“That is correct. You are a man of intelligence. I knew it.”
“Then why the notched ear? It must be because the person in whose tissues these mysterious small articles would be hidden would be unconscious of the fact that they were carrying these articles around. The fact that the ear was slashed to remove the notch would indicate that whoever was doing the collecting wished to avoid the chance of searching in the limbs of the same person twice. I could not figure out why the carrier of the articles was not entirely destroyed after the collection by you, or your organization.”
“I am afraid that was a foolish bit of bravado on my part. I had a childish urge to baffle the local police. A form of egotism, I imagine.”
“I could not imagine a search for notched ears in all of India, so I made the assumption that only those persons who would be likely to return to Calcutta were disfigured.”
“Correct.”
“But what could be hidden in the tissues of persons in a Japanese internment camp which would be collected in Calcutta? What could be the relationship? The only relationship I could imagine was between the Japanese, and their agents in India. But that seemed like a most peculiar arrangement — too unwieldy and full of danger. Then it occurred to me that there was a large group of Indians in Japanese service in Burma — Bose’s Army... the Indian Army of Independence. That made more sense to me. So I imagined a situation where a few of the more important men in Bose’s outfit, say his lieutenants, got together and figured that Japan was on the downgrade. They went to the Japanese and threatened to withdraw their support. The Japanese were worried because they needed the additional Indian troops in the defense of the Arakan sector. So they offered additional riches to these lieutenants.”
“That is an almost exact description of what happened. We felt that the money they offered might mean nothing. If it were to be paid us, it might be removed when and if defeat came, and we would be penniless. We wanted them to send it back to India, where it would be waiting for those of us who returned if the war were lost. But there was no one here we could trust. The situation was deadlocked for about a month, when an obscure officer of the Japanese devised the scheme of turning some of the prisoners into walking banks, for us to collect the funds from when we returned. It sounded most foolish at the time, but it worked. None of them suspected why they were being so mistreated, and then suddenly treated with consideration.”
“Then any small objects of great value could have been used?”
“Correct again. In the flesh of both the right and left arm and leg we could conceal up to a half pound of gems, drugs, platinum. I am one of the two who returned with the details of the plan. I am quickly becoming a wealthy man. The other man who knew the plan died suddenly some weeks ago. Very sad. Those articles which might have set up a bad reaction with the flesh of our walking bank vaults were contained in plastic capsules which resist corrosion. The incisions to bury them were most skillfully made, and of course, the prisoners had so many other wounds that they detected no particular pattern on their own bodies. The items were buried at a sufficient depth that lumps could not be felt.”
“I have never heard of a stranger plan. It’s fantastic.”
“I’m afraid, my dear doctor, that you won’t have the chance to try to make anyone believe you. It is time for you to prepare your thoughts for a short trip to the river. Let me see, you have about two hours. Believe me when I say that I am truly grieved that you must die. You are a brilliant man.”
“There is one small grain of cheer in my dying, however. You will soon join me.”
“What! You are speaking nonsense.”
“I assure you as a man of science that I am speaking nothing but the truth.”
“I fail to understand.”
“I can best explain it this way, by asking you a question. What do people whom you have not seen for two years say to you when you meet again?”
The Indian’s face showed surprise. “Why, they act strange. They find it hard to recognize me. They say I have changed a great deal.”
“Precisely. In the last two years your jaw has grown longer and heavier. Your head has grown in size. Your neck has thickened. In fact all of the bones of your head and shoulders have grown thicker and heavier. They are growing each day.”
“But I have seen doctors about this. It has bothered me. But I am told not to worry. It is nothing.”
“Will it be nothing as your bones steadily thicken? Nothing as your brain is slowly crushed by the expanding bone? As you go insane? As you die in ghastly pain?” Gregory leaned forward.
“You are trying to frighten me! It is not so!”
“Look in your mirror. It is a disease of the glands called acromegaly. I noticed as soon as I saw you that you have an acute form of it. I have worked with it in the states. It is only recently that a cure has been devised.”
“Tell me the cure!”
“And die myself? Don’t be silly.”
“What do you want? Are you trying to trick me?” Stark fear showed in the man’s eyes. He clutched the edge of the desk with his huge hands.
“I am not trying to trick you, and I can promise you one thing. That all of the tortures you could devise will not drag from me one word regarding the cure. I have had experience with pain, and I know that I can resist.”
The Indian looked across into Gregory’s level grey eyes and knew that he was hearing the truth. This determined American would die without giving up a scrap of information that would lead to a cure.
“I will let you die anyway.”
“That’s okay with me, Bud. I will die easier than you will. The sufferings of victims of your disease are horrible to watch. You come out on the dirty end of this deal. The riches you are digging out of these poor joes won’t do you any good.”
“I will visit your country.”
“You won’t have time. Besides, it’s still only experimental. Only I could get you the cure in time to save you.”
There was silence in the office. The Indian drummed nervously on the desk. Then he got up and went over to a mirror. He looked intently into it, rubbing his big hand along the heavy jaw bone. Then he turned back and faced Gregory, desperation in his eyes.
“What are your terms?”
“Come with me to the Calcutta police station.”
“No.”
“Okay, it’s your funeral.”
Ten minutes later pedestrians on Chowringhi Road blinked and stood with their mouths open as a well dressed Indian and a frowzy looking white man wearing only shorts and shoes came hurrying out of an ornate door onto the sidewalk. Gregory could hardly see after the dim lights of the office. He was astonished in that he had unconsciously believed that it was night. The glare of the sun was powerful. They climbed into a bright green taxi, a touring car with two turbaned Sikhs in the front seat. Ten minutes later they entered the main police station.
A. Kahn Haidari did not close his gaping mouth until Gregory had finished his long story. He kept looking first at Gregory and then at the stranger with such a vacant expression that a burble of laughter lay just behind each of Gregory’s words. At last he finished, and the three sat in silence.
“But Gregory, my friend, how will I explain to the...” His voice trailed off in disconsolate confusion. The stranger had been fidgeting throughout the recital. Now he spoke eagerly to Gregory.
“The cure! About the cure! You will fix it with the police so that I can be treated? Soon?”
Gregory smiled slowly and lazily. “Look, old man. You don’t need any cure. Sure you’ve got acromegaly, but it’s only a chronic disease. It stops after a while and just leaves you with an oversize head, hands and feet. In fact, in my country there is a wrestler they call the Angel who has made a fortune out of the weird look he got from having acromegaly. You can relax.”