The rest of the week passed eventlessly. What happened after that came as a bolt from the blue. The following Tuesday, Someshwar Burman rang us to say that one of his oldest servants, Avinash, had been murdered, and the little statue of Krishna had vanished! It was a double tragedy. Feluda called Lalmohan Babu immediately, and told him to go straight to Mr Burman’s house. We left in a taxi. By the time we got there, the police had arrived. Inspector Ghosh knew Feluda. ‘A case of burglary, nothing else,’ he said. ‘The murder was not premeditated. Avinash happened to see the burglar, I think, and the burglar realized it. So Avinash had to go. The main aim of the culprit was to steal that statue from the safe. There’s been another case of burglary recently.’ ‘But no one except the people in this house knew about the statue.’ ‘In that case, someone in this house is involved, I should think. There’s Mr Burman’s son, his secretary, his friend, the artist—Ranen Tarafdar, isn’t it?—and the magician, Surya Kumar. He arrived only yesterday. Any one of them could be guilty of the crime. If that is the case, our job becomes so much simpler.’ ‘When did the murder take place?’ ‘Between one and three o’clock in the morning.’ ‘Did the bearer try to stop the intruder?’ ‘That’s what it looks like, doesn’t it?’ We went into the house. Someshwar Burman was sitting in the living room on the ground floor, clutching his head. Also present in the room was everyone else in the house. Some were sitting, others standing. ‘Will you please tell me what exactly happened?’ Feluda asked Mr Burman. ‘How long had this bearer worked for you?’ ‘Thirty years. He was totally devoted to me. I cannot believe he is no more.’ ‘Where was he killed?’ ‘On the ground floor. Perhaps Avinash woke up just as the thief was making his escape with the statue of Krishna. Then he tried to catch the thief, so the thief stabbed him with a knife.’ ‘Can you tell me what the sleeping arrangements are in this house?’ ‘You’ve seen my bedroom. Animesh and I have our rooms upstairs. All the other bedrooms are on the ground floor. Yesterday, when Surya Kumar arrived, I gave him a guest room, also on the ground floor.’ ‘I see. No one outside this house knew about that statue, is that right?’ ‘Yes. Yet, I cannot imagine anyone from this household getting involved in such a thing.’

‘Whoever did it would have had to take the key from under your pillow. How come that did not wake you?’ ‘I take a sleeping pill every night, and sleep very soundly.’ ‘What happened to the key to the safe?’ ‘It is still there. It was left hanging from the lock.’ ‘Has the murder weapon been found?’ ‘No.’ Inspector Ghosh walked into the room at this moment. ‘I have questions for all of you,’ he said. ‘Would you mind if I asked some more questions after you’ve finished?’ Feluda wanted to know. ‘No, not at all. I know a lot about your work and your methods, Mr Mitter. Or I wouldn’t have let you come in. We don’t usually encourage private detectives.’ Inspector Ghosh took more than an hour to finish his task. We waited, and drank a lot of tea. Although Mr Burman was still in a state of shock, there were no lapses in his duty as a host. We had stepped out and were in the garden when Inspector Ghosh joined us. ‘I am through. You can take over now,’ he said to Feluda. Feluda decided to start with Mr Burman’s son, Nikhil. We were shown into his room. ‘What do you do for a living?’ Feluda began. ‘I have an auction house in Mirza Ghalib Street.’ ‘What is it called?’ ‘The Modern Sales Bureau.’ ‘I have seen your shop.’ ‘I see. That’s where I usually am, from ten o’clock in the morning to six in the evening.’ ‘How is your business doing?’ ‘Quite well, I think.’ ‘Are you interested in art?’ ‘My work is such that I often come across objects of art. I have learnt a lot through my work.’ ‘How long have you been doing this work?’ ‘Seven years.’ ‘How old are you?’ ‘Thirty-three.’ ‘How old is your elder brother?’ ‘He must be thirty-six. He’s older by three years.’ ‘Were you two close?’ ‘My brother was not close to anyone. He did not talk much, nor did he have many friends. He did not seem to care for anyone, to tell you the truth, not even me.’ There was something funny about Nikhil Burman’s voice, and the way he spoke. But I could not put my finger to what it was. ‘Didn’t your brother write to you from abroad?’ Feluda continued. ‘No. He did not write to anyone.’ ‘Have you never taken an interest in your father’s magic shows?’ ‘Of course I have. But Baba held most of his shows out of town. I did not get to see those.’

‘Did you ever think of learning magic yourself?’ ‘No. I was happy just watching.’ ‘Do you have any idea as to who might be responsible for yesterday’s tragedy?’ ‘No, none at all. I did tell Baba to keep that statue in a bank. But he paid no attention to what I said.’ There were no more questions for Nikhil Burman. We thanked him and went to find Someshwar Babu’s friend, Animesh. He was in his room. ‘What do you do for a living?’ Feluda asked him. ‘Nothing. My father was a lawyer. He built a multi-storey building, which was rented out. I manage with the rent I get each month.’ ‘How long have you known Someshwar Burman?’ ‘Nearly twenty years.’ ‘How did you happen to meet him?’ ‘I used to dabble in astrology at one time. Someshwar came to consult me. He had just started his career as a magician. I told him about