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Both he and Sister Ingrid, a nun who also lived at the mission, confirmed that Karl was alive, living nearby in the town of Santa Cruz. They showed me a photo they said was recent and told me stories of troubles he had caused them. I left bewildered: I wanted to believe, and I didn't want to believe. In no time I was in Santa Cruz and spent a week doing the best detective work I could but found not a single bit of corroborating evidence.

I had maintained contact with Marcus's mother and knew that she had never accepted her son's death. About two years after my return from Rurrenabaque I flew at her request to Schaffhausen to meet with her. She insisted that she had new information to share, information, it turned out, she had received from a clairvoyant renowned for his success in finding lost relatives.

'Marcus is still alive,' she told me. 'That is certain. He lives in Peru on a high plateau with Indians who found him nearly dead and nursed him back to health. He has lost his memory, which prevents his coming home.' On a map of Peru she had marked a remote Andean community. She gave me the map and asked me to go there to look for him. I agreed.

Cuzco, the ancient Inca capital, is one of my favourite South American cities. I have a friend there, José Ugarte, who happens to be a mountain guide. Looking at the map together, we determined one thing was sure: the clairvoyant