Summary

Although he continues to pester neighbors in his search for clues, Jai is more and more convinced that Bahadur has fled the basti for the city. He tells Pari they must take Bahadur’s picture and head to the metro station and take the Purple Line metro into the city, about two miles. When Jai gets home, he is told by his mother that another child has vanished, Omvir, Bahadur’s only friend. This only convinces Jai that the two missing kids have run away together and that he must get to the city as soon as possible. To cover the cost of the train ticket, Jai steals from his mother’s secret cache of emergency money, 400 rupees, or about $5.00. It is ironic, he thinks, “I’m a detective and I have just committed a crime” (83). Pari agrees to go with Jai, but...