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Marshall Cavendish International - Mahita Vas

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118 pages

English

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A late-night call leads Uday Aurora to find Lavinia, his beloved daughter, about to meet a gruesome end. Uday wants justice. His son demands vengeance. While the comatose Lavinia's condition deteriorates, Uday learns the identity of the real culprit. Distraught and outraged, Uday must choose between justice and vengeance. What will it take for a supremely decent man to abandon his characteristic morality to protect his family while avenging the brutality against his daughter? Especially when money buys nearly everything. Even absolution.

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Thriller

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Publié par	Marshall Cavendish International
Date de parution	18 juin 2018
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9789814828437
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

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2018 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited
Text Mahita Vas
Published by Marshall Cavendish Editions
An imprint of Marshall Cavendish International

All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Requests for permission should be addressed to the Publisher, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196. Tel: (65) 6213 9300.
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Website: www.marshallcavendish.com/genref
The publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this book, and specifically disclaims any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose, and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
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Marshall Cavendish Corporation. 99 White Plains Road, Tarrytown NY 10591-9001, USA Marshall Cavendish International (Thailand) Co Ltd. 253 Asoke, 12th Floor, Sukhumvit 21 Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand Marshall Cavendish (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Times Subang, Lot 46, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Batu Tiga, 40000
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Marshall Cavendish is a registered trademark of Times Publishing Limited.
National Library Board, Singapore Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Name(s): Vas, Mahita.
Title: It happened on Scrabble Sunday / Mahita Vas.
Description: Singapore : Marshall Cavendish Editions, [2018]
Identifier(s): OCN 1036844133 | eISBN: 978 981 4828 43 7
Subject(s): LCSH: Murder--Fiction. | Revenge--Fiction.
Classification: DDC S823--dc23
Printed in Singapore
For my family - Michael, Lindsay and Claire
Pre-dawn, A Monday in February
Four hours. That s how long I ve been sitting in this room, the intensive care unit at Temasek University Hospital. For four excruciating hours I have been watching my child as she lies hooked up to monitors and a respirator, suspended between life and death.
The nurses whisper, as if in the dead of night spirits might hear them and jinx their patient s chances of recovery. It is generally believed that the hospital is haunted, having been built on the grounds of a massacre site during the Japanese occupation. I haven t been in this room long enough to notice ghosts eavesdropping.
So young, so beautiful, says the older nurse, a matronly Chinese woman. She shakes her head and sighs as she checks the drip. Such a waste.
Maybe she ll make it. We ve seen that happen. I m praying for her, says the younger nurse, a scrawny, dark-skinned woman from Myanmar.
You pray for all your patients? You Christian or Buddhist?
Christian. Ya, I pray for all my patients. Every day, ever since I became a nurse.
But still some die. Or never wake up. Like that, pray for what?
The younger nurse is silent. She takes Lavinia s pulse, murmurs a few words-is it a prayer?-and leaves the room, a look of smugness plastered across her tanned face. She seems sweet-natured and clearly filled with good intentions, but I am curious; the next time she comes in, I m going to ask her about her god, the one that allowed such evil to befall my child.
I was there. I saw it happen. First, Lavinia called for me, Mama! Come, Mama! Help me! but the men were too strong. I could not stop them. Lavinia began to recite the prayer she said at the start and end of every day, ever since she became a Catholic during her first year in university. She repeated the Hail Mary seven times, like a pre-recorded loop. With each repetition, her breathing became more rapid and her voice became more shrill. By the time I managed to push the skinny one away, Lavinia had passed out. Whether there is a god or not, last night I witnessed first-hand the triumph of evil over good.
My beloved Lavinia will wake up soon. She hasn t opened her eyes yet, but whenever I say her name while I hold her hand, I feel a stirring inside. And she still speaks to me. Mischievous child, deliberately confounding the doctors. Open your eyes, say a few words while they re here , I tell her. Then they ll put you on that scale they use to determine your chances of recovery. It will give your father and brothers hope .
She doesn t always respond, but I know she can hear me.
I stand next to her and stroke her face, swollen on the left, her pale skin mottled with shades of deep red and blue, interspersed with patches of black. Pus is seeping through the bandage on her right cheek. My beautiful child. You ll wake up soon. You always loved fairy tales. You ll be the princess who wakes up .

1
The Previous Night
Uday sat up, pushing his hands into the cushions and hitting his heels against the base of the sofa. He blinked for a few seconds before realising he had dozed off. He could not remember the last time anyone had used the land line. It was probably a wrong number. The ringtone had to be changed; Lavinia had chosen a classical piece from when she was learning to play the violin. It was a piercing sound and bore no relation to Pachelbel s Canon , but Lavinia, eight at the time, had been insistent. Uday recognised the number.
Lavi, I ve been so worried! Uday heard background sounds and breathing. Lavi? Are you okay? Hello? Hello? Uday grabbed the remote control and switched off the television as he pressed the cordless phone against his ear.
What did you say? Who are you? Is this some sick joke? Trembling, Uday searched for a pen and paper. He repeated the address as he scribbled it on the thin, white paper. He glanced at his watch. Nearly eleven. I ll be there right away.
Ashwin and Sayana sprinted to Uday s flat as soon as they received Uday s Whatsapp message. As they walked into their father s bedroom, they saw him zipping up a sports bag.
Uday threw his keys towards Sayana. Get the car and meet me in the driveway. As Sayana rushed out of the room, Uday reached into his pocket and handed Ashwin a crushed piece of paper. Tell Sayana to plug this address into the GPS. Go!
Uday opened the safe to see if there was anything left in there. He slammed the door shut, grabbed the sports bag and left without locking the empty safe.
Ashwin got out of the back seat to open the front door for his father but Uday insisted on Ashwin sitting in front with Sayana. The brothers had bickered all evening. Lifting his bag, he said, I d like to go through these things. Just sit with your brother, please. It seemed like a reasonable excuse and Ashwin obliged. The two boys could transform into imbeciles at the slightest provocation, but he knew that in times of trouble he could trust them to look out for one another.
What s in that bag, Dad? What s going on? Ashwin held the seat belt away from him, to prevent it from cutting into his neck as he turned to face his father.
They have Lavi. She s been hurt and is being held hostage-
Sayana slowed down. Hostage? By whom? Why?
Keep going Sayana! We don t have much time.
We should call the police.
No! We won t involve the police. The fellow who called promised she ll be okay and warned against calling the police. His English was terrible, but I understood this much. Someone wanted her dead, but he saved her. Didn t claim to be a hero or anything. Just said he saved her and she ll be okay. Any sign of the cops and she may not be she definitely won t ... be okay.
Uday removed the leather jewellery case from his bag and opened it with a loud click. He removed the diamond bracelet from a deep, narrow, velvet-lined slot.
Aren t those Mama s jewels? The diamonds you said would go to Lavinia when she gets married?
Uday put the bracelet back into the box and moved it away from him. Yes. There is something vulgar about using these diamonds to buy our Lavi s freedom. Uday glanced at the box in the dark.
How much did they ask for?
Sounded like it was just one man. He asked for a million ringgit-
Ashwin gasped. He s Malaysian! I hope they haven t taken Lavi to Malaysia.
Sayana used his know-it-all voice to reassure them. Not that easy these days. The officers on both sides of the causeway seem to be on perpetually high alert, thank goodness.
Uday continued, I told him that this late at night no one can get hold of that kind of money-I think it s about three hundred and fifty thousand dollars these days. He then said to bring whatever I had, but he wanted nothing less than a hundred thousand dollars. Cash, watches, jewellery. He said all rich people have at least this much at home, and I shot back that this wasn t Malaysia where rich people hid their dirty money in vaults.
Ashwin thrust his chin towards the bag. Do you have that much in there, Dad? It s ransom. He s not saving Lavi. He s selling her life!
I don t think she was just kidnapped for ransom. This fellow, he he said Uday sucked in enough air to bloat his face before releasing a loud exhalation filled with fear and anger. He said he was paid to kill her but will release her alive if I pay him. He needs the money to start a new life in Malaysia. Uday looked at his watch, a Rolex Daytona with a rose gold bezel and a patented black bracelet. He looked out of the window as he unclasped the bracelet and slid the watch off his hand.
Dad, you have at least ten other watches. Why part with your favourite? And it s just months old!
My favourite is also my most expensive, and means nothing in exchange for my darling daughter.
Uday opened the velvet jewellery box and selected a few pieces-a heavy gold necklace, bought for Julie when they first moved to Singapore; a sapphire and diamond bracelet, a gift for Julie when Lavinia was born; and a pair of earrings, flawless diamond solitaires in D colour, at least two ca