Feluda rose. ‘Thank you, Mr Godwin. You’ve been most helpful. Thank you very much. Sorry if we disturbed you.’

‘Good night.’

Mr Godwin’s pale, thin arm reached out once more towards the radio.

We came out on the landing. What Feluda did next took me completely by surprise. It was too dark to see the expression on Lalmohan Babu’s face and gauge his reaction. Instead of going down, Feluda began climbing the stairs to the next floor.

‘What are you doing, Felu Babu? Those stairs go up, not down!’ Lalmohan Babu exclaimed hurriedly.

‘Come on, don’t be afraid!’ came the answer.

We found Mr Arakis’s servant at the door, clad in a lungi.

‘Are you looking for someone?’ he asked.

‘We are here,’ Feluda said, ‘only to help you.’ I saw that he had taken out a five-rupee note and was offering it to the man, who looked quite taken aback. Feluda went a little closer and whispered into his ear: ‘Just tell me if that room is locked, from all sides—I mean the one where your master is sitting with his friends.’

Perhaps the magic of money had started to work. The man told us there were two doors. The one facing the passage was locked, but the other opened into the bedroom. That door was open.

‘You don’t have to do anything,’ Feluda went on. ‘Just show us where the bedroom is. If you don’t, there will be trouble. We are from the police. This gentleman here is an inspector.’

Lalmohan Babu quickly stood on his toes and added two inches to his height. There was a light on this landing. Feluda thrust the note into the servant’s hand, which automatically closed around it.

‘Come with me. But ...’

‘No buts. We are after one of those friends of your master, so we’ve got to talk to him. You or Mr Arakis won’t come to any harm, I promise you.’

‘Follow me, please.’

The bedroom was dark, as was the next room on the other side of the open communicating door. We made our way to it. All was silent. But, only a little while ago, we had heard the table jump three times. It was clear that the group holding the seance was waiting with bated breath for the arrival of Thomas Godwin’s spirit. Lalmohan Babu was gasping so loudly and painfully that I felt afraid it might alert the group to our presence. Feluda had probably moved closer to the door. A smell of kerosene was coming from somewhere. A cat meowed. Perhaps it was that black cat on the floor below.

‘Tho-mas Godwin! Tho-o-mas Godwin!’

The name was called out twice in a voice that was hoarse and distorted. It sounded like a groan. Obviously, that was how they invited a spirit.

‘Are you with us? Are you with us?’