I caught Byomkesh quietly sneaking out with his umbrella and exclaimed, ‘Hey! Where are you off to?’

He didn’t reply. He returned home at a half past three. ‘Are you abstaining from meals today as well?’ I inquired.

‘Certainly not,’ he replied, ‘I feasted on khichdi and the roe of the hilsa at Cafe Shahjahan.’

‘Suppose Nepal Gupta or Dr Bhujanga had spotted you?’

‘The chances of such an eventuality were slim. If either of them had tried to leave the farm, they would have been arrested.’

‘So you have tightened the noose at that end. What’s new on this side? Where did you go this afternoon?’

‘First to the Calcutta Corporation office. I was curious to find out who the owner of No. 19 Mirza Lane was.’

‘And who was it—Bhujangadharbabu?’

Byomkesh shook his head, ‘No, a lady.’

‘Where else did you go?’

‘To Ramenbabu’s. I have picked up two more photographs of Sunayana.’

‘What else did you do?’

‘I went to the city’s China town, in search of teeth.’

‘In search of teeth?’

‘That’s right. Didn’t you know the Chinese were very good dentists?’ He didn’t wait for an answer as he made for the bathroom. I sat there thinking that it wouldn’t be long before the curtain came down after the play’s fifth act. Why, then, had I still not managed to recognize the hero and the heroine?

The next morning, sunlight streamed forth and the sky was bright and clear. Byomkesh laid down the newspaper he was reading and said, ‘It’s almost eight o’clock. Come on, then. Dress me up in my bandages again. I must make an appearance at the farm.’

‘Are you going there alone?’

‘No, you’re coming too. The criminal stalking me has been apprehended. But one can never be too cautious. An escort is indispensable.’

‘When was the villain apprehended?’

‘Last night.’

‘What is our purpose in visiting the farm today?’

‘I have to retrieve the envelopes I had handed out. The day of judgement is at hand.’

I tied the bandages on him. Just before we left, he called Pramod Barat. I carried a thick staff with me. Barat was present at the Mohanpur station. He began to chuckle when he saw Byomkesh’s get-up.

‘Laugh all you want,’ Byomkesh told him, ‘but you have to lay out the bait to reel in the fish. By the way, do you know what my villain is called? Sajjandas Mirzapuri. Keep it in mind, in case it comes up. I found that name in the newspaper this morning. The police in Belgachhia nabbed him last night.’

‘I’m impressed! You’ve even come up with a suitable villain!’

‘The names of a few such criminals feature in the news every day.’

We arrived at the farm. A makeshift police outpost was in place at the main gate. A few guards loitered near the wire fencing. The air was thick with tension.

We parked the van outside the gate and went in. Almost instantly, our eyes fell