offered his hand. "Lionel Binns."
"Lionel? You must be joking, no one's named Lionel these days."
He looked at her unblinkingly. "May I come in, Ms. Trevor?"
"Why would you want to do that?"
"I'm here to make you an offer."
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He crossed the threshold without seeming to have moved.
Peering around, he said, "Oh, dear. What have we here?"
"Desolation Row."
Binns gave her a quick smile. "I'm an early Dylan fan myself."
"What can I do for you, Mr. Binns?"
She tensed as he lifted the brown paper bag and opened it.
Taking out two paper cups, he said, "I brought us some cardamom tea."
The first clue. "How nice," Moira said, accepting the tea. She took off the plastic top to peer inside. It was pale with milk. She took a sip. And very sweet. "Thank you."
"Ms. Trevor, I am an attorney. My client would like to hire you."
"Lovely." She looked around Desolation Row. "I could use some work."
"My client wants you to find a notebook computer that was stolen from him."
Moira paused with the cup halfway to her lips. Her coffee-colored eyes watched Binns with uncommon scrutiny. She had a strong face with a personality to match.
"You must have me confused with a private detective. There's no shortage of those in the district, any one of them - "
"My client wants you, Ms. Trevor. Only you."
She shrugged. "He's barking up the wrong tree. Sorry. Not my line of work."
"Oh, but it is." There was nothing sinister or even discomforting in Binns's face. "Let me see if I have this right. You were a highly successful field operative for Black River. Eight months ago you left and started Heartland by poaching the best and the brightest from your former employer. You didn't back down when Black River tried to intimidate you, in fact you fought back and were instrumental in bringing to light the company's criminal dealings. Now, for his trouble, your old boss Noah Perlis is dead, Black River has been disbanded, and two of its founding principals are under indictment. Stop me if I've gotten anything wrong so far."
Moira, astonished, said nothing.
"From where my client sits," he continued, "you're the perfect candidate to find and retrieve his stolen laptop."
"And where, exactly, does your client sit?"
Binns grinned at her. "Interested? There's quite a handsome remuneration for you."
"I'm not interested in money."
"Despite needing the work?" Binns cocked his head. "But never mind, I wasn't speaking of money, though your entire usual fee will be paid in advance. No, Ms. Trevor, I'm talking about something more valuable to you." He looked around the empty room. "I'm talking about the reason you've moved out of here."
Moira froze, her heartbeat accelerating. "I don't know what you mean."
"You have a traitor in your organization," Binns said without inflection. "Someone on the NSA's payroll."
Moira frowned. "Just who is your client, Mr. Binns?"
"I'm not authorized to reveal his identity."
"And I suppose you're also not authorized to tell me how he knows so much about me?"
Binns spread his hands.
She nodded. "Fine. I'll find my goddamn traitor myself."
Oddly, this response brought a cat-like smile to Binns's face. "My client said that would be your answer. I didn't believe him, so now I'm out a thousand dollars."
"I'm sure you'll find a way to make it up in fees."
"Once you get to know me, you'll realize I'm not that sort of man."
"You're being overly optimistic," Moira said.
He nodded. "Possibly." Retreating to the doorway, he lifted a hand. "If you'll accompany me..." When she made no move to follow him, he added, "Just this once, I beg you to indulge me. It will only take fifteen minutes of your time, what do you have to lose?"
Moira couldn't think of a damn thing, so she allowed him to usher her out.
Chaaya lived in the penthouse of one of Bangalore's glittering high-rise mini-cities, a gated residential community guarded day and night against the city's multitude of ravages. But whether the precautions kept the city out or imprisoned the denizens in its citadel, Arkadin thought, was only a matter of perspective.
Chaaya opened the door to his knock, as she always did no matter what time he appeared. She had no choice, really. She came from a wealthy family and lived in the lap of luxury, but all of that would evaporate if they knew her secret. She was Hindu and the man she was in love with was Muslim, a mortal sin in the eyes of her father and three brothers should they become aware of