“Certainly,” Byomkesh replied, rising to his feet.

Santosh-babu said, “Well then, I’ll go and take some rest. I’m feeling a bit fatigued.”

He strode out of the room with firm steps. There was no sign of weariness in his body. Perhaps it was fatigue of the mind. After such a calamity in the house—Santosh-babu had revealed his secrets with neither evasion nor subterfuge, made no effort to justify himself. When one must speak the profound truths of life, it is best to speak plainly. Yet, his ruthless honesty could not help but trouble me. He was a seasoned businessman and a shrewd politician; perhaps his character would have been better without that dark stain.

A.K. Ray asked Byomkesh, “And now?”

Byomkesh said, “Come, let’s take a look at Hena’s room.”

“Let’s go. Shall we go up to the roof as well?”

“We shall. Since we’re here, let’s see all that needs to be seen.”

Near the round table in the hall, the remaining police officers were conversing in low voices. Except for Ravi Verma, none of the household members were present. Hena’s room lay diagonally across from the dining room, at the far end of the hall. [See plan.] The door to Hena’s room was slightly ajar, a light burning within. The three of us entered. Ravi Verma followed close behind.

The room was quite large. On the main road side, a large arched window; on the east wall, another ordinary window. In front of this window stood a table and chair, beside them a bookshelf. On the other side of the room, a narrow, simple cot was made up; beneath it, two large suitcases were visible. In the corner of the north wall, a narrow door led to an adjoining bathroom. The room was free of clutter, and so appeared rather neat. Perhaps Hena herself was of a tidy disposition.

Standing in the center of the room, Byomkesh looked around and asked, “Was the door open?”

A.K. Ray replied, “No, it was locked. In the deceased’s hand was a leather handbag, and inside it we found a key ring. Here it is.” He produced a bunch of keys from his pocket.

Taking the keys in hand, Byomkesh said, “So Hena locked her room before going up to the roof.”

A.K. Ray said, “That’s how it appears.”

Ravi Verma made a sound like a cough, his fist before his mouth. When Byomkesh turned to him, he said, “Hena never stepped out of her room without locking the door. Never left it open, not even for a moment.”

Byomkesh asked, “Is that so? Was it always this way, or did something prompt it?”

“Always this way.”

Byomkesh said nothing further. Examining the key ring, he said, “I see there are five keys. One must be for the door lock. And the others?”

A.K. Ray replied, “Two of the others are for the suitcases. The remaining two—we haven’t identified what they open.”

Byomkesh examined each key in turn and said, “One of