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  Frank paused.

  Pradesh seemed to be smiling at her. She frowned. “Would you mind letting me see your badge?”

  “Of course not.” He tossed it to her and she caught it. There was a laminated photo of Pradesh and a hologram overlaid on the identification. It could have been a forgery, but Pradesh seemed genuine enough. Still, old habits were hard to fight and Annja had a few questions before she jumped into a stranger’s car.

  “How did you know we were coming into town?”

  “Your boss in New York called us. Apparently he was concerned that you might have some trouble when you landed.” He glanced quickly at Frank and then back at Annja.

  Frank looked puzzled. “Why would they think that?”

  Pradesh chuckled. “Perhaps this is not the first time you have made a scene in public?”

  Frank glanced down. He sighed. “That Christmas party last year wasn’t my fault. Seriously.”

  Annja shook her head. “I’m tempted to put you on the next plane back to New York.”

  Frank ran his hand through his mop of hair, tousling it wildly. “Please don’t do that, Annja. This is a big assignment for me. If this goes right, it could be a stepping stone to better assignments. You know I can work a camera like no one’s business.”

  Pradesh leaned against the car and folded his arms. “I think there’s a flight bound for the States in another hour.” He winked at Annja. “If that’s really what you want to do.”

  Annja smirked. “Well…”

  Frank fairly dived into the backseat of the Mercedes. Annja allowed herself the briefest smile.

  “Well, that seems settled,” Pradesh said over the roar of an airplane taking off overhead. He held the door for her. “Would you like to sit up front? It makes you look like less of a criminal.”

  “All right.”

  Annja slid into the car and waited for Pradesh to get behind the steering wheel. He adjusted his seat belt and then guided them out into the traffic’s slipstream.

  He was handsome and refined. She found it hard to think of him as a policeman, but she couldn’t deny that his authoritative presence had certainly heeled the customs officer. Still, he didn’t have the cop vibe.

  “Thanks for stepping in back there at the airport.”

  He shrugged. “He was doing his job, of course, but unfortunately many airport officials tend to live out their power-hungry fantasies at the expense of naive travelers.”

  Frank didn’t say a word from the backseat.

  “Your timing was impeccable.”

  Pradesh grinned. “Actually, I was watching for a few minutes before I intervened.”

  “Why?”

  “I wanted to see what the two of you were like. How you handled the challenge and what you might do. I’m something of an observer of people, you see. I like knowing who I’m about to get involved with.”

  “Get involved with?”

  Pradesh nodded as he zipped the Mercedes around a large cargo truck. A blare of a horn followed them, but Pradesh seemed unmoved by it. “I’ve been assigned to help you.”

  Annja shook her head. “I don’t think we need any help.”

  Pradesh held up one hand. “I promise I won’t interfere with your investigation. There are a lot of jurisdictions involved in this case right now.”

  “I get the feeling this isn’t a request.”

  Pradesh shrugged. “I have people I answer to, as well. Orders are orders, as they say.”

  Annja sighed. “I’m not exactly thrilled with this.”

  “See it from our angle, Annja. We’re dealing with a crime scene. Two foreigners—one who is, forgive me, less than culturally perceptive—with a television program coming into our jurisdiction to investigate a series of crimes we haven’t been able to make much headway on yet. Imagine how bad we would look if television researchers—one with archaeology accreditation—were able to figure it out and we were not. Such disgrace would be intolerable for us, I’m afraid.”

  “So, you’re here to babysit us.”

  “If that is how you wish to view it, that is fine with me.” Pradesh shrugged. “But I do sincerely wish to assist you in any way that I might. I have been intrigued with the idea of a giant tiger roaming our city since the first body was found. But my requests for additional manpower to track it have gone unanswered.”

  “Why?”

  Pradesh pointed out a sprawling new construction project to their left. “Hyderabad is in the midst of unparalleled economic growth. Several key industries for the city have the potential to make this part of India one of the country’s richest.”

  “I would think the powers that be would want anything that threatened it to be taken care of at once.”

  “It’s something of a fine line.” Pradesh reduced the air-conditioning. “The city leaders are publicity clamoring for action. But behind the scenes, they don’t want anything to disrupt progress. And the development where these attacks have occurred belong to some of the city’s wealthiest, so it’s a double-edged sword. The residents obviously want the tiger—or creature—found and killed, but they don’t want a stigma attached to their homes. They would lose all cachet. And that’s why they bought here.”

  Annja shook her head. “Bizarre. They’ve potentially got a man-eating tiger looking for its next meal and they’re worried about what their friends will say.”

  “I am not even close to being in that financial realm. So perhaps my perspective is somewhat different.”

  “More like realistic,” she said.

  “We will have to proceed with discretion,” Pradesh said. “There are people who already think the city leaders have been too vocal about finding the tiger. For them, it would be better if the tiger was lured away to some other section of the city. If it found a poorer place to settle down and hunt, they’d be quite happy.”

  “Don’t tell me someone actually suggested that.”

  Pradesh smiled. “As I said, my perspective is not nearly the same as those with money.”

  “I guess the sooner we figure it out, then the better it will be for everyone involved.”

  “Absolutely. Now, let me get you settled at your hotel. I’m certain your cameraman would like to have a shower and a fresh change of clothes.”

  “He would,” Frank said. “Thank you very much.”

  “What happens next?” Annja asked.

  “There’s a function tonight to welcome you and Frank to our city,” Pradesh explained. “I don’t suppose you have an evening gown with you?”

  “An evening gown?” Annja frowned. “I’m here to find a tiger, not dance.”

  Pradesh smiled. “This will be something of a challenge.” He wheeled them toward a gleaming white hotel. “But I think we will manage.”

  Chapter 3

  The hotel was gorgeous. As Annja walked into the bedroom from the steaming-hot shower she’d just enjoyed, she couldn’t help but appreciate the thick shag carpet. She curled up on the bed and gave serious thought to falling right to sleep. The flight had been long, and with the stress of having to shepherd Frank through customs, she was exhausted.

  Thank goodness Pradesh showed up. She smiled. He was a handsome man, and she hadn’t seen a wedding ring on his finger. Although maybe that was because he didn’t wear one while he worked.

  Not that she was here to flirt. She had a job to do. And finding the killer was the only important thing to her right now.

  Except Pradesh was picking them up in an hour for the party in their honor.

  Annja sighed. Nothing worse than having to put on a show for people. All she wanted to do was get out to the site of the murders. Apparently that would have to wait.

  Her more immediate problem was what she was going to wear. Pradesh had been correct—she hadn’t brought a cocktail dress with her. Why would she? When Annja had booked her flight, the only thing she thought she’d need were a good pair of boots and her usual gear.

  Mingling with high society hadn’t been on the age
nda.

  Until now.

  Annja laid out her best shirt and pants. Eyeing them, she frowned. There was no way that outfit was going to pass muster with Hyderabad’s elite. Not a chance.

  She wondered what time the stores downstairs closed. She had the credit card from the show and she could expense a new dress. But—

  A knock at her door jarred her out of her thoughts. She peered through the peephole. One of the bellhops stood outside. Annja wrapped the robe a little tighter around herself and cracked the door.

  “Yes?”

  “Excuse me for disturbing you, Miss Creed. This was just delivered for you.”

  He held out a garment bag and Annja reached for it. “Thank you.” She closed the door and laid the bag on the bed. A small card was tied to the hanger. Annja opened it.

  I hope you don’t mind my taking the liberty of getting this for you.

  —Dunraj

  “Who the hell is Dunraj?” Annja asked aloud. She unzipped the garment bag.

  The dress inside was gorgeous. A spaghetti-strap number in black with a line of understated jewels that wound down the dress. Annja recognized it immediately as one of Paris designer Nikolai Depue’s latest designs.

  It must have cost a fortune.

  She slipped the bathrobe off and stepped into the dress. It fit her like a glove and she couldn’t help but appreciate how good she looked in the mirror on the bathroom door, how well the dress fit her curves.

  I don’t suppose my boots are going to look good with this, she thought. But then she noticed that bulge at the bottom of the garment bag. A pair of simple black leather heels. She stepped into them and instantly felt like a million dollars.

  And that made her very uncomfortable. She didn’t even know who’d sent this outfit. She looked down at her khakis on the bed and was sorely tempted to put her own clothes on instead.

  Just as she reached to unzip the dress, her phone rang. “Hello?”

  “Annja? It’s Frank.”

  Frank had a room on another floor. Annja wondered what he’d be wearing tonight. He didn’t exactly seem like the designer-suit type.

  “Are you ready to go?”

  “Yeah. Some dude showed up at my door with a penguin suit—a freaking tuxedo. Can you believe it?”

  “Actually, yes,” she said. “How does it fit?”

  “Uh, it fits me perfectly. I have no idea who sent it, though. And I have even less of an idea how he knew my suit size.”

  She studied herself in the mirror and then decided the dress would just have to do. After all, it would only be on her a couple of hours. “Let’s meet downstairs.”

  Annja caught the elevator, and when the doors opened to the lobby, the first person she saw was Pradesh standing near the concierge station. He wore what Annja recognized as a sleek Pathani suit.

  Pradesh’s eyes lit up when he saw Annja. “Forgive me for being blunt. You look incredibly beautiful.”

  “Blunt is not necessarily a bad thing,” Annja said with a smile even though he had made her uncomfortable. “Thank you for the compliment.”

  Pradesh gave her a short bow and then Annja heard the elevator ding behind her. Frank walked out. The tuxedo indeed looked good on him, but he didn’t have nearly the confidence to pull the look off. She could tell he felt uneasy.

  “Very handsome,” she said as he approached.

  “Very awkward,” he said quietly. “I feel like everyone is staring at me. And I don’t like it.” He pointed at her dress. “You look amazing.”

  “Thank you.” Annja touched him on the arm. “You’ll be fine. Just try to relax.” She turned to Pradesh. “So, now what?”

  “I’ll drive you to the party. It’s being held downtown at the offices of Dunraj Incorporated.”

  “Did you say Dunraj?”

  Pradesh nodded. “Yes, he’s one of the most influential residents of Hyderabad. He’s got an estimated wealth at around one billion dollars U.S.”

  Frank whistled. “Wow.”

  “Yes, his money generally elicits that reaction from people. It certainly seems to from the group Dunraj surrounds himself with. But there you go.”

  “Money’s not everything,” Annja said. “He didn’t need to buy me this dress. I have clothes that would have been fine. Well, almost fine.”

  Pradesh grinned. “So, is that where that came from? I wondered, but I thought it would be rude to ask. You both do look perfectly suited for the night ahead, however, so I guess Dunraj’s money was put to good use—at least in this case.”

  Annja glanced at him. “Suited for the night ahead? And what exactly will this night entail?”

  Pradesh smiled wider. “Oh, I imagine it will involve meeting an awful lot of people who have seen your show on television and who will wish to ask you all sorts of boring questions about your work and what you do. They’ll flatter you, no doubt, but each of them will want something. And they’ll prattle on at length about various topics you will probably have little to no interest in. You know, the usual prattling that occurs at these tiresome things.”

  Annja raised her eyebrows.

  He leaned forward. “I’ve been to one or two of these before. They get rather wearing. But such is the life of an inspector. I do my best to try to bear it, but there are times I find myself marveling at my own endurance.”

  He led them outside to the Mercedes. Annja noticed it had been washed and waxed since their earlier trip from the airport. She again sat up front with Pradesh, while Frank maneuvered himself into the backseat, still acting incredibly pained about his outfit.

  Annja caught his eye. “Frank, let it go. You look good, now just pretend like you know you look good and you’ll be fine.”

  He fidgeted with his tie. “The last time I wore one of these things was my junior prom. And I hated it then. So much so, I refused to wear one for my senior prom.”

  “What did you wear to that?” Pradesh asked.

  “Shorts. Plus a bright red blazer. I looked wild.”

  Annja shook her head. “That sounds like quite the night. Your date must have loved that.”

  “Uh, yeah. We didn’t stay together for very long.”

  “I wish I could say I’m shocked.” She laughed. “But shorts and a bright red blazer don’t exactly fit the picture of what most girls want their dates to wear to the prom.”

  “What about what I wanted to wear?” Frank asked.

  Pradesh chuckled. “From what I understand about American girls and their proms, what you wanted was never really up for discussion.”

  “He’s right,” Annja agreed. “It’s all about the ladies.”

  “It always is,” Frank grumbled. He lapsed into silence and Annja watched as the city passed outside of the window.

  The sun was already below the horizon, and Annja marveled at the lights of the city. Hyderabad seemed very modern. She mentioned this to Pradesh, who nodded.

  “We have a rich history, but we are also firmly embracing the future. People like Dunraj are at the forefront of this move forward. With the number of developments under way in the city limits, there is hope that we will overtake several other cities and become the economic hub of India.” He tilted his head. “That’s the plan, anyway. We’ll see if it becomes reality or not.”

  “And what sort of industries are you attracting?”

  “Green-power companies, technology, and we even have several movie studios that are setting up shop here. The film industry in India, as you know, is tremendously popular. And Hyderabad’s climate is well suited to movies and TV. Tollywood they call our small niche.”

  “Does Dunraj have his hand in everything that goes on in the city?”

  “To a certain extent,” Pradesh said. “He prefers not to be seen as a power player, but he is one. His role is often in the background. He comes from a very old family. One with its own past and characters. But he is something of a maverick and he likes that role. He’s the last of his family line, though, so sometimes he can get a bit…
interesting.”

  “I don’t understand,” Annja said.

  “You will.”

  “Well, I’m looking forward to meeting him. If only to thank him for his impeccable taste.”

  Pradesh eyed her. “I think perhaps he is looking forward to meeting you even more.”

  “He must be,” Frank said from behind them. “That dress makes Annja look like a knockout.”

  Annja took a breath and let it out slowly. “Frank, do me a favor, will you?”

  “Sure thing.”

  “Don’t talk like that tonight. All right? This is an important function, judging by what Pradesh is telling us. And if things go well, we’ll be able to work here without hassle. But if things don’t go well, then we’ll face all sorts of complications, which I’m not a big fan of. So remember that every time you speak tonight. What you say will have a direct impact on your future. Trust me.”

  “Okay, Annja.” Frank sighed. “I get it.”

  Pradesh pointed ahead of the car. “You see that building?”

  “You mean the tower with the lights?”

  “That is Dunraj’s corporate headquarters. From there, he oversees his rather extensive empire of business interests.”

  “That building must have cost him a fortune,” Annja said. “You weren’t joking about his personal wealth, huh?”

  Pradesh nodded. “At the time, it was the most expensive building construction project in all of Hyderabad. Something along the lines of what you might see in Dubai, I’d imagine.” He shrugged. “But Dunraj was determined to see it built and ended up sinking massive amounts of his own money in to fund it and make sure he finished by the deadline he’d set.”

  “It’s quite a nice design,” Annja said. She hoped Pradesh didn’t take her next question the wrong way, but she wanted to get a handle on her unexpected benefactor. “Is this Dunraj guy married?”

  “He is Hyderabad’s most eligible bachelor. No woman in the city has attracted him enough to settle down yet. Although they all try. My, do they try. And since he is, as I said, the last of his family, I believe the pressure is on him to settle produce an heir.”