The next day, Feluda said, ‘Why don’t you two go to Dilkhusha? I have a few things to do. I must make an appointment with Sukius, and also speak to Inspector Pandey.’ Lalmohan Babu and I left after breakfast. Instead of taking a taxi, we took a tonga this time. It was his idea, since he had heard Feluda and I had ridden in tongas during our last visit. ‘Can you tell me the history of this place, dear Tapesh?’ he asked on the way. I told him what I knew: ‘Early in the nineteenth century, Nawab Sadat Ali had this building built, though he did not live here permanently. He brought his friends over sometimes, to have a good time for a few days. It had a most scenic view. Deer roamed in his gardens. Sadly, now the whole place is in ruins, but there is a beautiful park next to it. To the north of Dilkhusha is the famous La Martiniere School. Claude Martin, who was a Major General, built this school in the eighteenth century. You can see it from Dilkhusha.’ It did not take us long to inspect the ruins. ‘It’s like watching history unfold itself!’ Lalmohan Babu enthused. Then we went for a walk in the park, little knowing what an unpleasant experience awaited us. At first, the park appeared to be empty. Perhaps it was in the evening that most people came here. We made our way through beds of flowers. Soon, a portion of a bench behind a tree came into view. This was followed by voices. What we saw as we passed the tree made my heart jump. Prasenjit and a couple of other boys of the same age were sitting on the bench, smoking. Their hair was dishevelled, their eyes looked glazed. Now there could be no doubt that Prasenjit was a drug addict. Unless something was done soon, it would be too late for him to make a comeback. Hard drugs made an addict lose all sense of right and wrong. Sometimes people didn’t even hesitate to kill. It took Prasenjit a few seconds to notice us. When he did, his lips spread in a slow, cruel smile. ‘I can see the detective’s chamchas. Where’s the super sleuth himself?’ he asked. His voice sounded hoarse, his speech was slurred. ‘He didn’t come with us,’ Lalmohan Babu replied shortly. ‘No? Well, it’s his loss. He missed witnessing this tremendous scene!’ We remained silent. ‘Has the thief been caught?’ Prasenjit’s voice held open contempt. ‘No, not yet.’ ‘I am the prime suspect, aren’t I? Because I need money. Everyone knows that. I have to borrow money all the time . . . just for a glimpse of heaven . . . for an hour or two. Listen—I can tell you this —I wouldn’t be foolish enough to steal that necklace. Do you know why? Because I don’t need to. My luck has changed. I’ve been making a lot of money lately. Yes,