He was a dark man, with white hair and white teeth. A thick moustache covered his dark lips. His chin had a deep cleft. He wore a silk shirt, a polyester veshti, and a thick gold chain with a leopard claw pendant around his neck. He smelled strongly of perfume.

"Come in, Naren!"

Narendran sat down in front of him. He had seen him often on television, and once in person, at the beach. The strength and pride that had seemed evident then was absent now. He looked scared and miserable.

"Do you know why I brought you here?"

"I imagine it's a very big secret."

"My son has been missing since yesterday morning, Naren…"

"Arthreyan?" Narendran asked, surprised. "Arthreyan is a V.I.P. How can you be so casual about him going missing?"

"There are a few complicated issues, Naren. That's why I wanted to see you in private."

A heavily mustached man brought two cups of filter coffee on a tray.

"Naren, what do you think of my son?"

"You want me to be honest? Or should I be careful, since I'm talking to the leader of a political party, and commenting about a son to a father?"

"You can be honest. Anyway, I know you don't have any party affiliations."

"All right then. Arthreyan is a good-looking man. Still in his twenties. He has a young wife—it was a love marriage—and she's pregnant now. He wanted to start his own business after finishing his engineering degree, but you pushed him into politics. He participates in party functions reluctantly. Still, the other senior members of your party are not too thrilled to see him join you."

"Not bad! You describe it like you were there watching."

"You're having a rough time right now, because your party's not in power. Otherwise, Arthreyan would have been able to gain even more popularity. Your party is striving to change the popular view that there are no educated people in politics. You were grooming Arthreyan to become your second-in-command. In the general executive committee meeting next week, you were hoping to get him elected to an important post. The media has already started talking about him as a potent political force. That's why, when you tell me he's gone missing, I'm surprised."

"I'm dying here, Naren. But even this, I have to hide from the public…"

"Why?"

"Why indeed?" Surya Shekar asked.

He rose from his seat and began pacing across the room. Narendran noticed for the first time how tall he was.

"Tell me, what's my party's main agenda?"

"Well, all the parties claim to have different agendas, depending on who they're talking to. So I'm not sure what you mean."

Surya Shekar laughed aloud.

"Secularism; rationality; humanitarianism; atheism; never to trust a god-man. We make public pronouncements that the astrologers should be hacked to death…"

"Yes, I've heard them."

"But it's not easy to be a disbeliever twenty-four hours a day, Naren."

Narendran kept silent.

"When I was in power, it was easy not to believe in any god. But since I've been chased out, I'm unable to place all my trust solely in other men. I am being honest with you, Naren. In today's world, all anyone thinks about is how to outfox the other fellow. Politics is all about defeating your enemies. I've come to understand that man needs God to save him from himself.

"But I can't say this publicly. I rip God to pieces on stage, and then apologize to Him in private at home. My daughter-in-law is even worse; she is a total believer, praying twice a day, fasting once a week. My son is a strong believer too. I had organized a special puja, to bless Arthreyan with a bright future. It took place in the ashram of Swami Dhayal, and lasted for three days. It was kept a complete secret. Nobody except my family knew about this. Yesterday my son left for the conclusion of the puja, at dawn. We gave the story that he was visiting a distant relative.

"At eight in the morning, while returning from the puja, his car met with an accident near Chengalpettu. The driver swerved to pass a stationary lorry on the road. He lost control and the car skidded into a nearby field and caught fire. A crowd gathered, and the police arrived. Only one person was admitted to the hospital, listed as injured: the driver. Not my son. Even when the driver regained consciousness in the hospital, he carefully avoided any mention of my son."

"Why?"

"Because Arthreyan was not alone in the car. A disciple of Swami Dhayal was accompanying him. If this fact becomes public knowledge, our political enemies will seize it and use it to tear us apart!"

"So you can't make it public that Arthreyan is missing."

"Correct. But I must have my son back within two days, or else the executive committee elections will go on without him."

"Are you suspicious of anyone specific?"

"Yes! The ruling party! They could have engineered this so that Arthreyan would be absent for the party election. Most of my party members were formerly members of that party, and their loyalty can be easily bought back. But with my son in power, they won't be bought off so easily. That's why the ruling party is so scared about him taking over."

"Are you sure it's the ruling party?"

"We can't discount the possibility."

"What? Now you're confusing me."

"Sorry. I spoke like a politician, didn't I? I do suspect the ruling party. But I have no proof. If I go public, and then turn out to be wrong, it could turn against me."

"So you need my help to find Arthreyan?"

"And to be secretive about it," added Surya Shekar. "You name your price, and I will provide whatever other assistance you need."

"How much do the police know?"

"The car skidded while trying to avoid the lorry. The driver was hurt. Those are the only facts the police have on record."

"I'll need to speak to the driver, and go to the site of the accident."

"Naren, if the ruling party is involved, then I can get political mileage out of this. But I cannot risk letting it slip that I am a believer."

"Who knew that Arthreyan was visiting the Swami?"

"My family, the driver, and my assistant."

"And within your family?"

"My wife, my daughter-in-law, and myself."

"I suppose I shouldn't waste my time questioning any of them?"

"Of course not; there's no way any of them would plot against Arthreyan."

"How do I reach you in case of an emergency?"

"I'll give you my personal number. In case anyone else answers, though, don't say you are from Eagle Eye. Give a fake name—Adalarasu."

The telephone rang. He picked up the receiver.

"What…? Keep it safe. Don't speak to anyone about it. Wait there for me." He cut the phone call, and turned again to Narendran. "A newproblem," he said.

"Blackmail?"

"No, no... A letter has just arrived. They don't know who dropped it in the mailbox. A strange and intriguing letter—it says Arthreyan will soon be the ruler of the nation! It says he needs time to be trained for the job, so we are not to search for him; he will return soon."

"Is it signed?"

"No. But the person who wrote it must know where Arthreyan is."

"Ask them to put that letter in a polythene cover, and to be careful not to smudge any fingerprints on it."

"And send it where?"

"To the Eagle Eye office."

"Naren… I'm worried. I sometimes think maybe I should go to the police about this."

"That's entirely up to you."

Surya Shekar hesitated for a moment. "No, I trust Eagle Eye completely. My car will drop you off back at the airport."

"See you." Narendran got up to leave. The car was waiting.