Chapter 26 - Pictures that speak numbers

Dear Readers

Many of you asked if The Virgin with Daises is a real painting. It is not. It is only my imagination, however limited. If I have two inspiration to thank, they are Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Starry Nights. But Van Gogh will not appear from the dead to chop off my ears for plagiarism, for not even he, the great Van Gogh himself, owns the concepts of the color royal blue, and flowers.

Enjoy

SJ

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Martha knocked on the door. Khushi wiped her tears and stood up. ASR signaled her to sit down and gave her a quick squeeze. She was thankful he was with her.

“Ah! Dinner is served. Why don’t you join us downstairs? Everyone’s here and wants to meet Sarah’s child.” Martha smiled drawing darkening her ruddy cheeks.

She stepped in to the room and inspected the open truck. “Well, I hope you got a chance to look through Sarah’s belongings. It was really heartbreaking. They loved each other you know. But he had to leave. And she never told him she was….you know…expecting you.”

Khushi labored to ask the one gnawing question she had, “How did Sarah die?”

Martha looked very uncomfortable. She smiled and tried to change the subject, “We will have time for all that later. First, you must eat something.” She injected a false cheer into the gloomy room.

Khushi reached out and held Martha’s hand. “Please Aunty Martha. I want to know.”

Martha exhaled and settled on the bed. She shook her head as if deciding the level of details she ought to tell the eager daughter. And then she nodded as if coming to a definitive conclusion. Her face was red when she looked up at Khushi.

“She died during childbirth.”

Khushi let out a small cry and sat next to Martha.

“I am sorry child, to be the one telling you this. My parents weren’t exactly thrilled about Sarah. She…she got to the hospital too late and there was internal hemorrhaging. I am sorry Khushi, I wish I could have done something for her but I was too young and naïve.” She begged for Khushi’s forgiveness but Khushi was sobbing hard to notice.

Sarah died young, lonely and without a chance to even hold her baby once. She wanted to know if her so called her dad was a soulless man, so she braved her next question, “What about Mahinder? Did he come back for her?”

“Oh Khushi, Mahinder was the best thing that happened to her. Sarah was so happy with him. But he had his own problems. He was married you know. And it was not right for him to fall in love with Sarah, but it happened. And when I wrote to him about Sarah, he was devastated. He was planning to take you with him to India, but something changed. I waited for him at the airport and in those days calling India was not easy. So I assumed he got cold feet. Later, your uncle, Sasi was here and I found out that Mahinder was dead, killed by someone. Sasi told me your life was in danger too and he had instructions from Mahinder to adopt you. I am glad they took you with them. I don’t know if I could have given you a happy life. It’s true.”

Martha’s honest confession didn’t do much to help Khushi. She was sad and furious at her parents. Mahinder and Sarah, young fools who fell in love with the wrong persons at the wrong time. Yet, they loved each other till their last breaths. How love could stand up to such demands escaped Khushi. But then again, those were innocent years, unaffected by the caprice and selfishness that eventually gulfed us as all. She wiped her tears.

“Child, you should not hold it against them. I urge you. They were far too much in love, they didn’t know what they were doing. They were stupid and lovely. They made you. Look at you! You got your mom’s eyes and nose and your dad’s thick glossy hair. You are a perfect reflection of all that was right about them.”

Martha pulled Khushi into a generous hug and rocked her till her breath evened. ASR sat by Khushi and held her hand as she found comfort with one person who knew her mother well. They were thankful for the silence in the room, a tribute to the dead from three souls connected to them in different ways. At that instant, Khushi knew she could not let things loiter for ever. She knew what she had to do.

She announced with renewed clarity in her voice, “I know what I have to do. Aunty Martha, I am sorry I will have to beg your leave and go back to Zurich in the first train tomorrow morning. I have some business to finish making sure my parents’ souls rests in peace.”

Martha looked puzzled, “Why? You must stay for Daniel’s wedding. He’d be disappointed.”

Daniel walked in at that moment with a huge smile, “Did I hear Cousin Khushi wants to leave? I can’t let that happen.”

Khushi stood up and reached for Daniels hands. “Daniel, I don’t have a brother, but if I did, he would look like you. I came to Zurich seeking answers and the sooner I find them, the better it would be for me. I need closure.”

Daniels’ hazel eyes softened with understanding. He squeezed her palms and assured her, “I understand.”

That night Khushi held ASR tight while neither slept a wink. The next day bore heavy on their minds. They had to be at the museum, figure out the painting and if everything went well, access the blood-tainted vaults.

****

A quick word and his unabashed charm were all that took ASR to convince the curator. The hapless old man granted permission to the duo to examine The Virgin with Daisies. There were strict orders that they were not to touch the painting or alter it from its hanging frame, but they were allowed to spend three hours to examine it after the museum closed for public. They were provided a museum magnifying glass and special flashlight that did not deteriorate the painting surface. The waiting hours passed achingly slow for Khushi.

The two took the tour of the museum to stay occupied. They ate a light dinner and loaded on espresso to notch up their alertness for the task ahead. All through the afternoon ASR made sure he did not let Khushi out of his sight, holding her hand tight and walking with her everywhere following her to the women’s bathroom. She gently shoved him out with disapproval.

Strangely, she felt calm and composed. The worst of the truths were out. The deeds of her ancestors, her great grandfather Maharaja Ratan Singh’s indirect yet lethal contribution to the miseries of millions of Jews, Jakub Schwab in particular, could never be forgiven. Mahinder tried to absolve it by compensating Sarah, but ended up hurting her more. Khushi suddenly shivered as she realized it was going to be her onus to right the wrongs of the past. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for it.

“Alright, Mr. Raizada, you have three hours to finish your job here. You should thank Field Museum officials, and that signed letter from Isaacson. How is he by the way?” The elderly curator stood and looked up to ASR who was a good foot and a half taller than the diminutive man.

ASR quickly changed the subject, as he didn’t wish the man to discover Isaacson’s death.

“Thank you!” he nudged ahead and pulled Khushi with him to the room that housed the painting.

“Now remember there are cameras in the room and the guards will be watching you, so please keep your promise.” The old man dropped a veiled warning before he left the two to their devices.

As soon as the old man left the room, ASR whipped out a piece of paper and read aloud.

“Coveted by fair maidens for purity
Peeking from window sills dusted country
Curvy paths seer through crimson virginity
Count me daisies in ones, fours, and fives and twenty
Blue vases caress your plentiful bounty
Ne’er shan’t we forget the ones in blue dainty
Oh lovely virgin with daisies, thee of eternal beauty” 

Khushi held the flashlight for closer examination, while ASR scanned the painting once over with the magnifying glass. He read the poem out again.

“Do you think these numbers in the poem mean anything? Count me daisies in ones, fours and fives and twenty”

As he scanned the painting, he began noticing a clear pattern. The rows of daisies on each side of the red soil path were symmetrical. Each row had one grouping of daisies consisting of single, four, five and twenty daisies each group. The grouping was then repeated through the row, like a stencil pattern. He then counted the number of such grouped stencils throughout the field of daisies to a total of 286 groups.

“286 groupings, each grouping has bunch of daises in 1,4,5, and 20 per bunch”

He read the poem again, “Blue vases caress your plentiful bounty, these Blue vases are also part of the mystery.”

Khushi added, “caress your plentiful bounty, what is the plentiful bounty? In the picture it’s the daisies because the blue vase holds the daisies…”

Before she finished, ASR blurted, “Could it be the vaults? Blue vases caressing the plentiful bounty, what is the bounty? why is the blue vase caressing it? It could be the vaults that hold the plentiful bounty, that is, the spoils and wealth of royals and Nazis. It is probably a symbol of a bank. I wonder if there are banks in the area that use a blue vase or a shape like a blue vase for its insignia.” 

Khushi felt so proud of him that she pulled his head down and kissed him, "I love you, I love you, oh Arnav, I love you." she gushed. They forgot for a second why they were there  in the room as he bent his head to kiss her some more. She cleared her throat and signaled him to the cameras. He smiled and diverted his attention back to the painting.

His head was suddenly muddled as he noticed two things, Khushi had said "I love you" albeit flippantly and two, she called him Arnav whenever she felt close to him. He could burst with joy on the museum floor. He began his inspection with renewed inspiration. 

Khushi took out her IPad and furious typed many combinations of search words she thought would work.

“Blue the color of royalty, banks with blue logos, banks with blue vase logos, banks with blue objects as logos, bluebells, banks named after royalty, Suisse banks” she mumble her search words as she accepted and rejected many search results.

“Bingo!” she almost fell off the bench she was sitting on at her discovery.

“Listen to this, Arnav, Bank Herzog Deutschland Private! Herzog is the title for a Duke in German, dukes and other nobilities revere the color royal blue, and the logo for the bank is a blue vase. What are the odds?” she looked at him.

“It can’t be coincidence, when was this bank established?”

“Right before the war ended, in the late 1940. I think they chose the symbol after Jakub’s painting to connect the codes in the Sabres to the bank’s creation. And look at this!” she turned the IPad to him.

He read out the news item she pointed.

“The bank was recently in some controversy as its owner was murdered under mysterious circumstances. Police investigation found that there were numerous attempts at unauthorized access to purportedly secret vaults in the bank right before the owner was murdered. The police are looking for Mr. Herzog’s secretary, Ms. Becker who has been missing since the death of the banker.”

“Can’t be a coincidence.” ASR repeated.

“Now what?” Khushi asked checking her watch quickly and realizing they had very little time left.

“Lets examine the painting, I have a feeling these numbers lead us to the vault. If so…” he didn’t complete the sentence as it was too much for them to digest in one evening.

“Ne’er shan’t we forget the ones in blue dainty
Oh lovely virgin with daisies, thee of eternal beauty” 

ASR read the words as he scanned the vases closely. Suddenly he froze. There in the vase was another three grouping of 1,4,5 and 20 flowers.

“289, 1,4,5,20”

He took a deep breath and straightened his back, feeling the tension drain out of it. His action caught Khushi’s attention before she got up and rubbed his neck.

“I think we have it.”

“What!” Khushi let out a gasp.

“I think we have the account number to the vault in Bank Herzog." he somberly noted.

"It’s a combination lock with numbers 289 1 4 5 20”

Chapter 25 - Vaulted Secrets

She stared at the large trunk sitting on the bed. ASR sat next to her. The trunk seemed big enough to hold a body but to Khushi it was a lifetime of memories. 

“Won’t you open it?”

Khushi sat frozen. The upstairs bedroom of Martha’s house was small, with gabled ceiling giving the insides an impossibly angular and claustrophobic structure. ASR had to watch his head as he navigated the room. Khushi simply sat watching the trunk from the time Martha and Daniel had carted it to their room.

“Open it, Khushi. You’ve come this far. Now’s not the time to hold back.”

She stood up wearily and walked to the other bed. She took the keys left on a side table and fumbled with the lock. The contents inside the box looked undisturbed, and untouched by the 28 odd years after its owners had died. She ran her fingers over the soft silk blouse of a woman and a vest that must have belonged to a man. On top of the clothes, a small black diary sat quietly. Khushi picked the book and opened the cover. ASR stood behind her and peeked in.

Diary of Sarah Schwab – Diary 4

Khushi drew her breath in. ASR urged her to sit down before she read further. She began reading the first page. It was part of a 4 part diary series. It wasn’t clear where the first three had disappeared. This one started with the day after Sarah’s twentieth birthday. She was on the heels of a broken heart as she had discovered that her boyfriend was cheating on her. Strangely, the script was in English.

Sarah’s penmanship was impeccable as was expected of people in the eighties. The diary had a few pages dealing with Sarah’s rebound from her broken relationship. Then a few pages later, she talked about meeting a stranger in a coffee shop.


I don’t know why but I feel so attracted to him. He says he is from India and that he is a Prince of a state called Gwalior. I don’t know anything about the country, I will check out some books from the library about India, if they have it.

I want to believe him. He is so....handsome. And when he talks, I feel I can listen to him for hours and forget about the rest of the world. I so wish I could share this with someone. Martha? No! If she tells Aunt and Uncle, they’d skin me alive and stop my allowance. Then I'd have no money to buy coffee and chat with my new friend. No, not Martha. Who else? No one. I have to find a way to meet him without letting anyone know. Yes, that’s it, then.

Khushi pulled her legs up on the bed to sit more comfortably and began reading out the text for ASR. A few pages later, another note caught their attention.

Mahinder. I think I am falling in love with Mahinder. How do I say his name? Ma Hind er? I wish Mamma and Pappa were alive. I wish Sonja was alive. I can’t tell anyone. But I don’t care. I will tell him tomorrow that I love him.

Khushi’s tears were only beginning their journey into the long evening ahead of them. Sarah was an orphan who lived with Martha’s family. No wonder no one had ever tried to find Khushi or reach out to her. Suddenly, she missed Garima and Sasi. They were always kind and loving to her.

I am so happy! I can dance all evening. Mahinder says he loves me. But there is sadness in his eyes. I don’t know why. I will have to find out.

A young Sarah was falling in love and fast. Khushi could only imagine her heady feelings and euphoria of discovering first true love. The innocence in those words left Khushi scared for Sarah. It was irrational, all of twenty and head over heels in love.

Mahinder – an enigma for me. A sweet, tortuous enigma that I am willing to drown myself in. It may be suicidal but if I don’t love him I will die of pain, anyway. Either ways I am dead!

That innocent observation with a smiley graphed in, brought a fresh bout of tears for Khushi. Sarah was speaking metaphorically about losing herself in love, but the words came more than true.

I can hardly believe this. Mahinder is married! Oh dear lord, help me. What have I done? I seduced a married man. Mahinder says he wants to be with me. But I can’t do this to him or his family. Give me strength to do the right thing. Why? Why? Why me again and again, God?

Khushi stopped reading as her eyes clouded. She continued reading despite her urge to stop reading Sarah’s private pain and loneliness.

I fought with him today. Our first fight. He says he wants to leave me money as a safety net. Money? I don’t want money. I just want him but I am willing to give him up too for his family’s sake. No, this is all wrong. He says his grandfather was part of some bizarre Royal Pact with eleven other royal families of the world.

He says they colluded with Nazis to protect their wealth from unknown forces of the war. Nazis - the demonic warlords of the world. Why did they seek the Nazis? Mahinder says royals didn’t want to lose their wealth after the war was over.

They needed protection. For their money? Monarchies that stole from others? They could not count on righteous Allies, so they turned to Nazis, who also had tainted and stolen wealth they needed to hide…money stolen from families like mine. Mahinder says he needs the Royals to agree before he can access the Swiss vaults where they’ve kept the spoils. He wants me to have that money.

I should hate him. I must. For my family, for my ancestors and dead brothers and sisters....but I can't.

Khushi sobbed like a child. So that was the tainted, ugly history of her ancestors. Jakub was rich and persecuted. Maharaja Ratan Singh had blood money on his hands. One side was indirectly responsible for the annihilation of the other. Yet, nature had brought the young ones together and created her, Khushi. Mahinder wanted to do right by Sarah, but he could not access the money, she assumed. If he had accessed the money, Sarah would not have died alone nor Khushi be orphaned and raised by others.

The diary continued as Khushi read it aloud, her voice shaky yet calm.

I could see guilt in his face. He told me that he came to Zurich seeking answers. He tried to find other Jewish families but he could only find me. Are the others dead, wiped out of the face of earth? In a gas chambers or shot point blank? I shiver just thinking about it. I must have positive thoughts.

He wants to do right by me. He wants to return all that wealth to me. But what will I do with it when all I really want is to spend every waking hour with him? He says he came looking for me, for someone who he can help and...rid of his guilt? He said something about finding Sabres from the Royals so he could claim the vault.

But he was afraid. No, he was scared. I think he worries that the royals will retaliate. I don’t know what to do. I wish he had not told me any of this. The secret is a burden on my soul especially now…..that I carry the seed of our love. I can’t tell him that though. Not in this lifetime.

She closed the book unable to read further. Her chest hurt under the weight of the avalanche. She felt sorry for Sarah, who was barely more than a child herself at the time. Twenty years old, pregnant, and a secret so reprehensive, she probably could never share with anyone. The pain of the knowledge that Mahinder’s family was responsible for Sarah's family’s fate must have devastated her. Yet her love for him was untainted, unyielding and strong.

How did Sarah deal with the gore at such a tender age? She was pregnant, and more than likely abandoned by Mahinder as he most certainly had returned to India. He probably never knew about Sarah’s pregnancy until it was too late to return to her.

Something had happened that had scared Mahinder. She remembered Sasi telling her about how he had instructed Sasi to take the box with saber tooth sculpture and flee from India. Someone killed him and his family, Khushi was sure of that. Who and why? Perhaps, the other royals who were afraid that he would let the cat out of the bag or was it the Jewish mafia, which was responsible for her own ghastly recent experiences. They had to know about the vaults because every royal that ever had a sabre was dead...except her. Her head spin at all the possibilities and questions.

This was bigger and more macabre than Khushi could ever imagine.

ASR was piecing the puzzle just as fast as Khushi was. He knew he had to find where the vault was and he knew the poem of the Sabres led to the painting by Jakub, which meant only one thing. The painting hid the clue to the account number, name and location of the Swiss bank that housed the tainted vault.

Then fear struck him hard. The mafia does not give up so easily. There was greed and revenge in their motives. If they had followed the two to Zurich, he had very little time.

Chapter 24 - Roots and Routes

“I still don’t get the connection ASR. The poem describes the picture. The numbers in the poem must somehow be connected with the painting. But in the end, what do those numbers mean?”

“Beats me. I think we need to go to the source. We need to go to Zurich Museum, talk to the curator there and figure out.” ASR finished his thought.

“Hmmm” Khushi meandered into some distant haze and then snapped out, “You know what! I can meet my mother’s sister Martha there. Maybe, she knows about Jakub and she can help us understand more about the painting, and…” she paused, “tell me more about Sarah…I mean my mom.I wonder why Martha didn’t claim Jakub’s paintings?” She set her eyes down, as if the name reminded of her illegitimate status and shame.

“Call your Dad to get your aunt’s address. And do you have a current passport?” ASR asked.

“Yep, my passport is in the office safe. I will have to go to the hospital and collect it. Do you think its safe?” she queried.

“I wont let you go by yourself, Khushi. No worries. “ He assured her.

So it was decided. They were to travel to Zurich and find out more about the painting, Khushi’s ancestors and the connection to the Sabres.

*****

“Whats this?” ASR picked a bag of syringes and held it up.

“Valium”

“What? Why are we taking syringes of valium?”

“You never know!” Khushi quipped, “it may come in handy if we have to deal with big bad guys. I don’t want to kill again.”

He put the bag back in her luggage and asked, “Don’t you need prescription for this?”

“Why do you think I am a doctor, ASR?” She twined her arms around his waist and kissed his muscled back.

“Well, then. Doctor, I think I need to be treated because I have this grave condition.”

Playing along, Khushi walked around to face him, “Yes, how may I help you?”

“I think I need some rocking sex to cure me, doctor. Do you think you can help?”

ASR’s invitation left her laughing and wanting him even more than she thought she ever could. The clothes flew around the room and their naked bodies flopped on the bed. Their noisy affair was enough to wake up the entire apartment building but what they didn’t know, was that it was a precursor to an avalanche.

****

Garima and Sasi were at the airport. Khushi least expected to find them there. The apologies on their faces tore through her heart as she tried to reconcile the events of the past. The gate checks went well and soon enough, the couple was on its way to Zurich.

As the flight passed over Transatlantic seas, Khushi’s nervousness began to mount. ASR knew she was afraid to find out more about her ancestors and what lay in store when the secrets of the Sabres were revealed. She held his hands through the flight unable to eat or enjoy on flight movies. ASR urged her to sleep, so they could resume their investigation as soon as they landed at Zurich.

Zurich airport was an expansive mess. German instructions did not help either of them and after asking a lot of passersby, they located the tram that took them to their hotel. The cold, bleak landscape was broken by distant promise of Alpine and a hope of final discovery. Khushi breathed in the air brushed from the Alps and marinated in local smog. ASR smiled at her, feeling for her.

A steep cable car later, they were in their rooms.

“Do you want to call the number your dad gave you?”

Khushi nodded. The number belonged to her mom’s sister, Martha. She showered and changed and finally dialed the number with trembling fingers.

“Hallo das ist Martha Schneider.”

“Hello, this is Khushi, Khushi Gupta, daughter of Dr. Sasi…I mean daughter of Sarah Schwab.”

“I know who you are.” Came a heavily accented, yet affectionate voice.

****




The ride to Berner Oberland was a steamer ride to Interlaken and then a train up into the mountain to Muerren. Every bone in Khushi's body screamed in protest, tired of jetlag and fatigue. But the sight of the snow-capped mountains as she got out of the train simply took her breath away.

“ASR, this is beautiful!” she gasped.

“Not more than you.” He countered to ease the tension that was building up inside her.

The two walked along the small country road, following the directions provided by Martha. As they neared the village, and the house, Khushi’s fear and trepidation only grew.

“That’s the house. “ ASR checked the map and looked up. The house was decorated with festoons and lights that were off at daytime. Voices emanated from the back of the house and ASR decided to check it. He signaled her to stay back as he cleared the area for her. The back of the house had many party tables and chairs. A small gathering of what seemed to be locals was gathered, drinking, cheering and celebrating something.

A portly woman noted the starkly contrasting presence of ASR among the blonde and blue eyed gathering. She smiled welcoming and gestured him to come over. He in turned gestured khushi, who looked ready to flee back to Chicago.

As the two walked into the gathering, the conversations stopped as they noted the new entrants. Martha waddled hurriedly to the couple and without warning pulled Khushi into her embrace.

“Oh, my dear child! Here you are. I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am to see you. Look at you? You look just like Sarah! Oh my word!” she gushed in a refrain. She shouted out to a guy who seemed to be young enough to be her son.



“Daniel, come and meet cousin, Khuushii” Martha stretched the vowels and stressed the consonants, giving the name a distinct Yiddish bent. The smiling handsome man came over and ASR could not help but notice the similarities of features between the young man and Khushi. Same eyes, same nose, and same strong jaws. Khushi didn’t miss the features either.

“This is Khushi, Sarah’s daughter!”

Daniel leaned and pulled Khushi into a bear hug. She laughed at the sudden outpouring and hugged him back.

“Cousin Khushi! Welcome. When mother told me you’d be here, I was ecstatic. Its my wedding tomorrow. Surely, you and your friend will join.” He continued.
“Sure, she would. There is no question.” Martha went on without batting an eyelid.

ASR wondered how Khushi could be remotely related to such a rotund and puffy looking woman. He didn’t have to wait to find out.

“Well, come in my child, and have some cider. I should tell you though, I am not Sarah’s real sister. I am her cousin from her mother’s side. Sarah’s fathers side is from Wupperal, they migrated here during the war, you know.”
Khushi lost any hope of finding more about Jakub, since Martha was from her maternal grandmother’s side. She was grasping for any bit of information.

Martha pulled them into the house and continued her monologue, “Well, since you made a half a day trip here, you cannot go before the wedding. So, I insist, you stay here and leave day after.”

“But we are not prepared for overnight stay.” Khushi protested.

“Oh, you can have Sarah’s clothes. And he can have Mahinder's clothes. I have them all saved up in the house just like they left them here. And if you promise to stay” Martha labored for breath due to the short exertion,"I will tell you all about your mother and your father. Hunh?" she turned around and stood at the threshold of the door leading into the house.

Martha just sealed the deal for Khushi.

Chapter 23 - The Virgin with Daisies

Two sleeping pills and a tall glass of warm milk later, Khushi attempted to sleep. ASR was furiously banging away on his keyboard seated next to her on the bed as she watched his worried face. A sudden surge of affection filled her when she realized she could count on him, no matter what. The rest of her world was in tatters.

Garima had tried calling her. News of Payal’s arrest reached them within minutes, sending Garima and Sasi into frenzied search for a good lawyer. Garima appealed to Khushi to let her know that she was safe and asked for forgiveness on Payal’s behalf. Khushi wanted to forget the episode had ever happened and if she could will it away, she would have. But the stark duplicity shocked her gentle nerves.

ASR pored through the email from Akash and Avni. The serial numbers from Sabres were not merely factory order numbers. Avni, the expert in WW2 cryptography, had deciphered the numbers using the Enigma cryptography made popular by Germans during the WW2 era. The numbers had translated themselves to a ditty that made no sense to ASR. He read the ditty many times over, but it did not manifest into anything he had ever heard or learned. 

“Khushi, do you know what this ditty could mean?” he asked.

Silence.

He noted that she had finally managed to fall asleep. The decoding of the ditty will need to wait.

At that moment, the door bell rang, shaking ASR from his deep thoughts. Who could it be at this hour?

*****

“NK! What are you doing here?”

“Can I come in, before I freeze to death?” NK’s apologetic eyes sought comfort.

“Come in.” ASR stepped aside letting him in.

“What brings you here?” ASR was curt and the tone of rudeness showed his bitterness of not being part of the crux of the Sabres case. 

“Look, I need to explain to you why you were not told about anything. But do you mind pouring me a drink first?” NK urged as he took off his winter jacket and gloves.

“Sure”

ASR brought two whiskey glasses with golden liquid and handed one to NK. Making light of the tension between them, NK joked, “Ah! I see you’ve graduated to Scotch. No more bourbon!”

“I don’t like masqueraders and fakers.” ASR’s blunt rebuttal cleared any delusions for NK.

“ASR, don’t make it more difficult than it already is. I was specifically told by Kevin not to involve you in any of this. We knew there was a mole. I suspected it was Gitu, but when I found out that she works for the CIA, we found ourselves in the midst of our bosses in both agencies embroiled in turf wars and power struggle. It took a lot of negotiations and back and forth before we could reach a working plan. Gitu and I were under a lot of pressure, we could not have shared anything.”

NK paused before continuing, “In any case, I am off the case and so is Gitu. We’ve both tendered our resignations.”

“Why? You don’t have to feel guilty for doing your jobs.”

“Its not guilt. We don’t want to live with uncertainty and our jobs looming over heads.”

ASR raised one eyebrow not quite comprehending where this was headed.

“We are in love, ASR. I proposed and she accepted.” NK clarified with a short smile.

“Wow! When were you planning to tell me?”

“You’re the first to know.”

“Wow! Congratulations. While the world burns all around you, you go on with your life like nothing happened. The master minds behind Sabres are still out there somewhere, Kevin is only too happy to close the case and my best friend and partner is getting married. I feel…I don’t know what I feel.” ASR stood up shaking his head.

“We have the Sabres, we have the guys who were after Khushi and we have the snitch. I think it’s a good day’s work ASR. We will never completely infiltrate the mafia or get to the root of the organization, they are just too many. You know they will lie low for a while now, leaving us no leads. This case is dormant at best for as long as I can see.” NK reasoned.

“Fuck! Dormant? Nothing’s dormant! Khushi’s life is still in danger and unless we find out what those Sabres meant to the mafia, she’s never safe.”

ASR debated whether he should talk about the decryption of serial numbers on Sabres, he decided against it.

He suddenly recalled the final missing piece of the puzzle - the Sabre tooth tiger and the serial number on it. He could not let NK know that he was still in hot pursuit of the case. He could not let anyone know. It was best to let the world think the case was over. It was safer for Khushi if the mafia thought the FBI had left them alone.

It was time to visit the Isaacson bungalow to fit the final piece of puzzle.

*****

“Coffee?” Khushi offered as ASR trudged through the kitchen, the scotch from the previous still wreaking havoc on his temper.

“Thanks!” he leaned over and kissed her cheek. The domestic scene was so appealing he could almost feel it becoming part of his daily routine. He would welcome the day.

“What did NK have to say?” she asked over the steaming cup. Her eyes had sunk into hollows more than ever.

“He came to apologize on behalf of Gitu and him. They are quitting their jobs and getting married.”

“Hmm, that’s good. They are good together.” she noted, “I hope it’s not because of guilt. I mean, I am mad at Gitu for not telling me that she was undercover, but, it’s a job I guess. And I can understand that.”

“This is not over, Khushi. We still don’t know who master minded the operations. By the way, I have something for you.” He opened the drawer next to his laptop table and handed out a piece of paper to her.

“Does any of this make sense to you?”

She read the paper a few times and shook her head.

“It seems like a short ditty. Where is this from?”

“My cryptographer friends decrypted it from the serial numbers on the Sabres.” He offered.

Khushi read the poem out loud in an attempt to decipher the meaning

“Coveted by fair maidens for purity

Peeking from window sills dusted country

Curvy paths seer through crimson virginity

Count me daisies in ones, fours, and fives and twenty

Blue vases caress your plentiful bounty  

Ne’er shan’t we forget the ones in blue dainty

 Oh lovely virgin with daisies, thee of eternal beauty”

“A poem on daisies?” Khushi asked quizzically, “ I wish they didn’t write riddles. It would be infinitely more easy if they just told us what those dratted numbers meant!” she sounded exasperated as she threw herself on the sofa.

“Its some sort of code. A code to something. I wish we had the document on Saber Tooth tiger from Isaacson. I am sure the final clue lies in the sculpture.”

The two of them sat quietly, ruminating over their options as the silence in the room descended portending gloom. ASR began clearing days old newspapers from the coffee table to save his sanity when the nondescript file folder caught his attention.

He picked it from the pile and a yellow sticky on the cover drew his attention

“A parting gift from Gitu and me - NK”

Curious, he opened the file and almost shouted with joy.

“Hallelujah! Praise the lord!” he exulted with naked excitement. Khushi got up startled and rushed to his side.

The two of them peered into the file and neither could contain the rush of adrenalin.

ASR roughly swiped the coffee table off all papers and tchotchkes, and carefully laid the file on the table. Khushi crushed his arm unable to control her reaction. The two sat down and lifted the first piece of paper.

“Sabre Tooth Tiger – A 3D study”

A series of pictures followed and one caught their attention. The picture showed the bottom of the sculpture and the words engraved on it.”

“Schwab, Circa 1919, Wupperal, Germany” ASR read it emphasizing each word and repeated for effect. “Do you know what that means?”

“Schwab is my mother’s last name, so this must belong to her. But she wasn’t born in 1919, so it could be one of her…I mean, my ancestors. The year 1919 seems important. It could be the year of birth or some important event that happened in that year. Wupperal could be the place where Schwab family belonged to. All guesses.”

“Pretty good guesses. The name, year and place are definitely connected. We can do an internet search to see how.” He decided.

Khushi sprang to reach for the laptop and handed it to him. His fingers barely kept steady as he typed the words, Schwab, 1919 Wupperal, Germany, into the search window.

Khushi shut her eyes tight. She was afraid to find out what secrets would reveal with this final piece of the jigsaw puzzle.

When ASR did not say anything ominous, she peeked into the laptop. He was reading through the search results and one item caught his attention. He clicked on it.

A page opened to the Kunsthaus Zurich, Museum. ASR browsed the site to open the links that led them to collections within the museum.

Fauvism, Cubism, Dadaism and Modernism post World War 1
Featured Artists (in alphabetical order) 

ASR clicked on S and a name immediately caught his attention

Schwab, Circa 1919, The Virgin with Daisies (Jungfrau mit Gänseblümchen)

“Gänseblümchen?” Khushi rubbed her forehead.

“Isn’t that German for Daisies?” he asked.

“The Virgin with Daisies!! Just like the poem says, oh lovely virgin with daisies, of eternal beauty! I think we found the answer ASR!” she was ecstatic.

“But what does it mean? Virgin with Daisies, what does it really mean?”
He clicked on the name and an entire section with details of the painting opened with the following description.

Artist: Jakub Schwab (b.1893 – d.unknown) of Wupperal, Germany.

The painting is an abstract, in the most temporal representation of Cubist artistic movement of 1910s. The painting depicts the nude of a woman, purportedly the Virgin, with a blue vase painted in brusque strokes, resting on a nearby window sill. The vase is full of daisies painted in 3D blocks of white and yellow. Out of the window one can see a curvy path of red soil parting in the middle, two abstract fields of daisies, further allusion to the impending loss of virginity of the nude maiden. The painting was commissioned by his fiancé, Salome in 1919, in honor of their impending wedding. The virgin is believed to be in the likeness of his future bride. The painter is known for erotic expressions and symbolism with spectacular details and master brush work evoking different planar shadows when viewed from different positions.

Jakub was a scion of a local business family with means at his disposal. He painted as a hobby, heavily influenced by his peers of the era, the likes of Picasso, and Braque. Jakub’s paintings were featured prominently in Wupperal art museums. However, the family fell into hard times as the WWII approached. Their immense wealth and belongings were stolen or forcibly confiscated by the ruling party of Germany, The Nazis. Jakub’s rich cache of paintings were confiscated, auctioned or simply stolen by the influential members of the party. The family escaped Wupperal using the large underground network of sympathizers in 1939 and that was the last anyone had heard of them.

The Virgin with Daisies resurfaced in Zurich in 1960 when a private collector traced the provenance of the painting back to the Schwab family. The painting was donated to the museum that year and has stayed in our possession ever since. Many attempts were made to locate the heirs of the Schwab family but the museum has thus far failed to find the rightful owners. The museum considers the painting a generous loan until a time its rightful owner is found. The whereabouts of other Schwab paintings are unknown at this time. Jakub Schwab paintings are considered worth in the neighborhood of $500K to a million apiece.

Khushi was silent, unsure of what to say.

ASR finally broke the silence, “Wow! Khushi, your great great grand dad was one helluva rich guy!”

“And horny too!” she added poker faced.

Chapter 22 - Apprehension

The door burst open again. NK appeared and a fresh round of confusion set in the room.

“Fantastic, we have the perfect reenactment of Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom!” ASR threw his hands in the air. He then beckoned NK into the room with a flourish, “Please come in. You were missed. Now, you can explain to me what in the world is happening here, I’d be oh-so-thankful to you!”

The cutting sarcasm wasn't lost on NK, who wore a very matter of fact expression. Khushi couldn’t suppress her smile despite the odd situation she found herself in. The betrayals never ended and for once, she thought she was beginning to get used to them.

“Alright, ASR. Cut it. I can explain.” NK shut the door behind him and stood in the passageway blocking the only exit out of the apartment. ASR sensed something amiss and decided to give it a go.

“OK. Spill it.”

“Payal, Gitu and Khushi. Please sit down where I can see all of you clearly.” NK ordered and the three women complied, for there was little alternative at this point.

“OK. So I don’t want to raise any alarm here, but the building is surrounded by agents. If any of you have any trick planned up your sleeve, I seriously recommend you hold your horses and think through.” NK continued his business like instructions.

ASR shared puzzled looks with Khushi. Gitu was visibly agitated but Payal sat poker faced.

“The suspense is killing me man, just spill.”

NK took a few steps forward and moved part of his jacket aside revealing a holster with gun. It was clear to anyone in the room that the man meant business. ASR leaned against the wall and for once felt like an utter fool not in control of the on-goings in the room.

“A few days ago I caught Gitu doodling through my laptop. She was furiously noting down account information of Khushi’s Swiss accounts and spying on emails regarding the case.” NK watched Gitu as her face melted with guilt.

“Why Gitu!” Khushi’s voice rose.

“Khushi, please. Let me finish before anyone jumps the gun.” NK insisted. “Gitu explained to me that she needed money for her dad’s treatment. I knew she was bluffing because I’d already done a background check on her and I knew her dad was no more.” Gitu sat impassively with her eyes downcast while Khushi grew more bewildered.

“Were you trying to steal money from me, why Gitu?” Khushi’s voice shook with incredulity.

“Please, let me finish first before we pass summary judgments here.” NK appealed, noting an agitated Gitu, who was upset at Khushi’s allegations.

Payal grew impatient and rose from her seat, “Well, you guys have a nice mess you can all deal with. I have better things to do.”

“Sit down, Payal!” NK thundered, his voice steely with determination. Payal cringed back in fear and without further protest, simply sat down.

“I still don’t understand, you had only to ask me Gitu, why, why, why?” Khushi was bordering on hysteric outburst and NK knew he had to intervene fast.

“It was not stealing money, Khushi. It was payment for information on your whereabouts and your activities.” NK added somberly.

“Wait a minute. So Gitu took money from Khushi’s account to pay for information on her?” ASR began piecing the puzzle for everyone’s benefit. “But who was getting paid and why is Gitu in the middle of it.”

A sense of discomfort passed between NK and Gitu, a silent debate on whether they should share a deep secret held between them, a silent agreement reached and NK delivered the news.

“Gitu works for CIA.”

****

The bomb exploded inaudibly in the room, leaving stunned spectators in its wake.

Khushi was the first to react with a hysteric laughter. “What!”

“Gitu works for the CIA, Office of Narcotics to be precise.” NK reemphasized.

“Is this true?” Khushi looked at Gitu seeking explanations. Gitu nodded. 

“Wow! Wow, wow, wow!” Khushi got up and took short paces in the living room, “I mean wow. In all the years we’ve known each other, you never once mentioned this to me. It never occurred you to tell me. I don’t know what makes me more mad, that you took money from my account or that you hid your real identity from me. Is Gitu even your real name?”

“Come on, Khushi! Everything you know about me is real, our friendship is real, I….I just do the narcotics analysis for CIA, do covert operations as needed and report analysis to CIA and FBI as needed. Look, I knew something big was going on about with your history and past. When I found out that the Russian mafia was behind your attack, I had to know how you were connected. I've done a ton of work on Russian mafia and their drug cartel operations across the globe.”

“She’s somewhat of a Russophile” NK beamed proudly and out of place.

“Well, I knew the mafia had run into money problems recently with the string drug enforcement and I was on the lead to follow their money trail. When I found out about the Sabres, I knew there had to be something connected with their drug cartel. I was snooping in NK’s laptop to find out any suspicious activities in your account and….”

“And I caught her. We decided to collaborate to find the money trail.” NK completed the sentence, both shooting satisfied glances at their successful partnership.

“Wait. So, you were snooping around in Khushi’s account to find out that money was transferred from her account to Tennessee, why?” ASR cut in.

“Over the years Gitu has built contacts within the cartel. This is not the first time Khushi’s account has been hacked to pay off someone. The money trail is interesting. Money gets wired to an outpost in Tenessee from Khushi’s account. A local picks the check and deposits into a local account registered to a fake business. Later, the same business deposits the money into another account in Chicago, again registered under a fake business. We didn’t know who in Chicago collected money using Cash checks from the account. That’s when Gitu suggested we orchestrate a fake transfer to see who ends up picking the money from the Chicago account.”

“And…” Khushi and ASR asked in tandem.

NK and Gitu looked at Payal.

“Why are you staring at me? I am only here because Gitu invited me to coffee.” She looked around the room with all eyes directed on her. “Wait a minute, you guys think I took the money?”

“You had the motive. You hated Khushi all your life and you had all the insider information about her whereabouts. And I did not run into you by accident at the bank, Payal. I knew someone would be there to operate the account, imagine my surprise when I found it was you.” Gitu stood over Payal with her arms crossed across her chest.

Payal stood up with a start. NK reached for the gun and held it up.

“No sudden moves, Payal.”

“You guys are crazy, you are all crazy. Why would I do something like that? I can’t believe you will stand there and listen to all the crap they are accusing me of.” She spat at Khushi, who wore a pained expression that bespoke of her years of misery and shame borne as the step sister to her younger siblings. It all made sense now, the animosity, the hatred and rejection. 

"Easy, Payal. We wired your house and have records of your conversations. It took us a while but we found the secret cell phone you used to reach your contacts. The evidence is overwhelming." Gitu added.

“You're gonna let these bastards treat me like shit?" she glared at Khushi, "What can I expect from you bitch! You are the illegitimate kid of a royal, a wastrel, a tramp. I knew it! I knew it all along. You will not hesitate to throw me under the bus the first opportunity you got!” Payal’s rhetoric got wilder as Gitu and NK tackled her down to the floor and handcuffed her wrists behind her to calm her down.

“Leave me alone, you bastards. Bitch, let me go!” she screamed as she was dragged out of the apartment.

The raucous cries filled the hallway outside as Payal protested with every fibre of her body to resist the FBI agents who took her over from NK and Gitu. Her voice died down as the agents disappeared with her into the elevator.

NK and Gitu returned to find Khushi held by ASR. She was weakened under the weight of the final blow of betrayal.

Gitu wanted to comfort her friend. She reach out when to her horror, Khushi shrank back.

“Khushi..I..” Gitu began to appeal before Khushi cut her short.

“There’s nothing left to say, Gitu. Nothing at all.” She pulled away from ASR and spoke with exteme clarity in her voice. “I need some air.”

“Let me drive you guys home.” NK volunteered when ASR stopped him.

“You should have told me.” ASR seethed under clenched teeth.

“You are off the case ASR, I couldn’t have.” NK reasoned.

No more words were spoken. ASR and Khushi knew the road ahead was theirs to pave, together.

*****

ASR’s phone buzzed announcing a new email. He glanced at the sender and topic.

‘Sabres Crypto-analysis of Serial numbers’, senders were Akash and Avni.

ASR knew the work was far from over.

*****

Chapter 21 - Surprise!

Dear Readers

This was a long break on my part. A lot happened in the past couple of weeks that left me a bit unprepared and shocked. My mother in law lost her long battle to cancer and left us on Dec 26th, 2012. I was dealing with a lot in the family and not in a frame of mind to write a chapter. She is in a better place and went peacefully. I was trying to distract myself with other short bursts of activity and today finally found the mental discipline to jot the next chapter down. Thanks for your patience and for staying with me.

SJ

----------------------------------

The knock on the door startled NK. He wasn't expecting any visitors at this hour. He closed the windows on his laptop and shut it. He was surprised to see ASR and Khushi outside the door. A pall sent in his mind as he had a fairly accurate idea of the reasons for their visit. He straightened his face and plastered a smile before he opened the door.

“Hi, you guys! What a pleasant surprise. Hi Khushi!” He looked between them and made a mental note of the grim look on ASR’s face. Khushi smiled but ASR walked in”

“We need to talk.”

“Okay! Come on in Khushi. How about some coffee first?” NK let in Khushi and headed to his small apartment kitchen to start a fresh pot of coffee.

ASR was about interrupt when Khushi shot him a reprimanding look. He decided to hold his horses for a bit longer. Khushi had no idea why they were here. She was simply told they were to meet NK. She decided to help NK with coffee cups and cream.

The two engaged in inane small talk while ASR built a slow burn, unable to hold back his anger any further. When NK brought his cup of coffee, he almost snatched it and set it on the table with a bang.

“Alright, let’s cut to the chase. We have a problem, NK.” He bored at his partner.

“Cool it, man. Whats going on?” NK’s heart was racing while his mind was doing a number thinking of excuses to explain what would be the inevitable question from ASR.

“You moved 150k from Khushi’s account. Why?”

Khushi almost choked on her coffee.

“ASR, sit down and calm down. I can explain.” NK tried to make peace.

“Explain? How can you explain? Its money laundering, fraud. You can have your ass thrown in jail for this travesty.”

“Please, there is a good reason for it. Sit down.” NK was struggling to keep his cool and that drove ASR mad. In a sudden move, he leaned forward and grabbed NK’s collar and spat out, “Don’t you dare do that! I can whoop your ass for good you motherfucker!”

“Hey! Careful now.” Khushi piped in, “Let him explain, ASR. As a matter of fact, I am quite curious too.” She clipped her sentence with short emphatic words, and NK knew he was cornered.

“I did it for Gitu.” He blurted.

Khushi was not ready to believe. Her shocked face alarmed NK and ASR.

“Khushi, don’t panic, let me explain. Gitu needed money urgently. She tried to reach you many times but because you were in protective custody, she couldn’t. She told me that her dad was going through chemotherapy and he did not have medical insurance. The hospital bills were piling up and she didn't know who to turn to.” NK rattled off in quick litany and noted with discomfort that Khushi had tears flowing down her cheeks.

“Khushi, I am sorry. I shouldn’t have let her use my laptop. It is my mistake. But she was so sad about her dad and his condition. I didn’t have that kind of money on me and I was…never mind, its too late now.”

Khushi stood up and simply said, “Gitu’s dad died three years ago.”

NK felt his gut had been punched. “What?”

“Gitu’s dad died three years ago. I was there at his funeral.” Khushi repeated without a tint of emotion.

“Oh my god! No, no, no. This is all wrong. I am so sorry ASR!”  He looked at ASR who was glowering at him and ready to strangle the man. He wanted to punch NK.

Khushi stood up looking gaunt and defeated. 

“You better pray hard you dickhead that your ass is not in jail. I am going to report you.” ASR bit his words

“ASR, I am sorry! Is there anything I can do…Anything, but please, you can’t do this to me.” NK pleaded, unsure if his words would make difference. 

“You bet, I will.” ASR rubbed his temples while Khushi picked her cup and left the room for kitchen. She felt her entire world had been turned upside down once again. Her family had betrayed her, her very best friend embezzled money from her.

Gitu! Why, why did you not tell me? I would have given the world for you. Khushi braced her hands on the edge of kitchen sink and sobbed.

“ASR, please. I beg of you.” NK continued his pleas which were mostly falling on deaf ears. ASR was burning with naked anger from his head to toes. He could not believe his friend would be let his dick do all the thinking and let a chit of girl take advantage of him.

“There is one thing you can do.” ASR deliberated with a calculated move.

“Anything. Just say it.” NK felt a short rush of relief.

“Get me the serial numbers on the Sabres.”

NK’s face drained of color, “I…I “ he hesitated and weighed his options quickly. There were none.

ASR watched him with murderous eyes and NK knew better than to say no. He nodded.

“Fax me the papers by tonite to my home.” ASR finished and headed to the kitchen to take care of Khushi.

*****

Khushi was silent in the car.

“Are you ok?” he asked, patting her head. She turned to him and realized with a touch of relief that he was about the only person who was left in the world who had not lied, cheated or fooled her. But there were a few things she had to do before she could accept him into her life.

“Take me to Gitu’s” she asked. He nodded.

Gitu’s apartment was on the same floor as Khushi’s. Khushi did not like visiting her building, it brought the memories of that unfortunate night back with vivid details. She felt eerily out of place and her senses caught an imagined stench of death as she stepped out of the elevator to her floor. Yet, she had to confront her fears once and for all and find out how many more betrayals she had to face before her life was over. Khushi had no idea the ultimate betrayal she was about to face.

ASR held her by her waist to give her strength and knocked on Gitu’s door. He signaled Khushi to stand away from the peep hole to prevent detection. The door cracked open a bit and a familiar voice asked, "Who is it?"

ASR signaled Khushi to stay silent. The door opened further and a head peeked out to see who was at the door. ASR pushed in while the person behind the door resisted and pushed back. He wedged his foot by the door and with one last force, opened the door completely.

“Payal!” Khushi asked in shock.

“Who’s at the door, Payal?” Gitu walked into the foyer and stopped in her tracks. Her shock was only surpassed by the shocked faces of Khushi and ASR.

“Khushi! What are you doing here?”Payal asked with her usual disdain.

Khushi stepped forward and asked sternly,” That’s what I want to know. What are you doing here?”

“Wait, everyone. I can explain.” Gitu stepped forward.

“Yeah, I’d like to hear that, thank you very much.”ASR scanned the shocked faces of the three women in the room. 

This was quickly devolving into a sleazy soap drama and he did not like it one bit.