Page 30 of Into the Gray Zone

The man said, “You’re from America?”

Mr.Chin inwardly chuckled, the man’s English so poor that he couldn’t determine an accent. He said, “Yes, that’s right.”

“Where? I have a cousin who lives in New York. Are you from New York?”

Mr.Chin instantly regretted engaging the man in conversation. He said, “No, no, not New York.”

“Have you been there?”

Mr.Chin pulled out a guidebook and said, “I really want to read before we stop.”

The man nodded and focused on the rock-strewn shore, the eddies of water filled with the flotsam of plastic bottles and other debris. Mr.Chin studied his guidebook, as any normal tourist would, and in so doing, he learned why his contact had chosen Elephanta Island.

He only knew the man as Peanut, and they’d never met in person before. He knew that Peanut was wildly paranoid, as all of D Company were hunted men by the Indian state, and now he saw why he’d chosen this roundabout way to come together.

The island was home to several caves turned into temples for the god Shiva, with intricate carvings dating from the fifth century, but that wasn’t what Mr. Chin noticed. In order to get to the caves, one had to take a ferry, then walk or use the train on a narrow path, then traverse up several thousand steps just to reach the entrance to the site.

It was the perfect choice to prevent anyone from disrupting the meeting, as Peanut could positively own the route, providing early warning. Mr.Chin realized he’d probably been identified entering the ferry, then upon exiting at the dock, and would be eyed his entire route up the stairs. If Peanut saw anything awry, he’d simply disappear.

Chapter19

The train came to rest a short distance from the base of the stairs, and Mr.Chin exited behind his chatty friend. He walked to the broad staircase, seeing both sides flanked by restaurants not yet open for lunch. Looming in front of him was a seemingly endless string of granite stones rising steeply up the side of a small mountain. He paused to get his bearings, noticing the man from the rail car doing the same. Mr.Chin glanced at him, then began climbing the stairs. The man followed, a few feet behind. Mr.Chin stopped at a shop selling trinkets and souvenirs, and the man stopped as well.

This isn’t going to work.

Mr.Chin engaged the stall owner in conversation, hoping the train companion would continue on. They haggled over the price of a stone façade depicting the famous carvings up top. The train man simply took a seat on the stairs, waiting.

Mr.Chin began to believe he worked for Peanut, but it presented a quandary. If he didn’t, Mr.Chin most certainly couldn’t lead him to the meeting site. If he was just a local attempting a clumsy robbery of an unsuspecting tourist, then Mr.Chin would have to deal with him.

He continued up the steps, and the man finally came abreast saying, “Is this your first time here?”

Mr.Chin said, “Yes, it is. And you?”

“No, no. I come here all the time. I like to practice my English with people like you.”

Mr.Chin nodded, and they walked together, the man continuing with small chitchat until they finally reached the top. Mr.Chin was at a loss as to how to lose the guy. He couldn’t outright demand he leave without drawing attention to himself, and he now wished he’d taken the local tour guide up on his offer, only to tell him to screw off at the top after one tour of a cave.

He paid the entrance fee and the man did the same, following him into the historical site, strangely just tagging about two feet away, saying nothing. It was odd, to say the least.

There were five different caves in the complex, but only one was worth the trip—the main cave. It was first on the path, and the reason that everyone came to visit, being large enough to traverse inside, with pools and sculptures in bas relief throughout. His meeting site was at cave five, which was little more than just a jagged hole in the rock, with little to see.

Mr.Chin decided to walk straight to it, leaving his straphanger to the tourists at cave one, hoping he’d find someone else to talk with. Mr.Chin walked briskly down the path, passing caves two through four, then stopped to assess his surroundings. He’d been so involved with the local, he hadn’t thought about his own safety.

The path dropped down a flight of stairs with a toilet facility on the left, a cliff beyond it. He saw two security guards wandering about, but no other tourists. Clearly, this area wasn’t worth the extra effort to see. He waited a bit more, settling into the rhythms of the area, and felt a touch on his elbow.

Startled, he turned and saw the local from the train. He said, “You didn’t want to see the main cave?”

Now aggravated, Mr.Chin said, “Leave me alone. I want to enjoy this by myself.”

The man’s face curled into a smile, like he’d proven something to himself. He said, “Youareby yourself.”

For the first time, Mr.Chin saw a little bit of a predator. A small slice of who the man was. And he knew the local wasn’t practicing his English. Now Mr.Chin had a choice: eliminate this man and go to the meeting, or lead him to the site. If hewaswith Peanut, he couldn’t very well kill him. But if he wasn’t, he most certainly needed to be eliminated.

Mr.Chin eyed the public bathroom and said, “If you insist on walking with me, at least let me go to the restroom by myself.”

He walked down the steps and tipped the cleaning man outside some rupees, saying, “Paper?”

The man unrolled some toilet paper and handed it to him. He went inside, but instead of going to a stall, he went to the corner, waiting. If the interloper was with Peanut, he’d wait outside, as there was nothing to be gleaned by following him in. If he intended something else, then Mr.Chin would be waiting.

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