Rashomoy smiled. The young lady settled down again. Rashomoy said, ‘All right, then. Let it be. Moni, please fetch me my cigarettes.’
All along, Monimoy had been standing behind a chair. After he left the room, Rashomoy looked at his daughter-in-law lovingly and said, ‘My bouma is a very good human being. My wife has gone on a pilgrimage with my younger son and it is this young lady who now runs the house. Of course, normally I don’t get her to massage my feet, but the servant …’
Rashomoy stopped short at this point. Then his tone changed as he said, ‘Enough beating about the bush. Let’s get to the point. You have been kind enough to come here and I shall not waste your precious time. Byomkeshbabu, last night there was an incident in my home, something that has never happened before. A diamond necklace …’
Byomkesh interrupted him. ‘Tell me everything from the very beginning with no attempts at brevity, please. Assume that I know absolutely nothing.’
Monimoy came in, fumbling to open the lid of the tin of 555 cigarettes he carried. He placed the tin before us and went and stood by the window. We lit up as we listened to the story.
Rashomoy began to speak. ‘I own five jewellery stores in this city. It’s a flourishing business with an annual turnover that ranges between twenty and thirty lakhs. We have a large number of old and faithful employees working for us. I run the show whenever I am fit. For the last two years, Moni too has started taking an interest in the business.
‘Our business extends to far corners of the country. We have trade relations with renowned jewellers in Bombay, Madras and Delhi. Sometimes they buy precious gems from us. Sometimes it’s we who buy from them. Apart from them, there are ordinary clients we cater to as well. From kings and queens to the common man, everyone is a customer.
‘About a month ago, a jeweller of great repute, Ramdas Choksi, came down from Delhi to see me. He had bagged an order worth about ten thousand rupees for the wedding of some female member of the royal family in Rajasthan. He would not, however, be able to make all the pieces himself and had come to persuade me to make a diamond necklace for him. The design and the gemstones were selected and a price was settled on: Fifty-seven thousand rupees. The necklace would have to be ready in a month’s time and delivered to Ramdas.
‘The piece was made. I had every intention of going to Delhi myself and delivering the necklace personally. But since last Tuesday, my arthritis had been giving me trouble. What choice did I have? I simply couldn’t trust an employee with such an expensive piece. Finally, it was decided that Monimoy would take my place. He was scheduled to leave today.
‘For the last few days, I had been unable to leave the house. Moni was supervising everything. The necklace had been kept in the vault of the big store. Yesterday, Moni brought it home with him.
‘Now, a word about my home. My wife has gone on a pilgrimage to the south with my younger son, Hiranmoy, for company. Monimoy, Bouma and I live in the house now. Two servants, a cook, a driver and my personal valet, Bhola, have their living quarters on the first floor. At present, this accounts for the people who constitute my household.
‘When Moni came home with the necklace last evening, I was sitting right here on this chair. Bhola, my valet, was massaging my feet. Moni handed the jewellery case to me and said, “Here you are, Baba.”
‘I dismissed Bhola and he left the room. I opened the case and examined the necklace. Everything was fine. Then I called Bouma and told her, “Bind this case tightly in cloth and stitch it up.” She brought out a piece of fabric, sat right here and did the needful, stitching up the parcel quite neatly.’
All this while, Byomkesh was listening to the gentleman’s words in rapt attention. Now he looked up and asked, ‘I’m sorry to interrupt, but just how big was the jewellery case?’
Rashomoybabu looked around uncertainly. ‘How big? Not very, um, let’s say …’
Observing his father fumble, Monimoy picked out a book from the bookshelf and handed it to Byomkesh. ‘About this size,’ he said.
‘Yes, that’s about the right size,’ Rashomoy agreed. ‘Of course, the case was made of crocodile skin and it had velvet-lined compartments inside.’
The book was fairly large and consisted of around three hundred pages. Byomkesh handed it back to Monimoy and said, ‘I get it. Please continue.’
Rashomoy resumed his narration. ‘Thereafter, Moni had his tea and left for the club. I picked up the jewellery case and went into the office room. I have an office in the next room. When I need to do some work from home, that’s the room I use. There is a huge desk there. Important papers are kept in one of its drawers. I put the jewellery case in that drawer. There is, of course, an iron safe in the house. But my wife has taken the keys with her.
‘My mistake was in keeping such an expensive item in an unlocked drawer. But the way my household functions, there really was no cause for concern. The servants stay on the floor below and never come up unless sent for. Outsiders seldom drop in for a visit. Therefore it never occurred to me that something could be stolen from here.
‘I finished my dinner at around nine o’clock. Normally we have our meals on the first floor. But ever since I’ve been troubled by this arthritis, Bouma brings my meals up. After dinner, I pulled out a book. Bouma also finished her meal. Moni usually came home late from the club; so Bouma carried his dinner up to her bedroom and kept it under a cover till he arrived.
‘At ten o’clock, I rang the bell for Bhola to come up. Then I went to bed. With all these aches and pains, I cannot sleep unless my joints are massaged. Bhola does it every day. He leaves when I fall asleep.
‘Bhola is a very efficient valet. He’s been with me for a year and a half. He does everything for me—brushing my shoes, ironing my clothes, running errands, massaging my joints … Yesterday, Bouma opened the main door to this floor and Bhola came in and began the massage. Gradually, I fell asleep. I have no idea when he left.
‘Suddenly, I was awakened by Moni’s voice. He was bending over me and calling out, “Baba, Baba!”
‘I woke up with a start and asked, “What is it?”
‘Moni asked, “Where have you kept the necklace?”
‘I replied, “In the desk drawer. Why, what’s the matter?”
‘“But it’s not there!” he said.
‘I rushed to the desk and yanked open the drawer. The jewellery case was gone. I rummaged through the entire drawer. It was nowhere to be found. You can imagine my state of mind! I asked Moni, “What made you realize at this late hour that it had disappeared?”
‘He said …’
With a gesture, Byomkesh stopped Rashomoy’s narration in mid-sentence. He looked at Monimoy and asked, ‘What time was it then?’
Monimoy seemed rather self-conscious as he replied, ‘Almost midnight. A few minutes short of the hour, actually.’
Byomkesh said, ‘At around midnight, you were somehow alerted to the fact that the necklace was stolen. Do tell me about it.’
Monimoy’s increasing discomfiture was apparent. He cast a furtive glare at his father and began to speak in a hesitant tone of voice. ‘Last night, I was very late getting back from the club. Actually, the bridge drive is on and I …’
Byomkesh asked, ‘Where is the club? What is it known as?’
‘It’s called The Sports Club. It’s close by, just a five-minute walk from our house. It offers facilities for all kinds of sport—cards, chess, table tennis, billiards and so on. Yesterday, the bridge drive got over fairly late …’
‘Do you walk to the club?’
‘Oh yes, it’s so close by, I walk down. When I left the club last night, it was almost a quarter to twelve. Not a soul was about. Bang opposite the main door to our house, there is a lamp post. When I was within forty yards of our house, I realized that while all the shops nearby were closed, a man stood right in front of our main door. The man probably heard my footsteps as I approached. He turned his head in my direction, then quickly slipped into the house.
‘As I reached the second floor, my wife opened the door. You may have noticed that the doors on this floor are equipped with the foreign-made latchkey. If these doors shut, they lock automatically and cannot be opened without using a key to unlock them. I told my wife that a man was standing in front of the main entrance to the house and she remarked that she too had seen …’
‘She too had seen?’ Byomkesh turned to look at Monimoy’s wife.
She looked embarrassed and promptly broke out in a blush. Rashomoy tried to urge her to speak up. ‘Don’t be shy, Bouma. Tell Byomkeshbabu whatever you have seen.’
The young lady then began to speak in a halting undertone. ‘Last night … I … he was late returning from the club … I was standing by the window. Quite a while later … I suddenly noticed a man standing on the footpath, right in front of our house. I tried to lean over for a better look, but couldn’t manage to. Then the man disappeared. I felt he might have slipped into the house. At the same moment, I spotted my husband on his way back from the club. The man appeared to have caught sight of him and stepped into the house. Then I went and opened the door to let my husband in.’
Byomkesh asked, ‘Did you recognize the man?’
She shook her head. ‘No, I couldn’t see his face from that high up. But I reasoned it might be one of the servants.’
Monimoy said, ‘My suspicions were heightened by my wife’s account. I had brought the necklace over in the evening and Baba must have kept it in the desk drawer, because Ma had taken the keys to the safe with her. I tiptoed into Baba’s office room, switched on the lights and checked the contents of the drawers. The jewellery case wasn’t there. I looked in all the other likely places where Baba might possibly have kept the case. It wasn’t anywhere. I was shaken. So I woke Baba up.’
When Monimoy lapsed into silence, Byomkesh lit a cigarette, then glanced at Rashomoy inquiringly. The latter resumed his narration. ‘When we were convinced that the necklace had been stolen, all our suspicions fell on Bhola. Just think about it: The door to my floor has a Yale lock on it. It’s easy to go out, but not to come in. After ten o’clock, Bhola was the only one among the servants to be on my floor. I had fallen asleep and I wasn’t aware when had Bhola left. Perhaps he got up at around a quarter to twelve, took the necklace from the drawer and slunk downstairs. He might have primed his accomplice to wait for him outside the door …’
Byomkesh asked Monimoy, ‘Did you see just one man?’
‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘there wasn’t another soul around.’
Byomkesh turned to Monimoy’s wife, ‘And you?’
She replied, ‘I too saw just one person. My eyes were trained on the road. If there had been someone else, I’d have noticed him.’
Byomkesh took a few puffs on his cigarette, then asked Rashomoy, ‘What did you do next?’
Rashomoy said, ‘It was past midnight. My son and I discussed the matter, then called the police station. Moni went and stood at the door downstairs, so that no one could leave the house. I happen to know the chief inspector, Amareshbabu—a tough man and a courageous one. Fortunately, he was present at the police station. On receiving our call, he made his way here without delay, accompanied by a posse of three or four men.
‘First, the rooms on the first floor were thoroughly searched. All the servants were sleeping. So was Bhola. The police searched high and low, but found nothing.
‘Then Amareshbabu searched the second floor. It was possible that the thief had planted the necklace somewhere within the house after stealing it. Perhaps he meant to get rid of it later at an opportune moment. But here too they found nothing at all.
‘Then Amareshbabu started interrogating Bhola. The latter admitted that he had, indeed, gone downstairs. He said that he had gone down to the first floor at eleven o’clock, once I was asleep. The other servants were already asleep by then. Bhola too went to bed, but he couldn’t sleep. So, he went downstairs for some fresh air. He didn’t know that Monimoy hadn’t yet come back from the club. As soon as he went out and stood on the footpath, he saw Moni coming back. So he hurried back inside and went up to bed, because the servants are not allowed to leave the house late at night. This is his version. He claims he knows nothing about the necklace.
‘Amareshbabu’s interrogation also brought to light the fact that Bhola has two brothers living in the Mechhuabazaar area of Calcutta. Bhola doesn’t hobnob with them much, but if he has nothing better to do he does go and visit them occasionally.
‘All the while that Amareshbabu was interrogating him, the other policemen were scouring every inch of the road outside the house, leaving no stone unturned, as it were. Moni was also with them. But nothing was found. In the meantime, dawn had broken and Amareshbabu stationed one of his men on the first floor before leaving. He warned Bhola that he’d be arrested if he made any attempt to leave the house.
‘Then, as the day wore on, I grew more and more restive. Amareshbabu is an able officer and will be thorough in his investigation. But Byomkeshbabu, I could no longer sit back and simply allow things to take their course. That’s why I got in touch with you. Please get me back my necklace. You are the only one who can do it.’
Byomkesh said with a slight smile, ‘You have such faith in my abilities. I hope I can live up to it. So Bhola is right here in the house, is he?’
‘Yes, he’s in his room on the first floor.’
‘If you could send for him, I have a few queries.’
‘Sure, why not?’ Rashomoy glanced at his son.
Monimoy left the room and returned with Bhola a few minutes later.
Bhola looked no different from most men of his class and occupation. There is a facial type in which the features grow increasingly emaciated and skeletal with age, the prominent nose and pointed chin becoming even more so as the years go by. Bhola had just that kind of face. His build was wiry, reminding one of a bamboo plant and he looked about forty years old. His eyes betrayed no trace of fear, but seemed to hint at a wariness held in check.
Byomkesh looked him up and down, then said, ‘I’d like to ask you a few questions.’
Bhola said simply, ‘Yes, sir.’
‘Your name?’
‘Bholanath Das.’
‘Where do you come from?’
‘Midnapore district.’
‘How long have you been living in Calcutta?’
‘About fifteen years or so.’
‘I take it you have two brothers living in the city as well?’
‘Yes, sir. They stay together in a house in Mechhobazaar.’
‘You don’t live with your brothers?’
‘No, I live wherever I am employed.’
‘Do you get along with your brothers?’
‘I don’t have any quarrels with them. But my brothers are literate, whereas I am not …’
‘What do they do?’
‘The older one is with the postal service. The younger one is a municipal corporation sweeper.’
‘You never married?’
‘I did, but my wife died.’
‘How long have you been working in this house?’
‘For a year and a half.’
‘Where did you work before this?’
‘In many places.’
‘What kind of work did you do?’
‘A valet’s work, sir. I don’t know enough to do any other kind of work.’
There was no doubt that despite being illiterate Bhola was no fool. He had the kind of canniness that enables a person to create the impression of being as transparent as an open book. Byomkesh began again, ‘Everybody
suspects that you have stolen the diamond necklace.’
Bhola didn’t react to that. Instead, he calmly denied the accusation. ‘Sir, I have not laid eyes on the diamond necklace.’
‘But yesterday, when Monimoybabu brought in a case and handed it to Rashomoybabu, you were massaging the latter’s feet.’
‘I saw him bring in a box, but I had no idea what was inside.’
‘But couldn’t you guess? Not even when Rashomoybabu asked you to leave the room before he opened the case?’
‘No, not really.’
Byomkesh was silent for a while, a slight frown playing on his face. Then he looked up and asked, ‘Did you step out of the house last evening?’
A flicker of anxiety had finally showed up in Bhola’s eyes. But he answered coolly enough, ‘Yes, sir, I did. I needed to buy a towel. So I took Madam’s permission and went out.’
Byomkesh glanced at the young lady who nodded in agreement. Rashomoybabu’s expression indicated that he knew nothing of this. Neither did Monimoy, because he had left for the club before that. But how did Byomkesh know? Was it just a shot in the dark?
He asked Bhola, ‘How long were you outside?’
‘About an hour.’
‘It took you an hour to buy a towel?’
‘No, but I did stroll around a bit before getting back.’
‘Did you meet up with anyone?’
‘No, sir.’
‘Don’t you have any friends?’
‘I have a few acquaintances, but no friends.’
‘Oh, well. Did you massage Rashomoybabu’s feet last night after dinner?’
‘Yes, sir. I do that every night.’
‘How long were you with him last night?’
‘I didn’t check the time. I might have been here till about eleven.’
‘When you went back to the first floor, were any of the other staff awake?’
‘No, sir, they were asleep.’
Menagerie & other Byomkesh Bakshi Mysteries Page 17