Pulak Ghoshal came to our hotel at half past nine the next morning. ‘Have the police finished asking questions?’ Feluda asked him. ‘Yes. None of us could go home before half past nine last night. Who could ever have imagined something like this would happen? We can’t start shooting until the police give the all-clear. Samiran Babu has said we may go ahead once the police finish their investigation, but who knows how long that might take? I’m trying not even to think about the financial loss we’ll have to suffer because of this.’ Lalmohan Babu clicked his tongue in sympathy. ‘However,’ Pulak Babu added a shade more cheerfully, ‘there’s something I have seen in the past. If the production of a film gets temporarily stopped for some reason, it goes on to become a smash hit. Besides, Laluda, your story is totally unbeatable.’ Inspector Saha turned up half an hour after Pulak Babu left. ‘No sign of Lokenath,’ he said, ‘but we’re still looking for him. My men are working even in Siliguri. I think it’s just a matter of time before we find him. He may be hiding in a tribal colony at the moment, but he’s bound to be caught sooner or later. I am positive he’ll try to go to Calcutta and sell the statue there. It’s strange, isn’t it, what greed can do to an otherwise simple man?’ ‘I believe you’ve finished interviewing people in the house.’ ‘Yes. It proved one thing: everyone, without a single exception, was avidly curious to see how a film is shot. All of them admitted to having spent considerable time watching the shooting. Even Mr Majumdar changed his routine. That is most remarkable, for his life ran with clockwork precision.’ ‘How many people would have had the opportunity, do you think? Let’s not worry about the motive as yet.’ ‘Well, there are two things to be considered here. One, pouring poison into the victim’s glass of milk; and then stabbing him to steal the statue. Lokenath got the glass of milk ready at around half past one and went to call Mr Majumdar. He could have dropped the remaining thirty pills into the glass; or, in his absence, someone else might have slipped in and done that. Rajat Bose says he was reading in his room at that time. Samiran Majumdar also says he was in his own room. Neither can prove it. Bahadur and Jagadish were watching the shooting. This happens to be true.’ ‘What did your surgeon say about the time of murder?’ ‘According to him, the victim was stabbed between 2.30 and 4 p.m. There is no doubt that the cause of death was stabbing, or there wouldn’t have been so much bleeding.’ ‘Could anyone say anything about Lokenath?’ ‘No. Everyone was engrossed with the shooting.’ Lalmohan Babu cleared his throat. ‘If I must be questioned, why don’t you ask your questions now? Let’s get it over with.’

‘Very well. Technically, I should have interviewed you last night, along with the others, but I didn’t insist as you’re a friend of Mr Mitter’s. Anyway, let’s hear from you what happened yesterday.’ ‘I got there at nine o’clock,’ Lalmohan Babu began. ‘It took me an hour to finish my make-up. There is a veranda right next to the room where the shooting is taking place. All the actors normally wait on that veranda to be called to the set. While we were waiting there, something happened, at about half past ten. Mr Majumdar arrived and asked Raina and Verma to go with him. They were back in five minutes. Raina told me Mr Majumdar had shown them an old family heirloom. Now I know it was that statue of Krishna.’ ‘I see. What happened next?’ ‘At eleven o’clock, Verma and I were called. Pulak started taking the shot in just ten minutes. Four shots were taken before lunch. I had to go to the bathroom after the second one. It must have been around half past twelve.’ ‘Did you see anyone on the way?’ ‘No. I was called back to the set within minutes of my return. The third shot was taken half-an-hour later, after a rehearsal. After that, I had a few minutes’ rest. I spent that time sitting on the veranda.’ ‘Alone?’ ‘No. Raina and Verma were both with me. Mr Majumdar came back for a while. It was during this time that I saw Lokenath come and tell him his milk was ready. Mr Majumdar left after another five minutes. At quarter to two, Pulak took the fourth shot, with just me in it. We broke for lunch at half past two, and I went back to the bathroom to wash my hands. Raina and Verma followed me.’ ‘Who went to the bathroom first?’ ‘I did. Then I returned straight to the southern side. It took us twenty minutes or so to finish eating. After that I just sat on the veranda. Tapesh was with me.’ I nodded in agreement. Lalmohan Babu continued, ‘I couldn’t tell you where Raina and Verma were at this time. We resumed working at around three o’clock. My fifth shot was over at half past three, after which there was a break for thirty-five minutes to get the lights ready.’ ‘What did you do during that time?’ ‘I chatted with Raina and Verma on the veranda. Tapesh sat with us.’ I nodded again. ‘Verma has travelled a lot, all over the country. He was telling us about his experiences.’ ‘You mean the three of you were together throughout, until the lights were ready?’ Lalmohan Babu frowned. Then he said, ‘I’m not sure. I think Verma got up and left for about five minutes. Raina was regaling us with gossip from the film world, and then—’ ‘That’ll do, thank you,’ Inspector Saha interrupted him. ‘I think I’ve got everything I needed to know. But do you remember having seen Lokenath at all after half past one?’ Lalmohan Babu shook his