Parvaticharan had been struck on the head with a heavy instrument. The Haldars’ family physician said his death must have been instantaneous. He wasn’t in very good health, apparently. His blood pressure often fluctuated and his heart wasn’t in good condition either. The police arrived soon afterwards. The inspector in charge of the case turned out to be Inspector Hajra, who knew Feluda. Unlike some other police officers, he did not look down upon private investigators. He seemed to like and respect Feluda a great deal. ‘We’ll make all the usual enquiries, and let you know if we find anything useful,’ he offered. ‘Thank you. Have you formed any idea regarding the weapon?’ ‘No, there’s nothing in the room that might have been used, is there? The murderer must have taken it with him.’ ‘Paperweight.’ ‘What? You think it was a paperweight?’ ‘Come with me.’ We followed Feluda and Inspector Hajra into the study. Feluda pointed at a portion on Parvaticharan’s desk. There was a thin layer of dust on the green felt that covered its surface. In one corner, there was a circular mark, free of dust. It wasn’t immediately noticeable, unless one looked carefully. ‘I checked with Amitabh Haldar,’ Feluda said. ‘He said there used to be a large and heavy Victorian glass paperweight in that corner. Well, it’s missing now.’ ‘Well done, Mr Mitter.’ ‘But what about the chief suspect? Did he really vanish into thin air?’ Feluda asked as he came out of the study. ‘We have his name and a good description. It shouldn’t take us long to find him. Besides, he had applied for a job here, hadn’t he? So we can easily get his address. No, my own suspicion is that the chowkidar isn’t telling us the truth. Maybe he had left his seat for a few moments, and that’s when the culprit slipped out. But then, who is the real culprit, anyway? Didn’t the victim see a visitor before Sadhan Babu turned up? This other person is just as likely to have killed him.’ ‘How can you say that? If the old Mr Haldar was already dead when Sadhan Babu walked into the room, surely he’d have raised an alarm?’ ‘You have seen the room, haven’t you? Doesn’t it look like a curio shop? Assuming that Sadhan Babu is dishonest and a crook, what do you think he’d do if he walked in there and found the owner dead? Wouldn’t he simply help himself to whatever he could and disappear with it?’ Feluda turned to Parvaticharan’s present secretary, Hrishikesh Datta. We had been introduced by this time. He said he had gone out to the post office just before ten o’clock to send a couple of cables

abroad. On his return, he had found us rushing down the stairs. ‘If something valuable was missing from that room, would you be able to tell us what it was?’ Feluda asked him. ‘Yes, probably. I have a good idea of what is displayed outside. Mr Haldar had once given me a list of things he kept locked away in a glass case. Maybe he took some of those things out to show Pestonji. Pestonji came at nine-thirty.’ ‘Did they know each other?’ ‘Oh, yes. Pestonji is also a collector. They had known each other for more than ten years. He used to come occasionally to look at a certain letter Mr Haldar had here.’ ‘Napoleon’s letter?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Was Mr Haldar thinking of selling it?’ ‘Certainly not. Pestonji was very keen to buy it, but Mr Haldar used to get a kick out of refusing his offer. But then, it wasn’t just Pestonji he refused. Once an American offered twenty thousand dollars. All Mr Haldar did was shake his head. After much persuasion, the American eventually lost his temper and began using foul language, but even so Mr Haldar remained totally unmoved. In fact, I think he quite enjoyed having the power to disappoint a prospective buyer. Today, Pestonji seemed to have got rather cross with him. I heard him raise his voice.’ ‘Where was this famous letter kept?’ ‘In an Alkathene envelope.’ ‘Then it’s probably still safe. I saw an Alkathene envelope on his desk, and there was a folded piece of paper in it.’ ‘Good. That certainly is a relief.’ There was no way to check immediately if the letter was there, for the police were still working in the room. The police surgeon had just arrived, and was examining the body. ‘What beats me completely is that I returned about the same time Sadhan Babu left. Why didn’t I see him anywhere?’ ‘What time did you go out of the house?’ ‘Exactly at five minutes to ten. It takes five minutes to reach the post office. I wanted to send those cables as soon as the post office opened.’ ‘That should not have taken you more than a few minutes. Why were you so late coming back?’ ‘I was looking around in the local shops for a new strap for my watch. It suddenly became loose. It’s so annoying, I can’t tell you. I’m having to wear the watch on my right wrist. You see, my left wrist is thinner than my right. So I get this problem frequently. But none of the shops had what I was looking for. Now I think I’ll have to try in New Market.’ I had already noticed he was wearing his watch on his right wrist. ‘Do you live here?’ Feluda asked. Amitabh Haldar was busy with his family and was naturally very upset by what had happened, so Feluda was trying to get as much information from Hrishikesh Datta as he could. ‘Yes. I have a room on the ground floor. Since I had no family, Mr Haldar told me I could stay in the same house. God knows they have plenty of rooms. I believe Sadhan Babu used to live here as well.’ ‘But you were going to leave this job, weren’t you?