Pranavesh Babu, Someshwar Burman’s secretary, told us that he had been working for Mr Burman for the last five years. He had his own house in Bhowanipore, but seeing that many of the rooms here were lying empty, Mr Burman had suggested that he stay in the same house.’ Pranavesh Babu had seen no reason to object. ‘How is Mr Burman as an employer?’ ‘Wonderful. I have no complaints at all.’ ‘How do you like your work?’ ‘I feel amazed by some of the facts Mr Burman has collected. I can’t tell you how many new things I have learnt just by typing his notes for him.’ ‘How long do you work every day?’ ‘Until eight or nine o’clock in the evening.’ ‘You sleep on the ground floor, don’t you?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Do you usually manage to sleep well?’ ‘Yes, most of the time.’ ‘Wasn’t your sleep disturbed last night by a noise, or something else?’ ‘No. I heard what happened only this morning.’ ‘Do you suspect anyone in this house? If no one but the residents of this house knew about that statue, then the culprit might still be here!’ ‘That could well be the case. Am I not one of the suspects myself?’ ‘Yes, you are.’ ‘The police officers will search the whole house, I believe. But it should not be difficult to find a place to hide a tiny object like that. All one has to do is retrieve it once the coast is clear.’ The artist who was drawing Mr Burman’s portrait was also staying in the house. He would have to remain here until his job was done. I found this man somewhat peculiar, possibly because of his appearance—he had a thick beard, and his hair came down to his shoulders. He also spoke very little. But from what I had seen of the unfinished portrait, he was a good artist. His room was also on the ground floor. Feluda knocked on his door. He opened it and looked enquiringly at us. ‘I have a few questions to ask,’ Feluda said. ‘Very well. Please come in.’ His room was quite untidy, as I had expected. Feluda took a chair, I a stool, and Lalmohan Babu sat on the bed. ‘You are Ranen Tarafdar?’

‘Yes.’ ‘How long have you spent in this house?’ ‘I’ve been here since the day I began the portrait, six weeks ago.’ ‘How long do you usually take to finish a portrait?’ ‘If it’s a full figure, and if I can get a couple of hours’ sitting every day, it usually takes me six weeks.’ ‘Then why is it taking you longer this time?’ ‘Because Mr Burman doesn’t like sitting for me for more than an hour every day. Besides, he’s grown quite fond of me, so he’d like me to stay here permanently. He likes having a lot of people around him. One of his sons is living abroad. His daughter is married, and his wife is dead. Mr Burman began feeling