Radhika introduced herself to him. The man smiled at her warmly and asked, ‘How may I help you?’

‘Father, I need to discuss something personal,’ she said, hesitantly, as he guided her to his office.

‘Have a seat, dear,’ he said, briefly touching the Bible as he sat behind his desk. A holy cross was affixed on the wall behind him. The shelf on the right was full of books, plaques and certificates.

‘Father, my name is Radhika Kapoor and I’m from Delhi. I wanted to talk to you about Parth Aggarwal and the accident that happened in 2001,’ she said firmly.

‘The thing is, my dear, I came here only in 2008. Every four years the principal changes. At the time it was Father George, I think. All I know is that the poor boy fell off the hilltop and died.’

He stood up and wiped the fog off the window and pointed towards a hill. ‘That was the hill. It is strictly out of bounds to students now.’

Radhika looked at the now-familiar hilltop from Madhav’s painting and the photograph. It was a beautiful, grassy hilltop, with wild flowers swaying in the breeze.

‘Would you happen to know anyone who could tell me more about the incident?’ she asked.

‘Sister Stella was here during that time. She would remember the case better than anyone else,’ he said. Then, looking straight at her, he asked, ‘Is everything all right, dear?’

Radhika nodded and said, ‘Yes, Father. Everything is fine. Where can I meet Sister Stella?’

‘Sister Stella is old and almost bed-ridden, Radhika. I could give you her address, though. She lives nearby,’ he said.

He handed her a slip of paper with an address on it. ‘I don’t know what you’re looking for, but I hope the Almighty gives you the strength and love to deal with it.’ Father Nelson smiled at Radhika as she got up to leave. A strange energy filled her being and compelled her to keep going until she accomplished what she had set out to do.

Sister Stella lived in Sangudi Village. On the way to her house, Radhika stood by Naini Lake and gazed at the mountains.

She should’ve been tired, but she wasn’t. She checked her phone but there weren’t any texts from Madhav.

She called his mother to ask if she knew where he was. ‘Hello Aunty!’

‘Hello Radhika,’ she said, softly.

‘How’s Madhav?’ she asked.

‘He seems pretty stable. He told us that he quit his job. Mostly remains shut up in his room.’

Radhika was surprised. Madhav hadn’t tried to contact her. She told his mother not to worry and disconnected the call.

She slowly walked down the dusty street, humming old Hindi songs. The sky seemed to have been set aflame and a cold wind whistled through the trees. Realizing that it was getting late, Radhika walked fast towards Sangudi Village. She had tea and toast on the way and asked the owner of the teashop for directions.