The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown by Vaseem Khan Read Free Book Online Page A

him now as an intensely ambitious man, one willing to cut corners when the need arose. For this reason he had never quite thought of Garewal as a friend.
    Finally Garewal lifted his head from his hands and rose to face his visitor.
    My God, what has happened to him? thought Chopra.
    Garewal was wearing the standard uniform of the Indian penal system – white with black chevrons. His eyes were sunken and bruises had swollen his face, which seemed far older than his years. His short, greying hair was dishevelled. Garewal had never kept a moustache but a drunkard’s day-old stubble now darkened his chin.
    Garewal stared at Chopra and then stepped forward to clasp him in a desperate embrace, sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder.
    Eventually the astonished Chopra found his voice. ‘Get ahold of yourself, Garewal,’ he said, perhaps more gruffly than he had intended. ‘What exactly is going on?’
    Garewal stepped back, passing a sleeve across his face.
    â€˜They’ve got me, Chopra. They’ve well and truly got me this time.’
    â€˜Start from the beginning,’ said Chopra. ‘Don’t leave anything out.’
    Garewal nodded, his eyes hollow. ‘It was my own fault. If I hadn’t asked my uncle…’
    Chopra waited. ‘If you hadn’t asked your uncle what?’
    â€˜Six months ago when they made the announcement about the Crown Jewels I knew that whoever got the job would be set for life. The post of in-charge for the security of the jewels, I mean. I knew that if somehow I got it I could write my own ticket afterwards. So I asked my uncle – you know, the one who works for the Chief Minister? – to put in a good word for me. Of course, I promised to pay him one lakh rupees to show my gratitude. And another lakh for the CM, of course.
    â€˜The next thing I knew I was given the assignment. I thought all my Diwalis had come at once. It wasn’t as if I had to do too much thinking myself, you understand. There were all sorts of security experts to advise me. And the CM himself assigned the Force One brigade to the job. All I had to do was sit back and coordinate the operation. It was a dream gig.’
    Garewal turned red-rimmed eyes to Chopra. ‘And now that the whole thing has blown up in my face, they’re blaming me. They’re saying I masterminded the whole show. That I stole the crown and with it the Koh-i-Noor!’
    Chopra took a deep breath. ‘Did you?’
    Garewal’s face was pained. ‘How can you ask me that? On the life of my children, I had nothing to do with it.’
    â€˜Then why do they think you did?’
    â€˜I don’t know. They say I knew all the security procedures and how to get around them. They say I asked for the job. That I’ve been planning this from the very beginning.’ Garewal looked ready to sob. ‘It’s a set-up, Chopra. They need a scapegoat and I am the goat. They’re going to black warrant me for this!’
    â€˜Nonsense. You’re accused of theft, not murder. They can’t black warrant you.’
    â€˜You don’t get it, do you? This is an international scandal. They need to show that they’re doing something. They’ll say I’m the mastermind and then they’ll arrange it so I’m silenced in here. A knife in the back. Or maybe a convenient suicide. They’ll never let me out of here, never. I am a dead man walking. Unless someone finds the real culprit.’
    â€˜What makes you think
they
won’t?’
    â€˜Because they’ve already nailed their colours to the mast. Oh, they’ll
look
all right, but as each day passes the pressure will mount. Sooner or later they’ll quietly drop it and announce to the world that all their enquiries have confirmed I am the one. And then I’m done for.’
    â€˜But if you didn’t do it, they won’t get the crown back by pinning it on you.’
    â€˜But at