Tom seemed a lot better in the morning. He was still in pain, but the swelling had gone down and, hopefully, in a couple of days he’d recover completely. But he couldn’t get over the shock of having lost the precious ruby. ‘I never thought I’d have to leave that stone here with an unknown criminal,’ Peter kept saying. ‘Oh, why didn’t we sell it to Dandania the first day?’ moaned Tom time and again. It was difficult to tell who was more sorry at the loss. Inspector Chaubey came to our room around 11 a.m. ‘I’ve just been to see Tom,’ he said. ‘Tom’s doing fine. Have you made any progress?’ Feluda asked. ‘One of the suspects has had to be eliminated from my list.’ ‘Really?’ Who?’ ‘Kishorilal.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Well, I happen to know Kishori pretty well. It’s not like him to do anything so reckless. Besides, his father has recently bought him a plastics factory. Kishori has been going there regularly. Dandania, I know, keeps a careful eye on his son. If Kishori stole that ruby simply to sell it and make a packet for himself, his father would most certainly come to know, and then there would be hell to pay. So Kishori is out.’ ‘I see. What about Chandu Malik?’ ‘As far as I can make out, Maxwell was attacked at around a quarter to eleven last night. Chandu had left the dance before that and was sitting with friends having a drink in a small shop. There are several witnesses who’d vouch for him. I’ve already spoken to most of them. That rules out Chandu, too.’ ‘And the others?’ ‘I searched Naskar’s house this morning. I didn’t find the ruby, of course, but that doesn’t mean a thing. He could easily have hidden it somewhere else. But I have started to think Jagannath Chatterjee is our best bet.’ ‘Why do you say that?’ ‘He claims to be an authority on Birbhum. But he’s lived here only for the last three years. My guess is that he’s no expert at all. All his information probably comes from a guide book for tourists. Besides, I discovered he’d been arrested for fraud in Burdwan where he used to live before. He’s a criminal, Mr Mitter. I’m convinced he’s our man. Did you know he was charging a fee for his services? Yes, sir. Mr Robertson paid him a hundred rupees each time he met him!’ ‘No, I did not know that. Have you searched his house?’

‘No, but I will this afternoon, though I don’t think a search will yield anything. What I have to do is speak to him sternly and put the fear of God in him. Anyway, aren’t you going to do anything?’ ‘No. Any action you as a police officer may take will have a lot more effect, I think. But I’ll keep my eyes and ears open, naturally, and will let you know if I notice anything suspicious. Oh, by the way, what about the fifth suspect I mentioned?’ ‘You mean Peter Robertson?’ ‘Yes. I have a feeling Peter would now accept the loss of an old friendship, if need be. What is important to him is that his ancestor’s wish be fulfilled. He’s changed his mind about selling that ruby. I know he has.’ ‘Yes, you said so last night, didn’t you? I remembered your words, Mr Mitter, and I searched Peter Robertson’s room only a few minutes before I came here. Need I tell you there was no sign of the ruby?’ Feluda made no reply. Inspector Chaubey rose. ‘I’ll come and see you again in the evening,’ he said and left. ‘A most complicated case,’ Feluda sighed. ‘Five suspects . . . all strewn in five different places. What can I do from here? The police have certainly got the upper hand this time.’ ‘Come on, Felu Babu, you’re not even trying. Tell us who you really suspect,’ said Lalmohan Babu. ‘Out of these five?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘I had ruled out Kishorilal for the simple reason that he didn’t strike me as the type who’d resort to violence to get what he wanted. He hasn’t got the courage it would take to knock someone out, steal something from his bag and run away, especially when there were so many people about.’ ‘What about Chandu Mallik?’ ‘Chandu might have hit Maxwell—he’s quite capable of having done that—but how could he have known that the ruby was in his bag? No, Chandu did not do it. Mr Naskar? It’s difficult to imagine him getting into a messy business like this. There was absolutely no need for him to go to such lengths; not with the kind of money he’s got.’ ‘There’s something I don’t understand at all,’ Lalmohan Babu confessed. ‘What is it?’ ‘Do people always speak the truth when they’re hypnotized?’ ‘What is the truth you’re supposed to have spoken?’ ‘Why, didn’t I tell you all how old Peter and Tom were, and that they came from Lancashire? They never mentioned it to me, so how did I know? Mind you, I don’t remember having said it, but Tapesh says I did.’ ‘Both those facts had been mentioned in that article in the Statesman. Even if you didn’t read the whole thing, Lalmohan Babu, your memory had somehow absorbed those details, and it came out when you were asked a specific question. Everything else you said has already been proved to be quite incorrect. So please don’t go around thinking you had acquired any extraordinary powers at any time.’ ‘All right, Felu Babu, point taken. But do you agree with Inspector Chaubey? Was it Jagannath Chatterjee?’

‘Who else could it be? It’s such a pity the whole thing had to end so tamely, but . . .’ Feluda couldn’t finish his sentence. Someone knocked on the door. It turned out to be Tom Maxwell, looking rather grim. Feluda offered him a chair, but he shook his head. ‘I haven’t come to sit