The Complete Adventures of Feluda: Volume II (43 page)

A member of the film unit, Mr Nitish Som, turned up soon after
breakfast the following morning to collect Lalmohan Babu. Feluda and Lalmohan Babu had worked very hard the previous evening to make sure he got his lines right.

‘Mr Ghoshal said he’d like you to wear your own clothes, but we don’t yet know what colour would be suitable. So could you pack everything you’ve got here?’ Mr Som asked.

‘May I go with you?’ I said. Mr Som thought for a minute and replied, ‘Why don’t you come around eleven? We’re not going to start shooting before twelve this afternoon. I am taking Mr Ganguli away only because we need to have enough time to do his make-up. But if you come at eleven, you’ll be able to see our little ceremony to mark the mahurat—you know, the starting of our shooting. After that, if you like you can stay on and have lunch with us.’

Lalmohan Babu left with his suitcase at eight-thirty. Feluda and I went out half an hour later, to walk down Jalapahar Road. ‘It makes no sense to spend the whole morning in the hotel!’ Feluda declared.

The morning, as it happened, was as beautiful as the day before. The sun shone brightly, and Kanchenjunga stood out in all its glory. The Mall was quite crowded today. Loads of people had arrived to spend their Puja holidays. We passed the horse-stand, and continued walking. Feluda lit a cigarette. He was trying very hard to give up smoking, but he couldn’t do without one after breakfast.

‘What do you make of it, Topshe?’ he asked, looking at the scenery.

‘The only person who struck me as interesting was Birupaksha Majumdar.’

‘Yes, but that is only because you have learnt a lot of interesting things about him. A man who doesn’t sleep at night, spends his time collecting pieces of sensational news, tells you there’s a mystery in his life but refuses to divulge the details, and keeps a valuable statue on an open shelf in his bedroom, most certainly cannot be classified as ordinary.’

‘His son hardly opened his mouth.’

‘True. In fact, that stuck me as odd. He appeared as though he was afraid to say very much, in case he said something he shouldn’t.’

‘And Rajat Bose?’

‘What did you think of him?’

‘I think his eyesight isn’t very good, but he’s decided not to wear glasses. Didn’t you see him bump against a chair?’

‘Excellent. Perhaps he does have glasses, but they’re either broken
or lost. I think it’s things in the far distance he cannot see. I’m sure his close-range vision is fine, or he couldn’t have brought out those scrapbooks.’

‘What about the hero from Bombay and the villain?’

‘You tell me. Let’s see how much you’ve observed.’

‘I noticed something strange yesterday.’

‘What?’

‘Mr Majumdar seemed upset—no, not exactly upset—but didn’t he suddenly grow kind of preoccupied when he met Raina and Verma?’

‘Yes. But his mind keeps wandering, doesn’t it? As if there’s something on his mind, all the time. We may learn what it is if we can ever get to hear what the local rumours say about him.’

We returned to the hotel an hour and a half later. I left again at eleven-thirty. ‘Don’t worry about me,’ Feluda said, ‘I’ll try to get to the gumpha on top of the Observatory Hill. You just go and enjoy yourself.’ I reached Nayanpur Villa in about twenty minutes. The first thing that greeted me was the noise from a generator, but I couldn’t see it. One of the unit members saw me, and came forward to take me inside. The shooting was going to take place in the southern side of the house. We hadn’t seen this part of the house yesterday. One of the rooms was very brightly lit. All doors and windows had been sealed to keep out natural light. Perhaps the scene to be shot would show something happening at night.

But where was our Jatayu?

Oh, there he was! It took me a few seconds to recognize him. A beard and a wig had transformed his appearance totally. He really was looking like a villain. On catching my eye, he walked over to me and said gravely, ‘What do you think? Will I do?’

‘Oh, sure. I hope you remember your lines?’

‘Of course.’

At this moment, Pulak Babu called from the set. ‘Laluda!’ Lalmohan Babu ran to grab a chair opposite Mahadev Verma, who was sitting on a small sofa, stroking his moustache.

‘Look, Laluda,’ said Pulak Babu, ‘let me explain what I want you to do . When I say “Action!”, you must take out a cigar from your pocket and put it in your mouth.

‘Mahadev will take out a cigarette. Then you must bring out a matchbox, light Mahadev’s cigarette, and then your own cigar, leaning back in your chair. I will then say “yes”. You must then
inhale, and speak your first line. That will end the shot. Remember, this is chiefly your shot, for the camera will show your face, and Mahadev’s back. All right? Here’s a cigar and a matchbox.’

‘All right.’

The camera started rolling a minute later. ‘Sound!’ said Pulak Babu, ‘Action!’ Lalmohan Babu put the cigar in his mouth, but failed to light the match. I saw him clutching a matchstick the wrong way round, and striking the plain end against the box helplessly. ‘Cut, cut! Laluda, please—!’

‘Sorry, sorry. I’ll be more careful the next time.’

In the second shot, he lit his cigar successfully, but inhaled quite a lot of smoke and began coughing and spluttering. Pulak Babu had to shout, ‘Cut!’ once more. But the third shot went without a single hitch, and ended in a round of applause for the villain’s assistant.

It took Pulak Babu another five hours to call it a day. I noted with surprise that Lalmohan Babu did not make a single mistake after the first two shots. He did have to go to the bathroom twice, but that may have been because it was cold, rather than the fact that he was nervous. Pulak Ghoshal declared himself totally satisfied.

‘My man will call for you at the same time tomorrow morning,’ he said.

‘There is no need to send anyone. I can come here on my own.’

‘No, no, I can’t let you do that. All our artists are always escorted by someone from the unit. It is our normal practice.’

Ten minutes later, Lalmohan Babu’s make-up had been removed and we were on our way back to the hotel in one of the jeeps of the production team.

On reaching the hotel, Lalmohan Babu came straight to our double room instead of going back to his own. He threw himself down on my bed without a word. Before Feluda could say anything, I told him how well he had performed and how that had been appreciated by everyone in the unit.

‘Oh, good. This opens up a whole new dimension to your career, doesn’t it? A famous writer, and a brilliant film actor!’

Lalmohan Babu had been lying with his eyes closed. Now he suddenly opened them and looked straight at Feluda. ‘Oh God, I nearly forgot. Felu Babu, I have to tell you something very important.’

‘What is it?’

‘Listen carefully. We had our lunch break today at half past one. I
went to the bathroom as soon as work stopped. There is a bathroom in the southern wing where the shooting is taking place, but I found it crammed with stuff Pulak is using to get his sets ready. So I had to go to another bathroom in the other wing, where Mr Majumdar lives. In fact, one of the production assistants showed me where it was. It was quite separate, not attached to a bedroom. I washed my hands and was coming out, when I heard Mr Majumdar’s voice. I couldn’t tell you which room he was in, but it wasn’t far from the bathroom. I heard him say, “You are a liar. I don’t believe a single word you say.” He wasn’t speaking loudly, but he sounded distinctly annoyed.’

‘Oh? That obviously means he was still awake.’

‘Yes. I heard he takes his pill at half past one. When I came out of the bathroom, it must have been at least one thirty-five, perhaps a couple of minutes more.’

‘What did the other person say?’

‘I couldn’t hear him. Lunch was ready by that time, and the others were waiting for me, so I had to come away quickly. But there is no doubt that the words I heard were spoken by Mr Birupaksha Majumdar.’

‘That means he was speaking either to Rajat Bose or his son, Samiran.’

‘Yes, maybe.’ Lalmohan Babu yawned and suddenly changed the subject.

‘I noticed something else, Felu Babu. These famous film stars from Bombay aren’t really as good as they are supposed to be.’

‘Why do you say that?’

‘I had a shot with Raina after lunch. It was a simple shot, and he had very few lines. Still, he kept getting them wrong, and we ended up having as many as five takes.’

‘These things happen, Lalmohan Babu. Sometimes even an old and established actor can have an attack of nerves.’

‘As for myself,’ Lalmohan Babu announced, ‘I have lost all my nervousness. I have nothing to worry about now.’

The explosion came the next day. But, before I explain how it happened, I must describe what the day was like.

It was cloudy, so Kanchenjunga couldn’t be seen. Feluda and I went out in the morning for a bit of shopping. Then we took a walk down Birch Hill Road before returning to our hotel. I left for Nayanpur Villa at eleven. Lalmohan Babu was already there, having practised his new lines to perfection. He had five lines today, and wasn’t required to light a cigar in a single shot. This gave an added bounce to his step.

Pulak Ghoshal took seven shots with Lalmohan Babu. He was free by half past four. ‘There’s a jeep waiting, Laluda,’ Pulak Babu said, ‘you can go back any time.’

‘Since I’ve managed to finish early today, Pulak, I think I’ll walk back.’

‘Very well, just as you wish.’

‘I like their tea,’ Lalmohan Babu confided when Pulak Ghoshal had gone, ‘so why don’t we wait until tea is served?’

By the time we had had tea, it was five o’clock. It took us another half an hour to reach the hotel. We found Feluda putting on his jacket rather hurriedly.

‘Going out?’ I asked. Feluda gave me a startled look.

‘But you were there! Didn’t you hear anything?’

‘We left more than half an hour ago. No, we didn’t hear anything. What’s happened?’

‘The old Mr Majumdar has been murdered.’

‘Wha-a-a-t!’ Lalmohan Babu and I yelled together.

‘He rang me at about half past twelve,’ Feluda told us. ‘He said he had something important to tell me, so he’d see me here in the evening. And then this happened.’

‘Who told you?’

‘His son. Samiran Majumdar rang me five minutes ago. He said he had informed the police, but would like me to be there as well. It was he who found the body, when he went to see why his father hadn’t got up even after five. The door was shut, but not locked or bolted. Apparently, Mr Majumdar always left his door unlocked. Someone stabbed him in the chest. Their family doctor has already confirmed that stabbing was the cause of death. Whatever shooting remained has naturally been cancelled, and until the police finish their enquiries, it will have to stay cancelled. Anyway, I am going there. Would you like to come with me, or would you rather stay here?’

‘Stay here? Felu Babu, how could we stay here after such news? Let’s go!’

We reached Nayanpur Villa at quarter past six. It was dark by this time, and had started to rain. Everyone from the film unit was still present. Pulak Ghoshal came forward to meet us. ‘What a terrible affair!’ he exclaimed. ‘None of us can quite believe it. What a nice man he was, so very accommodating.’ I had already seen a police jeep standing outside. An inspector was waiting on the front veranda. He stretched out an arm towards Feluda. ‘I have heard a lot about you, Mr Mitter. I am Jatish Saha.’

‘Pleased to meet you, Mr Saha,’ Feluda shook hands, ‘what exactly happened?’

‘He was killed in his sleep, as far as one can make out.’

‘The weapon?’

‘A dagger. It’s still there, stuck in his chest. I believe it belonged to the victim. He had it in his room.’

‘Has your own surgeon examined the body?’

‘No, he hasn’t yet arrived, but we’re expecting him any minute. Why don’t you come in?’

Mr Majumdar’s bedroom was quite large. Lalmohan Babu and I remained standing near the door. Feluda went in with the inspector. The body was covered with a white sheet.

‘I’d like to tell you something,’ Inspector Saha said to Feluda, taking him aside. ‘We’ll carry out our own enquiries in the usual way. But if you want to make an independent investigation, please fee! free. The only thing I’d ask you to do is share your findings with us. If we learn anything useful, I’ll make sure you get to hear of it.’

‘Thank you. You needn’t worry, Mr Saha. You’ll certainly get my full cooperation; and I don’t think I’ll get very far without yours.’

Samiran Majumdar entered the room, looking pale and dishevelled.

‘My sympathies, Mr Majumdar. You were the first to discover the body, weren’t you?’ Feluda asked.

‘Yes. My father set his alarm always at five. Then he used to go and sit on the veranda, where Lokenath used to bring him his tea. Today, when he still hadn’t appeared at quarter past five, I wondered what the matter was. So I came in here to check, and . . . found this!’

‘This must be difficult for you, but do you have any idea who might have done this, and why?’ Feluda continued with his questions pacing in the room, his eagle eyes taking in every detail.

‘No. But I’ve noticed there’s something missing in this room.’

‘What?’

‘A small statue of Krishna, made of
ashtadhatu
. It was a very old family heirloom and most valuable.’

‘Where was it kept?’

‘On that shelf over there, next to the dagger that was used.’

‘Why did you keep such a valuable object out in the open? Why wasn’t it locked away in a chest?’ Inspector Saha wanted to know.

‘Baba never slept at night. Besides, he always had his revolver with him. So none of us ever thought there was any danger of theft.’

‘Well, now it looks as though robbery was the motive. How much was it worth, do you think?’

‘At least sixty-five thousand. Although there were eight metals, it was chiefly made of gold.’

Feluda picked up a pencil from a bedside table and said, ‘The point is broken, and the broken portion is lying right here.’ There was a small writing pad on the table. Feluda bent over it, and murmured, ‘The top page was torn off, I think.’ Then he began inspecting the floor around the table, kneeling to get a closer look. Only a few seconds later, he said, ‘Got it!’ He rose to his feet again, a small piece of paper in his hand. He quickly read what was written on it, and passed it to the inspector. Mr Saha cast a quick glance at it, and gave an involuntary exclamation. ‘
Vish
? You mean he was poisoned?’ he asked in profound amazement.

‘That’s what it looks like, doesn’t it? The last two letters are so crooked that it seems he died just as he finished writing them, which explains the broken pencil and this piece of paper that came loose and fell under the table.’

‘But why should he write “poisoned”? It’s so obvious he was stabbed to death.’

‘Hm, I can’t understand it either.’ Feluda frowned, then turned to Samiran Babu. ‘Do you know where your father’s sleeping pills were kept?’

‘In a bottle, in the dining room. Lokenath used to take them out of the aluminium foil and pour them into the bottle as soon as Baba bought a fresh supply.’

‘Could you bring that bottle here, please?’

Samiran Babu left, and took a long time to return. When he finally came back to the room, he was looking even paler and more distressed.

‘That bottle’s gone!’ he whispered through white lips.

Feluda, however, didn’t seem to find this surprising. ‘The day before yesterday,’ he said calmly, ‘your father bought thirty-one of those pills. We saw him. Tell me, Mr Saha, if thirty were mixed in somebody’s drink, wouldn’t that be enough to kill him?’

‘What pills are you talking about?’

‘Trofnil. Anti-depressant pills.’

‘Oh. Yes, that may well be possible.’

‘And if that was the case, it would be quite right to call the pills “poison”, wouldn’t it?’

‘Certainly.’

‘Well, that would at least explain why he wrote that word. But . . .’ Feluda was still frowning, ‘If a dying man wanted to write something before his death, surely he’d want to write the name of his murderer, rather than how he had been murdered?’

‘Yes, you’re right. But obviously Mr Majumdar didn’t do that. Why don’t we speak to the bearer, Lokenath?’

Feluda nodded and looked at Samiran Babu, who left to find Lokenath. I noticed that Feluda hadn’t stopped frowning.

‘Mr Majumdar came to watch the shooting today,’ Lalmohan Babu said, ‘Lokenath came to look for him at around half past one. But Mr Majumdar didn’t go back immediately.’

‘That means his routine today was slightly upset.’

‘Looks like it. I think he was finding it quite interesting to watch us shoot. I saw him talking to both Raina and Verma. He seemed to be asking a lot of questions.’

Samiran Babu returned once more. The expression on his face suggested he hadn’t come back with good news. But none of us were prepared for what he blurted out. ‘Lokenath’s missing!’ he said.

‘Missing?’ Even Feluda couldn’t hide his surprise.

‘Yes. He’s apparently been missing since one-thirty. All our servants have their lunch together at two o’clock every day. Lokenath didn’t even eat with them. No one knows where he’s gone, or what time he left.’

‘Have you spoken to Mr Bose? Maybe he sent him out somewhere?’

‘No. He knew nothing about this. He says he spent half an hour resting in his room straight after lunch, and then went for a walk in the pine wood. He does this almost every day. He doesn’t believe in afternoon siestas.’

I knew this was true, for I had gone for a little walk in the wood
myself during the lunch break. I had seen Rajat Bose coming back from there.

‘How long have you had Lokenath?’ Inspector Saha asked. ‘About four years. Our old bearer died after an attack of hepatitis. That’s when Lokenath arrived, with excellent references. Besides, he seemed to be educated and quite intelligent. In fact, he used to help Baba and Mr Bose in keeping the scrapbooks up to date.’

‘Well then, maybe if we can trace this fellow, we can solve this case! May I use your telephone, please?’ Inspector Saha said.

‘Yes, certainly,’ replied Samiran Babu and went out with the inspector.

‘I don’t understand this at all, Felu Babu. Why should anyone stab him if he was dead already?’

‘Difficult to say. It could simply be that the killer wished to make sure. He may have returned to the room after giving him that poisoned drink to steal the statue, and may have seen him move in his sleep. After all, pills do take a few minutes to start working, don’t they? So the killer decided not to take any chances, and finished him with the dagger. Then he slipped away with the statue.’

‘So when do you think he wrote the word
vish
?’

‘Before he was stabbed. He may have realized his drink had been tampered with, and started to write a message. But he lost consciousness after writing that single word. I cannot think of any other explanation at this moment.’ Feluda sounded distinctly unhappy.

Inspector Saha returned. ‘It makes perfect sense to me,’ he said, having heard Feluda’s explanation. ‘But anyway, I’ve put my men on the job to track down Lokenath. In the meantime, I have to interview the whole film unit as well as every member of this household.’

‘I think I ought to tell you something,’ Lalmohan Babu said. ‘Not everyone had permission to use the bathroom in the northern wing. The only people allowed were Pulak Ghoshal, the cameraman Sudev Ghosh, Raina, Verma and me.’

‘That means not everyone had reason to go there. Very well, I shall interview only the people you just mentioned.’

‘Why-what, even m-me?’ Lalmohan Babu began to look just a little bit unsure.

‘Of course,’ said Feluda seriously, ‘you are certainly among the people who had the opportunity.’

‘Who are the people actually living in the house?’ Inspector Saha
asked, looking at Samiran Babu.

‘Apart from myself, there’s Rajat Bose, our servant Bahadur and the cook, Jagadish.’

‘Very well. Where should we start?’