Feluda did nothing over the next couple of days except accompany us to the remaining sights worth seeing in Lucknow. I had never seen him behave like this when he was in the middle of a case. On the third day, I couldn’t help asking him. ‘What’s the matter with you, Feluda? Have you given up?’ ‘Oh no. Half the mystery’s solved, dear boy. I need help from the police to solve the other half. Pandey has called me twice already. I think I’ll get the final news in two days.’ ‘Why do you need the police to help you? Is it to do with the death of Mr Sukius?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘What about the missing necklace?’ ‘There’s nothing to worry about on that score. The necklace is fine.’ ‘Really? So all you have to do is find the killer? Surely you’ve got some ideas about who might have done it?’ ‘Oh, I’ve got ideas all right, but no proof. I’ll get enough evidence, I am sure, the minute that hired killer is caught by the police. I have definite ideas about who had hired him.’ Another day passed. In the meanwhile, we took Lalmohan Babu to see the museum. He had practically finished his sightseeing of Lucknow. We were supposed to return to Calcutta in two days. That afternoon, Feluda finally got the phone call he was waiting for. He spoke to Inspector Pandey, then replaced the receiver quietly. ‘What did he say, Feluda?’ I asked eagerly. ‘The case is over, Topshe. They caught the man, a fellow called Shambhu Singh. He’s made a full confession and agreed to expose the real culprit. The knife that had been used to stab Sukius with, has also been found.’ ‘So what happens now?’ ‘We now raise the curtain. At seven o’clock this evening, in Jayant Biswas’s house, all will be revealed.’ Feluda had to make a lot of phone calls after this. The first one was naturally to Mr Biswas. ‘Very well, Mr Mitter,’ he said, ‘but would you mind telling all the others to come here? You’ve got their phone numbers, haven’t you?’ We reached Mr Biswas’s house at a quarter to seven. I felt both deeply anxious and curious. Feluda had said nothing after making the last phone call. Inspector Pandey arrived at five minutes to seven, together with two constables and a man in handcuffs. That was obviously the hired murderer. The others arrived within ten minutes. There were five people from the Biswas household, the Saldanhas, and Ratanlal Banerjee. The big drawing room could accommodate everyone quite easily. ‘What is this farce?’ asked Ratanlal, taking a seat. ‘You may call it a farce, Mr Banerjee, but I think to the others it’s a serious matter,’ Feluda replied.

‘Have you found the necklace?’ asked Mrs Biswas in an urgent whisper. ‘You’ll get the answer to your question in due course,’ Feluda said to her. ‘Please bear with me.’ Then he ran his eyes over the assembled group and announced,