It was nearly 2 p.m. The sky had turned grey. There were very few people left at Dashashwamedh Ghat. The three of us were sitting near the water. It was almost an hour since our horrific experience in Maganlal’s house. Two of his men had splashed cold water on Lalmohan Babu’s face to help him regain consciousness. Then Maganlal himself had offered him a glass of milk and brandy, and said, ‘Uncle, you are a brave man.’ We were allowed to leave shortly after this, but not before Maganlal had made it obvious that Feluda’s life was in danger if he insisted on continuing with his investigation. Feluda did not argue, but managed to get a small concession. ‘I must go back to Mr Ghoshal’s house at least once more,’ he said, ‘if only to tell him I’m opting out. If I disappear without a word, it’s not going to do much good to my image, is it?’ To my surprise, Maganlal agreed. ‘Just one more visit,’ he said. ‘Remember, Mr Mitter, if you step out of line, you do so at your own risk. I don’t need to tell you I’ve got the means to keep an eye on everything you do.’ I felt awful thinking Maganlal had had the last word. Feluda had, so far, never been defeated by an adversary. But then, none had been quite so cruel and powerful as Maganlal. Lalmohan Babu had said very little after we came away. The only thing he asked was whether all his hair had turned grey, at which both Feluda and I assured him that not a single new grey hair could be seen on his head. After a few minutes of silence, Feluda said with a sigh, ‘The Ganesh hasn’t left Mr Ghoshal’s house. I am now certain of that. If Maganlal had already got it, he would not offer me money to get off the case. The big question is, where has it gone? Why hasn’t Maganlal been able to lay his hands on it? Besides, who took it out, and who in that house is acting for Maganlal?’ By the time we left the ghat, the sky had turned a darker shade of grey. Was it going to rain? I looked up, and saw the red and white kite again. Feluda, too, had seen it. I recognized the house over which the kite hovered. It was the same red house where Shaitan Singh had had to surrender to Captain Spark. Who was standing on the roof? Wasn’t it Shaitan Singh in person? Yes, indeed. It was Ruku’s friend, Suraj. Like us, he was staring at the kite. Whoever was flying the kite now pulled at the thread. It started to come down rapidly. Suraj threw up his right hand into the air, aiming at the kite. We saw a stone fly past and disappear behind the kite. The stone was tied to the end of a long thread. Suraj had captured the red kite. As