Sameer

When the phone rang I had a premonition. It was Xavier and in his terse way he informed meexactly where Tanya was: the name of the village, the one roomed decrepit lodging with a verandarunning along the front and how to get there. He didn't wait to hear me thank him but disconnectedimmediately.

The place wasn't far - a couple of hours drive. I wrapped some cheese sandwiches in foil, tooka flask of coffee and was on my way. I got there in two hours and found the room easily. There was avillager with sweat staining his underarm standing watching my progress up the path to the house; hehad both hands on his hips and a cocky expression.

"There no one here." he said sharply and a bit accusingly.

Where did they go? I asked

"I don't know." He looked sullen, "they not paid my rent. Who going to pay rent?" he askedbelligerently. "I seeing them go at 6 o'clock. They go in taxi not paying me. I know'd I should askedfor advance rent...they don't look right to me. I think they was not married, they said they was. Healways squeezing her bottom - married chaps don't do that. My father kill me if I don't have rent."How much is it?

"You going to pay? You related to them?"

Just tell me how much it is?

"Well they was going to stay just for short days, the rent higher. It's always higher for littledays - you ask anybody. Had them stayed for a month or more I charge them the normal rent 12 Rupeesa day. And I telled them that it be 15 Rupees daily and they is agreed. How I to know they go away notpay me? Could be plan they made in mind- to go not paying me? So if I said 17 Rupees they mustagreed as they plan to run without paying ...."

Look, just tell me how much rent they owe you, how many days were they here?"They here three days, but I can give you rebate if you going to pay me for all three days. I'llgive you rebate one Rupee a day... there! So you can take three rupees from forty-five and give meforty-two. I think that reasonable. But you want more, you speak to my father...."I slapped a fifty rupee note in his hand and told him to keep the change and walked awayquickly before he had time to blink an eye or close his wide open mouth.Tanya had disappeared again. I spent the night in a cockroach infested hole and left early nextmorning. The retainer I was due to give Xavier was only to facilitate location of Tanya, and had shestayed put for another day I would have met her and learnt the story about the bank heist.#

When Mandeep and Tanya reached the Dakbungalow early that morning where her parentswere staying, they found it locked and abandoned. They went around the back to check with thechowkidar, but his accommodation was chained and locked. He had probably gone to the market.Unknown to them they were being watched by a plain-clothed Police look-out who reportedtheir eventual arrival back to the police Station. When they left, their taxi was intercepted by a policejeep and they were taken into custody. After a day-long interrogation where they stuck to their storythat they were never in any bank or any other kind of robbery, they were remanded to Police custodyand later sent to a neighboring town which had proper Police lock-up facilities. They would beinterrogated in all seriousness the next day, maybe the next few days until they broke downThey were bundled into an armored van and sent off on the two hour long drive. The driver wasthe only Police personnel and doubled up as the security guard as well. He was properly insulated fromthe prisoners' section by thick expanded metal mesh. It was late afternoon and the sun was slanting intothe cabin making the drive uncomfortable and tiring. Heavy commercial truck traffic had slowed themappreciably and the going was mentally and physically taxing.

"Would you kids like a cup of tea?"

"Sure would appreciate it" they replied

"Okay, we'll halt at the next roadside tea place."

Tanya leaned towards Mandeep and whispered urgently. "Look, when we stop and I get achance, I will do something. Don't say anything and don't ask me anything. It will free us and we willquickly have to make our get-away. Just don't question me...just follow what I say."Mandeep was intrigued and unbelieving. What possibly could a chit of a girl do to free them?Strip naked and dance...? He couldn't see how that would free them. What, in tarnation else could agirl do? Well, he would wait and see. They were in custody already; it could hardly get any worse.The driver eventually pulled off the road behind a long line of parked trucks and switched off.He sighed heavily and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his face and rubbed his neck. Hespoke through the small grill mesh communicating window: "We are in queue and will have to waitour turn for tea. You guys not in a hurry are you?" And he laughed at his joke. He lumbered out of thetruck and headed for the Dhaba. "Wait for me...don't go anywhere." And once again he laughed at hisjoke slapping his thighs in merriment.

Tanya motioned for Mandeep to keep quiet. She shut her eyes and concentrated hard. Herbreathing increased in rapidity and she felt her body tingling with static. Mandeep looked onmesmerized. Tanya slowly raised both arms and threw out her fingers pointing directly at the lockedsteel door.

There was a blue flash and a streak of jagged electrical energy hit the bolt on the door. Thedoors burst open with a hissing explosion and rocked back on their hinges."Get out quick!" shouted Tanya.

Mandeep dived out head first landing in the dirt and had the wind blown out of him. Tanyaleapt out and fell on top of Mandeep winding him again. They recovered quickly and ran into the bushskirting the road. It was a good twenty minutes later that the Police driver discovered the van's reardoors hanging askew on their hinges. By then Mandeep and Tanya were riding atop a coal truck andexiting the scene at great speed.

"How did you do that?" Mandeep asked with unmitigated awe.

"I'll tell you one day, if you are a good boy."