“But we don’t yet know what the inspector’s intentions are,” said Willy. “I’m working on solving this, Danny Boy. Give it a few more days.”

I shook my head. “I’m going back.”

“Stay here, Danny,” said Sushmita. “You’re safe.”

I avoided looking her in the eye and addressed Willy instead, thanking him for his generosity. All I could think of was how much I wanted to get away. From Willy, Chhotu, Harlan, and—yes—even Sushmita. I was a nice boy from Connecticut. What business did I have hobnobbing with drug smugglers and DEA agents?

But I also wondered if I should leave. I hadn’t yet given Harlan my answer. He had no legal leverage over me, but still I felt the pressure to give him the cooperation he’d asked for. What that cooperation might entail, I could only guess. Maybe they’d want me to wear a wire or steal documents. Find out who his associates were.

A new thought occurred to me. I’d be only too happy to hand Chhotu to them on a platter. That might even solve my blackmail problem. But it would also amount to betraying Willy, which I hadn’t yet decided to do.

So, as I thanked Willy and kept my thoughts to myself, I had no idea what my next move would be. I knew I couldn’t tell Sushmita what had prompted my sudden decision to leave, even if she came to my room later that night. And she did.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 1975, 12:06 A.M.

“You’re leaving?” she asked, her eyes pleading with me to change my mind.

“I’ve got to.”

“No, you don’t. What’s happened, Danny?”

“I’m worried about my job. And the sneaking around behind Willy’s back and the blackmail.”

“Don’t worry about Chhotu. I can deal with him.”

“How?”

“Chhotu was willing to keep our secret for a price. I’ll threaten to show Willy the blackmail note.”

“That’s brilliant,” I said. “Except for one problem. We burned it.”

She cocked her lips into a crooked smile. “No, we don’t have it. But Chhotu doesn’t know that. And I can let him believe it’s my insurance forever. A threat of mutual assured destruction.”

“You don’t think he’ll tell Willy about us before you get to him?”

“No, he wants money. And he’s afraid of me. He’ll wait.”

She was smart. And the smarter I found her, the sexier she became. And more dangerous. While I wanted to get away, I also knew it was going to be torture for me to leave her. If her plan worked—and it sounded good to me—then one obstacle would be eliminated. Of course that did nothing to solve my Harlan problem. Should I help him nab Willy? If I didn’t get killed, would it open the door to living happily ever after with Sushmita?