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rhe speaker after thel'had beenon the door for three hours. Theye cold chisel on the lock first, but

b.r.i iooked like brorvn rvood from aarvay was in fact some kind ofmetal, and although it rumedwhite

the bhc{e and rang l-ike a sharp tem-the door dicln't give. Then thry hadto thc lintels with tools borrorved

;1 r(i'Jd cretv, but even rvhen the roadtook ovcr, wieiding the sledgeham-rvith long, expert nrings and huffingrhe c()ncrete bounced their blows

and tl-re Sony speaker next toiaughed at them. "You're behindGaitonde crackled.I'm not getting in, you're not get-Sartaj said.I cen't hear you."stepped up to the door. The build-a precise cube, lvhite rvith green

on a square plot of land in Kai-which was on the sdll-develop-edge of Zone 13. Here, amongmachinerl'groping at swamp,

out talther and wider, In-S-artaj Singh had come to arrestGenesh Gaitonde, gangster, donrvilv and eiernal survi?oilong are you going to stav in

Gaitonde?" Sartaj said, craning hisup. The deep, round video eye of the

above the door srvivelled from sideand then setded on him.

that fucking Sardar inspector,"said.1 am," Sadqi said. There wereSikh commissioners on the force, but

-o_nty S_ ttt_i$g9ctor in thecitl ina ao was -niea to beingby his turban and beard. He was

fbr the cut of his pants, whichtailored ^tavery film-starrybou-in Bandra, and also for his pro61e,had once been featured by Modern

magazine in "The Ciqv's Best-

FICTIONETERNAL DON

Has Inspector Sartaj Singh-the silky Sikh nnd Munbai\' fnesi-mZt his match'at last?BY VIKRAM CHANDRA

Looking Bachelors." His assistant,Katekar, on the other hand, had a largepaunch that sat on toP of his belt like aiuitcase, and a perfectly square face andvery thick hands. Katekar was a seniorconstable, and an old colleague, and norvhe came around the corner of the build-ing and stood wide-legged, with his handsin his pockets. He shook his head.'Where are vou going, Srrdarji?" Gai-tonde said.

'Just some things I have to take care ot,"Sartaj said. He and Katekar rvdked to thecomer together, and norv Sartaj could see theladder thev had going up to the ventilator."That's not a ventilator," Katekar said'"It onlv looks like one. There's just concretebehind it. \\'hat the heli is this place, sir?""I don't knorv," Sartaj said. It rvassomehorv deeplr'satisfi'ing that even Ka-tekar, Ilumbai native and practitioner ofa ven' superior Bhuleshwar-bred cy'n-icism, rvas startleci by an impregnablewhite cube suddenlv grown in Kailash-pada, w'ith a black srvivel-mounted Sonyvideo camera above the door. "I don'tknow. And he sounds very strange' youknc'rv. Isn't he supposed to be;ery polite?"'Yes, like a congicssman who wants a\,'ote from vou," Katekar said. &iitglikean g_il ma,ssage'el'en with constables.""I've never met him. You?""No, but that's what eve{yone says.Never heard of him being rude to poLice."'Today he must not want an1'thing,"Sartaj said."But what's he doing here, in Kailash-pada ofall places?"

Sartaj nodded. The Gaitonde they hadread about in police reports and in thenewspapers lolled in the stands duringSharjah cricket matches with bejewelledstarlets, he bankrolled politicians andbought them and sold them, his dailYskim from Bombays various dau.k dhan-daswas said to be greater than annual cor-porate incomes, and his name was used tofrighten the recalcitrant. Gaitonde Bhai

said so, you said, and the srubborn sawreason, and all roads .'vere smoothed, andthere lvas peace. But he had been on therun for many months, on the Indonesiancoast in a yacht, it was rumored, far butonlv a phone call arval'. Which meant thathe might as lveli have been next door, oras it turned out, amazingly enough, indusry Kailashpada. The tipoff had comefrom an anonrmous mirle','oice on Sanaj'sdirect line rt the station, bringir-rg them toKailashpada in a h'.rsn'cirrtvan bristling*'ith rifles. "I don't knorv," Sartej said."But norv that he's here, he's ours.""He's a prize, r'es, sir," Katekar srid.He had that denseh'snobbish look he al-rvars assumed rvhen he thought Sirnaj lvasbeing naive. "But you're sure you tvvant tomake him yours?""He's already mine, only he doesn't knorvit," Sartaj said, tuming to rvalkback towardthe door. "All right. Cut offhis porver.""Hey, Sardarji," Gaitorrde boomedover ihe speaker. 'You lvere the one rvhoI urkaa e d IVlahinder Mathu's i*q_L_"There rvas a strange rolling richness abouthis voice, even over the tinny speaker."I did," Sartaj said. "Friend of yours?""Not exacdy," Gaitonde said. "Butwhythe hell did you have to shoot him fivetimes? In the face?"

"He was trying to bowl me out also'Gaitonde. And it rvas four times, and onlytwice in the head.""Mathu should have goften you. Buthe thought too long," Gaitonde said."Mahinder N{athu always-" And hisvoice stopped short, as if cut by a knife.

Sartaj turned from the door. Now itwas a matter of lvaiting, and an hour ortwo under a hot June sun would turn theunventilated, unpowered building into afurnace that even Gaitonde, who was agraduate of Arthur RoadJail many timesand many years over, would find as hardto bear as the corridors of Hell. AndGaitonde had been lately very successfirland thus a litde softened, so perhaps it

,,v,rr.rldrrken ,hurrr r:knees,"\\'crsvi"ll()\vc tlSorthe cul-in Artlin Bonrit, safe ltrades rconstnithink r,.r.i-Slltrl.is r,'endesigne"Ne..signe dqLrestiorgoing t,"\vlc()lllc (ll krt oi'-out h,:rrr hert.l.i'I"hc;fillccl rv:inc of ti\\'cre gaiof th':1:r

I c:r.'\ \ ''." I'nr

me bv rl"I th'-.'^fiiends c: evenrvh,

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;uld be doser to an hour. But Sartaj hadken only two steps when he felt a deeprm rising through his toes and into hisiees, and Gaitonde lvas back.'TVhat, you thought it u'ould be so.sy?" Gaitonde said, chortling. 'Just a)\4rer cut? \\trat, I'ou think i'm a fooli"So there was a generator someu'here ine cube. Gaitonde had been the first manAnhur RoadJail, perhaps the first rranBombal', to o\l'n a cellular phone. \\rithsafe in his ceil, he had run the essentia-i

.rdes of drugs, ma//:a, prostitution, rnd,nstruction. "No, I don'tink vou're a fool," Sanajid. "This, this buildingverv irnpressile. \\'ho'signcd it for voui""Never mind u'ho de-;ned it, Sardarji. Therestion is, hou' lre lou,ing to get ir.ri""\Vhy don't . ou jusr

nre outi It'll s,n'e us dlot of tinre. It's rcallv hot:t here, and I'r-n qcning'readache."Thcre u'as a silence,lcd u'ith the mr.rrnrur-

'; of the spectrrt()rs \\'horre girtherinq .rt tlrc cndthc lrrne ."] crtn't conrc ()Lrt.'\\Ihv not?"I nl alone. I nr (,nl\'c bv rnvsclf.""I-thought vor.r hrrdcnds evenrvhcrc, Gaitonde. Evcn'onernl'here is a fricnd of Gliton.lc Bhrri's.r't iti In the government, in thc |ress,,:n in the policc forcei Hou' is ir thcn.lt vou are a]onci""Do vou krorv ] get applications, Srrr-rjii I probabh' get rnore applicrrtionsiln vou police lircks. Don't believc nrcl'cre, I'11 read vou one . Hold on. Ilcrc'se. This one's fiom \Vardha. Hcrc it is.""Gaitonde ""'Respected Shri Gaitonde.' Flcrrr.rt, Sardarji?'Rcspected.' So thcn . . ,'ll a f\\'enn.-nvo-\'ear-old vounq nrlrr lir'-1 in \\/ardha, l\ Iuh:rrashtra. Currcrtlr' I

J,,i11g 11,'r' \l.(',r1n., lrr6'irrq l,.r:'r,.1 r'r11L'onr. eram u'ith scvcnfi-onc-ircr'-. rt.r'ks. I lrnr :tlso knou'rr in rlt it,ilcge .,.lie.t .rtlrlctt, .ir,'u I .rrrr t:r1ri.1111 ,,1 i1 .'.kct tcun.' l'lre n tlrerc's li lot oi'crrLir,ut ho\v bold anJ strorrg hc is, hol'cr -one in tou.r.r's scarecl olhir.n. O.K., thcnqoes on, 'l arr surc that I can [.c of u.c

to you. I have for long follorved I'our dar-ing exploits in our ne'rvspapers, rvhichprint verv often these stories of1'our greatporver and porverfirl politics, rvhich make1.ou the first man in Xlumbai. N{any timesrvhen my friends get together, v'e talkabout your famous adventures. Like howlou finished Dhanraj Kalia's game, inspite of his police guards. And of course Ihope you are not offended if I mentionvour great love aft-air rvith our ou'n X1issIndia, Iliss Nandita Kumar. Please, ShriGaitonde, I respectfi.r1lr'submit ro vou m\/

vita, and sorre srnall clippings about me.I uill do u'hatcver *'ork r-ou irsk I am verypoor, Sirri Gaitonde. I'fuI1i'believe thatvou u'ill give me a chrrnce to rnake a life.Yours frrithfirllri Amit Shirraj Patil.'"I{ear that, Sardarji?" Giritonde calledout."Yes, Gaitor.rde," Sartaj said. "I do. Hesounds like a fine recmit.""He sounds like a prick, Sardarji,"Gdtonde said. "I u'ouldn't hire him as abhangi to clean m),toilets. But he'd prob-ablv do u'ell as a policeman.""l'rn qcttirrq tircd ,'f rhis, Gaitonde."Gaitonde lauehed. "Are vour feclingshun, sadb? Should I be nrore respectfirl?Should I tell you about the u'onderful andrrstonishing Jcrrts oi thc police , our de -lirrticrs rriiti givc tlrcir livcs in scrlicen'ithtiut a thought ftrr thcir ou'n profit?""Critonde)""\Vhati""l'll be back. I need a cold drink."

t3tGaitonde laughed long and very hard,

and became ar,uncular, affectionate. 'Yes,I'es, of course you do. Hot out there.""Fory'ou also? AThums Up?""I've a fridge in here, cbikniya.Justbe-cause 1,ou're so fair and so herolike good-looking doesn't mean you're exra smart.You get 1'our drinli""I will. I'll be back."'What else would you do, Sardarji?Go, go."Sartaj walked down the street, andKatekar fell in beside hirn. The crackedblack tarmac seemed to

sr.l'im and shimmer in theheat. The street had emp-tied, the spectators boredbi' the lack of explosionsand bullets and hungrvfor lunch. Benveen Bhag-s'an Tailors rnd Trinrirrti11usic, ther found thestraightfonvardiv nancdBesr Cirf6, u'hich hadtables scattered r.urdcr aneem tree ar.rd rattlingblack floor frns. Sartajpulled desperatell' lt rrCoke, and Katekar sippedat liesh lin.re and sodr,onlv slightli' s\\'cet. Hcu'as tn'ing to lose rveigl.rt.From u.herc thev sat thcycould sce Grr,itondc's rvhirebunker."Let's blorv it up,"Katekar said,'With rvhat?" Sartaj said. "And that'llkili him for sure."

Katekar grinned. 'Yes, sir. So u'hat, sir?""And wl.rat would the intelligence bolssay?""Sahib, excuse me, but the intelligenceboys can suck my lauda.Why didn't theyknow he was building this thing?""Norv, that would have been very,very intelligent, rvouldn't it?" Sartajsaid. He leaned back in his chair andstretched. "You think we can find *bulldozer?"Q.rnra; lud a nretal cheir brought tot) the fiont of the bunker, lrrJ he .aton it pattine his face 'rvith a cold, u'ettou'ei. I{e vyas sleepy. The vidco camerruil) ur)rr0\'ing arrJ silcrrt.

"A1i Gaitondel" Sartaj said.'You there?"Tl.re camera made its very sn.r'all buzz-ing machine noise, nosed about blindli',and then found Sartaj. 'Yes, I'm here. I

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searching this bastard place. S:udarji,vou beLieve iti There's nothing to eat

hcrc."\othing?""-\ brand-new' nvo-lakh liidge bigto rvalk into, and not a s[ce of.iJ in it. I hrrve i,iiots u'orking tbr me."S::tii Crou:r: :uJ,Jeniv th;t Gaitondelef,:iec th.rl biZ r-oice from the mor-tio:r Pd'.:rrxrj Kr-toor in a smokingco::.9hi:.in3 about the sen'ants.*'e selJ vou somethingi" Sartaj:. -S:-j:::pi Cirickenl'-\.r. r'c.l can't. end stoP tning to be

---r--imlf-\'eruli s:rr:hungq'?" Sanaj rvas trying;:-J.r:e dre chrnces of staning Gai-out. But he remembered thathrd lested for rveeks on water::i.je. The bulldozer would arrive iniour-an hour and a half, at most.'1're been hungn'before," Gaitonde said.hungl' than you could imagine.""Lisien, it's too bloody hot out here,"s,rid. "Come out and back at thevou cm tell me all about how hun-

" ou \l'ere.'' tI a"n't come out.""I'iI t,riie care of you, Gaitonde. Thereall sorts of people trying to ki1l you, IBut no danger, I promise. This is;oing to fttrn into an encounter. You- =e out norv and we'il be back at the sta-in slx minutes. You'll be absolutelyFrom there you can call your friends.eAitnt safe. You have my promise."But Gaitonde wasn't interested in"Back when I was a kid, I leftcounm'tbr the fust time. It was on a:::. \'ou knou'. Those days that was theget on a boat, go to Dubai, go3i:rain, come backwith gold biscuits.

',.':.-,. ercited, because I had never left thej:]5'betbre. Not even to Nepal, youO.K., Sardarji, establishingr,ilere was the small boat, five of us

i:. sea, sun, all that kind of crap. Salimrvas the leader, a six-foot Pathanl::: a long beard, good man with aThen there was lMathu, narrowthin evenrvhere, always picking hissupposed to be a tough Buy. Me,and didn't know a damn thing.fiere *'as Gaston, the owner of theand Pascal, his assistant, two small

-:1-r\s from somewhere in the South.'.',:-. Salim Kaka's deal, his contactsa:i.j his monet'that hired the boat,i:rs anpeience, when to go out, when: :::ri ':rcii er-enthing was his. Mathu

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL JVEET THINCI live rvhercthe rvorld's most exceLlent fruits

and m.rst respectable people are andrvhere the most berrr,rtiful birds build their ncsts.Vulgar people live here, too,in filthy ditches brilliant waterlilies bloom.The smell ol children's pee-soaked blanketssurrounds the Place,and I live here, too, as excess.I am the citizen of an ertremelv oveqpopulated country:everything in it drorvns at timesin the flood tide of the new moon.Sometimes the slvan's neck emerges from the lava streamglistening in the sun.The dream pitcher doesn't rvait here for the touchbut simplv floats au'a.r-With such coundess disgraces, unbeanble w'ounds and pain,under the merciless gaze of the developed rvorldI live on in this country like this.Because the w'orld's most amazing thritshave grotvn here,the most respectable people,the most beautiFrl birds,I survive through the year, through rein and shine-I survive with the indomitable longingfor the harv'est's golden grainsin this place, like this.

-Srru,urt Azlo\Translated, fom the Bengalt, by Carolyne ll/right,Syed fulanzocrul Islam, and the authar,)and I were his boys, behind him all thetime. Got it?"Katekar rolled his eyes. Sartaj said,'Yes, Salim Kaka was the leader, you andN'Iathu the thin guy were the guns, andGaston and Pascal sailed the boat. Got it."Katekar propped himself against thewall next to the door and spilled paan ma-sala into his palm. The speaker gleameda hard metallic silver. Sartaj shut his eyes.Gaitonde went on. "I had never seensuch a huge sky before. Pulple and goldand pqple. Mathu was combing his hairagain and again into a Dev Anand puff.Salim Kaka sat on the deck with us. Hehad huge feet, square and blunt, eachcracked like a piece ofwood, and a beardthat was smooth and red like a flame.That night he told us about his fust job,robbing an angadia couriering cash to

Bombay from Surat. They caught thenngadia as he got offthe bus, tossed himin the back of an Ambassador, and wentroaring away to an empty chemicalgodown in the industrial estates at Vikh-roli. In the godown they stripped himof his shirt, his banian, his pants, every-thing, and found sewn inside the pants,over the thighs, four lakhs in five-hundred-rupee notes. Aiso a money belt with slx'teen thousand in it. He was standing therebaby-naked, his big paunch shaking,holding his hands over his shrunkenIauda, as they left. Clear?"

Sartaj opened his eyes. "A courier, theygot him, they made some moneY. Sowhat?"

"So the story's not over yet' smart Sar-darji. Salim Kaka was closing the door,butthen he tumed around and came back

FI.hirfwsor

'S,ilscr(br,talgr(aglne:KllVi.IthiButalPc,br,cr'icr('d/iK.hir\,\saidohi'/a:hi..tlstlshcutu:Kl,afiaIlstiwie\'Ircltteniseanp(litotd,h,

ItIIirtI'

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He caught the guy by the throat, liftedhim up and around, and put a knee be_tween his legs. 'Come on, Salim pathan,'someone yelled to him, 'this is no time towant to fuck a boy.'And Salim Kaka, u,howas groping^ the angadia's bum, said,')ometlmes rf you squeeze a beautifirl ass,as you would a peach, it reveals all the se_crets of the world,' and he held up a lidebrown silk packet, which the orgodiohadtaped behind his balls. In it weie a goodgross of the highest-qualiry diamo"nds,"gl.r* and aglitter, rvhich they fenced thenext week at fifry per cent, and SalimKaka's cut alone rvas one lakh, and thiswas in the days when a lakh meanr some-thing. 'But,'Salim Kaka said, ,the laklwas the least of it, money is onlt.monel,.'But after that he rvas knoun as a iusrroustalent,.a shalp lad. 'I'11 squeeze i.ou like apeach,' he'd say, cocking r .r^gg.,. ..,..-brow, and the poor unfornrnate ,iih. ,.-ceiving end would spill cash, cocaine, se-crets, an'"thing."'How did 1'ou knou, rvith theangadia, Saiim Kaka?'I asked, and S;.iinrKrka-said, 'lt is verv simple. I looked rrhirn from the door and he rvas still alieid.\44'ren I had my knife at his throat he hadsaid to me in a child's linle voice, ..pleasedon't kill me, rn\, /,nnp." I h.rdn't killeJhim, he \\'rrs srill alirc end holding hislnuJa, the mone\'\\'rs qone. bur it r,iisrr'tItis, u'c u'crc lcar.inq, so uhr.rvas hc :till.rfraidi A nran u.lro is al-r.iid is a lrran u.hostiil has sorxerhing to lose.' ". , -V:ry impressive," Sartaj said. Hcshifted in his chair, and regremed it im_mediately as his shoulde, blade found acun'e of heated metal. He adjusted histurban and tried to breathe slor"ly, evenly.K-atekarrvas fanning himselfrrith a folded.rttcrnool ne\\.spaper, his eles abstractedend his forehead slack, u,hi1e into the slorvstirring of the air came Gaitonde's voiceu'ith its cool electronic hiss."I r-esolved to be sharplv rvarchfi-rl for-rver after, for I u'as ambiiious. That nightI.laid my bodl'dorvn along the bo,,'rlas:lose as. I could get to the o-nrushing u,a--er, and I dreamed. Did I tell you T .,,r,*,rirrcteen? I u'rs ninetccn and I made mr._elf stories about cars and a hieh house.nd m1'self entering a par$.and flashbulbsroPplltg."llathu c:rme and sirr bcside rrc. I Ict a cigarctte ior hinrself and grn,e nrc

ne. I drerv hard on it lke hirn. In rhe.rrk I could see rhe pulIof his hrir, Iri,.r{{ard shouldcrs, and ] tried to rcmcrn-

ber his features, which were too bonv tobe anlwhere close to Dev Anand's, iutstill evry day he stroked ta_lcum powderonto that poinry rat face and triei. I feltsuddenly kindly toward him. ,lsn't thisbeaudfi.rl?'I said. He laughed. ,Beautiful?We could drown,'he sJd, ,and nobodyrvould know what happened to us. \Vewould drsapp:N, phat, gone.' His ciga_rette made spirals in the dark. ,Whatlo1'ou mean?'I asked. 'Oh, you pitfii de/tatiidiot,' he said. 'Don't.r,ou knorv? Nobodyknows lve are out here.' ,But,' I said'Salim Kaka's people knou.. his bossknou's.'I could feel him laughing at me,his knee .jogginq aqainsr mv shloulder.'No. rhev don'r.'Heivas leaning closer tome, rvhispering, and I could s:lell hisbanian and see the pale phosphorescenceof his eves. '\obodi kno,,,rs, he didn't rellhis boss. Don't vou qer iri This is his ou.ndeal. \\hr do r.ou thirrk.,.\.e re on rhis LnleAhatara ot-a boat. nor a rrau.leri \\'hr.do'r'ou rhirrk \\.e are nirh him. one ,ltl,t:ismelling oipig shit and firrr din rrnd a

111',_t_1ry' junior menrber of the companr.iEhi \\hr i This is Salim Kakr's o.,,,,r, li.,l.operation. He u'ants to go independent,and to go independenr rrhat do r ou neediCapirrl. Th.rr's u.h.ir. Th.rr's r*.hr. ,r.e'rcour here s).tppin.q rrr.ru. in rhi. iucking\vncezlng tln rrxp, orre pitch au,av tiorn

t33the. big fishes. He thinks he's going tomake enough to start himself"all iewand fresh a.nd shiny. Capital, capital, youunderstand?'. "I. sar up rhen. He put a hand on myshoulder and swung himself up. .Beta,, hlesard, if )'ou want to live in the ciry youhave to think ahead three turns, .nd tookbehind a lie to see the truth and then be-hind that truth to see rhe lie. And then,and,then, if I'ou_want to live well, youneed a bankroll. Think about it.,Mrth"patted my shoulder and drew back. I sawhis face lbr a second in dim light as helorvered himself into the cabin. A"a I a;athink about it."

f frotn thc speaker Katekar rurned his,\J. head, right and left, and Sartajheud the snrall clicking noise of the borresin his neck. "l renrimber this SalimKaka," Katekar said softlr.. ,,I rerr:.:mberseeinq_him in Donqri, ,,,jking eround ina red lun{ai and a silk kuna. The kunasu'ere of ciifi-erent colors, but the lungi rvasrrlu'a_r-s red. He u'orked u,ith Haji'Sal-mrn s gang, and he had a \\,oman in Don-gri, I renrenrber hearing. Dongri u.asBachchu Singh's area, butitill Satil faU..1T.. for rhe t'oman, in a r.ed lungi andsilk kurras."Sartaj noddcd. Katekar's lace u,as

6

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t34puffi, rrs if he had just rvoken from sleep."Love?" Srirtaj srrici.

Krrtekrrr grinrrcd. "fLrdqinq bv thc silk,it rrLrst h.n'c bccn," hc said. "Or rnaybe itlvls jtrst that shc w'.ls sevcntecn ar.rd hird',rn irss like a prrrncing deer's. She was anrtuto ntcchrrnic's drrughtcr, I think.""Don't belicve in love, Kateklr?""Satb, I befievc in silk, and in every-thing thrrt is soft, '.rnd ever)'thing else thatis hard, but . . ."Abovc their heads the speaker rum-bled.'\\4rat in God's name are you mum-bling about, Srrd'rrji?""Go on, go on," Sartej said. 'Just mi-nt;r instructions.""Not eiving up? Good, I like that. Solisten. The next xfternoon, we started tosee tree brirnches in the water, pieces ofold crates, botdes bobbing down and up,tires, once the whole wooden roof of ahouse floirting upside down. GastonstrncJ orr dcck thc rvhole timc now, onearnr arouncl. the mlst, looking this wayand that lvith binoculrrrs, never stop-ping. I askccl Nl.rthu, 'Are rve close?' Heslrru.{ged. S.rlirn Klkl c:lmc rrp in r ncrvkurtr. Ilc stood by the bo'"v, looking tothc north, and I s'.rv his fingcrs dabbingat the sil'r,er medallion at his chest. Ilvanted to ask him where we were, butthere was a narrow-eyed grlviry* on hisface thlt kept me frorn speaking."Srrtaj leaned fbnvard torvard Katekar."Do you think our friend Gaitonde reall1'hrd an aftair r,.'ith Nliss Indie)"Katekirr grinned. "She wls a veryEnglish-medium t)?e, that one. But it'strue, she stayed at his house in HongKong."

"N1aybe he learned English.""Nlay'be she liked his sweaters. He has

a lot of sweaters."Srrtaj remembered the pictures ofGritonde, the medium-sized body andthe medium face, neither ugly nor hand-some, all of it instandy forgettable despitethe bright-blue and red cashmere sweat-ers, everything quite commonplace. Butnow there was this voice, quiet and ur-gent, and Sartaj tipped his head towardthe speaker."As night came, in the last failinglight, there was a pinpoint of red wink-ing steadily to the north. We dropped an-chor, then headed toward it in a dinghy.Nlathu rowed, and Salim Kaka sat oppo-site, watching our beacon, and I betweenthem. I was expecting a'"vall, like I hadseen near the Gateway of India, but in-

I

IJHOVCAJE DY MAX VADUKUL Itcad there '"vere high nrshes that toweredabove our hcads. S.rlim Kakr took a polerrnd pLrshcd trs throrrgh thc felthcredbrnks thrrt creakecl rrnd r.vhisperecl, and al-though I rvasn't toltl to I hrrd nry pistolin rny'ha.nd. Thcn the',voocl scraped un-der m1'fect, irarcl on ground. Flashlightin hrr.rcl, S:rlim Kakr led us up the island,that's what it was, a soft wet rising in theswamp. We rvalked for a long time, halfan hour ma1'be, Salim Kakr in front, un-der a rising moon. He had a brown can-vas bag over his shoulder, big as a wheatsack. Then I sarv the bercon agein, overthe top of the stallis. It ."vas a torch tiedto a pole. I could smell the tallow; theflames junrped nvo feet high. Under itthere lvere three me n. Thev rvere dressedlike city people, and in theieaping light Icould see their fair skin, their bushyblackeyebrorvs, their big noses. Turla? Iranis?Arebs? I don't knorv still, but nr.o of themhrrd rifles, muzzles pointed just a little:rway from us. IIv trigger ,,vrrs cool andswertl' on m\' finger. I cramped andthought, \'ou'11 6re and 6nish us all. Itook a breirth, turned n.rv wrisr, feeLing thebutt against mv thumb, and rvatchedthem. Srlim Kaka and one of themspoke, their heads close together. Nowthe bag rvas offered, and a suitcase in re-turn. I sirrv a gleam of vellorv, and heardthe clicks of locks shutting. IIv armached."Salin-r Kala srepped backrvard, andrve edged a*'ar-lrom the foreigners. I feltthe smooth rvet rim of a stalk against rnr.neck, and I couldn't find a rvav out, onlvthe vielding pressure of vegetation, andpanic. Then Salim Kaka nrned abrupdyand sl,ipped benveen the bushes, the faintbeam of his flashlight marking his wa1',and then Nlathu. I came last, sidervise,my pistol hand held lorv, my neck taut. Ican still see them rvatching, the threemen. I see the gleam of the metal bandsaround the rifle muzzles, and their shadedeyes. We were walking fast. I felt as ifwewere flying, and the tall grass that hadpulled and clawed at me at first nowbrushed softly along my sides. Salim Kakaturned his head, and I saw his franticsmile. We were happy, running."Salim Kaka paused at the edge ofalittle stream where water had cut a dropof three feet, maybe four, and he reacheddown with his right foot and found aplace for his heel. Mathu looked at me,his face cut into angles by the gauntmoonlight, and I looked at him. Before

t.III

IIIIIIILIIIIIIIIIt:III

MALCUDI'J MASTERK. N,\R\\'d\, born in 1906, liveson, as if preserved in the tranquil,

. perennial essence of Nlalgudi, thefictional to'"vn where almost all his fictiontakes place. The lightness of his touch, thesmallness ofhis chosen field of obsenation,and the profound equanimiryof his Hinduvision have been criticized as inadequateto the problem-ridden, poverry-strickenimmensiry of India. But who takes a con-tinent for a subject rvhen humaniry is doseat hand? An observed detail has a reso-nanc-a branching truth-that no gen-eralization can match. V. S. Naipaul, whoas a boy in Trinided and a young man inEngland had read and adrnired Narayan,rvas dismaved, on first travelling to India,to find it "cmel and overwhelming" com-plrcd to the cozv and comic lvorld ofNlrll'an's no'"'els. He concluded that "hrscomedv and ironv rvere not quite rvh'rrtthel' had appeared to be, were prrrt of aHindu response to the world." As a Hindu,Nrravln believes in reincernrtion---a uni-verse of infinite rebirths-and a genialeterniw keeps company rvith his unb[nk-ing social realism. In'The Guide" (1958),a con mrn becomes a saint; in "ThePainter ofSigns" (1976), the heroine ofadoomed romancc is momentlrilv "per-haps a goddess to be rvorshipped."

lVeste rn liberal prejudice demands thatIndian rwiters confront suffering. Naray'anconfronts it somervhat as Fielding andO. Henry do, with the recognition thatsuffering is never all there is to the picture;human buoyance and hopefulness are alsopart of it. "India will go on," Narayan toldthe young Naipaul, and if this affirmationfalls short ofa political program it does pro-daim a lifelong opportunity to observe, to in-vent, to express sulprise at the permuta-tions ofhuman behavior, to smile. Travellersto India frequently remark upon its exhil-arating liveliness, once culture shock hasbeen absorbed; Narayan gives the readerthat livelyjoy as registered by a native im-munized against shock. He surveys histeeming scene partly from the perspectiveof this most ancient of practiced rel-igions'and pardy from that of Edwardian En-gLish fiction, which took an animated, caste-conscious, at times heartless sociefy as selFwidendy an entertainment -JorD{ UPDIKE

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r36Srrlim Kaka had complctcd his step, Iknerv where rve were going. The reportof the pistol bounced ofl tte r.varer intomy belly. I knew the butt had bruisedthe base of my thumb. Onll. rvhen theflare left my e)s coLrld I see again, andm)r stomach rvas trvisting ar.rd looseningand twisting, and at the bottom of thditch Salim Kaka's feet rvere treadingsteadil)i as ifhe \vere still findrng his rvafto the boat. The rvater thrasted aniboiled. 'Fire, X{irthu,'I said. ,Fire, damnyou.' Those rvere the first rvords I hadspoken since rve'd come ashore . N4r,r oice*'as firnr and strange, the souni of italien. X{athu tilted his head and pointedhis barrel. Again a flash brought therveeds out from the shador,i.s, but stillthose feet clirrnbercd au'a1', going ste adilr.sonteu'here. I aimed mv pistol into theround frothl'turbulence, and at the firstdiscl.rrrge all ntoven-rent stopped, but Iput :rr.rother one in just to make surc.'Conrc orr,' I said, 'lct's go horne.' \ larlrunoddcd, as i[ I u'ere in charge, and he

.jurnped into the ditch and sciabblcd fbrthc stritcrrse. The flashlighr g.rrs gloningundcr tl'rc \\,ater, a |.rn-rinous r.cllorv bub]ble tlrrrr enrbr,rcetl c\.rcrh. h.rliof S.tlinrKlkrr's lrcird and his grccn kun,r cojl:rr. Isnappcd ir trp as I u'ent through, thouglrI

all the rval'back to the dinghy the fatmoon rvas lou.orerhead and lit us to ,afeg,.."Q.lnr',+1 and Katekar heard GaitondeLJ. drink nou.. The1. he,rrd, clearly, er._:1..1?iS gulp and the glass empq-ing."WJ'riskey?" Sartaj rvhiip...,l. .iB...i"Katekar shook his head. ,,No, hedoesn'r drink. Doesn't smoke either. \reryhealth-conscious don he is. Exercises er,lery da1'. Water he's drinking. Bisleri rvitha nvist oflime in it.".___Gaitonde \\'ent on, hurrying norv.'When the sun came up on the b-oat thenext diu'l{athu and I u,ere still ar,vake.\\'e hrrd spent rhe night sitting in thccrrbrn, across trorn elch other, rvith thesuitcrrse nrcked under llathu's bunk butstiU risiblc. I hrJ nrr pi:rol in nl l,ip, andI coulJ sec JIrihu'i unJer his thigh. Theroof above mr-head crerrked out aite a.lthr.step. \\'e h,rd roli Cr.ron :rnd pa.c,il rh.rrrve hrd been ambushed br-the police, rhepolice oi u'hatever countn. rve h.rd be enin. Pr.ial hrJ rrepr, anJ ih., u-erc horhnrovin: r'rn gcrid,,-notr.. in ,..pcat tur orrimourning. Behind Jierhu's heird there\f its rhc drrrk brcrrvn of the *.ood, and theri'hire o1-his biinirrn llorrring and dippingu'ith the s*'ell oithe rvirr.es. There.r.,, th.hazl distirnce benr.een us, and ] knerv

THE NEV YORKER, JUNE 23 T" 3C.,1997what.he rvas thinking. So I decidecl. I pL,tmypistol on_the pillorv, put my feet up onthc bunk. 'l'm going io slelp,' I said.'\Vake me up in thre" hour, .ni rhen youcan rest.' I turned to the rvood, lvith myback torvard i\{athu, and shut -y .y.r.Ver1,, very lolv dor.vn on ml.back there iuasa single circle on ml.skin u,hich nvitchecland cra'u'"led. It expected a buliet. I couldnot calm it. But I kept m1. breathinlI:ody, my knuckles "gainst my lipJThcr_e are somc thir.lgs ).ou call conr;ol.'When I rvoke ir wai evening. Thercwrrs. a thick orange light pushing into rhecabrn fronr the hatclr, coloring the rvoodlike fire . M1'tonppe flled m1,-ihroat andmouth, and my hr-rnd rvheir I triecl tomo'"'e it had becorne a loathsome bloateclrveight. I thought the bullet had founclrne, or I had found the bullet, but then Ijerked.once ild -l' hean rvas thuddingpain6.rllr' and I sat up. N{,v stomuch ."afco'ercd'* irh siveat. Niethri,r., ;;i.;1, il;f,rce dou'n on rhe pillou.. I nrcked mi pis-tol into ml u.:ristband and u.ent up. p.r_c.il smiled rrr me our of hrs blrrck little face.The clouds rvere piled abovc r:s, e normo,.lsand buleine, higher and higher into thered herrvcn. And this bort i nlig on thew-irter. trlv lcgs shook and I srrr dorvn andprrrved. I seid the Hantrman ci:,t/i:a.I sitid

,-7-

it again and again. \\/hen it u,ls d,uk,I asked Pascal for rrvo srrcks. He ql-eme r\r'o rvhite sacls m,rde oicirrn..r.,*'ith drarvstrings."'\Vake up,' I said to ^\lr.iir,-:u'hen I rvent dorvnstairs, rnd kickedhis bunk. He c:rme arv:rke gropingfor his pistol, rvhich he could-n't 6niuntil I pointed to it, benveen themaftress and the rvall. 'Calm dorvn,you jumpyfuck.Just caLn dou.n. \\/ehave to share.' He said, 'Don't er.erdo that ag:rin.' He .w,as grorvlin ,stretching his shoulders up like -irrooster heal'ing its feathers. I smileclat hirn. 'Listen,'I said, j.ou fuckingsleepy fu ck-drop from Kurnbhkrran,do you want your half or what?' Hecalculated for a moment, still allswollen and angry, but then he sub-sided with a laugh. Yes, I'es,, he said.'Half-half Hal-f:half.'"Gold is good. It moves and slipson yolrr fingers u'ith a satisfyingsmoothness. When it is near to pureit has that herrlthy reddish glorvlhatreminds 1'ou of apple cheeks. Butthrt afternoon as u,e moved the barsfron-r the suitcase into the sacks, one

"vadkn Mortini, splashEf

,uerntouth,.u)ith o tzuist. Let tbe henling begin."

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CHANDRAone. one fbr one and then:or the other, u'l-rat I liked

"r'ls the u-eight. The barss:nJ, a Lirde longer thanl:e:dtil of i'r-rv paln-r, muchi: t:;n I had erpected,-: ::.e\' :e1r so dense ar-rdI c.,uld hardlv bear to...:: ir mr-sack IIv face-,ta* a"i ,,tu heart con-:r:J I knerv I had done:. \\-:en \\'e got to the last'.'.:jil rr'ls nrine, I put it

:--',' ieit prnts pocket,'tvhere: :-l :eel it ilrvavs, slapPingr,e. Then the pistol on--:her side at the back of] Iathu nodded.home,'he said. 'How-;: Jo vou think it's u'orth?';lr:ile u'as slotv and falter-:.: I lr,oked dou'n at hirn and:l: --:1r'contempt. I knerv ab-, ---::1r'.'-nd tbr certain and in,-.: i:st:nt that he rvould al-,...',: re t i,tfcri, nothing more,-: .'.:e elen u'ith ten or nvelve:.-rle u'orking for him, but

..-'.'.':',.: nothing more than a:-.=:.'e-ircked srnall-time local bufroon,:..:ied up into torterybrutisirness'rvith a:.-l rnd a cl.ropper under his shirt,:.r..:'s Jl. Iir-ou think in mpees you're a: ','iipr-s1ni1g bhangi, nothing more- Be-:..-..c lakhs are dirt, and crores are shit. I:--:.:gl'rt. \\'hat is golden is the furure in'. -;r irs6f,s1, the endless possibility of it': -. I shoved the sack under my bunk,..: jqing the last of it under rvith my foot.. \lrthu s'atched rvith wide eyes' I:-:::ed ml brrck on him and clirnbed up: :.e deck laughing to myself. I was no-:::er rfraid. I knew him now. That:.::rt I slept like a baby."Kl:ekar snorted, and shook his head.- l..J tbr vears he slept a restful sleep ev-=:,' r:ght, u'hile the bodies fell right and-.::." Sartaj held up a rvarning hand, andI-.teLrr uiped the sweat fiom his face and::-.'-:ltere d quietly, "They're all of them::-e lucking same, greedy bastards. The::--.':ble is u'hen one gets killed' fir'e come,: to take his place.""Qriet," Sartaj said. "I want to hear-L:- '1,t\.The speaker growled again. "The day:ier the next, I saw, over the water, afar.'.rav hi1lock. \Vhat is that?'I asked Gas-:: l. 'Home,' he said. From the bow Pas-:..i cailed to another boat leaning out

torvard the horizon. 'Aa,t-hcoooootc,' hecalled, and the long cn'and its echoiriq re-ply rvrapped about mv shoulders. I r.'rshorne.'We helped to beach the boet, irndthen took leave of Prscal and Gaston'Nlathu rvas rvhispering threats i1t thenl'but I shouldered hin-r aside, not too gen-tly, and said, 'Listen, bo\-s, keeP thisquiet, r,ery quiet, and rve'li do businessagain.' I gave them a gold birr each-from my share-ar.rd shook hands u-iththem, and thev grinned and u'ere rr1'tel-lorvs for lif'e. triathu and I u'a-lked a littlervay dorvn the road, to the bus stoP, \\'ithour white sacl

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t3Bhe said to the driver of the bulldozer, wholvas leaning ag:rinst a gargantuan track."BashirAli."

"You kno."r'.lvhat to do?"Bashir Ali tw.isted his blue cap in hishands."It's rn1'responsibiliry, Bashir Ali. I'mgiving vou an order as a police inspector,so you don't have to ."vorr1. about it. Let'sget that door dorvn."Bashir Ali cleared his throat. "Butthat's Gaitonde in there, Inspector sahib,"he said tentativell'.Sartaj took Bashir A1i bi.the elborvand rv'rlked him to the door."Gaitonde?"'Yes, Sardarji?""This is Bashir A1i, the dri.,'er of thebulldozer. He's afraid of helping us. He'sfrishtened of1'ou.""Bashir A1i," Gaitonde said. The voice\\ias commanding, like an empcror's, sureof its consonants and its generosig..Bashir Ali rvrrs iooking at the middleofthc door. Sertaj pointed up at thc videocamera, and Ali blinked up at ir. "Yes,Gaitonde Bhai?" he srrid."Don't rvorrl'. I u'on't forgive ).ou"-Bashir Ali blanched-"bec"use there'snothins to forgir-e. Wc are both trapped,1'or.l on that side of the door and me onthis. Do rvhat thev tell 1'ou to do, get itover rvith, ar.rd go horre to your children.Nothine *'i11 happen to vou. Nor nou- andnot Llter. I gir.e r-ou my tvord." There u.as21 prluse . "The rvord of Glncsh Grritonde."81'the time Bmhir Ali had climbed up.to his seat on top ofthe bulldozer he hadrrndcrstood, ir sccnrcd, his role in the sinr-ation. He put his cap on his hcad rvith anr.irl and pointed it bachvard. The enginegmnted and then settled into a steadl'rotrr. Sartaj leaned close to the speakei.The left side of his hcad, from the napeof the ncck to the temples, rvas caughtlna srveeping pulse of heat and pain.Ualtonde.'"Speak, Sardarji, I'n.r lister.ring."'Just open this damn door.""Oho, yotr tvant me to just open thisdoor? I knorv, Sardarji, I larorv.""Knorv r'vhat?""I knorv lvhat )'ou w2rnt. You want meto just open this dirrnn door. Then 1'or-r\vant to arrest me and take me to the st:r-tion. You \vrrnt to be a hero in the news-papers. Yotr rvirnt a promotion. Two pro-motions. Decp dotvn )'ou want evenmorc. You want to be rich. You lvant tobe an all-India hero. You.rr.ant the Presi-

JKETCHBOOK BY DODO

LE CURRY/-flHn inrisiblc cook hcrc is clearly setting out to mlkc n curq', butI rvhat, cxactll'. is a currl') Askingan Indian isn't much help, since the -"vord"curn/' seems to have been popularizedby the English (as r,r,as the sruff in thatjar); the relationship of various similar-sour.rding Indian terms to the r.vord in-voh'es a fair amount of conjecrure. WhenEneiish-speaking Indians sar"'curry.," theyusuallr'mean a stew flavored rr.itl.r a subde ,customized mlxnlre of spices and finishedrvith anv of an assortment of thickeners,enrichers, and narural colorings. Request-ing a rnore precise ans\\.er is fike askinga trrble of French rruckers to define acirssoulet.This kitchen scene, dr:ru'n by theFrerr.']r rrnist Dodo in 199u, on licr lerur,'from a joLrrner- to Indi,r, acnrallv rells usnrorc lbotrt French notiorri of tooJ rhlnabout Indian cookirrs. The cloth-cor-credtable belongs in a French kitchen, rvithGrand-mdre setting up for he r blarrlu;ttedt r,;,itr, irnd not in an Indiirn rrrsoi. Eventhe rvrrllpirper, dcspite its motil, hintsnrorL' ilt thc conciergt-'s loge thrrn at theopen fire lntl fiene tic cacophonv of an In-dirn kitchcn in hrll srving. Obviouslr., theirtirl \r';l: h.Lr ing I lirrlc tirn.\o proud Indirrn cook rr'ould forgothc crrreful hand-roasting and hand-grinding of spicc mi-\tures-the corner-stones of L.idian cooking-in far-or of thatjar of curn'porvder. And don't bet on thepitcher of cream: Indiirn cooks favor )'o-gurt (u.hich provides a *'elcome acidictane) and coconut milk (.rvhich addssrveetness and richness). That beaLrtifulrectilngle of bufter rvould have dripped offthe edge of anr.'table south of Darjeeling:in lndia, butter is slou,h'and ever so at-tentivell.cooked until it rakes on the but-terscotch aroma of a clear and goldenghee. Lemons? Indians are far more likelyto use lirles, r'inegar, t:Lmarind, or pow-dered dried mango to gir,'e zing to theircurries. And thet' eat ra\r' and cookedonions-never leeks.Ifan Indian sketched a French kitch-en, u.hrt rvould rve see? i\llai'be a big jarofghee, some coconuts, and one ofthosepretn'jrrs of dried htrbts de Provence.-J rrres Pr.;Tunsox

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/.^ A /

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VIKRAM CHANDRAninq fonverd, pistol lield in front of bim."Cet back, get back." Thcn Bashir Aliwas gone, ar-rd Sartai rvas leaning againstone side ofthe doonvay, and Katekar onthe other. An icy rvind carne out andSartaj felt it drf ing the su'eat on his faceand his forearms. Suddenlr', for a mo-inent, he er-rvied Gaitonde a1l his air-conditioners, the frigid climate controlrvon by his audaciq'. And for a moment'rising from someu-here deep in his hips,unbidden and nauseating, like a buolantdribble of bile, rvas a tiny bubble of ad-

flooded rvith rvhite trcon radiance' gcn-erous and encompassit.tg and cletrn. Al-rdirr the universal illumination Grritondesat, revealed, a black pistoi in his lefthar.rd, and half his head gone.fl' nrs night uhen Sart,rj cemc up theI m.tal stairs. He left trndcrnelth himthe symn-retrical roor.us of the cube'nhich the nlo police coumissioners be-lorv 1'ere ne11, snlling a slfe house. Thethree lab technicians u'ere dusting it, andKatekar u'as guardiug lt rt'ith i1 Pro-prietor's fierce u'atchhrl-ress. Sartaj stoodihadorted in tl're 1ee of the rnetal door.There u'ere reporters u'aiting behind arorv of police ieeps. He checked his col-lar, and ran his l.rands trlong the sides ofhis rurban, arrd step.ped out' In the flareofthe flashbulbs, he found that he couldnot leale behind Gaitonde's .tare. Gei-tonde hird looked at hin-r in the I'rst sud-den light; his right ele had bulqed uith" ,',.rrni. intensin'. S.rrtri hed seen thefiagile trrcen' oi pink lines' the hrrd-black oi the cupil. rhe .hining seep otfluid tiom ile ln.ide .onler, u'hich de-spite himsef he hrd lhouqht of as a tear.Bl,t it .r',rs oi"lr- the bodv reacting to thegigrrntic b1o*' thrt h:d erploded even-ihing tiom rhe chir.r uP oil the other sideof his tice, slicin3 iron the leti nostriiinto the torehetd."Enoush.' S;nai said. :.:d shoddered

l+this u'a1'througl-r the pl-rotograpl.re rs. Soonhe u,rrs at the u'heel of a GrPsl', rvir.rdirlgthrough the heat,y trafllc. He didn't knorvu,heri he rvas going. He thought, It'sfinisl-red, Sardarji, finished. It's only rvork.Enough. But he could still see rvater slap-ping against tl're rust-brorvr-r side of aboat, a cloud-laden s}ry, a figure sitting irltl.re borv lookir-rg toward the horizon.

Sartaj rurned tl-re je ep's rvheel violentlyto the left and rvas now driving along afamiliar road, rvhich led to the slopingbeach at Kausa rvhere he used to go pic-nicking during college. The curving rva-terfror-rt lined rvitl-r tiny fishing villageshad been a great secret then. Norv thereu'as a huge 1'ellorv hotel, built in an epic'arc to maich the bay. The hotel belongedto l tin-rily in tl.re construction business,and the perrnission required to build in irl.rotected ,rrea hrrd conre Jiont I nrinistcrclose to Gaitonde. There n'as nothing tobe dor.re ;.rbout it r.rorv. The villirgers' sor.rsand daughters r.'orked in it, as gardeners,u'aiters, rrnd r.nirids. Tl're l'rotel u',rs farrhei.rd in tl.re tl;rrk but Sartaj co,.rld see itclearlr', like irr-r eltormous rvall stretcl'rirlgiion-r right to le ft. In its rooftop bar, Sartejhad once drunk a Scotch. FIe veered totl-re side of the rorrd ar-rd stopped t1-reGlpr)'.

Sartaj sat for a lor"rg u'hile' Tl-rerl hemor-e d the jeep ir.r a slorv halt circle acrossthe road, 'and ri,ent back to Kailashpada. r

miration. He took a deep breath. "Do vouthink the building u'ill holdj" he said'Katekar nodded. He u'as looking in'tl'rrough the door, and his face n'as darkrvith iase. Sartaj touched the tip of histongue to his upper lip, felt the dryness,andlhen they u'ent in. Sartaj rvent ahead,and at the first door inside Katekar u'entby him. Behind them follou'ed the rus-tling of the others. Sartaj rvas trf ing to-hear above the thunderous ur.rclenchir.rg ofhis heart. He had done entries like tl-risbefore, and it never got better. It rvas ven'cold inside the building, and the light u'aslow and lururious. There rvas carPet Lln-der their feet. There u'ere four squarerooms, all white, all empw. Ar-rd at theexact center of the building \vas a \-ervsteep, almost vertical, rnetal stirircase'Sartaj nodded at Katekar, and then fol-lowed him dorvn. The metal door at thebottom oper-red easily, but it rvas verl'l'rear.y, and rvl-ren Katekar finally had itback Sartaj saw that it rvas as thick as ahatch to a bankvault. Inside it rvas dark.Sartaj rvas shivering uncontroilably. Hemoved past Katekar, and now he sarv abluish light on the left. Katekar slid pasthis shoulders and 'ivent out rvide, andthen they shu{fled fonvard,'rveapor.rs heldrigidly before them. Another step ar-rdnow in the nerv angle Sartaj salv a figure'slroulders, in front of a bank of haze-filled TV mot.titors, a brorvn hand nearthe controls on a black Panel."Gaitonde " Sartaj hadn't meant toshout-a gende admonitory assenion rvasthe preferred tone-and norvhe squeezedhis voice dorvn. "Gaitonde, put 1'ourhands up verv slowly." There was nomovement from the figure in the dark-ness. Sartaj tightened his finger painfullyon his trigger, and fought the urge to fire,and fire again. "Gaitonde. Gaitonde?"From Sartaj's right, rvhere Katekarwas, carle a very smal1 click, and even asSartaj turned his head the room rvas

I.*i+/;i'/ {.ffi

r1'Just once, Ict like to be able to usrite a check u:ithout getting throttsn in jail."