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Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  4. PART ONE
  5. CHAPTER ONE
  6. CHAPTER TWO
  7. CHAPTER THREE
  8. CHAPTER FOUR
  9. CHAPTER FIVE
  10. CHAPTER SIX
  11. CHAPTER SEVEN
  12. CHAPTER EIGHT
  13. CHAPTER NINE
  14. CHAPTER TEN
  15. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  16. CHAPTER TWELVE
  17. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  18. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  19. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  20. PART TWO
  21. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  23. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  24. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  39. PART THREE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  55. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  60. EPILOGUE
  61. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  62. BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION GUIDE

She frowned. “Normally, yes, Mr. Jacobs. But he asked me to come in to straighten out his expenses. Five months’ worth. I’m working with a jigsaw puzzle here.” She indicated the scattered receipts on her desk.

“Sorry,” I said. “Can I help?”

She flashed one of those skeptical glances my way. “Nothing you can do. And you didn’t mean it besides.”

She sorted a few more receipts then let out a little gasp. “Oh, my … ointment.” She leaned toward me to speak in a conspiratorial whisper. “Mr. Muller says the air here irritates his skin, so he claims this cream as a business expense. But I happen to know it’s some snake oil cure for baldness.”

“It’s not working,” I said.

I returned to my desk and flipped through my predecessor’s Rolodex, weeding out old contacts. Then I perused his notebook, searching for references to Bikas. I could find no other mentions of him. As Onkar settled in to enjoy his tiffin lunch, I sent a brief note to my friend Gary in the New York office. Could he find Eric Nielsen and ask for any information he might have about Bikas?

Janice appeared above me at the telex.

“Okay, I know you’re new here and probably don’t have much of a social life yet. Don’t make me regret this. Would you like to join me and my gentleman friend for dinner at Bombay Gym tonight?”

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SATURDAY, JULY 5, 1975, 7:01 P.M.

Sometimes life smiles on you. Or at least that’s the conclusion we draw when a wish comes true. Never mind if it’s for the best. But I was feeling lucky when Sandip rang my bell and delivered an answer to the note I’d sent up to Sushmita, inviting her—if Willy was still out of station—to join me for dinner at Bombay Gymkhana.

“Really? Bombay Gym?” she wrote. “With those snobs? The food won’t win any awards, but all right. Only because it’s you who’s asking.”

I took a bucket bath—seated on the little wooden stool—then I shaved and cooled myself under the ceiling fan until I was actually dry. There would be no repeat of the sweat fest of Wednesday evening, when she’d laid her head on my shoulder, only to have her cheek stick to my shirt when she tried to lift it again.