After shutting the door Byomkesh came and sat down, looked at his watch and said, ‘It’s seven o’clock already. ‘ Then he seemed to be doing some mental calculations after which he said, ‘There’s still a lot of time.’

Eagerly I pounced on him, ‘Byomkesh, what do you make of it all? I didn’t get anything—but from your manner I feel as if you have already come to know all the facts.’

Byomkesh shook his head, ‘Not everything, not yet.’

I said, ‘Whatever you might say, my firm belief is that Sukumar did not do the deed—whatever evidence there might be against him.’

Byomkesh laughed, ‘So who did it then?’

‘I don’t know about that, but it certainly wasn’t Sukumar.’

Byomkesh remained silent; he lit a cigarette and began to smoke in silence. I figured he wouldn’t say anything more now. I too began to ponder in silence over the amazing complexities of this case.

Much later, Byomkesh suddenly asked, ‘I suppose you couldn’t call Satyaboti beautiful, could you?’

Intrigued, I looked up and said, ‘Why do you ask?’

‘Just asking. I think generally people would say she is too dark.’

I failed to understand the link between the problem in hand and Satyaboti’s looks. But it was impossible sometimes to follow the intricate route that Byomkesh’s mind took. I considered the matter gravely and said, ‘Yes, people would call her dark—but not exactly unattractive, I think.’

Byomkesh laughed and jumped up saying, ‘You mean, as the poet said,

Dark you say she is, dark as the darkest night

But I have seen her deep dark doe-like eyes...

Right? Oh, by the way, Ajit, what is your age, precisely?’

Astounded, I said, ‘My age...?’

‘Yes—tell me exactly, to the year, month and day.’

Perhaps he was going to find the solution to the mystery of Karalibabu’s death in my precise age. With Byomkesh, you never knew. I did some mental arithmetic and said, ‘My age is twenty-nine years, five months and eleven days. Why?’

Byomkesh heaved a great sigh of relief and said, ‘Good, you are elder to me by a full three months. I am so relieved. But do keep this in mind, won’t you?’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Oh, nothing. Anyway. My head is going round in circles from concentrating too hard on this case. Come on, let us go and see a film tonight.’

Byomkesh never went to the cinema. He just did not like either plays or films. So I was amazed, to say the least. I said, ‘What has got into you today? Have you gone absolutely crazy?’

Byomkesh laughed and said, ‘Not impossible. I was born under the lunar ascendant, you see. Mr Bhattacharya had cast my horoscope and immediately pronounced, “This boy will turn out utterly deranged. “ But it’s getting late. Come, let us eat and get going. There is a good movie showing at Chitra, I hear.’

So, after dinner we landed up at Chitra. The film started at nine-thirty.