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Aziz screamed out something to Ravi who was just behind them. Then they turned left into a much wider road. There was less traffic here, and looking back at the Land Rover, Judith saw it gaining ground by the second. This was a disaster! It would be on top of them at any moment! When she heard the first crack, Judith didn’t immediately realise what it was. Then, as Ravi and Aziz wove crazily from side to side, she knew. She couldn’t bear to look back. The firing came closer. She felt a bullet searing straight past her cheek.
Then the two scooters had swung a savage right down an alley which seemed impossibly narrow – too narrow for a Land Rover. Horns pressed firmly down, they plunged into the darkness at a crazy speed. Behind them there were screams of rage, and an intense volley of firing. Bullets ricocheted off the walls, blasted glass and splintered doors. Judith felt several more rounds whining past her, and felt a tug at her jeans. Ravi and Aziz were still zig-zagging from side to side, as the few other people in the alley cowered in entrances or behind dustbins.
As every moment passed, the firing grew more distant. Pursuing them on foot, the guards had been hopelessly outmanoevred. Then behind her, Judith heard Chris cry out. Looking round, she saw him clutch his side. Something was falling to the ground. Ravi and Aziz kept on ploughing up the alley, before roaring through an open barn and, miraculously, out into a main street.
It seemed they had left their pursuers behind. But they rode on at high speed for several more blocks before turning again into a side street and, finally, dodging into someone’s back yard. Judith was immediately off her scooter and over beside Chris. She didn’t have to ask what had happened; he was clutching his right side. A large patch of his shirt was already dark and wet with blood.
‘My money belt!’ His face was contorted with pain.
‘Fuck the money belt.’ Judith looked over at Ravi. ‘We need a hospital.’
‘No,’ Chris winced, ‘too easy for them.’
‘Well, we can’t have you dying of blood loss—’
‘Red Cross?’ said Aziz. ‘There is a clinic’
‘Can they deal with bullets?’
‘Yes. They have doctors,’ Ravi confirmed, looking anxiously at Chris. ‘Not too far.’
‘Let’s go.’
Ellen cleared her desk of all her academic papers, placed a blank pad of paper in front of her and, at the top of the page, in the neat, copperplate handwriting she’d learned almost sixty years ago, wrote ‘Starwear Prize – speech.’
She’d set aside the next hour to prepare the speech which Claude had told her should last no longer than five minutes, maximum. Successful public speaking was, she knew, ninety per cent preparation. And she was determined to use her five minutes at the podium to maximum effect. She was, of course, quite used to standing up in front of people and talking at length – she’d been lecturing since her late twenties. But the GlobeWatch Awards Ceremony was a rather different environment. And of special importance to her were all the VIPs who’d be there. It would be a high-profile evening, and apart from GlobeWatch’s own Executive Council – which constituted many of the most influential not-for-profit organisations in Britain – there would also be major corporate donors and captains of industry, plus public relations agencies whose blue-chip client lists spanned most global businesses. And, of course, the media. Television cameras from all major and satellite TV networks would be there, providing feeds right around the world. Reporters from all the national and international press would take up a tranche of seats. While the event was unlikely to make prime-time news, Claude had assured her that because GlobeWatch’s award scheme was the first of its kind in global industrial relations, the ceremony would be used in business news broadcasts right around the world. Edited highlights meant that the words she chose would probably be seen and heard by tens of millions of people. She would choose them with care.
Focusing her thoughts on Starwear, she inevitably remembered Nathan, and the last time they’d met – such a stimulating discussion about new trends in corporate citizenship! Dear man. She was doing this for him, also, she told herself. Too late, alas, for him to witness in person. But it was a recognition of his values, which had become the values of his company. Claude had had some literature on Starwear sent over to her – she’d never realised just how much good the company was doing in some of the world’s poorest countries. Quite apart from employment, which was the greatest gift of all, Starwear was providing housing, and schools, and putting money into clinics. Starwear was, in many ways, a model company, she thought, and other big businesses would do well to emulate it. She thought she’d make that the key message of her speech.
23
The moment they had arrived at the Red Cross hospital, Chris had gone straight into Casualty. There they found that he’d lost over a pint of blood, but was only suffering a flesh wound. Another inch to the left, the American doctor told them seriously, and the bullet would have punctured his kidney. A nurse had stitched and bandaged him, and given him instructions to take it easy. He and Judith had exchanged glances. Take it easy. Yeah. Right.
His original plan had been to get Judith out to Delhi airport and back on a home-bound plane as soon as he made contact with her. Now, of course, that was out of the question – their pursuers would be on the lookout. Outside the Red Cross hospital they had quickly discussed new arrangements with Ravi and Aziz before deciding to drive to Bombay. It was seven hours away and, they reckoned, the airport there was unlikely to be covered. Ravi knew someone who could drive them. Judith had the cash.
That had been over seven hours ago and now, as they saw the first signposts for the airport, Chris felt a certain relief. Looking at Judith, he squeezed her hand. They’d already discussed what they’d do when they got there. It wasn’t something Chris was looking forward to. They both had passports, but no money. Chris had lost all his cash and credit cards with his money belt. All the money Judith had would be spent on this car trip. Judith did have a credit card – but it had less than £100 credit on it. Not enough for two one-way tickets out of Bombay.
They’d gone through the options. All they needed was someone at the end of a phone with a credit card – which included just about any of their family or friends. But in the back of the car, still scarcely able to believe what they’d just been through, Chris had said to Judith, ‘You know, whichever way I look at it, he’s got to be told.’
Told?’
‘Mike. About what’s happening – Kate Taylor, Merlin de Vere. Now you and me. Someone’s got to tell him.’
Judith regarded him carefully. ‘And what would you expect him to do then?’
‘Call in the police, for starters. Fire North. Resign Starwear – which he’s planning to do anyway.’ Chris’s expression was serious. ‘Mike can’t afford to have Lombard associated with …’ he gestured generally, ‘all of this.’
Judith glanced away and thought for a moment before saying, ‘I don’t know. It’s high risk.’
‘You mean, his phone being tapped?’
She shook her head. ‘No. I mean, do you really trust him?’
‘Trust Mike?’ He shook his head, with a smile of disbelief that she was even asking. ‘That’s not even a question. I mean, I know you’re suspicious of PR people, but if you’d met him …’
‘I just don’t think we should be taking any more chances.’
Looking across th
