Rising Tiger: A Thriller (41)

They stepped outside the restaurant and stood for a moment on the sidewalk, watching all of the Diwali revelers coming and going.

Everyone was smiling, dressed in their absolute best, and joyously making their way from one friend or relative’s house to another. The intensity of the fireworks seemed to have been taken to another level in this part of town.

“You must wish you were back home,” said Harvath, “celebrating with your family.”

“It’s one of our favorite festivals, so I do miss it a little bit, but I also quite enjoy my job. I don’t know what I would do without it. Retirement from the Indian Police Service very quickly began to drive me crazy. I love my wife and I love my children, but not enough to be around them all the time.”

Harvath smiled.

“How about you?” Vijay asked. “Are you married? Any children?”

It was complicated, but he tried anyway to explain. “I was married, briefly. But my wife died.”

“How?”

“She was murdered.”

“I’m sorry,” Vijay replied. “Did they catch who did it?”

“I caught who did it,” Harvath replied, as he looked across the road at nothing in particular. “All of them.”

Somehow, Vijay wasn’t surprised. There was more to the American than he was letting on. “I would ask what happened at trial,” he stated, “but something tells me they never saw the inside of a courtroom, much less a police station.”

Harvath didn’t respond.

“Any kids?” the man asked.

“A beautiful little boy from my wife’s previous marriage. He lives with his grandparents. I was able to spend some time with him over the summer. It was very nice.”

“I think you’d make a good father,” said Vijay.

Harvath looked at him. “Why do you say that?”

“Just a feeling,” he responded. “How about now? Are you seeing anyone?”

“I’m engaged.”

“That’s wonderful. When’s the wedding?”

“We haven’t settled on an exact date,” said Harvath. “Sometime between Christmas and New Year.”

“You should do it here. In Jaipur. In fact, you should do it at our hotel. Were you aware that they will arrange for you to ride in on a beautifully painted elephant? Wouldn’t that be incredible? I’m sure it would be a wedding that none of your guests would ever forget.”

It sounded exotic and quite memorable, but there was no way Harvath and S?lvi were going to be able to fly all the way to India. They had their hands full simply coordinating friends and family in Norway and the United States. “Thank you for the suggestion, Vijay. I don’t know if it will work with our schedule, but I’ll definitely bring it up with my fiancée.”

“Speaking of schedules,” the man replied, “you should also talk to the wedding planner at the hotel. The sooner the better. Winter in Jaipur is very pleasant, and many ceremonies are scheduled during that time.”

“I’ll take it under advisement,” said Harvath, who then changed the subject. “What about that cigar you promised?”

“Yes, yes,” the man stated, removing the bag from his pocket and handing a Cohiba Robusto to Harvath. “Like I said, these were quite expensive. You don’t have to smoke yours now.”

“I feel like I do,” Harvath replied with a grin.

Vijay shook his head, clipped the cap of his cigar, and then handed the cutter to Harvath.

After lighting his Cohiba, he gave Harvath a box of wooden matches so that he could do the same.

Harvath thanked him and the duo stood there for a moment, enjoying their Cubans, before Vijay spoke again. “Based on the DST’s investigation, we know that Mr. Ritter purchased several of the same cigars at the hotel earlier in the day. Leaving the restaurant, alone—as far as anyone can tell—he lit one, turned to his left, and began walking.”

The men headed in that direction as Vijay continued to narrate. “He made it two blocks before he was killed.”

“Did Ritter or the killer get picked up on any security cameras?”

“Yes, they both did. Ritter is seen first. The killer doesn’t show up until about a block down from here. But as you know, no one ever got a look at his face. He’s wearing a helmet with a full visor. And the motorcycle he’s operating was reported stolen a week ago.”

“But it doesn’t appear that he was waiting for Ritter outside the restaurant,” Harvath stated.

“No, it doesn’t appear so,” Vijay replied. “Criminals, however, especially with street crime, work in teams all the time. They ID a potential victim and then one of them functions as a spotter, keeping an eye on their mark and relaying details via cell phone.”

“Have there been a lot of armed robberies committed with a handgun in this area?”

“No. The most recent event involving firearms was a couple of months ago when two men held up the Central Bank of India—about ten minutes from here. In general, this is a relatively quiet district.”

They continued walking, smoking their cigars, until they arrived at the spot where Eli Ritter was murdered.

Police tape still cordoned off the area, and a chalk outline of Ritter’s body could be seen on the sidewalk, along with a large, discolored patch where his blood had seeped in and stained the concrete.