The next morning, Feluda shook me awake. One look at his face told me something disastrous had happened. ‘Mr Mallik has been murdered!’ he said briefly. ‘Wha-at!’ My scream woke Lalmohan Babu. ‘Last night,’ Feluda went on, ‘someone stabbed him in the chest after midnight. Then he smashed his head in as well, just to make sure, I suppose. It’s a horrible sight.’ Lalmohan Babu and I sprang to our feet, threw some warm clothes on and came out of our tent. I could hardly believe what I had just heard. Everyone else was gathered outside Mr Mallik’s tent, looking baffled and distressed. Vijay Mallik had left to inform the police. The main town wasn’t far, so it shouldn’t be long before the police came. Dr Majumdar had been the first to discover the body. The weapon had not been found. ‘It will probably never be found,’ I thought to myself. ‘No doubt it’s been thrown into the river. God knows how far it’s already travelled with the gushing waters!’ But it wasn’t just a case of murder. A valuable diamond ring Mr Mallik used to wear on the third finger of his right hand (given to him by a Gujarati client) was missing. Feluda was talking to Dr Majumdar. ‘When did Mr Mallik go to bed last night?’ he asked. ‘Much before any of us did. Normally, he used to retire by nine o’clock, unless he wanted to sit up late for a seance.’ ‘You are a doctor. Can’t you tell us when he might have been killed?’ ‘At a guess, I’d say he was killed between two and two-thirty in the morning. But a police surgeon will be able to fix the time of death far more precisely.’ ‘You didn’t hear any noises last night? Nothing that might have disturbed your sleep?’ ‘No. I sleep very soundly, Mr Mitter. I hardly ever wake up at night. But I am an early riser. I got up as usual at six-thirty this morning, and discovered what had happened. Prayag had risen before me, but had gone out of the tent without looking in on his master. So he didn’t see anything.’ ‘Do you have any idea who might have done this?’ ‘No, none whatsoever.’ At this moment, a police jeep arrived and stopped a few feet away. Vijay climbed out of it, followed by a police officer in uniform. ‘I am Inspector Singh,’ he said to us. ‘I am taking charge of this case. Where’s the dead body?’ Vijay took him inside. We remained where we were. A couple of constables and a photographer followed them in and began their work. I had seen this many times before, so this time I felt no

curiosity. Besides, I had no wish to see Mr Mallik’s dead body. All I could think of was how he had been worried about sentencing innocent people to death, and now he was dead himself. Would his killer ever be caught and brought to justice? Feluda had moved to one side and was standing alone. Lalmohan Babu went over to talk to him. ‘What’s the matter, Felu Babu?’ ‘I was trying to unravel a tangle—now I am more confused than ever. That’s the matter, Lalmohan Babu. Now let’s see if the police can do anything.’ ‘Don’t tell me you have given up?’ ‘No, no, of course I haven’t. I know a lot of things the police don’t. But what I can’t make out is whether everything is linked together, or whether they are all separate incidents. Someone threw a stone at me, and someone pushed Vijay Mallik. Was it the same person? And did he also commit the murder? But then, if the main motive was theft, then anyone could have walked in to steal the diamond ring and been forced to kill its owner. But—’ Feluda stopped. After a few seconds, he added, ‘I cannot rule out murder by a burglar, but what I really think is that someone known to Mr Mallik is responsible for his death.’ ‘Known to him? Who?’ ‘Everyone he’s been travelling with, including Mr Sarkar. Don’t forget the golden ring he wears. It has the letter “S” engraved on it.’ I failed to see how this was significant, but couldn’t ask because at this moment, Inspector Singh and Vijay Mallik emerged from the tent. ‘Do all three tents belong to one single party?’ the inspector asked. ‘No. The first two are ours. The third is Mr Mitter’s.’ ‘Mr Mitter?’ ‘Pradosh Mitter. He is a well-known private investigator from Calcutta.’ Inspector Singh frowned a little, then walked across to us. ‘Mr Mitter? Are you the one who helped solve the murder case in Rajgarh?’ he asked. ‘Yes, that’s right.’ The inspector offered his hand and shook Feluda’s. ‘Pleased to meet you, sir,’ he said. ‘The officer who worked with you on that case—Inspector Vajpayee—is a good friend of mine. I have heard a lot about you. In fact, he had nothing but praise for you.’ ‘That is very kind of him. But I am here at this moment purely by chance. I wasn’t called in to solve any crime. You mustn’t think I am going to interfere in your work.’ ‘No, I wasn’t thinking that at all. But since you know the family already, why don’t you proceed with your own investigation? I think it was the job of an outsider, you know. The man who stabbed Mr Mallik was left-handed. Everyone present here, I can see, is right-handed. Anyway, please feel free to make your own enquiries, if you so wish.’ ‘Thank you. I can’t just stand by and do nothing, Inspector Singh. You see, I was attacked too. Not once, but twice.’ ‘Good heavens, I didn’t know that! Oh, by the way,’ the inspector turned to Vijay, ‘What do you want to do with the body? Would you like to take it back to Calcutta?’

‘No, there is no need to do that. There is no one left in