oh.' Said the monk. 'How ill?'

'Probably just heatstroke, but it seemed really bad at one
point.'

'Have you seen a doctor?'

'No. She seemed much better tonight.'

'Then it was probably heatstroke.'

Ben said. 'Exactly how do you suggest I do this?'