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were even then twisting away at him.
    â€œWe are here on a matter of great urgency,” said the man. “We would not have asked your secretary to call you from your meeting for anything less.”
    Jerry knew that his secretary would not have dared call him from the meeting for anything less, so he stood there quietly a moment, calming himself so that he would not speak rudely. Finally he said, “If you would like I can see you just as soon as this meeting is over.”
    Nurudeen’s father was wearing tribal clothes, white robes and a beautifully embroidered cap. He was short, but quite handsome. He wore thick glasses and he seemed about ten years younger than Jerry Neal. His demeanor was formal. “My son is under a great deal of strain,” he said.
    Jerry was about to repeat his suggestion that they talk when the meeting ended, but Nurudeen’s father raised his hand. “I am, however, not here exclusively about my son. I am here also on behalf of my brother, who is the minister of internal affairs. It was he who put Nurudeen up to the tricks that have occurred.”
    Jerry paused, a little vertigo settling in. “The minister told your son to steal my lunch?” he asked slowly. Then he added, “Nurudeen said it was your wife.”
    Nurudeen tensed in his chair but his father remained calm above him, placing one smooth hand on his shoulder. “A boy in trouble will grasp at improbable straws,” he said. “Could I trouble you for a moment alone?”
    Jerry knew that several of the school board members would be irritated by his absence, but how could he dismiss such a claim? He looked at Nurudeen and then spoke softly, saying, “Son, you go on up to class. If you ever steal anything again you are expelled from this school, is that clear?”
    Nurudeen nodded, so Jerry opened the door for him. And once the door was closed again he sat down, offering Nurudeen’s father the chair his son had warmed.
    â€œNow,” he said. “How could this be possible? What would make you say such a thing?”
    Though Nurudeen’s father had taken the offered seat, he held both hands in front of him, shaking his head. “Please,” he said, “it will all be clear to you soon. Isn’t it about time that we get started for the ministry?”
    The principal sat forward. “He’s expecting me now?”
    â€œOf course,” said Nurudeen’s dad. “You didn’t get his call?”
    Nurudeen’s father stood, and Jerry went back into the staff room.
    â€œOur little drama is coming to a head,” he said, standing in the doorway and pretending to be amused. “It seems the ministry has sent a car. I’ve been asked to go back down there now.”
    Some of the board members wanted details, but the president waved Jerry away. “Good,” he said. “We’ll be pleased if you can get this thing straightened out today.”
    Jerry Neal smiled, but when he turned back toward his office he saw Nurudeen’s father going out the other door, past the secretary and out to the school’s front gate. He didn’t like the man and he tried to remind himself, one more time, that he was in this business for the fun of it, for the surprises of each new day.
    Still, though he tried not to hurry, when he got outside the confounded man was already in his car and was pretending impatience, about to have his driver pull away.

    Though Nurudeen’s father had been slightly cordial in Jerry’s office, once inside his automobile he seemed to concentrate on the outside world. Jerry carried the teacher files with him, and since it was clear that Nurudeen’s father preferred not to speak, he opened the files and went over everything once more, making sure that there was no detail about which he was unsure. The traffic was light so the trip went quickly, but when they got close to the Federal Secretariat everything stopped