Marlow and Krish · The Cartographer's Daughter · Pulse Beat
She wrote to the shipping company as a courtesy, and the reply came in two days. Dear Miss Varma. We are sorry for your loss. Your father was a respected professional. We should be grateful to…
She wrote to the shipping company as a courtesy, and the reply came in two days.
Dear Miss Varma. We are sorry for your loss. Your father was a respected professional. We should be grateful to receive the chart of Maravanthe, for which a substantial payment was made, at your earliest convenience. We would be willing to make a further offer for his working papers.
It was signed by a Mr Rajiv Krish, Director of Marine Operations. A telephone number followed.
She did not call. She read the letter four times, and then went through her father's accounts on the drawing table with a pencil. He had been paid in March a sum that would have settled all his debts. He had not touched it. It sat in the bank account untouched, as though it burned.
He knew, she thought. He took their money and then found the reef, and he could not deliver the chart they wanted.
The phone rang while she was thinking. Mr Krish, himself, in a smooth, warm voice. "Miss Varma. I thought I would call. May we meet?"