Six

The three of us returned to the adjoining room and found Kestobabu and Prabhat seated at opposite ends of the bench. Kestobabu was yawning and casting sidelong glances at Prabhat, who sat with his chin resting on his palm, lost in thought. Nanibala had sprawled on the floor, her legs stretched out, dozing against the wall. At our entrance, everyone straightened up. Prabhat rose from the bench and murmured, almost inaudibly, “Please, sit.”

Byomkesh replied, “No, I won’t sit. Dawn is breaking; it’s time for us to return home. The police may arrive at any moment. If they see us here, it might sour their mood. Let me give you all a word of advice—remember it well. Do not try to shift the blame onto anyone else; it will only harm you. The police might just round everyone up and throw you all into lockup.”

Everyone fell silent.

“Prabhatbabu, now it’s your turn to speak. Yesterday, you accompanied your mother to the cinema, but you didn’t watch the film yourself?”

Prabhat replied, “No. I bought the tickets, seated my mother inside, and then went to my shop.”

“Oh. You went to the shop after half past eight at night?”

“Yes. On Diwali night, I had decorated the shop with lights.”

“And then?”

“Then, at about quarter to twelve, I closed the shop and went back to the cinema, brought my mother home from there.”

“So, from roughly nine to quarter to twelve, you were at the shop. Was anyone else there?”

“Gurung was there, standing guard at the door.”

“Gurung—the Gurkha doorman. Did any customers come by?”

“No.”

“What did you do all that time in the shop?”

“Nothing. I sat in the back room and bound some books.”

“All right, let’s leave that for now. —Did you get along with Anadibabu?”

Prabhat lifted his eyes, brimming with resentment. “No. He took me in as a foster son, treated me well at first. Then—gradually—”

“Gradually, his attitude changed?” Byomkesh said. “Tell me, why did he take you in as a foster son?”

“I don’t know.”

“At first he treated you well, then his mood changed; was there any particular reason for that?”

“Perhaps there was. But to my knowledge, I did nothing wrong.”

Prabhat, exhausted, sat down again on the bench. Byomkesh regarded him with a gentle gaze and said, “You should go and lie down for a while. Once the police arrive, there will be no more rest.”

Adimriphu 455

‘Whether you’ll get it or not, I doubt.’

But Prabhat merely shook his head. Byomkesh then turned to Nanibala and said,

‘You didn’t have a cordial relationship with Anadi Babu either, did you?’

Nanibala’s mouth and cow-like eyes widened at once, and she almost broke into tears,

‘I’ve told you everything, Byomkesh Babu. I was a thorn in the old man’s side. He loved Prabhat, but he couldn’t stand the sight of me. Day and night he’d look for excuses; the moment he found something, he’d start gnashing