The guard watched them approach. Jack arrived slightly before the others. “Hello there, young fellow,” he said. “You having a busy day down here today? We’re going to use this door. My mother is worried about how she looks and doesn’t want to run into any old friends.” Jack kept up the chatter as he tried to keep himself between the guard and Maria as they moved past. The guard made a meager gesture of looking at the others, but that was it. “I’ll see you later,” Jack said, as he backed out of the double doors.

“A piece of cake,” Jack mumbled, as he passed the others to get the van’s rear doors open. The concealed cord holding Maria had been provided with machinations for a quick release, and with a mere pull on one end, her torso came away from the wheelchair. Among the three of them, they got her into the van and the van doors closed.

Arun appeared from around the building.

“Why don’t you drive,” Jack said, flipping the keys to Arun. “You know where you are going.”

The group piled into the vehicle: Arun behind the wheel, Jack in the front, and Laurie and Neil in the second row.

“How about we get the windows down!” Neil said, impressed that the others could be so stoic.

“Let’s not act like we just robbed the bank!” Jack said. “But let’s not dillydally, either. What I mean to say is, let’s get out of here.”

Arun got the van engine going but then stalled the vehicle by not giving it enough gas. Jack rolled his eyes, thinking it was a good thing they hadn’t robbed a bank.

“What’s Jennifer doing today?” Laurie asked Neil. “Did she mind when Jack called you to bring over Maria’s clothes?”

“She was only too happy to have me go,” Neil explained. “I think she’s only now recovering to a degree from her jet lag. She said she thought she might sleep until noon or even longer and that I wasn’t to worry about her. She said if and when she woke up, she thought she’d get some much-needed exercise.”

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

OCTOBER 19, 2007
FRIDAY, 11:05 A.M.
NEW DELHI, INDIA

The oversized key made an oversized sound in the lock when Cal turned it. “We’re never going to be able to sneak up on her.” He laughed back at Durell, who was behind him. He pulled open the door and supported it until he felt Durell could take it from him. “Lock it behind you with the bolt just in case,” he added, as he descended the stairs. At the bottom, he turned and waited for Durell to join him.

“She’s a tigress,” Cal said. “So we have to be careful. She was also stark naked when they brought her, which blew me away.”

“You have my attention,” Durell admitted. “Open the door!”