That afternoon, in Panditji’s house, Byomkesh was half-reclined in an easy chair, telling the story. The listeners were myself, Panditji, and Ramapati.

“I’ll be brief. If I leave anything out, ask.”

Panditji said, “Let me say something first. That white powder you asked to have tested—the chemist’s report has arrived. Here, take a look.”

Byomkesh read the report, his brows knitting. “Sodium Tetra Borate—Borax, that is, Sohaga? What is Sohaga used for? I know one thing: gold and Sohaga. Is it used for anything else?”

Panditji replied, “I’m not sure. Perhaps in those days it was used for making medicines.”

Returning the report, Byomkesh said, “Well. Now listen. Manilal appeared to be a decent man on the outside, but his nature was that of a demon—cruel and greedy in equal measure. After his marriage, he resolved to seize his father-in-law’s entire estate. He received no kindness from his brothers-in-law, nor did he love his wife. Only his father-in-law did he win over with gentle words.

“Manilal’s first opportunity came when a group of Bedes set up camp nearby. He secretly obtained snake venom from them.

“It’s not immediately clear why he killed his wife first. Perhaps, in a moment of weakness, he revealed his intentions to her, or perhaps Haripriya herself witnessed the process of filling the pen with snake venom. In any case, Haripriya had to be removed first. But that created a major problem—his connection to his father-in-law would be severed. Yet Manilal had so thoroughly ensnared his father-in-law that he was confident Ramkishore would not break ties with him. His eyes were already on Tulsi.

“In any case, after Haripriya’s death, there was no trouble; the match with Tulsi was all but settled. Manilal waited patiently, planning to remove his brothers-in-law one by one once the relationship was confirmed. Two years passed; Tulsi was nearly of marriageable age when Ishan Babu arrived. Not long after, the holy man appeared. There was, of course, no connection between these two; neither ever realized how close he was to his old friend.

“Ramkishore Babu carried the shame of abandoning his brother to die. Recognizing the ascetic, his heart gave out—he was on the verge of collapse. After regaining some composure, he said to his brother, ‘What’s done is done, but if the truth comes out now, I’ll be utterly disgraced. Go to some pilgrimage site, build a monastery, stay there—I’ll provide whatever funds you need.’ But Ramvinod had his brother in his grasp; he would not budge. He sat beneath a tree, cursing his brother.

“That’s my deduction. But if Ramkishore ever tells the truth, you’ll see I’m not wrong. Manilal, however, was thrown into great difficulty by his father-in-law’s illness; if the old man died suddenly, all his plans would be ruined, and the brothers-in-law would throw him out at once. He began advising his father-in-law to separate the two elder sons. That way, if Ramkishore died of heart failure, as guardian of the minors, Manilal would gain control