‘No, I don’t think anyone is ever called “God”, although some Hindus may be called Ishwar or Bhagwan. Look at the plaque more closely. There is a sizeable gap to the left of the “G”. That can only mean that there was no word or letter on that side. But there’s no way of telling what followed the “d” because that portion is now lying on the grass. I think the first three letters of the dead man’s surname were g, o and d, as in Godfrey or Goddard.’

‘In that case, why don’t we gather those pieces and arrange ... ‘

Lalmohan Babu had started walking over to the broken branches and leaves that were lying on the ground. Just as he reached the tomb, he suddenly slipped and slid forward, as if he had stepped into a hole. Before he could fall, however, Feluda stretched out his long arms, caught him and put him back on solid ground. I was puzzled. How could there be a hole in that area? ‘It does seem strange,’ Feluda commented. ‘I mean, what came down in the storm was a branch from a mango tree, right? So what are these other leaves doing here? They’re not all mango leaves!’

Lalmohan Babu was already feeling a bit unhappy about being in a cemetery. And now this! He dusted himself down, muttered ‘This is too much!’ and stood with his back to us, possibly to regain his composure.

‘Topshe, help me remove these leaves and smaller branches. Be careful!’ said Feluda.

We cleared the area, taking great care to avoid the gaping hole in the ground. It became clear at once that, by the side of the grave, there was a ditch about two feet deep. Feluda might have guessed the truth, but I certainly could not figure out whether the ditch had always been there, or whether someone had dug it recently.

Feluda now turned his attention to the marble pieces lying on the ground. We collected twelve pieces and put them together, exactly as if we were assembling a jigsaw puzzle on the grass. The final picture looked like this:

Sacred to the memory of

THOMAS —WIN

Obt. 24th April —8, AET. 70 —

‘Godwin!’ cried Feluda. ‘The man was called Godwin. “Obt” is “obitus”, meaning death. “AET” is “aetatis”, meaning age. Now, the question is ...’

‘I say!’

A sudden shout from Lalmohan Babu startled me. As we turned towards him, he held up a dark, flat and square object. ‘Do you think thirty-seven rupees will pay for dinner for three at the Blue Fox?’

‘What have you found?’

Feluda and I went forward to join him, feeling intrigued.

In his left hand, Lalmohan Babu was clutching a black wallet. In his right hand were two ten, one five and a two-rupee note. The wallet and the money were both sodden. Lalmohan Babu had overcome his fear and now appeared quite cheerful. He knew he had found an important clue for Feluda.