A few days later Shyamal and Rita were accompanied to the caves by Sangey. They had come via Namche of South Sikkim. The route was less difficult than one via Manebhanjan and the part they had to go on foot was a gentle climb down of about six kilometers. Rita in a deep blue sari looked gorgeous. She greeted Nil ebulliently and Doma devoured her with burning eyes.
Nil said to Shyamal, ‘I’m really befuddled and can’t understand anything. Will you please explain the reason of your mystic visit?’
‘It’s a long story. We are tired now and hungry too. I’ll disclose everything after lunch and some rest.’
Sangey led them to the dining enclave. Doma looked gloomy and started casting occasional hateful glances at Rita. ‘She must be aggrieved and jealous about Rita’, Nil thought and taking Doma aside said,
‘believe me, there had never been anything between me and this lady.’
‘But her looks tell some different story.’
‘It’s a mistake on your part. Plains people are different from hill people and they are crooked. You cannot understand their intentions from their outward behavior. Most of the aristocrat ladies behave this way as though she has fallen in love with the person she is talking with.’
‘Still my instinct hints me she has something about you in her mind., although I believed you are innocent. So be cautious about this lady. Moreover, I can’t understand what purpose they have come here for? Do you know anything?’
‘Me too is completely in the dark. But my friend assured me he would disclose everything after lunch and some rest.’
‘Okay let’s wait till then.’
There was more surprise stored for them. Shyamal and Rita slept for about an hour after lunch. Thereafter they were summoned by Samten to his cave. Nil, Doma and Sangey too congregated in the cave. All of them assembled around Shyamal and Samten. Shyamal was going to start his story but he was interrupted by the sudden entrance of Namsell which startled both Nil and Doma. Namsell saluted Shyamal and said,
‘Everything okay sir.’
He turned around and greeted Nil and Doma with a naughty smile. Nil was now completely flummoxed. Looking at his bewildered countenance, Shyamal smiled and said,
‘it’s quite natural for you to be befuddled. Namsell is an inspector of Sikkim secret service.’
‘Then you and Mrs. Sen?’
‘We are both in secret service from the IPS (Indian Police Service) cadre. My job at the agro-corporation was a lie and Mrs. Sen’s job at Mitra’s office is a special arrangement for cover to facilitate our investigations.’
‘Sir, everything is okay and in accordance with your directions. All the escape routes have been blocked by police and commandoes. Now we are waiting for your signal to initiate Operation Tantric’, Namsell interrupted.
‘Go back to the spot and wait for my final signal’
Namsel left and Shyamal resumed his story.
‘A few years ago Nepal police sought help of Indian police regarding disappearance of children from villages adjacent to India. They suspected that the child lifters sneaked from India to Nepal and after the mischief escaped to Indian territories beyond the jurisdiction of Nepal police. I was then entrusted with the task of investigating the matter. Mrs. Sen was appointed my chief assistant. I soon learnt from informers in the hills that a tantric from Tarapith had settled at the summit of a hill and was engaged in esoteric tantra practices. My doubt immediately fell on the tantric and I suspected human sacrifice. There was an educational institute in the hills run by Mr. Mitra who had at first joined the West Bengal Police as a Deputy Superintend of Police but resigned to look after his family business after his father’s death. I contacted him and sought his help and he accepted my proposal to accept Mrs. Sen as an employee to give her cover while investigating the mischief. This cover gave her opportunity to gather important information through the institution of their firm in the hills. She soon informed me of Inspector Namsell of the Sikkim Secret Service.’
‘He looks like a rustic Bhutia!’ Nil uttered in surprise.
‘Yes and this is his advantage. His father is a rich businessman, a transport operator at Sikkim and Darjeeling. Namsell graduated from Darjeeling Govt. college and thereafter joined Sikkim secret service. Anyway, I contacted Namsell. He accepted my offer very enthusiastically. His family had a tantric tradition and so he was entrusted with the task of collecting full information about the activities of the tantric under the guise of a disciple. I knew fully well that it would not be judicious to undertake searching in the tantric’s den simply on guesswork. If he is proved innocent, there would be religious reaction and the govt. would take punitive actions against us for hurting religious sentiments of common people without any reason.
In the meantime my wife gave an important information that her guru knew the tantric in the hills and the account of her guru substantiated my view that the tantric was connected with the child lifting mischief.’
‘Then it is you who had directed Namsell to trail me!’ Nil said and laughed.
Everybody except the grave Samten joined the laughter.
‘Mr. Banerjee you’d panicked Nil to hell!’ Rita’s sharp giggle filled the entire cave and Doma glanced at her with burning eyes.
‘You’re absolutely right’, Shyamal continued, ‘I’ll come to it soon but let me first relate what happened to Namsell’s investigations. He tried his best but was not permitted to meet the tantric under the ruse that he was a Buddhist. So we had no way to learn what was going on inside the tantric’s den. Then like a gift from heaven I came upon Nil after a long time and learnt that he was going to assist the Lepchas to resolve their problem in which the tantric had some hand for sure. I had no idea about his divine power and was therefore concerned about his safety. So I directed Namsell to remain close to Nil ever since he had reached New Jalpaiguri. His guess was correct. The Bhutia he’d come upon at various places was none but Namsell.’
Shyamal paused for a while and asked for a glass of water. Samten called an attendant and asked him for water and also to prepare spice tea for all of them.
‘Has Sangey too something to do with the police?’ Nil asked.
‘No Mr. Roy I’m still a journalist’, Sangey said with an affable smile.
Nil turned toward Rita and said, ‘surprise! When did you join the IPS?’
Rita swung her body voluptuously and said, ‘one year after your resignation the president of the governing body of the college humiliated me over a trifling mistake and I immediately resigned. You know what a nasty person he is. He poses to be an academician but he does not have the minimum sense of etiquette. After resignation I decided to appear at the IPS examination and I came out successful. Mr. Banerjee, although younger in age than me, had joined the IPS much earlier and he is a senior officer.’
Doma looked utterly chagrined and said glumly, ‘I’ve nothing to do here until Mr. Banerjee resumes his story. Let me go and look after tea.’
Doma left like an angry teenage girl and this sent Nil out of wits. He could no longer continue conversation with Rita with ease. Rita too became gloomy and silent. ‘It is very difficult to understand the female mind’, Nil thought. He realized that he would never be able to alley Doma’s jealousy and hatred for Rita.
After tea Shyamal resumed his narration, ‘I’d earlier talked with Namsell and asked him to find some alternative to collect information about the tantric’s activities in the hills. He informed me that the tantric had supernatural power and feared by local people. This was the reason he failed to find an informer from among the local people. The guru of my wife also subscribed to the belief about mystic power of the tantric. Now learning about Nil, Namsell collected information from the Lepcha village and assured me that he was the right person to nullify the power of the tantric. Namsell had already heard about the divine power of the Lepcha girl. He got confirmed about Nil’s divine power when he noticed the trident mark on his forehead at their
first encounter at New Jalpaiguri. I myself had little faith in these. But still I had the hunch that with Nil’s help alone I’d be able to resolve the tantric mystery. So I directed Namsell to assist Nil and the Lepcha girl by all possible means. Now the tantric is almost in our hands. But we are to wait and see. There’s many a slip between the cup and the lip.’
‘But what makes you so confident about the mischief of the tantric?’ Nil queried
‘The urgent message from Namsell had confirmed me. Following your track he too had discovered the dumping ground for skulls and human skeletons. Moreover, when the tantric conversed with you before your final showdown Namsell recorded the conversation and also video-photographed your encounter by remote control device and this would be our evidence in the law court.’
Shyamal laughed and everybody joined him and Samten got busy making arrangements for the night stay of Shyamal and Rita. The attendant informed that dinner was ready.