Rising Tiger: A Thriller (20)

Asha nodded and Raj pushed PLAY.

She had heard about the horrible, barbaric attack in the Himalayas. Everyone in India had. But right now, seeing it play out on-screen, she was at an utter loss for words. The brutality of it all was beyond description.

The footage had been edited down, but it was apparent that the vicious, hand-to-hand combat had raged for hours. She had never seen anything like it. The Snow Warriors had fought with exceptional valor and, in her estimation, were all deserving of medals.

“Wait,” she said as the footage fuzzed out and went to black. “What happened there?”

“We believe the Chinese engaged some sort of microwave weapon to cover their retreat.”

“Why do you think that?”

“The Ladakh Scouts,” Raj answered, “complained of vomiting and being boiled alive from the inside out.”

“Which, if it was microwave energy, probably would have also knocked out the drone.”

“Precisely.”

“Is there any other footage?” Asha asked.

“Only of the aftermath,” Raj answered, advancing to the next slide and playing a new video.

This footage had been captured by a video camera or a cell phone camera. It was daylight, and the full, horrific toll of the battle could be seen. The rocky, bloodstained ground. The dead bodies. The terribly injured. All of it.

“So what does this have to do with why I’m here?”

Raj gestured for her to be patient and advanced to his next slide. “This is American diplomat Eli Ritter.”

Asha studied the photograph on the screen. “He doesn’t look like any diplomat I’ve ever seen.”

“That’s because he’s not like any diplomat you’ve ever seen,” Gupta explained.

“I don’t understand. What kind is he?”

“He was involved in a form of shadow diplomacy, similar to intelligence operatives doing business without official cover.”

“What happened to him?”

“This,” said Raj, clicking to his next set of slides. “These are from last night in Jaipur.”

Asha stared at each of the crime scene and autopsy photos as they slowly scrolled by.

“It was a .22 round,” Raj continued. “We believe subsonic. No one heard or saw anything. The weapon was probably suppressed and, based on the evidence, was pressed right up behind his ear when it was fired.”

“A suppressed .22?” she said. “Right behind the ear? That’s a mafia-style killing.”

“Agreed,” Gupta responded.

“What was this American shadow diplomat doing in Jaipur, and what does it have to do with the Chinese attacking our troops at the Galwan River?”

“In answer to the first part of your question, Ritter was here pursuing a military alignment,” said Raj.

“What kind of military alignment?”

“Before I go any further, I want to remind you that despite the severance document you signed just over an hour ago, you still remain bound by all of your previous national security nondisclosure agreements.”

“So stipulated,” Asha stated.

“To counter China, the Americans are working to create an Asian version of NATO,” explained Gupta. “The founding nations would include the United States, Japan, Australia, and India.”

She couldn’t believe her ears. “The Chinese would go ballistic over something like that—maybe even literally.”

“Which is exactly why all of the diplomacy was being handled in the shadows.”

Suddenly all of the pieces in her brain tumbled into place. “You think the Chinese killed Ritter.”

“We do,” said Gupta. “We just can’t prove it yet.”

“What happens when you can?”

“That’s a decision that gets made at desks much bigger than ours.”

“There’s also another, very serious development that has taken place,” interjected Raj, bringing the focus back to his PowerPoint. He advanced to the next slide. “Two hours ago, a military transport helicopter crashed in Coonoor.”

Asha held members of the Indian Armed Forces in very high esteem. She knew the critical role they played in the country’s survival. Any loss of personnel, for any reason, was tragic. “That’s terrible. I saw something about it on my way here. But the reports didn’t identify the aircraft as military.”

“Because the press doesn’t know—at least not yet. For the time being, all of the details, including the manifest, are being withheld.”

“Including the manifest? Who was on board?”

“General Mehra,” said Raj, breaking the news.

“The chief of Defense Staff?” Asha asked. “That General Mehra?”

Both men nodded.

“Do we have any reason to believe the crash was deliberate?”

“We do,” Gupta replied. “General Mehra, who is close to the prime minister, was very much in favor of the U.S. proposal. He and several members of the senior staff were en route to the Defense Services Staff College, where they were going to be discussing it with colleagues, when the helicopter went down.”

“Do you have any direct proof of sabotage?”

“Not at this moment,” Raj responded. “That’s why I’m sending you to investigate.”