“Miss Hernandez will be staying in the garage at the back of the grounds. Can I ride with you to show you where it is?”

“For sure,” Sachin said from the front passenger seat. “Hop in the back.”

Cal climbed into the car. “Go straight beyond the house,” he said to Suresh, pointing out through the windshield. As Suresh accelerated, he added, “I have to give you credit. This is a lot faster than I had anticipated. I thought it might take several days at a minimum.”

“We were very lucky. She slept in for us. As a bonus, we brought her very clean.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see in a minute. Do we take the left up here or the right?”

“The left,” Cal said. “The garage is in the middle of that stand of trees.”

A few minutes later, Suresh pulled up to a four-bay stone garage with dormers on the second floor. The place was shut up as tight as a drum.

“It doesn’t look like it has been used in years,” Sachin said. There were foot-high weeds growing in the pebbled area in front of the garage doors.

“I’m sure it hasn’t,” Cal agreed. He brandished an oversized key. “The basement is like a medieval dungeon. Here’s the key.”

“How appropriate. How long do you want your guest to remain here?”

“I’m not sure. It’s really up to her. I will give you a call.”

“It will be easiest at night.”

“I assumed as much,” Cal said.

They all climbed out of the car. Cal went to a stout side door. He used the key. Beyond the door was a stone stairwell. Just inside was an old-fashioned electrical switch with a rotating knob. He turned it, and the lights went on in the stairway. “Let me get the lights on below as well,” Cal said. He hastened down the stairs. At the bottom was a second stout door exactly like the first. It took the same key, and Cal opened it and turned on the inside lights. Behind, Sachin came down the stairs as well.

“What was this used for in Raj times?” Sachin asked.

“No clue.” Cal went to the sink to make sure there was water.

The room had a damp, cool feel and smelled like a root cellar. A few cobwebs hung from the ceiling. There was one large room with a sink, and two smaller bedrooms with cots, covered with thin, bare mattresses. There was also a small bathroom containing an old-fashioned toilet with its water-storage tank six feet in the air. The furniture was made of simple, unfinished wood without embellishments.

“Okay,” Cal said. “Let’s bring her down.”

“There’s a slight problem. She has no clothes except for a couple of bathrobes.”

“How come?” Cal asked.

“She was in the shower when we invited her.”