The Mumbai heat hit Sterling the moment he stepped out of the airport. He'd been traveling for nearly twenty hours, but adrenaline kept him sharp. His local contact was waiting in the arrivals area, a slim man in his forties named Rajesh who'd been conducting surveillance for the past week.
"Mr. Sterling," Rajesh said, shaking his hand. "We need to talk."
They walked to Rajesh's car and drove toward the city center. Rajesh pulled out a tablet and showed Sterling photos of the apartment building where Mira was staying.
"She's in unit 304," Rajesh said. "Third floor, corner apartment. Small, maybe 800 square feet. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, combined living and kitchen area."
"How often has she left the apartment?"
"Barely at all. In the past five days, she's gone out twice. Once to a nearby market for food, once to a pharmacy. Both trips lasted less than thirty minutes. The rest of the time, she stays inside with the curtains drawn."
