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cups inside.
    “Then eight days after I joined the house as a maid, agents of the British Raj raided it.” Lajli nodded, gratified by her audience’s riveted attention. “They took away two of the babus. The one who had the locked room, whispers in the market said he died on the way to prison.” She shivered. “The other babu, I do not know what happened to him.”
    “And the third babu?” Jed asked.
    “He is the one who arrived here in Swan River, yesterday. He is Nazim.”
    “Your chai.” The waiter bustled cheerfully. “It is a good day, yes? Not many clouds. Much sunshine. Good for flowers. Diwali will be lovely this year.”
    After he returned inside, Lajli curled her hands around her cup of chai. For the first time she looked young and scared, defenseless.
    Jed suffered a pang of conscience. He would do his best to wind up this little adventure in time for them all to enjoy Diwali.
    “Nazim is a bad man,” Lajli continued. “He was the boss of the other babus and of all the men who visited the house. He told everyone what to do.”
    “Did the agents of the Raj question you?” Esme asked.
    “No, miss.”
    “Esme.”
    “Esme, yes. They did not question me because I was not there. When the police whistles blew, I slipped away.”
    “Typical,” Gupta said.
    “Yes, I have a talent for it. I am a good thief. I used the noise and panic to lift Nazim’s wallet and take it with me. All he wanted was to get into the locked room. I heard him smashing something in there.”
    “Destroying evidence.” Jed watched a skimmer boat vanish over the horizon. “And now he is after you because he suspects you stole his wallet.”
    Esme traced jagged patterns on the white tablecloth with her spoon. “A raid by agents of the Raj suggests Lajli’s former employers are known for their anti-British sentiments. This Nazim will be desperate to recover the blueprints for Kali’s Scream.” She dropped the spoon. “Jed, we have to keep Lajli safe.”
    “That is not easy.” Gupta sighed deeply.
    “Nonsense. Lajli shall come and stay with me. She will be safe in my home.”
    “No,” Jed said. Heaven only knew what Lajli’s presence in the house would do to his courtship of Esme. The girl was trouble.
    “It won’t be for long,” Esme soothed. “Just until we sort things out.” She began ticking off points. “The authorities must be alerted regarding Nazim’s presence in the colony. Clearly, the agents of the Raj want him. They can have him.”
    “If they can catch him,” Gupta said gloomily.
    “And if they’re willing to take Lajli’s word as to his identity.” Jed raised an eyebrow at Esme. “To put it bluntly, she’s a thief, and even if the police here aren’t aware of her light-fingered habits, who do you think they will believe? A girl or an educated man?”
    “I won’t talk to the police.” Lajli folded her arms. “No.”
    “We will vouch for you,” Esme assured her.
    “It could easily go wrong.” Jed’s scheme to work closely with Esme, to show her he trusted her with danger, wouldn’t bear close official scrutiny. “A device such as Kali’s Scream sounds fanciful, but the police know where they stand with the theft of a wallet. They’re quite likely to settle for arresting Lajli.”
    “What about the notes mentioning the prince?” Esme objected.
    “They lack concrete dates and times, and the names of people involved. Coupled with a strange new device such as a sonic amplifier, I fear the police would dismiss them as evidence.” He forestalled Esme’s protest. “We can force them to take the matter seriously by proving the device works.”
    Her forehead wrinkled as she considered his argument.
    “The prince visits India in three months,” Gupta said. “It is in all the newspapers.”
    “Which means we have a short time.” Jed set his chai cup down with a click. “I’ll get started on building the prototype immediately. Lajli needs a safe place to hide.”
    “My