Om

Preface: Introductions
Thomas Read
Thomas Read, Tom to his friends, was only four years old when he set foot into Nainapur, a world that
was in stark contrast to the land where he was born. Toms father Christopher Read was a British
archaeologist by profession and his mother Sarah was an Indian Christian. The story of how they had
fallen in love and moved to their mansion in Nainapur is for another time.
When Tom first arrived in Nainapur, almost everybody there looked more like his mom than his dad.
Also, most of them spoke a language that was certainly not the English that he was used to hearing
and speaking. It sounded very alien and cacophonous.
The palatial bungalow that they moved in was built on a sprawling estate, known as the Dsouza Estate
and spread over three acres, surrounded by the lusciously green and hilly terrain of Nainapur. The
property had originally belonged to Toms great grandfather, his moms grandfather, Colonel DSouza.
Toms grandfather, that is his mothers father, was an eminent archaeologist with the Archaeological
Suvey of India. Toms father Chris Read who was also an archaelogist worked for the British Museum.
Once when the ASI and the British Museum had collaborated on a joint expedition, they had worked
together and had become good friends. Later on they had worked on several such expeditions and it
was during one such expedition that Chris Read had saved Mr. DSouza from a freak accident.
After that Chris Read and Sarah Dsouza who were already in love had got married. When Toms
grandfather retired from active archaeology he moved to DSouza estate. He always wanted his
daughter and son-in-law Chris to move to Nainapur as he did not want to live all alone in the huge
estate. Although Toms dad Chris was initially hesitant and preferred to live in London, one summer
when they went to Nainapur for holidays Chris fell in love with the place and decided to retire from
active archaeology and move to Nainapur. Mr.Read used the huge space available in the estate to
setup a beautiful hotel named The Read Bed and Breakfast, which over the past several years had
become a very popular destination for tourists visiting Nainapur.

Ravi Singh
Ravis father Laxman Singh had started out as a chauffer to Chris Read but because of his dedication
and hard work he quickly became Mr. Reads personal assistant. Over the years Chris Read had grown
to trust Laxman Singh so much that he was made the Administrative Manager of The Read Bed and
Breakfast.
Ravi Singh was just five years old when his father Laxman Prasad Singh had brought him and his
mother to the palatial mansion of Sarah and Christopher Read, soon after Toms younger sisters birth.
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Sarah Read was looking for someone who would help her with the new baby and Laxman Singh has
suggested that his wife could help..
Ravi had accompanied his parents and had stood at the hallway gaping at the tall ceilings adorned with
expensive chandeliers, broad wooden stairways and exquisite antiques that decorated both sides of the
grand living room. The room was in fact larger than his entire house.
Ravis dad used to pick him from his school and drop him at the Read mansion every day. The first few
days were awkward for both the boys as Ravi spoke only Hindi while Tom knew no other language
besides English.
Tom was initially reluctant to share his toys with this somewhat untidy looking boy. However, over the
next few days prodded by his mother Sarah, Tom began easing up to Ravis company. After all he did
not have many friends in the new town. Both of them conversed in their respective mother tongues,
making little sense to the other. However they seemed to enjoy each others company. This was the
beginning of a friendship that had grown stronger over the next eight years.
Laxman Singhs association with Chris Read had improved their financial situation significantly and it
meant that Ravi could be sent to a good, albeit a Hindi medium public school. Tom on the other hand
got admission into Green Valley International School, one of the most prestigous and popularschools in
the region that received patronage from wealthy Indian businessmen and expatriate foreigners alike.

Suzy Chen
Tom had been twelve years old and in his sixth grade when Suzy Chen had joined the Green Valley
International School. Born to a first generation Chinese American father and a Chinese mother from
the village of mainland China, Suzy had spent her initial eight years in the US. Suzys dad had always
been a busy executive travelling frequently outside the US and as a result Suzy was extremely
attached to her mom.
When her mother passed away after a brief struggle with cancer, Suzy was devastated and started
getting lonelier. When her father was transferred to Stuttgart, Germany on work he took Suzy along with
him, but she never liked it there. After two years in Stuttgart, Suzys father returned to USA only to be
asked to go to India to set up the bank s Outsourcing centre near New Delhi. On advice of some Indian
colleagues her dad sought admission for Suzy in Green Valley International in Nainapur which was
about 150 kms from Delhi.
In the eleven years before coming to India, Suzy never really had a close friend. Even at Green Valley
she continued to maintain a distance from her sixth grade classmates at school as well as her hostel
mates. Although she was a very bright girl, the frequent changes in school across countries had
disrupted her academic continuity. During the first term she struggled with her grades. Tom, who sat
next to Suzy at class had noticed that this aloof girl hardly interacted with anybody. Although she was
very reluctant in speaking to him as well initially, she gladly accepted when he offered to help her with
her studies.
Over the next two years Suzy spent several weekends with the Reads and for the first time in her life
she experienced what it meant to have a family that lived together. She started accompanying Tom and
Ravi on their weekend excursions riding behind on Toms bike, much like what Ravi used to do before
he had his own bike. Her dad visited her every month and with every visit he noticed his daughter
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looking happier and livelier. On her thirteenth birthday Suzy had asked her father to buy her a bicycle,
the first time she had ever asked him for something, and he had been more than glad to get her one.
Suzy liked being with Tom, who was extremely protective of her, almost like an elder brother. The only
thing that he was jealous of was that she had learnt to speak better Hindi that him in just three years of
being in India. But Suzy had a way with languages and like most girls she was punctual, had keen
attention to detail and a very perceptive and sharp brain.

Rajveer Pratap Rathore

Rajveer Pratap Rathore was the son of Virendra Pratap Rathore, Maharajah of Jadhavpur in Rajasthan.
Technically, Virendra Pratap was no longer a king, but he prided in the title and his ancestral glory and
continued to maintain a lifestyle befitting a king. As a child Raj had been a pampered kid, mostly by his
mother Maharani Sita Devi and by the numerous ushers and attendants who kept following him
everywhere inside the massive Haveli in Jadhavpur where they lived.
Sita Devis love for Raj combined with his own passion for food had contributed to his rather rotund
disposition. His friends lovingly called him Chubbo, inspired by his chubby cheeks and Raj never used
to mind it. He was like that, a lazy but happy go lucky chap who enjoyed a laugh even at his own
expense.
Raj also studied at the Green Valley, but although he was not from Nainapur his mother had ensured
that he did not stay in the boarding hostel. She had rented out a large apartment near the school with
four attendants to look after him; including two chauffers for the two cars that were at his service, a
domestic helper and most importantly a cook to take care of his gastronomic need.
What is the point in sending him to Nainapur and not allowing him to stay in the hostel his dad had
argued. The entire purpose to put him a boarding school is to make him more independent, and here
you plan to pamper him more than he is used to at home.

But his mom ultimately had her way. She also ensured that she visited him every three months for a
week or two to make sure that her son was being taken care off.
Date 26/5/2009
Chapter 1: The Forbidden Oak
Ravi was sweating profusely despite the fact that it was late autumn. The temperature in the hillside
had started reducing rapidly as dusk descended. The cool winds blowing against his face gave a
sensation as if the sweat on his forehead was freezing into little icicles. What he had just seen had
scared the living daylights out of him and sent him racing down the steep and sparsely forested hill that
he had been climbing. The excitement of getting back and revealing his discovery to his friends caused
his heart to beat wildly. As his wet shirt clung to his back and made him shiver, he cursed himself for not
bringing his sweater.
Far towards the west he could see the sun setting as it bathed the valley in hues of orange and pink.
He had reached a narrow flat land between two hills and as he looked back he could see the singular
massive oak tree standing on the edge of the hill he had just descended. He felt brave to have
managed to go almost right up to the forbidden oak.
The fast fading light had him worried as he thought that it would take him another ten minutes to climb
the other hill and reach the woods from where he had started his hike. Although he was a brave boy, he
wasnt foolish to not realize the dangers of staying on after dark in these parts of the woods, especially
after what he had witnessed there. By the time he returned to the point where he had started, the sun
had disappeared in the horizon and it was quite dark all around.
Ravi dusted his clothes and examined the scratches on his arms from the thorny thickets that he had to
crawl under, on his way down as well as on his way out. He quickly gathered some loose rocks and
stones lying nearby and created a mound to mark the point from where he had descended down the
dense hill. It was indeed getting late and Ravi quickened his pace. The sound of the dry autumn leaves
rustling under his feet pierced the eerie silence that surrounded him. Quickly he reached the narrow,
dim lit mud road from where he had taken a detour into the woods. He found his bicycle that he had
parked leaning against a large pine tree. He quickly got atop its seat and started pedalling fast. He had
to reach home before his father returned from work.
It was almost nine by the time Ravi had showered and hastily devoured his dinner. He sneaked into his
tiny bedroom, the smallest room in their two bedroom apartment. He took out his old Nokia phone,
handed over to him after three years of usage by his father and with strict instructions not to take it
outside the house. He quickly typed out an SMS to his friend Tom Founded the route 2 forbidden tree..
Meet u 2morrow at ur place. Ask Suzy and Raj to come also.
Owning a mobile phone was a luxury for Ravi, unlike his richer friends. As he always had limited talk
time, if he had to speak with his friends he gave them a missed call and then waited for them to call
back. However, it was pretty late to speak with Tom and hence he had sent an SMS.
Tom, who was also preparing to get into bed, smiled as his read the message. He thought to himself
Oh, the great founder has founded something again. At the same time he felt proud of his friend.
Despite studying in a Hindi school, Ravis fluency in English had improved a lot thanks to his friendship
with Tom. However his grammar was far from being perfect and caused his International school
educated friends to laugh every time he spoke. However they never made fun of him and always
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encouraged him to speak in English. Tom typed on his swanky new iPhone Cool, letz meet 2moro
morning 10 am, same place. Hav informd Suz and Chubbo as well. Cya.
Ravi wished it were already morning as he was dying to meet Tom, Suzy and Raj. Chided by his mother
to go to bed, Ravi put his mobile under his pillow while complaining Ma, its only 9:30 and tomorrow is
a Saturday. Why do I have to sleep so early every day?
His mom was in no mood to listen and switched off the light in his room. However, Ravi could not sleep
for the next two hours. He tossed and turned in his bed, thinking of what he had witnessed that evening
and fantasizing about possible things that he and his friends would discover when they went back to the
forbidden oak. He finally dozed off dreaming about a magical world that lay beneath the oak tree.

Date 28/5/2009
Chapter 2: The Read Bed and Breakfast
Ravi, Ravi wake up, it is nine o clock already, called his mother shaking him vigorously. Ravi woke up
with a start. He had been dreaming all night about the forbidden tree and had overslept. He looked at
the old clock which hung in a slanted manner on the wall and jumped with a start. He was to meet his
friends in one hour and he was already late. Mom, no homework today, please, he pleaded in Hindi. I
have to be at Toms by 10, give me my breakfast quick he blurted, toothpaste foaming at his month. It
was quarter to ten by the time Ravi finished stuffing his mouth with his breakfast. Quickly putting on his
worn out canvas shoes he jumped on his bike, pedalling it double fast as he was already late for his
meeting.
He weaved through the crowded main street, which also happened to be the central bazaar or market
place of Nainapur town as he narrowly avoided a cow lazily munching away at some littered rotten
vegetables. Quickly he navigated past the last shop in the bazaar, drove around the market square and
finally down Russell Road.
Russel Road was the main road that went downhill towards the less populated and more scenic part of
the town. After cycling for about ten minutes, as he approached a sharp bend he guided his bicycle
down a narrow by lane road that led to a large flat land. There was a small board by the side of the lane
that said Cedar Lane. Aptly, the road was lined on both sides with tall deodar cedars and rhododendron
trees. There were a couple of small bungalows on either side. At the far end of Cedar Lane, about 300
meters off Russell Road, Ravi saw the huge gates that were the entrance to Toms mansion. The tall
arch that formed the entrance to the mansion had DSOUZA ESTATE embossed in bold.
Toms mother Sarahs maiden name was Dsouza and the estate had belonged to her grandfather.
When the Reads had moved to Nainapur, the DSouza Estate only had a bungalow and much of the
estate was thickly forested with deodar, pine and rhododendron trees. However, soon Chris Read not
only renovated the grand bungalow, but decided to develop the estate commercially. He cleared some
of the trees and constructed a hotel at the far end of the estate. The hotel was named The Read Bed
and Breakfast and was inaugurated with much fanfare.
Nainapur was a popular tourist destination popular as much for its beautiful landscapes and pleasant
climate as its heritage historical monuments. The Read B&B with its fifteen cosy and classily decorated
rooms offered a perfect place for tourists to live in a homely, close to nature environs.
The hotel provided the best location in all of Nainapur and the superior service provided by the hotel
staff ensured that business had flourished in the eight years that the Reads had lived in Nainapur. In all
these years The Read B&B had retained its charm, with its ornately decorated rooms, lush green lawns
where guests had their morning breakfast, tall trees lined all along the boundaries and a dense valley
on the far side that was home to a variety of exotic birds. Every morning the lawns were visited by
peacocks that fearlessly strutted around the hotel guests and bright green parrots that restlessly flew
from the trees to the hotel rooftop and back to the trees.
The more adventurous guests, if they dared venture beyond the trees into the dense valley, could
witness thrushes, robins, woodpeckers, munias and the occasional kingfisher. One could also witness a
small waterfall, that was more of a gentle stream cascading down the valley during the summers but
became a gushing waterfall after monsoon, winding its way down the hills to finally merge with the river
6

at the valley. It was a perfect paradise for the relaxation seeking tourists and the personal attention
given by the Reads and their staff, made their stay most worthwhile. The Read B&B was frequented by
several renowned personalities including politicians, movie stars and sportsmen.
Except for the one occasion when a jackal had wandered into the estate right at breakfast time sending
the panicked guests running helter skelter, the Reads hospitality business had run without any blemish
all these years.
In these eight years, despite their vastly different lifestyles Tom and Ravi had become the best of
friends, a bond made stronger by their passion for adventure. Over the years they had picked up each
others language very well, although Ravi learnt to converse in English much better than Tom could
speak Hindi. As they went to separate schools, they hardly met during weekdays, but they ensured that
they spent most of weekend together, exploring the woods of the Nainapur and nearby hills. Initially,
they would both go on Toms bicycle, taking turns at the pedal while the other sat behind on the pillion
carrier. However on Ravis twelfth birthday, his father bought him a bicycle. Although it was a very basic
bicycle compared to Toms brilliant red BMX bike, a gift from Toms dad that same year, it now meant
that they both had their bikes and could now explore every dangerous nook and corner of the hills.
Ravi was a natural athlete, and fearlessly ventured into dangerous terrains. Tom, on the other hand
loved adventure, but relied on Ravis confidence and bravado to venture into all the spooky places
around Nainapur. When it came to academics Ravi was only an average student, while Tom on the
contrary was a brilliant student who always topped his class. On weekends, when he was not outside
with Ravi and his other friends Suzy and Raj, Tom spent hours either reading books from his fathers
impressive library or researching the Internet on various topics that were taught at school.
His passion for reading had made Ravi once jokingly ask Tom Is that why your last name is Read?.
Huh, now thats not funny Ravi, Tom had retorted even while Suzy and Raj chuckled away at Ravis
lame attempt at humour.

Chapter 3: Meeting at The Den

As Ravi cycled his way into the Read mansion he waved to the security guard who recognized him
immediately and waved back. He took the smaller side entrance meant for people walking in rather
than the massive gates. As expected, he saw that Suzys pink bicycle was already parked on the lawns
by the steps that led into the house. Suzy was always punctual and had ridden her bicycle into the
Read mansion ten minutes before Ravi had arrived...
As he got off his bike Ravi also noticed a white coloured Maruti Suzuki jeep with a bright red-light
blinking on top. He immediately recognized it as a police jeep. Standing next to it was a short and stout
constable, his belly almost bursting out of his khaki shirt, his hands resting on what should have been a
waist but which had disappeared under layers of fat and his elbows extending out. Looking at him Ravi
could only imagine the Teapot from the nursery rhyme book he used to see so many times at Toms
house when he was small. He also noticed much activity and confusion inside Toms house.
Ravi quickly parked his bike next to Suzys and avoiding the eyes of the constable he sneaked by the
side of the house to the place where he knew he would find his friends. As he walked along the estate
grounds he saw that there were several more policemen near the Read B&B and lot of frenetic activity
going on. He wondered what could be going on.
Ravi rushed across the backyard to a small bright unit at the northwest end of the estate. A few years
ago what used to be a dull shed that housed a few rusty gardening equipment, was now painted bright
yellow with red doors and windows. Painted on the red door in white were the words THE DEN. A
sloping tiled roof that had replaced the earlier asbestos roof and a wooden picket fence protected the
two side of the shed that were adjacent to the deep valley below.
Tom had literally pleaded his dad to get the shed converted to his very own den. His dad had finally
relented when he realized that even the gardeners did not prefer a shed that was so far away from the
lawns. He had the shed converted into a small independent unit that had just one large rectangular
room.
Ravi opened the unlatched door and entered the room; he could see Tom and Suzy sitting on the couch
on the far right of the room, animatedly discussing something. In the centre of the room opposite the
door was a cot propped against the wall. A number of picture frames of Tom from various stages of his
childhood, some with his little sister and parents, some with his friends and one with his granddad
adorned the wall. A shelf on the wall was stacked with books. Also strewn on the bed were some
books and Toms iPad. To the left of the room was a small red fridge that was usually stacked with
some soda, water and chocolates and ice-cream in the freezer. These had to be replenished after every
weekend, as the friends usually devoured them whenever they met.
When Tom saw Ravi, he jumped from the couch to high-five his friend first with his right hand, then with
his left followed by a light punch with both his fists to Ravis closed fists. This was their traditional
greeting routine every time they met. Tom reached out to the plate that was on the tea table and stuffing
his mouth with a cookie, he blurted Ravi, you wont believe what has happened here today.
Ravi smiled feebly to hide the disappointment that something more exciting seemed to have happened
very recently that could overshadow his own exciting adventure from previous night. He said Okay,
okay but you need to hear what I have to say first because my adventure happened first.

Hey wait, both of you Suzy intervened, Let Chubbo get here first. Do not spoil the excitement for
him. She was usually the most considerate amongst the four, unlike Ravi and Tom who were always in
a hyper excited mode.
This Chubbo is late again, as ever complained Tom looking at his wristwatch that already showed
10:15 am. He added with a grin, Anyways let us enjoy the cookies and cakes mom has baked freshly
today, before Chubbo comes and leaves nothing for us at all.
Just at that time a metallic blue BMW Series 7 car pulled alongside the kerb outside the Read
mansion. It was followed by a black Toyota Fortuner SUV. The chauffer stepped out and walked around
the BMW to open the rear door.
A portly boy of fourteen got out of the car and walked with the gait of a baby elephant towards the
Toyota. He was accompanied by the chauffer of the Toyota who opened the rear door and pulled out a
golden coloured bicycle from the SUV. Another steward emerged from the Toyota carrying a lunch pack
and followed the boy..
Raj clumsily got onto his bike and rode it down the pathway from the main gate leading to the house,
his entourage following him on foot. Raj lowered the parking stand of his bike, even as one of his
attendants came running to help him get off the bike.
Raj turned back to his attendants and literally pleaded to them in Hindi Ab please jao. Do baje aana,
mein Tom ke ghar par hi hoon meaning, Please leave and return at 2 pm. I shall be at Toms house
only. The domestic helper at Toms house who had come out, picked up the massive lunch pack
waiting to follow Raj to the shed at the backyard.
Raj had just taken a couple of steps when the chubby constable who had been standing near the police
jeep when Ravi had arrived; this time emerged out of the Read residence like a hippopotamus would
after spending a few hours in the water. When their eyes met it was difficult to say who was more
surprised to see the other. Raj felt as if he was seeing himself in one of those funny mirrors you have at
fun fairs that enlarges your image to a more gigantic reflection of yourself. He quickly avoided the
constables gaze and proceeded by the same way that Ravi had taken earlier.
As he entered the room his friends almost pounced on him, shouting in unison Chubbo, you are late
again, it is almost 10:30.
Raj grinned apologetically as he reached out instinctively to the last slice of cake that was on the plate
and complained You guys never leave anything for me. But dont worry, mamma has packed 4 slices of
chocolate mousse cake in my lunchbox and you guys are going to get none. The four friends had a
hearty laugh as they settled down looking forward to discuss the next adventure.

Chapter 1 and 2 rewritten on 7/6/2014 and 8 /6/2014

10/06/2014
Chapter 4: Ravis Ghostly Affair
Whats with this commotion in your estate, Tom? Raj asked curious to know more about the huge
crowd he had witnessed near the hotel. Before Tom could answer, Ravi who was dying to talk about his
own experience from previous night interjected and said Why did we call for this meeting? To talk
about what I saw last night isnt it.
Okay, baba, get over with it, if you must said Raj So you found the path to get to the forbidden oak.
But this one sounds more interesting; policemen and all at the DSouza Estate. I am dying to know what
happened here
Irritated that his friends did not seem to care much about his adventure, Ravi modulated his voice to
make it sound as menacing as possible Guys it is not only that. You wont believe it, but I actually saw
a ghost at the forbidden tree last night.
His friends looked at him, more surprised than startled. It was real, God promise he continued,
sensing that his friends were not yet willing to believe what he said. Surely you must have been
mistaken! We know there is no such thing as ghosts said Tom. Maybe you saw some branches
moving from far off and imagined it to be a ghost.
Ravi who was getting increasingly exasperated said, Then why hasnt anybody gone near the
forbidden tree all these years; why havent anyone of you gone there if there were no ghosts. And by
the way, I wasnt far-off from the tree. I went right up to the tree and believe me I was this close to the
oak tree when I saw the ghost.
Ravi ran from the couch where they were seated to the other end of the room to show how close he
was to the tree. I had only a few more feet to climb and reach the tree when I saw this figure hiding
behind the oak tree. It was completely covered in a white robe and it peeked at me. The only thing I
could see were two eyes, as its face was also covered with a white scarf. I was completely taken by
surprise and did not know what to do. I must admit I got a bit scared and ran back as it was past sunset
and beginning to get dark
He heh heh chuckled Raj A ghost peeking at you from behind the oak tree. Now thats a funny scene
to imagine. Were you scared of the ghost or was it scared of you?
Chubbo, now dont get me started retorted Ravi you jump out of your skin even at the sight of
shadows in the dark. He was getting visibly agitated now.
Suzy who had been quiet so far and listening to their conversation asked calmly Okay Ravi, even if we
were to believe that you saw someone or something that looked like a ghost, as far as we know, ghosts
are visible only at night. And you said that it was close to sunset when you saw this, which means it
was late evening. Suzy was observant as ever and even caught minor details easily.
Ravi replied Yes it was late evening, but how am I to know what time ghosts come out? As far as I
know and I believe my eyes, there was definitely a shrouded creature behind the tree. We all know that
all of Nainapur believes the forbidden oak is haunted and it has been so for several years. Nobody
really goes there and many people have reported seeing a ghost in the vicinity of the tree in the past.
So as far as I am concerned, it has to be a ghost.
10

Tom was certain that his friend would not make up things. He knew that Ravi indeed was a brave boy
and would definitely have ventured till the tree. While he was reluctant to believe that there were
ghosts, he felt that there was indeed something mysterious in what Ravi had witnessed. He said Guys,
I think Ravi did see something. And he has a point almost all of Nainapur believes that the oak tree is
haunted. No wonder it is called the forbidden oak. Now whether what he saw was a ghost or not, is for
us to discover. And that gives us our next adventure to explore.
Ravi smiled at Tom, happy that his friend had supported him as always. Great he said I know exactly
how to get there. Lets plan to go there tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Suzy who was looking out of the window noticed that the commotion near the Read B&B
had increased. Look, something is happening there, she shouted.
As they all looked out Raj said, Tom, you did not tell us what happened here, there are so many
policemen around. He added Ravi, we listened to your story. Now lets listen to what Tom had to say.
What everyone knew, but did not say was that Raj would rather not get involved in Ravis adventure.
He was absolutely scared of the dark and would avoid anything that involved ghosts.
Tom said Well, there was a robbery in the hotel last night. It is the first time something like this has
happened. Dad is obviously very upset since morning and with all these police around he has been
very busy. Even I do not know the details. Anyways, seems something is happening there right now. Let
us go and find out for ourselves.

11

They closed the door to Toms shed and gently jogged towards the hotel, which was a good two
hundred meters on the north-west side of the estate. Chubbo was already huffing by the time they
reached the crowd that had gathered on the lawns outside the hotel.
12/06/2014
Chapter 5: The Missing Sparkles
The Read B&B was an L shaped block, built like an apartment unit and comprising a ground plus first
floor. The ground floor housed the reception, a restaurant and six studio suites while the first floor had
seven studio suites and a Luxury Suite. The restaurant opened and extended into the green lawns that
had neatly laid out round tables with 4 chairs each and a large umbrella coming out of the centre of the
table.
It was here that the crowd had gathered. There was a senior police inspector, evident from his cap and
the badges on his khaki shirt, who was talking with Toms dad Chris Read. Ravis dad who was the
hotel manager, was standing beside him listening attentively and answering whenever Chris turned to
him. The fat constable, who Ravi and Raj had earlier seen at the Read residence, was now seen lining
up some of the hotel staff, possibly to question them. On the other end, near the hotel entrance, a few
news reporters had gathered to catch the details. A local TV van had just pulled over and men were
laying out their equipment hoping to get some interview soon. A couple of constables was trying to
prevent the reporters from rushing into the hotel premises.
Several hotel guests were seated in the restaurant lawns chatting about and possibly speculating on
what might have happened. Most notable amongst them was a fair lady, possibly in her early forties.
She was seated by herself on a chair at one of the tables and looked visibly distraught. The senior
policeman who had been speaking with Toms dad, walked over to where the lady was sitting and
pulled a chair next to her. He appeared to be consoling or perhaps assuring her.
The four friends who had been observing this from afar decided to move in to try and get some more
details. The chubby constable who had a long cane stick in his hand was occasionally wielded at the
hotel staff standing to be questioned. Tom looked at him and remarked Doesnt he look like Chubbos
older twin? Suzy giggled and added Well certainly if we painted a moustache under Chubbos lips.
Raj pinched Tom and Suzy simultaneously and said Enough of your jokes, else I shall take you guys to
task just like that constable is doing to thopse men these. Now better try to find out more about what
happened.
Tom looked around to see who he could grab to get some information. He did not want to disturb either
his dad or Ravis father Laxman Singh as both of them looked very busy and stressed. He saw a young
chap, in his late twenties, standing nearby staring blankly ahead. In contrast to the elephantine figure of
the constable, the man looked like a skinny antelope who ears stuck out like a pair of antlers. He had
the hotel uniform blazer on and a badge attached on his jacket that read Assistant Manager.
Tom quickly moved near him and pulled him aside. The other three also rushed behind Tom and soon
had encircled the guy. Hey there, can you tell us what happened here? Tom asked. The young guy,
rattled by the four kids who had literally pounced on him, said Nothing! Nothing happened!
Tom demanded Then why are so many policemen gathered here? Definitely something has happened.
We are not fools.
12

The young man knew Tom was the son of the hotel owner. Reluctantly he squeaked, like a mouse
does when it has been surrounded by cats Sahabji has told us not to tell anything to anybody except
the police.
The person he was referring to as Sahabji, meaning Sir, was of course Laxman Singh, who, sensing
that news reporters would be hounding the hotel trying to extract gossip, had instructed his staff not to
speak about the incident with anyone except the police.
But we are not anybody, you know all of us very well said Tom in an authoritative voice. Yes, yes, you
know all of us quipped in Ravi.
Indeed, besides knowing Tom, the man also knew that Ravi was the son of the Hotel Manager, his
immediate boss Laxman Singh. He dared not upset either of them lest they complained about him to
their respective fathers. He meekly said Okay, I shall tell you what happened, but promise me you will
not tell anyone that I shared this with you. The four friends nodded in unison.
The man continued Well there was a robbery in the hotel last night. You see that lady sitting there; she
is a very famous actress Madhu Malini. In fact she is my favourite heroine from when I was a teenager.
She is so beautiful and talented. I used to watch all her movies on the first day they were released and
have watched them several times. In fact only last week I saw her movie. His squeaky voice now
sounded croaky, like a frog trying to attract its female version.
Okay, okay we are not interested in which movies you have watched interrupted Tom. He hardly saw
any Hindi movies, least of all movies of a heroine who probably had acted at a time when he was only a
toddler.
The Assistant Manager disappointed at being cut short continued back in his squeaky voice Madhu
Malini had checked into the hotel three days back, that is on Wednesday. She really loved our hotel
from the moment she stepped in. She told that to me personally. Yesterday, she had gone to the town
centre to inaugurate a new mall. In fact I had only assisted her to get into her car and she looked so
beautiful, especially wearing that dazzling necklace. It was obvious that the guy was completely
enamoured by the actress and took every opportunity to demonstrate his admiration for her.
Fine, fine, we know that she is beautiful and a famous actress and that you are a big fan, but tell us
what happened next, asked Raj curtly. He was the only one amongst the four of them who knew who
Madhu Malini was. He had seen just one movie in which Madhu Malini had acted. His mom was a great
fan of the actress and during one of her visits to Nainapur she had watched this hit Madhu Malini movie
that had been shown on TV.
Rajs mom had insisted that he also give her company. He had reluctantly sat through the torturous two
and a half hours of movie. The entire movie had the hero bashing up some fifty thugs to savw the
heroine Madhu Malini from their clutches, then chasing her around trees and over mountains trying to
woo her by singing songs, tear jerking scenes where Madhu Malini cried bucketful of tears at being
separated from the hero and subsequently more song and dance at the villains den where her hero had
been captured followed by more fighting with the villain, finally ending in a happy ending where they live
happily ever after.
Raj had not seen a more boring movie. While his mom sat glued to the TV alternating between smiles
of joy and tears of sorrow as the scenes changed, the only things that had kept him going were the
popcorn, samosas and several fillings of lemonade that the attendants kept serving at regular intervals.
13

Cmon, tell us what more do you know about this robbery? Did something get stolen from Madhu
Malinis room he asked.
The Assistant Manager, eager to run away from these bossy kids replied What else can happen, nazar
lag gayi kisiki! The beautiful necklace that she was wearing got stolen from our hotel last night. Poor
Ms. Malini is so upset since morning. I promise, that is all I know.
What did he just say? Tom asked looking puzzled at hearing the phrase nazar lag gayi kisiki.
Ravi explained He means that someone has cast an evil eye on her. Looking back at the Assistant
Manager he asked Are you sure that is all you know?
Suzy had been quiet all this while. She was busy scribbling something in a notepad. She always carried
a pen and a notepad with her to note down interesting things and this story was as interesting as any
and promised to be another adventure for the gang.
She looked up and said, I dont think we will get any more information from him. We will have to find
out more ourselves. Who can provide us with more information? The policemen are obviously not going
to share anything with kids and we dare not ask Tom or Ravis dad.
Why not ask Madhu Malini herself?, suggested Raj. Are you crazy? asked Ravi, She already looks
so upset. Do you think she is going to tell anything to us kids?
Tom nodded in agreement.
Raj replied We can at least try. I have an idea. Why dont we go to her asking for an autograph? Just
like fans are obsessed with celebrities, similarly celebrities love the attention and adulation they get
from fans. Besides I dont think Madhu Malini will be rude to fans, especially if they are kids. He turned
to Suzy and said Suzy you will have to speak to her and seek her autograph. I am sure she will not
refuse a girl.
Although not fully convinced that this plan would work Suzy agreed. They waited for ten more minutes
till the crowd had dispersed. Most of the guests had moved back into the hotel and so did the hotel
staff.
The staff had been allowed to leave only after the fat constable had finished questioning them. He had
let them off with a warning and told them to call him and only him, if they got any more information. The
senior inspector had also stood up from the table where the actress was seated and had proceeded to
the main entrance of the hotel, where news reporters were restlessly awaiting an official statement from
the police.

14

13/06/2014
Chapter 6: The Actresss Plight
Madhu Malini continued to be seated under the shade of the umbrella sipping a cup of tea that had
been laid before her, the autumn breeze gently swaying her shoulder length hair. She had immaculate
make up that hid most of her wrinkles and her skin was extremely fair. She really looked beautiful, as
the Assistant Manager had said. Thankfully, she appeared much calmer than before.
Raj nudged Suzy with his elbow and said Cmon, you first. Slowly Suzy walked towards where the
actress was seated, followed awkwardly by Raj and finally by a hesitant Ravi and Tom who appeared
quite sure that this plan was a sure shot flop.
Madhu Malini had finished her tea and sat reflecting on the nightmarish experience since morning. She
had been enjoing the past two days in Nainapur and the Read B&B had provided just the perfect
relaxation from the busy humdrum of the metro life in Mumbai. But now she was wishing why she had
ever come to Nainapur.
Her thoughts were disurbed by Suzy, who prodded by Raj had found the courage to walk up to the
actress. She extended her little notepad and muttered Madam, can I have your autograph, please?
As Ms.Malini looked up she was surprised to see a Chinese looking girl asking for an autograph. Am I
popular in China as well? she wondered. Normally she loved to give autographs to her fans, but her
mind was clouded with negative thoughts since morning, and she instinctively replied Not now kids, I
am not in the mood. I am extremely sorry.
Suzys face shrunk with disappointment as she turned back to Raj, her expression asking him Now
what?
Raj shrugged his shoulders as he did not know what to do. Tom and Ravi, who were a few feet behind
also did not know what to do. Tom whispered, I told you so. It wont work.
As they all turned around disappointed, to return to where they had come from, they heard the actress
call out Wait! I am sorry I should not have said no. Please come over here.
As soon as Ms. Malini had seen Suzys crestfallen face she had regretted at being a bit rude to them.
She always encountered fans wherever she went, but it was not often that she had young teenagers
approaching her. After all she had been a famous star some 10 15 years back. Kids these young
would hardly have had seen her movies. Besides, two of them were not even Indians. She could not
disappoint them and get a bad image.
I have been a bit stressed out since morning. I did not mean to be rude she said as the four of them
turned around, surprised at this sudden change of tone. Suzy and Raj grabbed the opportunity and
were first to approach her. Suzy held out her notepad and her pen which Ms. Malini accepted and
proceeded to sign the notepad With lots of love, Madhu Malini.
The children could not believe their luck when she added Why dont you children join me at the table. I
cannot imagine that kids your age would have watched my movies. It was attempt by Ms. Malini to
make up for her abrupt behaviour. Besides talking to these fan kids would make her foget the robbery
for a while.
15

Raj knew that his friends had never even seen Madhu Malinis photgraph before, let alone watch a
movie that had her playing the heroine. The others did not seem to know how to react to Ms.Malinis
question and so he lied Yes we have mam, my mom is a huge fan of yours. In fact I have, er.. we
have seen your last movie Parbat Ke Uss Paar together at my house. Your dances were so graceful
in that movie.
Raj was glad that he had watched that stupid movie with his mom and made an attempt to appear
authentic and at the same time flatter Ms. Malini.
I can understand you two boys having seen my movies the actress said pointing to Raj and Ravi but
how come these two kids have also seen. Are you not tourists?
Tom who had been quiet till now stepped in and said No madam,we are as good as Indians. I have
lived in Nainapur for almost 10 years now. In fact this hotel belongs to my father.
Oh,so you are Mr. Reads son, are you? said Ms. Malini, and continued A thorough gentleman, I
must say. He has been so reassuring since this unfortunate episode this morning. I should never have
kept that window open last night.
Encouraged by the fact that Ms.Malini was beginning to open up to them, Tom asked Erm, madam if
you do not mind my asking, what really happened last night.
Suddenly all the events since morning came back to Ms Malini like a bad dream. I do not want to talk
about it anymore. I have told the police whatever I had to, she said somewhat irritatedly. Her mood had
changed instantaneously and as she got up from her chair she said I need to get back and take some
rest, it has been a bad day for me.
Mam please! Tom pleaded we know this estate and the place around it inside out. Maybe we can
find some clues that might help the police. You have to believe us. I think we can help you.
His earnest plea seemed to convince Madhu Malini as she sat back in her chair. She called for the
waiter standing nearby to bring her a glass of lemon juice, and asked the kids if they wanted some.
Suzy nodded as that would ensure that they got some more time with her.
Madhu Malini then went on to relate the events since the previous morning.
On Friday late morning she had left the Read B&B to attend an event where she was inaugarating a
new retail mall in the Nainapur main market. She had dressed in her finest silk saree and had worn her
favorite piece of jewellery, the beautiful necklace that had been stolen.
What she did not tell them was that the necklace was an expensive masterpiece. It was inlaid with
sparkling diamonds and rubies and had a pendant made out of a massive oval shaped green emerald
and surounded by several tiny diamonds. The neckalace had dazzled on Ms Malinis neck enhancing
her beauty by many times.
After the inaugaration, where thousands of fans had gathered to have a glimpse of the actress, Ms
Malini had spent the afternoon with some friends. She had returned to her room at around three in the
afternoon. She remembered having taken off her necklace and carefully putting it back in its casket.
She had then rested for a while in her room. Later that evening Ms. Malini had remained in the Dsouza
Estate. She had taken a stroll in the lawns after her evening coffee at around five pm. Some Film
magazine reporters had come down to interview her and Chris Read had laid out a special sit-out in the
16

lawns so that she could have her interview in the open without disturbing the other guests. After an
early dinner she had retreated to her suite and taken to bed by nine pm.
Ms. Malini had woken up early the next moning, that is the present day, completed her morning yoga
followed by a stroll in the dew laced lawns. After breakfast in the restaurant, she had returned to her
room to shower and get ready to travel to Mussourie, some sixty kilometers from Nainapur. A small
function had been organized there to honour her for her contribution to Hindi cinema. When she had
opened her jewellery casket to take out her neckalace, she had been aghast to find it missing.
She had shrieked and had rushed out of her suite shouting aloud that she had been robbed. Ravis
father who had just reached the hotel, as he did everyday by around 8:30 am, had immediately called
the police as well as informed Mr Read. Ms.Malinis travel plans had to be cancelled as the police
wanted her around for questioning.
The events that followed was something that the kids had just witnessed. Ms. Malini also revealed that
she had told the police that she suspected that the robbery had happened past midnight when she was
sound asleep and possibly because she had not latched the windows to her room.
In fact, the previous afternoon when she had returned to her room to rest after the inaugaration, she
had opened the windows as it was nice, sunny and breezy. However, later in the evening she had
closed the windows as it was getting cold but apparently had forgotten to latch them.
She also told them that the necklace was her favourite piece of jewellery,a gift from her late husband
and she had been devastated that it had been stolen.
Ms. Malini must have spoken with the kids for about half an hour and none of them realized that it was
almost one pm. Children it is already late. I want to take some rest now, Ms. Malini said as she got up
from her chair one more time. Thanks for listening to me.You kids are wonderful.
The kids were also terribly hungry. In fact Raj could hear his stomach growling with hunger. They
thanked Ms. Malini for speaking with them and assured her that they would do their best and share any
clue or information they could gather, with the police.
Back in the den Raj said Guys, I am damn hungry. Thank God I have my lunch box He opened the
boxes revealing a thick aroma filled bunch of his favorite aloo parathas,; a box full of kofta curry which
Ravi loved; rice, dal and last but not the least a box containing four large equally sized slices of
Chocolate truffle cake. At the same time the attendants at Toms house also came in with a tray
containing some lemonade, baked vegetables and a large pizza with pepperoni and olive toppings.
Every time the friends met at Toms shed, his mom always ensured that lunch was arranged for the
kids. Within no time the four had devoured the food like a pack of hungry wolves.

17

15/06/2014
Chapter 7: The First Clue The Vanishing Footprints
It was nearly 2 pm when the kids settled down to discuss the events of the past three hours. Raj found
himself the coziest spot on the room and sat on the cot, his back propped up against two pillows, his
hands rested on his oversized tummy and his leg extended. Suzy and Tom were seated on the couch,
while Ravi pulled himself a chair.
Suzy opened her notepad, in which she had vigorously noted down whatever Ms. Malini had related
about the events since the previous day. She said Poor Ms. Malini, it must be sad to have such a
beautiful and expensive necklace stolen; that too a gift from her late husband.
But what an interesting mystery for us to get involved in, said Tom. We must get going with the
investigation right away. We only have a few more hours today to find any more information that we
can.
Ravi who had been extremely quiet all these while and somewhat disappointed at the fact that all the
attention had shifted from his own adventure to the stolen necklace cried out But what about the ghost
at the forbidden tree. You guys have completely forgotten that.
Tom said Dont worry Ravi, we will get to that as well. If there is a ghost, in all likelihood it will return
again. But if we do not get on to this case immediately, we might miss out on some vital clues. Ill tell
you what, let us focus on this one today and I promise, we shall visit the forbidden tree tomorrow.
Somewhat convinced, Ravi replied Okay, it is a deal. But then why are we then sitting here for. We
need to go and investigate near the hotel, if we are to find anything relevant.
Lets go said Suzy as she got up from the couch and walked over to the cot to grab Rajs hand and
pull him up from his reclined position. She said Get up Chubbo, you lazy bum. It is nearly three and I
have to leave for my hostel soon.
Raj groaned and said I am so stuffed, but you guys wont let me rest. He reluctantly got up and
followed the other three as they made their way back towards the hotel.
As they approached the restaurant lawns Tom suggested Lets go towards the backside of the hotel.
Ms. Malini had mentioned that she was staying in the Royal Suite. It is located on the first floor, right
there. He pointed to the first floor windows on shorter end of the L shaped hotel.
The Royal Suite, as the name suggested was the largest and the grandest room in the hotel. It had two
rooms, as opposed to the usual one room that the other suites had. It had a cozy bedroom with a king
sized bed, while the other was a small living room with an attached kitchenette. It had been grandly
decorated by Mrs. Read who had personally adorned it with a number of antiques and artifacts that Mr.
Read had acquired during his many expeditions as an archaelogist.
Both the rooms had windows that overlooked the majestic grounds of the estate. One could see Toms
shed from the living room windows, but they were hidden from view by the trees when one looked from
the bedroom windows. The bedroom also had wide windows on one of its side walls, the one that faced
the backside of the hotel. These windows overlooked the valley beyond the estate. Through the
clearing between the trees, one could see the dense green valley with tall Deodhars and Silver oaks.
18

The trees were surrounded by a variety of ferns that grew on the ground as well out of the thick trunk of
the trees. One could also view the waterfall directly from the window, which at this time of the year was
more of a gentle stream meandering down the valley and not quite the gushing waterfall it was during
the heavy monsoon.
Tom led the others to the ground directly beneath the window. As they looked up they could see that
right above the window of the ground floor suite was a concrete ledge, large enough for an adult to
stand on comfortably. Tom noted I am sure the robber used that ledge to get into Ms. Malinis room.
Although it did not look like a very easy climb, somebody with some agility and strength could have
used the ledge as a base to haul himself up the window above that opened into the actresss bedroom.
Since the actress had forgotten to latch the window, all the robber had to do was force the window
open.
You are right, said Suzy While there is no proof if the robber went up that way, he surely did return
that way.
How can you be so sure, Suzy, asked Raj.
Suzy replied, Look at this set of footprints right here.
The other three gathered to where Suzy was pointing to. It was quite evident that the footprints had
been formed as a result of somebody jumping from the ledge. They were placed side by side about a
foot apart and had formed deep imprints in the wet soil which could been possible only if somebody had
jumped there.
Ravi noticed that the soil was damp in a large patch beneath the window. It was surprising because
everywhere else it was fairly dry. Even though it dewed every morning, the daytime sunshine was
enough to dry up the wetness from the dew. This wet patch looked as if somebody had poured some
water around there. He said whatever caused the soil to get wet, it has proven lucky for us as we now
have a clear set of footprints. Look there are more footprints.
Indeed there was two more sets of footprints going towards the right; the left leg first followed by the
right leg footprint as if someone had walked in that direction after jumping from the ledge. The thief
seems to have walked this way, said Tom. But the soil gets dry from here. No more footprints.
Ravi who had been scanning the entire area trying to figure out how just the patch of soil was wet cried
out I know what caused the soil here to get wet. Look, there is a tap right below the window and there
is a garden hosepipe next to it.. I am sure the gardners use this tap to connect the hosepipe with which
they water the lawns. Probably there was a leak in the hose that caused water to spill all around this
patch.
Good thinking, Ravi. Whatever might have been the reason, it has helped us get a clue said Tom.
Suzy who was staring intently at the footprints said Guys,did you notice this. The footprints where the
person appears to have jumped from the ledge has clear and deep imprints of both the feet. That is
because he must have put full weight on both the legs. However, in the other two sets, which were
presumably formed when the person walked that way after jumping; the left footprint is distinct and
shows the full footmark imprinted in the soil, however where the right leg was placed only a partial
footprint is seen.
19

That does not imply anything, retorted Tom probably he was off balance as he walked this way.
Suzy replied It does imply something Tom. If the person had been off balance the footprints wouldnt
have been so perfectly aligned in the same direction. What it means is that, as the thief walked down
this path he put less pressure on his right leg than his left leg. Now, think why would he do that?
The boys shrugged as they did not have an answer.
Suzy continued with a Sherlock Holmes like tone in her voice, I think, when he jumped down from the
ledge he twisted or injured his right leg. He then limped along this direction putting less pressure on his
injured right foot and hence causing just a partial imprint wherever his right foot landed on the wet soil.
Suzy emulated how a person with an injured right foot would walk to prove her point and said See if I
had my right foot injured and had to walk, I would put very little weigth on my right leg and would try to
only push part of the foot on the ground.
When she demonstrated this it became clear to the others what Suzy really meant.
Hail detective Suzy! said Tom patting Suzy on her back. How do you even manage to observe such
minute details? That is a fantastic clue. It means that our suspect is probably someone who has injured
his right foot.
Thats it, there are no more footprints to be seen as the soil is dry except for that patch, cried Ravi.
Which way would the thief have gone? He couldnt turned around and escaped from the main gate
without getting noticed
Tom replied True, which leaves the valley. But the estate is covered on three sides by the valley. He
could have gone any direction.
Suddenly Raj who had been looking around for clues, exclaimed Look what I found here. The others
rushed to where Raj was standing, which was about twenty feet away from where they had seen the
footprints. Raj was pointing to a granite rock near the base of a large pine tree almost end of the flat
end that marked the beginning of the valley below. The rock was was partly embedded in the soil and
partly visible. Stuck to the visible part of the rock was a clump of semi dried up mud.
Raj said excitedly Guys, I think this where the robber went.
How can you be so sure, asked Tom.
With a twinkle in his eye Raj replied When the robber jumped on the wet patch of soil, obviously some
mud stuck to the soles of his shoes. In order to get rid of the mud he probably leaned against this tree
and rubbed his shoe against this rock to clean it. Tats how there is mud stuck to it. Raj demonstrated
to his friends how he though the robber might have done this.
Excellent catch, Chubbo, said Tom patting Rajs back Suzys influence has made you at least a Dr.
Watson if not Sherlock Holmes.
Ravi who was already peering down the valley quipped and that means the robber probably went
down into the valley from this place. Let me go down and check if I can see something.
Ravi was most comfortable climbing up and down hilly terrains and before anyone could say anything
he had already slid down the slope.
20

Be careful Ravi, Suzy shouted but Ravi was already about fifteen feet down the slope sliding along
the rocky land that was full of small plants and fern. Soon he reached a flat clearing, completely out of
sight from his friends and standing there he could see tall Deodhar trees all around Growing under the
shade of the trees were small plants with beautiful wild flowers. He could also see the waterfall on the
other side of the valley as it crashed into the rocks below.
Ravi moved around where he was and saw that beyond the clearing, the valley became very steep. He
was neither brave enough nor foolish enough to attempt to go down that route. But as he moved
further ahead, he noticed that some of the thick growth of plants and ferns appeared to have been
crushed, as if trampled by someone. He concluded that it was the most likely route that the robber
might have taken. He was tempted to follow the path to see where it led, but he was wary of the fact
that he had never been to this part of the valley and had no clue what lay in store for him ahead.
Besides his friends might get worried if he did not return soon.
Slowly he turned back and climbed up the path he had slid down. Halfway up he shouted to Tom, who
was already down on his knees extending his arm as far down as possible. Ravi grabbed Toms hand
who hauled him up with help from Raj.
Suzy who had been extremely worried all this while scolded Ravi, How can you just go down there
without assessing the danger first? What if something had happened to you?
Ravi sheepishly replied I am sorry; you know I cannot resist these things. But at least I think we can be
sure that the robber went down that way and found a path through the dense forest to make his exit
Tom looked at his watch and said Okay guys, its four pm already. I dont think we are going to get any
more clues. Besides, Suzy has to get to her hostel soon. Lets get back to the Den and take stock of
what we seen have so far. We can also plan what we need to do tomorrow.
As they walked back to The Den, Tom quickly ran towards his house to ask his mom to send over some
hot chocolate.

21

Chapter 8: Planning for Sunday

Back in the room, Suzy recapped all the important points that she had noted down in her diary. It was
evident that the robber had climbed up via the ledge into the bedroom of the Royal suite. As per Ms.
Malini it occurred sometime after midnight when she was fast asleep. The robber then climbed down
the same way, but as he jumped he left his footprints in the wet soil beneath the window. It was likely he
had injured himself while jumping. He had then slid down to the clearing in the valley and then made his
way out through the dense woods in the dark of the night.
As they pondered over Suzys notes, Tom suddenly exclaimed, But wait, if the robbery happened after
midnight, the robber must have had night vision to have been able to escape via the valley.
So you are saying the robber was wearing night vision goggles. How did you figure that out Tom?
asked Raj innocently.
Arrey Chubbo, what kind of a Dr. Watson are you? What Tom really meant is that it would have been
really difficult for the robber to have escaped via the dense valley at night explained Ravi. He
continued, when I was down there, the valley so densely populated with trees that the sunlight could
hardly penetrate them. It was pretty dark even at that hour. I think it would be virtually impossible for
anyone to have navigated that valley in the dark. One false step would have sent him tumbling down.
Tom added, And if the thief had an injured foot, that would have made it all the more difficult to walk
through the dense woods.
Hmm, But what if the thief had a torch or something. That would have sufficed, isnt it. Raj argued.
Ravi replied, Maybe you are right, but I dont think even with a torch one can navigate that densely
forested valley easily. Especially with an injured foot.
Suzy quickly noted some of these observations and said You guys are right,something certainly seems
to be out of place here.
The door of The Den opened and one of the attendants from Toms house,walked in with a tray
containing four mugs of steaming hot chocolate and a plateful of cookies. The kids gulped the hot drink
down in a jiffy.
So what is the plan for tomorrow? Raj asked wiping his lips with the back of his hand..
Lets see what the newspapers have to say about this theft tomorrow Tom quipped. We still need to
figure out a lot of the missing pieces of this mystery puzzle. We dont even have a suspect, yet.
And what about the forbidden oak Ravi asked still piqued with the fact that his adventure had been
completely sidelined.When are we going to investigate that? It is Sunday tomorrow. Usually we go for
our cycling trip around Nainapur every Sunday. So why cant we not go to the woods. I can show you
where I saw the ghost.
Raj was least interested in visiting haunted places, well it was more that he was scared of spooky
places. He replied Who wants to see fake ghosts! Id rather focus on this robbery. We need to get
more clues if we are to make further progress
Tom said Chubbo, I dont know whether you are scared or plain lazy But Ravi is right, we need get out
of the house tomorrow and do our exploring.
22

I am not scared, interrupted Raj immediately I just think ghost watching is plain boring.
Tom chuckled and replied Ha ha Chubbs,we shall see that when we actually encounter a ghost
someday. Anyways lets vote for who wants to go cycling to the woods tomorrow.
Everyone except Raj lifted their hand. Tom said Okay, done. This is what I suggest. Why dont we meet
around 10:30 am tomorrow.
Yes, yes, agreed Ravi excitedly. We can meet at the Char Rasta junction near the main post office.
From there we can go up the Sunset Point Road and reach the point which will take us to the forbidden
tree. After that we can come back to Toms home and see what more we can find about the Ms. Malinis
case.
Works for me, said Suzy I can hardly wait to see what Ravi really saw. But I better get going now. I
dont want to be late again and get into the attention of the warden. She has already caught me once
for being late. If she catches me one more time, it would mean no more weekend getaways.
Yeah, lets get going, said Ravi I too need to get home and finish my school homework, else mom will
not let me out tomorrow.
The friends gradually headed towards Toms house where they met Toms mom who gave them all a
warm hug. They thanked her for the lunch and snacks and bade her goodbye. Rajs attendants who
had been waiting since three pm, hauled his cycle into the SUV. He had hardly pedalled it. Raj got into
the BMW and said goodbye to his friends. Suzy and Ravi got onto their cycle and headed to their
respective destinations.

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21/06/2014
Chapter 9:
Back home, Ravi had been scolded by his mom for staying out all day. He had kept his head down and
proceeded to complete his school homework. His mom continued with her rant Ravi, I am fine if you
play with your friends. But mind you they are rich people, we are not. If you do not study how will you
become a big man?
When she said Big , it of course referred to being successful as opposed to size. Ravi knew that his
mother meant well. Unlike his friends Tom and Suzy, he was not the brightest kid in class, although he
managed above average grades. His mom was always worried that if he did not get good grades in
school he would not get into a good college and consequently not get a good job.
Surprisingly, his dad intervened Okay now dont scold him. Those kids do have a positive influence on
him. Dont you see how well he speaks English now. Ultimately thats what matters in getting good jobs
in Nainapur.
After completing his homework, Ravi had his dinner and walked into his tiny bedroom. Unlike Toms
massive and tastefully decorated bedroom, Ravi had a simple bedroom that was painted green. There
was a worn out steel cupboard with a mirror on one corner that housed his clothes in just one shelf
while the rest of the shelfs were stuffed with his mothers things. On the other side was a small desk
with a chair. Lying on the desk was Ravis school bag and a stacked up pile of story books that his
mother usually bought him from the second had book store.
Ravi settled on his neatly prepped up bed. He wanted to sleep early so that he could get up early the
next day to make sure his mom was in a good mood and let him go out again.
His parents were seated in the living room and watching the local news channel in which the reporter
was talking about the robbery at the Read B&B. Ravis dad switched off the TV and Ravi could hear him
say I dont want to hear any more of this news. They exaggerate facts so much.
Their house was small and Ravi could clearly hear his parents. His mom was asking his father Do you
suspect anybody from your hotel staff to have committed the crime as the news report claims?
His dad replied I dont think so, but the police do suspect an insider. All my staff are trusted persons
who have been around for several years. I have personally verified their credentials before hiring them.
I cannot believe that any of them could have committed such a bold crime.
Ravi knew how much his dad was dedicated to the Read B&B. He put his heart and soul into the job
and the theft would have certainly disturbed him a lot.
Ravis dad continued Mr. Read is also very upset. Such an incident has not happened before and
although Ms. Malini has been very kind not to have made a big issue out of it, these news people are
ruining the hotels reputation.
Ravi heard his mom say Lets hope the police are mistaken. It could have been somebody from outside
also. Dont worry everything will be alright soon. Then their voices faded out as his parents retreated to
their bedroom. Ravi closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep.
24

The next morning, Tom was up by seven, very early by his usual Sunday standards. As he walked into
the living room, he saw his dad already having breakfast. There was a pile of newspapers lying beside
him. Tom wished his dad a good morning and picked up theNainapur Times. The headlines screamed
Robbery at the Read Hotel. There was a picture of the Read B&B at the centre of the article. Another
pitcure showed Ms. Malini from her inaugaration event. Next to this picture, in an inset there was an
enlarged picture of her face showing a blurred image of the necklace that was stolen.
Tom read through the news item, which made every effort to sensationalize the robbery. Tom was
surprised to note that the value of the stolen necklace was approximately Rupees fifty lakhs. The article
blamed Read B&B for its inadequate security features that made the robbery easy. It also suspected
that the hotel staff was involved in the robbery. Finally, it quoted the senior police inspector, stating that
the police was doing everything to investigate this case.
Tom flipped through the pages and found out that the entire Page 6 was devoted to the robbery.
Obviously, the newspaper had taken maximum advantage of the robbery to fill up its pages. There
were articles about Ms.Malinis hit movies from fifteen years back. Another one went on to elaborately
detail her love life and how she had married this rich businessman who had gifted her the necklace. It
ended in a tragic note, mentioning how her husband had met an unfortunate, fateful accident.
One of the articles on this page caught Toms attention. It read Third robbery within a month leaves
Nainapur police perplexed. As Tom read through the article he discovered that this was the third in a
series of robberies that seemed to have hit the Nainapur town in the past month. The first one had
occured some three weeks back at a rich businessmans bunglow at the other end of Nainapur. Two
antique brass murtis valued at Rupees forty lakhs had been stolen at a time where there was nobody in
the bungalow. The second one had occurred just a week back, from the premises of a religious trust.
The artifact that was stolen was a gold plated idol of Lord Krishna and Radha that had been decked in
exquisite pearl jewellery. The value estimated was Rupees twenty five lakhs.
The third one, which occurred at the Read B&B seemed to be the most sensational as it happened
while Madhu Malini was in her room sleeping. The robbers were getting bolder with each passing
robbery. Besides, the necklace was the most valuable amongst the three items stolen.
Tom sensed that there was something similar in these crimes. All robberies were of highly valuable
artifacts that had antique value. All three crimes were committed either in the evening or at night and
the locations were all in the outskirts of Nainapur.
These robberies are certainly linked. The gang will be glad to see this, Tom thought to himself as he
cut the newpaper article untidily with a pair of scissors and put it into his backpack. He spent the next
hour finishing his breakfast, showering and getting ready. At ten, he stuffed his backpack with the
goodies that his mom had packed and headed out to the frontyard to get onto his bicycle.

25

Chapter 10: The Abandoned House

As Tom pedalled his bike to the point where they had agreed to meet, he saw to his surprise that Raj
was already there. Raj was usually late for everything, but this time his car had brought him well in time.
The attendants had already hauled his bicycle from the SUV and Raj was seated on it with his feet on
the ground.
A minute after Rajs attendants drove away, Ravi pedalled in and braked next to Toms cycle. He
extended his hand to do the customary high five with Tom. Turning to Raj he said Chubbo, you are
here before time. I am impressed you rode all the way from your house and yet got here so soon Raj
replied innocently Yeah, the driver kept hurrying me as he had to go to the station to pick up mom. I
almost missed my breakfast trying to rush. And then drove so fast to reach here that I have been
waiting for past fifteen minutes.
Ravi realized that Raj did not come there riding his bike but as always had his driver drop him to the
destination. He looked at Tom, who shrugged and all three of them had a hearty laugh.
After about ten minutes Suzy too rode in, apologizing for being late. The others did not complain as her
hostel was the furthest and she also had to pedal uphill.
The point where they had assembled was called Char Rasta as it was a junction where four roads
met. It was also enroute to the famous Sunset Point of Nainapur. Every evening, droves of tourists went
up the road to watch the beautiful sunset. But since it was daytime the road was fairly deserted.
The four friends, however had no intent to go to the Sunset Point. Instead, they were planning to cycle
for a kilometer or so on Sunset Point Road to reach the place which Ravi had said would take them into
the woods that led to the forbidden oak.
Ravi led the way followed by Tom and Suzy and finally Raj who was already huffing and panting by the
time they reached their destination.
The paused for a minute near a signboard that read Sunset Point 4 KM. Just after the signboard was a
narrow mud road through which either only a two wheeler or a cycle could go. They pedalled into the
road, further for about hundred meters till they reached a dead-end. At the end of the mud road was a
rusted gazebo with a couple of wooden benches and a wooden table. Nobody hardly came this way,
but if anybody did, it was an ideal picnic spot. Beyond the gazebo, were the woods, full of dense trees
and plants. One could hear the melodious koels and other birds chirping from within the woods.
Ravi who was leading the pack said we need to park our bikes here and walk for another ten minutes
or so. Raj groaned, What, another ten minutes and that too by foot. I am already dead tired. Cant we
sit here and rest for a while.
Suzy pushed Raj gently and said Cmon Chubbo, it is hardly a long walk. I am sure you can walk that
much. She continued to push Raj as he gradually dragged himself behind Ravi and Tom. They had
walked for about nine or ten minutes on a path that wound around the trees and was littered with dried
leaves, twigs and pine cones from the trees. Suddenly Ravi stopped and said Guys, be on the look
out for a pile of stones and rocks. It should be somewhere here only.

26

Raj was was sweating profusely by now remarked Dont tell me we are planning to play seven-stones
here. Seven-stones was a traditional Indian ball game where players tried to hit a stacked pile of seven
stones with a ball.
Very funny Chubbo said Ravi when I came I here the other day I had created a rock pile so that I
could recognize the exact spot that I had taken. Can any of you see it? Before anbody could respond
he shouted Ah, there it is. From here it is just another ten minutes to the oak tree. .
Another ten minutes, you must be kidding, cried Raj I am not going untill we sit down and have
something to eat. I need to refuel, else I shall faint.
Chubbo, all you can think is food, cried Ravi the exciting part is yet to begin.
Tom and Suzy who had both cycled a lot to reach their meeting point also agreed that they should
have something before proceeding. Relctantly Ravi agreed.
They sat down and opened their backpacks. and shared the sandwiches and fruit juice packs that Raj
and Tom had respectively packed. Ravis box was filled with nicely sliced apples while Suzy brought out
four bars of Cadburys Five Star.
Ravi finished his snack first and was up on his feet. He pointed toward the direction where he had
gone the other night and exclaimed Thats where the forbidden oak is.
Where, cried Tom straining his neck, I cannot see anything from here.
Ravi replied, lets crawl in from the hedge here to get to the edge of the hill. I had cleared some of the
bushes when I came here the day before. He was already pushing through a narrow opening in the
thicket.
Tom followed him quickly, while Suzy turned to Raj and said Yo next Chubbs Rajs face contorted like
a shrunken pumpkin at the thought of having to crawl through the bushes and he complained You guys
are putting me through torture.. Suzy said Cmon Chubbo, you can surely put in a little effort and crawl
through.
Goaded by her, Raj made his way through the opening, moaning all the while as the branches poked
his chubby body. Once he had gone through, the opening became big enough making it easy for Suzy
to squeeze through.
Thanks Chubbo, you are such a gentleman. You made it so easy for me, she teased as Raj grinned
sheepishly. Suzy was the only person he did not mind teasing him.
Tom and Ravi were already looking ahead. To their left they could see a range of hills with uneven
peaks that looked like they had been covered with a green carpet of Pine trees. No wonder the range
was called the Pine Valley and it extended for several miles into the horizon.
The land where the kids were standing also sloped down into a shallow valley. It was not a steep slope
and had a thick growth of waist high plants that were full of pretty orange and violet coloured wild
flowers dancing gently in the breeze.
Straight ahead they could see a smaller hill that was also relatively barren except for similar plants and
trees scattered around. Both these hills met at a narrow strip of flat land that connected the two.
27

Ravi pointed to the singular oak tree that was visible on the flat plateau on top of the hill beyond and
said Look, the large tree you see there is the forbidden oakThat is where I saw the ghost last evening
when I had come exploring thyis way.
Tom exclaimed Wow, this looks beautiful. How does one get there?
Ravi replied Its not too difficult Tom. I just went down this way. Once you reach the landing down there
it is a small hike up that hill. It will take less than ten minutes or so to reach there.
There is no way I am going there cried Raj. The distance seemed too much for him especially with the
climbing down and up the hills and the thought of going near the haunted tree scared him further.
Chubbo, it is not much. With some effort you can make it, said Ravi.
Not for you maybe, you are always jumping up and down like a monkey, snapped Raj.
At least I am not lazy as a sloth, like you, replied Ravi angrily.
Okay, okay no fighting intervened Tom. Ravi, let Raj stay back here. Suzy can also stay with him.
Both of us can go there and find out what is there.
But what if there are ghosts there. I want to see one cried Suzy clearly not happy at being left out.
There will be no ghosts at this time of the day said Tom. Besides, you and Raj can explore this part of
the woods. Just be careful not to wander off very far. There could be wild animals here.
Reluctantly Suzy agreed, and said Okay, Ill stay back but you two be careful there.
Dont worry, I know the way well shouted Ravi as he started going down the slope. He slid along a
narrow path between the plants, that had probably been formed by people taking that route many
times.
Tom followed him and looking back said You two girls, be careful okay. We will be back in forty five
minutes or so.
The words did not miss Rajs ears and he said What do the two of them think of themselves, that they
are the only bravehearts around clearly annoyed at being refered to as a girl.
Its okay Chubbs, said Suzy, lets see what else we can find here. Looking around she added in
bored tone Nothing much, I suppose. All I can see are trees all around
They crawled back to the other side of the hedge. Raj looked around to decide which direction to go.
He noticed that as opposed to where they had entered the woods near the gazebo where they had
parked the bike, the place where they were standing was considerably narrower. He realized in fact
that, if they walked a bit further ahead the width of the flat table like land was just about twenty feet
wide and it sloped down into the valley on either side.
Raj said Hey Suzy, let us go that side and see if we can find anything interesting. Maybe we can get a
good view of the valley below on the other side.
Raj had walked some fifty paces glancing on either side when he noticed something familiar to his left.
From between two tall Deodhar trees that were separated by about twenty feet he got a clear view of
28

the valley on the side opposite to where Ravi and Tom were headed. Look what I found out, come here
fast he shouted, waving towards Suzy.
As Suzy hurried towards him looking in the direction that Raj was pointing at, she too saw what he had
just seen. She cried out excitedly Isnt that the Read BnB?
Far on the other side and at a lower level than where they were standing, they could see the backside
of the Read BnB. Although it was not fully visible due to the trees that surrounded it, their elevated
position gave them a clear view across the valley and it was certain what they saw was indeed The
Read B&B.
Wow! Chubbs, we are exactly on the opposite side from where we were standing last evening behind
the hotel, said Suzy getting excited. Can you hear the waterfall that we saw from behind the hotel?
Somewhere below them, on the same side they were standing, they could also hear the distant sound
of water falling.
Raj nodded his approval and looked pretty excited to have made that discovery.
The distance from where they were standing, till the Read hotel on the far side, would have been about
five hundred meters as the crow flies. But it was not as near as it looked. Because of the height at
which they were standing and the fact that one would have had to walk alongside the valley to get there
the actual distance was almost twice of what it appeared..
Raj exclaimed Wouldnt it be cool if there was a cable car from here till the Dsouza Estate. We could
have gotten there in less than ten minutes.
Suzy replied yes it certainly would. But why would anyone want to come here in a cable car? There is
hardly anything interesting to see from here except for these dense woods. Anyway lets get back and
wait for these guys to return.
Meanwhile, Ravi and Tom had descended down to the landing and were already climbing uphill
towards the oak. As they got closer to the tree, their nervousness increased. Soon Ravi reached the
point from where he had turned back the other night. He helped Tom come alongside him and in a
hushed tone whispered This is where I saw the ghost. It was right there peeping from behind the oak
tree.
Looking all around to check if they could see anything, they both tentatively moved closer to the tree.
The oak tree was massive; its girth was so wide that even if Ravi and Tom stood embracing it with their
arms extended, their fingers would still be a foot apart on either side. The trees branches extended on
all four sides like a multi tentacled octopus. It must have been over two hundred years old; nobody
really knew. It was the only tree on the otherwise flat piece of land.
Ravi and Tom gradually reached the base of the oak and circled it cautiously. There was nothing
unusual about the oak, but for the fact that it looked ancient. They moved ahead to the other side of the
oak towards the cliff from where they could see the entire expanse of the valley beyond them, miles
and miles of green fields, small houses scattered unevenly and a beautiful river meandering between
the fields.
The cliff where they were standing had a sudden vertical drop of about thirty feet. When they looked
directly beneath them, they saw a narrow winding road leading up to a small decrepit looking house
29

located below to the left of where they were standing. There was nothing unusual about the house,
except that it was the only house in that area and it appeared that it had not been inhabitated in ages.
Somebody must have lived down there years ago, before these ghost stories started around this place.
They probably abandoned it with all the rumours about this place being haunted said Tom.
Why dont you believe that there is a ghost around here? Ravi retorted. Maybe that house is the
haunted house where the ghost lurks. It certainly looks haunted to me from up here.
Tom replied I am not denying anything Ravi. This place definitely looks spooky to me. But in this
modern age, it is hard to believe that there really are ghosts. Anyways, we dont want go down any
further from here. The cliff is too steep for us to attempt to climb down and besides Suzy and Raj must
be getting impatient waiting for us. Lets head back.
As they turned back, they heard the faint sound of a vehicle approaching from below. Ravi looked
down and cried Wait, look there. Seems like a car is coming up the road. As Tom strained his neck he
could see a bright red car drive up the narrow road.
Both the boys kneeled on the ground and peeked off the cliff. They waited till the car stopped next to
the shabby house. The car door opened and a tall and slim man got down. His face was not visible
and he had dark shades over his eyes.
Thats strange, whispered Tom the house looks like nobody lives there anymore. So who could this
person be?
At that very instance, the the man in the shades casually looked up, directly in the direction of the boys.
Duck, he is looking this way said Tom as he pulled Ravi behind. Do you think he saw us? he added
reluctant to look down again.
Lets hope not, said Ravi but let us not take any chances. He might still be looking up. This place
certainly does not seem right. Why would anybody live in such a scary looking house? Come, lets go
before he sees us and starts climbing up this cliff.
Still crawling on their fours, both of them retreated towards the oak tree, got up and started to make the
descent back to where they had left their friends waiting.

30

22/06/2014
Chapter 11: The Hidden Pathway
It had been close to an hour that Tom and Ravi had gone on the excursion and with no signs of them
returning Raj was getting increasingly impatient. He was sitting on the ground leaning against the trunk
of a tall cedar tree. Why do we have to wait for them, while they get to have all the adventure, he said.
Suzy who was sitting beside him said calmly But Chubbs, it was you who did not want to go to the
tree. Raj ignored her an continued to throw pebbles at nothing in particular.
There they are, Suzy said, getting up as she saw Toms head emerging from the thicket. Did you
guys find anything? she asked excitedly.
Tom who was now standing and brushing his clothes replied Nothing, out of the blue. But the place is
definitely scary. We saw this dilapidated house that is located down the cliff right below where the oak
tree is. Although the house looked like nobody has been there in several years, we just saw a man
drive up in a car towards the house.. We narrowly espaced his eyes and rushed back here.
What is so scary about the man. You mean to say he was the ghost? asked Suzy. He could just be
any ordinary guy, probably he owns this house that you talk about.
Perhaps, agreed Tom but why would he keep the house in such a poor condition. Anyways, we did
not want to get into any trouble so we did not investigate further. You tell us did you find anything
interesting here?
Whats interesting to find here, muttered Raj struggling to stand up like an elephant would. Tom
offered him his hand as Raj gradually stood up and dusted himself.
Raj is just kidding guys, you wont believe what he just found out. Come here, Ill show you said Suzy
already walking towards the place from which Raj had showed her the Read Hotel. Raj followed her
and so did Tom. Ravi, who had had just emerged out of the bushes ran behind them.
Wow, that is our estate, cried out Tom, immediately recognizing the backside of the hotel. I did not
realize that we were standing bang opposite the hotel. It looks so near.
Suzy nodded and added yes, you know the waterfall we saw yesterday, it is right down below us. If
you hear carefully you can listen to the water.
Hmm, do you think one could walk alongside the valley and come from Read hotel to this place?
asked Tom to nobody in particular.
Ravi replied I think one could. It would not be easy but it is possible. Are you thinking what I am also
thinking? What if the thief who stole the necklace made his way from the back of the hotel by the woods
in the valley and came up here.
Before anybody could answer Ravi added, Let me go down a bit and check. In a jiffy he had already
slid down the slope and disppeared in the thick undergrowth.
Raj shrugged and said This Ravi must definitely have been a monkey in his previous life. He keeps
jumping left and right without any warning. I am already hungry and here he has disappered again.
31

Ravi, Ravi where are you? Tom shouted but got no response. They waited impatiently for another ten
minutes when Ravi resurfaced looking very excited. I was right, there is a pathway that goes along the
valley and I think it could lead to the backside of the hotel,probably at the same place where I had got
down yesterday. But the woods are so dense that the pathway is completely hidden from normal sight.
Do you think we could go along that path right now asked Suzy.
Ravi replied I dont think so Suzy. It is not a very easy path to take. Besides, I have no clue how long it
will take to walk all the way there. It could be much farther than what it seems when we see across the
valley.
Raj who was already getting agitated due to hunger, retorted sarcastically Phew, finally something that
Ravi the brave admits he cannot do.
Ravi replied angrily Whats the problem with you Raj. Why are you so nasty since morning? If you are
not interested in these adventures, why do you come at all.
Sensing the tension between the two friends Tom intervened and said Cmon you two,now do not start
a fight. Raj, you are indeed being very sarcastic today. Suzy, also agreed and patting Rajs back she
said Chubbs, this time I shall also side with Ravi. What is wrong with you today?
Raj realized that he was indeed sounding very nasty with Ravi. Although he was more friends with Tom
and Suzy than Ravi, as they studied together in the same class, it was not that he hated Ravi. He just
envied the fact that Ravi was so agile, while he found it difficult to even go up and down small slopes.
He turned to Ravi and apologized, I am sorry Ravi, I did not mean to sound rude. It is just that you can
navigate these hilly terrain so easily, while I find it very difficult to keep pace. Even Tom and Suzy can
manage it, while I seem to miss out on all the adventure.
Ravi replied, Its okay Chubbo. I am equally to blame. In the excitement, at times I simply forget about
you. Next time we will take it slow and make sure you can also join. He extended his hand for a high
five. Raj clasped Ravis palm and gave him a hug.
Tom said Lets get going now. It is already half past twelve and I am starving.
Imagine my state, then quipped Raj rubbing his belly and they all laughed heartily as they proceeded
towards their bikes.

32

23/06/2014
Chapter 12: Four Minds Work Together
Back at Toms den the friends completed their lunch and gathered around the couch. Suzy referred to
her notes and then drew out a rough sketch on one of the pages. She then showed it to her friends and
said I think it wont be incorrect to assume that the thief actually walked along the valley from behind
the Read hotel to where we were standing along this path here. She marked a couple of crosses on
her sketch to indicate the Read B&B and the place they had just been to.
She continued, Although it would have taken him a good thirty to forty minutes or more to navigate
through the dense valley, nobody would have seen him down there and it would provided him with the
perfect getaway. He could then have simply walked the same route we took to get to the Sunset Point
Road and made his escape
True, said Tombut the only thing that does not make sense is that how could someone have walked
all that distance in pitch darkness past midnight. Even if the person had a torchlight, from what Ravi
says, it is not an easy walk. And those footprints that we saw yesterday clearly indicate that the person
might have injured himself while jumping. That would have made the walk even more difficult
Unless of course, the robbery did not occur at midnight but earlier during the day. It was Suzy, who
was flipping through her notepad and was reading the notes from their conversation with Ms.Malini.
She added Ms. Malini had mentioned that she had stepped out of her room at around 5 pm for her
evening coffee and had not returned to her suite till about 9 pm. What if the robbery was done during
that time? Dont you guys think that it is highly unlikely for a thief to have entered her room at midnight
and she slept through without getting even slightly disturbed. On the other hand, if the robbery had
occured between, 5 and 6 pm, the thief could have easily entered the room without anybody noticing
and would have had sufficient light to make his escape via the valley.
The three boys listened attentively to Suzys monologue and nodded in agreement at her inference.
She was certainly the most intutive amongst them and her conclusions were always backed with facts
and sound logic. Suzy, you can become a private detective when you grow up. That certainly makes a
lot of sense, said Raj.
Tom asked but who would have the audacity to commit a burglary in broad daylight? Agreed that there
isnt much of a security at the hotel. But at that hour of the day there are so many people moving
around the hotel premises, especially the hotel staff.
But what if someone from the hotel staff was involved. Ravi suddenly remembered what he had
overheard his parents discussing the previous night and added I almost forgot to mention this, I
overheard dad telling mom that the police suspect that this could be an insider job.
Tom replied Hmm, that is an interesting piece of information. If it were someone from within the hotel,
he would have known all the routes in and out of the hotel. And he would not have looked suspicious as
well
Reaching out to his backpack he added And by the way, this reminds me of what I read in the
newspaper this morning. It says that this is the third theft in the past month where really expensive
items have been stolen from various places in Nainapur. Read this.
33

He took out the article he had clipped from the newspaper earlier in the day from his backpack and laid
it on the table for everyone to read. Could it be that these thefts are inter-linked? he asked.
The other three peered into the newspaper clipping Raj looked up and remarked, They surely appear
to be linked. Maybe there is a gang operating in Nainapur. This mystery seems to get complicated by
the hour,
Suzy agreed, Yes it does, but how do we prove that someone from the hotel was involved. How can
we find out more about the employees that work at the hotel? Maybe that will give us some clue. Ravi,
will your father help?.
No way, replied Ravi If he even gets an inkling of what we are trying to do, that will be the end of my
contribution to this investigation. Tom, you will have to ask your dad about this.
Tom replied, usually dad would have obliged, but this time it is a bit sensitive and he is quite stressed
because of all the negative news in the papers and on TV. He scratched his head trying to think of how
he could get more information about the staff at Read B&B. An idea flashed his mind and he said Aha,
I think I know the right person who I can convince to partake with some information. Dads accountant
is someone who I know very well. In fact I had helped his youngest son a few times with English
lessons. I think he might help me if I ask him specific information that is not confidential.
Suzy asked but if someone from the hotel was involved, how can you be sure that this accountant was
not involved in the robbery.
Tom replied Oh!, Mr.Gupta is an elderly gentleman in his late fifties. Hardly the age to be jumping from
the first floor and walking through dense woods. Besides, he is the most trusted person for my dad after
Ravis dad. He basically handles all the finances of the hotel and has been there since inception. If we
are lucky, I should find him in the hotel right now. He works Sundays because Ravis dad is on leave
that day. Let me go and speak with him. You guys stay back here, else he might be reluctant to share
information.
Tom was gone for about twenty minutes while his friends waited patiently. He returned triumphantly,
waving a piece of paper. The friends crowded around him to see what he had got. The paper had a list
of all employees of Read B&B and their role in the hotel, that is whether they were a Steward,
Accountant, Receptionist and so on. It also had the date from when they had been employed with the
hotel.
Name of Employee
Mr.Laxman Singh
Mr. A.K Gupta
Mr. Kapil Sharma
Mr. Deepak Mishra
Mr. Sanjay Gupta
Mr. D.K Baruah
Ms. Raju Bakshi
Ms. Divya Rajvanshi
Mr. Dinesh Chand
Mrs. Shivani Gupta

.
Ms. Nisha Sharma
Mr. Vijay Singh

34

Designation
General Manager
Chief Accountant
Administrative Head
Executive Chef
Restaurant Captain
Cashier
Assistant Chef
Assistant Chef
Steward
Executive Housekeeper

Date of Joining
20/03/2008
20/03/2008
10/04/2008
15/10/2011
12/11/2011
07/12/2011
22/02/2012
22/02/2012
18/06/2012
21/06/2012

Reception Officer
Assistant Manager

10/01/2013
20/06/2013

As they read through the list one by one, they realized that almost all employees had been with the
hotel for more than a year, proof of the fact that Mr.Read took good care of his employees. The last
name in the list was one Vijay Singh who was Assistant Manager and had apparently joined the hotel
only in June that year.
Suzy pointed her finger to the name and exclaimed Isnt this the man who spoke with us yesterday
when we were trying to find out . I had noticed the badge on his jacket that read, Assistant Manager. I
thought he was very reluctant to tell us about the robbery. Look at his joining date, it seems he has
joined Read hotel only three months back.
Oh yes, said Tom wasnt he the one who was completely enamoured by Ms. Malini. , He was
definitely acting a bit weird and seemed to be evading our questions. I think he is somebody who we
need to find more information about.
Ravi said Just because somebody joined the hotel three months back does not make him a suspect.
What proof do we have?
Tom replied Well that is for us to find out. We have to start with someone as the suspect.
But it could completely mislead us if he is in no way involved, said Ravi not convinced that they should
suspect Vijay Singh on such a frivolous basis.
I agree with Ravi said Raj moving towards the couch. He had been tired of standing and sat down and
reclined on the couch. Suddenly a metallic sounding object fell from his pocket onto the floor below.
What is that asked Suzy picking up the bronze coloured object that had fallen. It looked like a button.
Oh, nothing, said Raj it is something I found when we were sitting in the woods waiting for Tom and
Ravi to return from the forbidden oak. I was randomly throwing pebbles and found this button lying
there. I must have casually put it in my pocket.
Tom took the button from Suzys hand and flipped it over. Embossed on its surface were the alphabets
RBB in a stylized font. Tom immediately recognized it Guys, this is the logo of Read B&B. This button
is from the jacket that the hotel employees wear as part of their uniform.
Now that is a very interesting clue, said Suzy. Chubbo, that is your second brilliant find today. This
positively proves that someone from the hotel used the valley to make his exit after stealing the
necklace. The button might have come loose off the jacket because the thief had to walk through the
dense valley with all those plants and trees. It must have dropped off when the thief came out of the
valley at the place where Chubbo found it.
Raj felt elated that he had found a vital clue. Even if it was by chance. He was generally the slowest of
the four both by virtue of being lazy and because of his rotund structure. He grinned sheepishly and
said Thanks Suzy, what a great foresight I had. If we had gone to have a look at the forbidden oak I
wouldnt have found this clue.
Tom punched Raj and joked Yes Chubbs, what great foresight you have my friend. Why dont you
also predict who the thief is. That would solve our mystery altogether. Both of them laughed.
Tom added, But jokes apart, this clue is simply brilliant! It sort of confirms our suspicion that this Vijay
Singh is the culprit, doesnt it?
35

No it does not, said Ravi,it could have been any employee wearing a jacket, not necessarily Vijay
Singh.
Suzy said Ravi, what you are saying is proabably right. But we have to start somewhere. Why dont
we first try to find out if Vijay Singh is a possible suspect. Maybe we should follow him closely.
Tom agreed Yes, lets do that tomorrow.
Raj intervened and said Yes Tom you can do it; that is if you plan to bunk school tomorrow. Guys, how
are we going to carry on from here. We all have to go to school from tomorrow. We are hardly going to
get any time during week days.
Suzy nodded in agreement Thats right. she said. By the time school ends it will be three pm.
Besides, on weekdays I am not allowed to step out of the hostel premises after school hours.
Tom said Dont you guys remember we have a holiday coming up on Tuesday. I dont think that the
police has made much headway in this case, yet . I will speak to dad tonight and ask him for some
information about this Vijay Singh. I am not sure if he will agree easily, but if I can convince him that we
have some definite clues to back our suspicion on Vijay Singh, he might help.
Raj jumped excitedly like a bloated rubber ball on realizing why Tuesday was a holiday. Heremarked
Yipee!, I completely forgot that Tuesday is a holiday. And it is going to be a fun day full of festivities all
over Nainapur. I love going to the mela; there are so many eateries put up at the mela that serve the
most delicious food you could get in Nainapur. Yummy!
The mela that Raj was referring to was the large carnival that was held every year on the 1st October,
on the last day of the annual Autumn festival of Nainapur. It was a public holiday and all of Nainapur
was vibrantly decorated on that day. All day there would be a mega carnival at the town center where
all the local residents and tourists gathered for a day filled with fun. The day ended with grand fireworks
in the evening.
Suzy pinched Rajs chubby cheeks gently and said Chubbo, you can only think of food all the time. Let
us focus on this case first. She turned to Tom and said Even though Tuesday is a holiday, we cannot
afford to waste Monday doing nothing. Every piece of additional clue we can get will be crucial in
solving this case.
Tom replied, You are right, Suzy. I have an idea.Even though you cannot leave the hostel premises on
school days, I think you are allowed to go to the school library after school hours. Why dont you find
out as much information as possible from the newspapers about the other two robberies that happened
in Nainapur. Perhaps we will get some clues if at all they are linked.
Suzy said, Thats a great idea Tom. I can definitely do that. As for Tuesday, the hostel allows me step
out till late in the evening to visit the Autumn carnival and watch the fireworks, as long as I am with
some gaurdians. Tom, you must ask your mum to speak to my warden, please. If she puts a request in
advance I could even stay back at your house after the fireworks.
Tom replied Yes, I will definitely do that. Ravi and Chubbs, you too keep your eyes and ears open for
any clue or information you can lay your hands on.
The three friends then departed their ways promising to meet again on Tuesday, hopefully with some
more clues.
36

28/06/2014
Chapter 13:The Perfect Alibi
It was about five in the evening when Tom walked up to his dads home office inside their mansion. His
dad was seated at the table going through some documents that had been left on his table by Ravis
father. Tom knocked at the door and waited for his dad to look up and wave him in.
What do you want, son. I am a bit busy today Chris Read asked without looking up and waving at his
son to come in.
Tom replied Dad I have something to ask you regarding the robbery that happened in the hotel.
Please, it is important as I think we have a possible suspect.
That statement mad Chris Read look up immediately and he asked his son to sit down. Once Tom had
the undivided attention of his dad, he went on to relate everything that he and his friends had
discovered so far. He finally ended by saying that they suspected one of the employees of the Read
B&B to be involved.
Mr. Read listened patiently to what Tom had to say and then finally replied Son, dont you think you
kids should be leaving the investigations to the police. From what it seems this is not the job of just one
individual. If at all there is a gang involved then they could be dangerous.
Tom cried out But dad, we are just trying to help and we have been very careful so far. Since the day
the robbery occurred I can see that you are so worried. That is why I have come to you because we
think someone from within the hotel is responsible for this. His name is Vijay Singh, he is the Assistant
Manager of the hotel
Worried I am, my son. said Mr. Read. It has taken many years to build the reputation that we enjoy in
Nainapur. After this robbery we are already seeing that people are reluctant to stay with us. In fact, I
had to convince Ms. Malini to continue staying with us till Thursday as per her planned vacation and
have assured her that we will work with the police to nab the thief by then. The frustrating bit is that so
far the police have no clue as to who could have committed this crime
Tom replied So dad why dont you let us help out. Believe me there was something suspicious about
this Vijay Singh when we spoke with him yesterday. Tom proceeded to justify why the friends
suspected Vijay Singh.
Mr. Read nodded and said Okay, if you insist I shall make some inquiries. He dialled the phone on his
table and called for Ravis father from the hotel.
Laxman Singh reached in about five minutes. Without sharing all the details that Tom had just told him
Mr. Read asked Ravis father what he knew about the Assistant Manager.
Laxman Singh replied that he had recruited Vijay Singh about three months ago, through the
recommendation of a friend, as he needed an assistant to help with the day to day activities. Vijay
Singh had the right qualifications and experience and came with positive recommendation. From the
day he had joined, Laxman Singh had found the Assistant Manager to be extremely hardworking and
sincere. In fact, despite the fact that Vijay Singhs mother was very ill and it required him to occasionally
37

take a leave to attend to her, he always ensured that he made up for it by working extra hours and even
on Sundays.
Mr. Read inquired where Vijay Singh had been on the evening of the robbery.
Ravis father said that, it was one of the days where Vijay Singh had taken leave during the day to
attend to his mother. He had applied for it in advance but had made up for it by coming to the hotel for
the night shift starting from 9 pm. He had been at the hotel reception through the night when the
robbery was supposed to have happened. The police had also spoken with him and had been
convinced that he was indeed busy at the reception that night.
Mr. Read turned to Tom and said There son, just because somebody had joined the hotel recently, it
does not make him a suspect. I am telling you, this is probably an outside job. I appreciate you kids
wanting to help but let the police figure this out.
He then thanked Ravis dad for his time and told Tom that he had to finish some more work and would
catch him for dinner.
Tom returned to his room, now certain that it was Vijay Singh who was the culprit. He had not
mentioned this to his dad, but his friends and he had just established the fact that the robbery had
possibly not occurred at night but some time in the evening. According to Ravis father Vijay Singh had
taken a leave during the day. He could have easily commited the crime, made his escape via the valley
and returned at nine pm to attend the night shift.
Impatient to discuss this with someone, he called up Ravi to tell him what he had just learned. It is
Vijay Singh, I am telling you. However, he has the perfect alibi. If everyone believes that the robbery
occurred after midnight then he has proof that he was always at the reception.
Ravi asked What is an a-la-bye? I am hearing that word for the first time.
Dont you ever read detective novels Ravi. Anyway, an alibi is a proof that a person was not at the
place of the crime when it occurred. Vijay Singh was at the hotel reception all night and assuming the
robbery occurred at night, he could not have stolen the necklace and escaped at the same time. We
have to somehow prove that the robbery occurred in the evening. That is the only way we can prove
that Vijay Singh was the one who did it.
So does your dad believe that Vijay Singh could be the thief? asked Ravi
No way, Tom replied And by the way your dad knows that we have been trying to investigate this
robbery.
Is it! exclaimed Ravi. I am dead now. I am to get it real bad when dad returns home. Ravi hung up
the phone, fearing the worst when his dad returned.
Tom did not call up his other two friends as he would update them when they met at school on Monday.
Chapter 14: Is The Ghost For Real?
Laxman Singh was furious when he returned home and summoned Ravi immediately. Turning to his
wife he said sarcastically This boy now wants to become a detective. Seems, hes been watching too
many of those CID serials on TV
38

CID was a popular Hindi detective TV series that had achieved cult status more because of its cheesy
dialogues than because of its gripping stories.
Ravi wanted to say You dont even let me watch TV for half an hour everyday and ask me to sleep by
nine. How am I to watch CID? but decided to keep quiet as it would only make his dad more angry.
Laxman Singh did not like children interefering in matters that adults were supposed to handle. He was
further angered by the fact that the kids suspected one of his staff to be responsible for the theft. He
had personally trained and groomed his entire staff and prided in their dedication and service quality.
Even though the police also suspected an insider, they had not established anything yet. He found it
difficult to believe that anybody amongst his staff would have commited such a serious crime.
These kids think that they are the brightest in the whole wide Nainapur, he said and proceeded to tell
Ravis mom what had happened at Mr. Reads office.
This time his mother came to Ravis support. She said Okay now do not scold him. You only tell me all
the time that those kids are a positive influence on him. Besides, they have not done anything wrong.
They were only trying to help. These days you cannot trust anybody. What if somebody from within the
staff was actually involved. The police also think so.
Ravis dad was not convinced but he calmed down. He turned to Ravi and said sternly Okay, now go
and sleep and let me not find you snooping around the hotel again. You dont know what you might be
getting into.
Ravi hung his head and returnd to his room muttering to himself There goes my mystery adventure.
He fell asleep hoping that Monday would pass off soon. He went to the local public school and he
would not be meeting his friends before Tuesday.
-----------------------**************************--------------------------------------On Monday morning when Tom, Raj and Suzy met at school, Tom related his discussion with his dad
and why it confirmed their suspicion on Vijay Singh.
We got to trail this fellow, and find out where he goes and who he meets said Raj
They got busy during the day with their lessons and did not discuss the case anymore. Suzy had
decided that she would go to the library after school hours to do her bit of investigation. As soon as the
school bell rang she said bye to her friends and rushed back to her hostel room. She dumped her bag
and quickly changed before heading back to the school library. The library was halfway between her
school premises and her hostel and remained open till five pm.
Suzy went up to the librarian and asked her if the library maintained an archive of old newpapers. The
librarian replied that unfortunately they did not and that they usually disposed off the newepapers on a
monthly basis.
She however added that if Suzy wanted something from the last month, she might be lucky as the the
newspapers for that month had just been piled up for disposal the following day. She led Suzy to the
pile of newspapers that had been loosely tied with a thin rope and dumped at corner. The pile
contained copies of The Time of India, Dehradun edition and Nainapur Times.
Suzy opened her notepad to find the page where she had noted down the dates when the other two
robberies had occurred. She had done this at Toms place when he had showed them the newspaper
39

clipping about the three robberies. She rummaged through the pile and pulled out copies of the
newspapers for the dates immediately after the day the crimes had taken place.
She first scanned through the Nainapur Times page by page. As expected the newspaper had
sensationalized the news to the extent possible. They had used the opportunity to write as many stories
as possible whether related or not, about the businessman from whose house the two murtis had been
stolen. They also had some articles on how the religious trust from where the gold Krishna-Radha idol
was stolen ran some illegal businesses.
Suzy made some notes but there was nothing that would give any kind of clues.
The only exception was a very small news item in the Nainapur Times for the date when the murti
robbery had been covered which had the heading Ghost sighted again near the forbidden tree. The
article mentioned that a couple of localites had seen the ghost of the forbidden oak tree when they were
returning late from the woods. The article also said that although this ghost sighting had occurred after
a long time, it proved that the ghost of the forbidden oak was not a myth but a reality.
Suzy noted it in her pad thinking, This sounds scary. What if Ravi actually saw a ghost that evening?
Was the old house that Ravi and Tom had seen near the oak tree actually a haunted house?
She dismissed these thoughts as they were in no way related to the mystery they were trying to resove,
that of the Nainapur robberies.
She quickly scanned through The Times of India, not expecting to find anything there because it was
not a local newspaper and would probably not give much attention to Nainapur news. But she was
surprised to find a brief mention of the Radha Krishna idol robbery and an additional mention that such
thefts were on the rise in the region. The article quoted a few more instances where such robberies
had taken place in nearby towns other than Nainapur.
Suzy thought to herself, It definitely seems that some gang is operating and it is not just restricted to
Nainapur.
It was almost five oclock and the librarian shouted to Suzy that it was time for her to close the library.
Suzy returned the newspapers to the pile and thanked the librarian before returning to her hostel.

40

11/07/2014
Chapter 15:The Mystery Man With The Limp
On Monday evening, Tom was sitting in his room fiddling with his laptop. He was itching to find out
more about Vijay Singh. He was convinced that the Assistant Manager was the thief. If only he could
link him to the theft using the facts that they had established earlier.
Fact number one was that the thief had sustained an injury while jumping from the window ledge. If
Vijay Singh was indeed the thief, then may be he still had the limp. Fact number two was the button
with the Read BnB logo that Raj had found. Perhaps, if he could check Vijay Singhs jacket and found a
button missing it would be evidence enough to frame the Assistant Manager.
Tom thought to himself I have to visit the hotel once again and see if I can find this Vijay Singh. He
glanced at his wrist watch which showed the time ten minutes to six.
Tom knew that the hotel staff worked in two shifts of eleven hours each, from 7 am to 6 pm and then
from 8 pm to 7 am . Every week few of the staff members took turns at doing a twelve hour shift to fill
up the two hour gap between the 2 shifts. In other words, between 6 pm and 8 pm in the evening the
staff at the hotel was minimal. It was mainly a few staff at the reception and a few in the restaurant.
Tom knew he had to rush fast before most of the staff left the hotel, if he were to catch Vijay Singh. He
shouted out to his mother, Mom, I will be back in an hour, am going to the Den. Without waiting for a
reply he rushed out, but instead of heading towards his den he took the path to the hotel.
There was a narrow cobbled path from the Read mansion to the Read B&B. Either side of the path was
lined with a variety of flowering plants beyond which were the manicured lawns. Also placed at equal
distance of about fifty feet were short lamp-posts about two feet high. The bulbs in the lamps had just
been switched on even though it was not quite dark. They emitted a yellow light that lit the pathway and
gave the Dsouza Estate a beautiful, resort like look.
It was just a few minutes past six pm when Tom reached the hotel entrance. Some of the staff
members were already trickling out. Tom entered the hotel lobby and saw a young lady staff member
standing at the reception. She smiled at Tom and asked him if she could help him with anything. Tom
did not have any valid reason to be at the hotel at that hour and so he lied I am looking for my dad. I
thought he might be here?
The young woman replied No sir, he left the hotel at around 4 pm. He usually is at his office in the
house after that. Did you not check there?
Tom continued to lie I did, but he was not there. But thanks anyways. Is Laxman Uncle around?
Just then the reception phone rang and the lady excused herself to attend the call. She spoke on the
phone for about thirty seconds and then told Tom I need to attend to something sir. Kindly excuse me.
Tom nodded as the lady stepped out of the reception and walked towards the restaurant. She opened
the door and stepped in.
Tom looked around and did not see anyone else. Probably Vijay Singh has already left the hotel, he
thought to himself, feeling a bit disappointed at having missed snooping on Vijay Singh Just then he
heard the sound of someone walking down the steps and was taken aback to see Vijay Singh walking
41

down from the first floor. Vijay Singh immediately recognized Tom and smiled at him and said Hello,
master Tom. How come you are at the hotel at this time. How can I help you?
Tom was surprised to see that Vijay Singh looked completely relaxed and friendly, in contrast to the
other day when he seemed a bit nervous and reluctant to speak with the friends. He also noticed that
the mans gait was perfectly fine and did not seem to have any limp.
Tom maintained his lie Nothing really. I wanted to speak to my dad. But seems he is not here Tom let
his eyes wander trying to check the cuffs on Vijay Singhs jacket. To his disappointment both the arm
cuffs had a shiny bronze button each, very similar to the one that Raj had found.
Vijay Singh spoke Pardon me,master Tom. I need to take your leave. I have to reach home early.
Please do not mind. If there is any help required I can ask one of the boys to assist you.
Tom thanked him and said that he was fine. Vijay Singh bowed to Tom and walked out of the hotel
lobby towards the gates. Tom watched him all the way out hoping that he would notice Vijay Singh limp.
Tom was really disappointed as both the facts that he had expected would help him frame Vijay Singh
had not worked. But his heart was not ready to give Vijay Singh the benefit of doubt. Maybe Vijay Singh
had only sustained a minor injury and it had healed. Maybe the jacket he was wearing today was not
the one he had worn on the day he committed the robbery. He could not accept that the culprit could
be anyone other than Vijay Singh.
The young lady from the reception had not yet returned and Tom quickly slipped up the stairs to the first
floor. He wanted to have a look at the room that Ms. Malini stayed in. He walked quietly along the
corridor till the end where Ms. Malinis suite was located. The only way anyone could enter the suite
was either through the windows, as the thief apparently had, or from the corridor using the main door.
Not finding anything interesting Tom turned and walked down the stairs back to the main lobby. He saw
that the reception was still completely unmanned. Making sure that nobody was around he walked over
to the reception to snoop around.
The computer that the receptionist used to make the reservations was locked and Tom did not know the
password. Tom looked around the desk to check if he could find anything else useful. Hidden below a
pile of papers was a long register notebook . On top of it was written Guest Register in bold.
Tom opened it and realized that the register had a record of all guests with details on when they had
checked in and when they had checked out
Although Read BnB had computerised their entire reservation and guest check in process a year back,
they continued to follow the old fashioned way of recording all guests basic details in the Guest
Register. It served no specific purpose but was done nevertheless.
Tom flipped through the pages till he reached the page that had the latest entries. It had been just four
days since the robbery had taken place and not many people had checked in or out since then. He
found the following entries in the last page :
Sr. No.

Name of Guest

No. of
Guests

Room
No

Check
in Date

Check In
Time

Check
Out Date

Check
Out Time

125

Mr.David Chapman

102

23/9

11:15

27/9

11:00

42

126

Mr. Vinay Pathak

101

24/9

28/9

127

Mr. M. S. Agarwal

107

25/9

11:00

28/9

10:30

128

Mr. G Subramaniam

202

25/ 9

11:15

29/9

8:30

129

Ms. Madhu Malini

201

25/9

12:15

130
131

Col. P.K. Singh

Mrs. Debra Woods

2
3

105
205

25/9
26/9

14:40
10:45

28/9

12:00

132

Mr. Anand Mehra

207

26/9

15:10

27/9

16:30

133

Maj. J.K. Katiyar

104

28/9

9:50

134

Mr. P.H. Bhattacharya

106

29/9

11:00

Tom scanned the list to see if he could find anything suspicious..

Most guests looked like they were families or couples on vacation. Tom looked at the dates when the
guests had checked in or checked out. The robbery had occurred on Friday the 27th September, in the
evening or perhaps at night.,. None of the guests had checked in on the day of the robbery. There were
a few guests who had checked in one day before the robbery and a few who had checked out on the
day of the robbery and the following day. .
There wasnt anything unusual that Tom could derive from the list.,Nevertheless he took a picture of the
page using his iPhone just in case he had to refer to it later.
Just then he heard some noise coming from the corridor. Sensing that the lady at the reception might
be returning Tom hastily closed the register and placed it where he had found it. He quickly moved
away from the reception desk into the lobby. However, this time too it was not the lady but another staff
member.
The man also knew Tom, as all staff members did, and asked in a surprised tone Are you looking for
something sir. How can I help you ?
Tom replied Urm, nothing I was just looking out for Laxman Uncle. Did you see him? The man shook
his head sideways and said Laxman sir had some work and left a bit early today.
Tom thanked him and moved out of the hotel disappointed that his investigations had yielded nothing
interesting. In fact he wasnt sure anymore if Vijay Singh was the culprit.
As Tom walked out he noticed that it had already become dark, although it was just twenty minutes past
six. Although the sky had a gentle hue of pink, night was fast descending. The path from the hotel lobby
led to the gates that were used by anyone wanting to come into the hotel. This path was adequately lit
by the lamps that lined on either side.
Tom absent mindedly walked upto the gate instead of taking the path to his house. His mind was trying
to realign the facts that they had established and nothing seemed to make sense. If Vijay Singh was
not the culprit, who could it be?

43

As Tom approached the gate, the watchman offered him a salaam, the traditional salute that they gave
whenever they saw anybody from the Read family. Tom realized that in his preoccupation he had
mistakenly walked down to the gate instead of heading back towards his house.
As he was about to turn back he heard some movement that seemed to come from the road beyond
the gate. This road was adjacent to the boundary of the estate. It started at the gate which was the
entrance to the Read BnB and joined Cedar Lane that led upto the gates at the Read mansion.
Curious to find out who it might be, Tom walked upto the estate gates. He still could not see anything as
the view was blocked by a large rhododendron treejust outside the gate. He took a couple of steps
outside the gate and peeked out.
He was surprised to see a car parked outside. It was parked half way between the two sets of gates
some hundred feet from where Tom was standing. Tom kept himself out ofsight by staying behind the
trunk of the tree.
He saw the silouhettes of two people near the car. One of them was already getting into the car
through the rear door and hence Tom could not see the persons head as it was already inside the car.
He however noticed that this person seemed to be wearing a jacket that looked like the one the hotel
staff wore., At least thats what it seemed to him in the dark.
The second person was a little behind and was moving slowly to the front door of the car which was on
the far side.. To Tom amazement, this person was limping with his right leg. The limp was distinct, and
the man seemed to be gingerly placing his right foot on the ground every time he had to tranfer his
weight on that leg. It was clearly the kind of limp one would have if one had sprained ones leg quite
badly.
Tom could not believe what he was seeing. But before he could react or take any action this person
with the limp also got into the car. Tom shouted Wait but his voice was drowned by the noise of the car
engine revving up. Even as Tom ran out the car started moving fast and in no time it turned around the
corner and disappeared in the darkness.
Toms heart was racing. Who could these people be? Had he just witnessed the gang that was
responsible for the thefts in Nainapur?
A hundred questions raced through Toms mind all at the same time.
The guy who was limping was clearly not Vijay Singh. He had just met Vijay Singh and he appeared to
walk normally. It was possible for a person with no injury to fake a limp, but it was highly unlikely that a
man who had injured his leg badly could fake a normal walk.
Could this person with the limp be the thief who actually stole the necklace the other night? If so who
was the other person who got into the car? It did appear that he was wearing the hotel jacket? Could
that other person be Vijay Singh? Maybe both of them were partners in the crime.
Also there had to be a third person in the car who drove it. Were they all part of a gang that commited
the robberies in Nainapur? What were they doing near Read B&B that evening? Were they planning
another robbery?

44

Tom walked back through the hotel gate and turned to the watchman to ask him if he knew who those
people were. The watchman nodded in the negative and added that he had been busy checking the
bags of the hotel staff who had left the hotel in the past half hour. Tom probed if he remembered who
the last person was to leave the gates. The watchman said he was not sure as few of them had left
within minutes of each other.
Dissapointed, perplexed and excited, all at the same time, Tom returned to his house, before his mom
could send somebody searching for him. It was dinner time and his mom was waiting for him to join his
dad at the dinner table.
Where have been son? Hope you kids have not come up with a new theory for the theft, joked his dad
as Tom settled down. Tom simply smiled, knowing very well that his dad would not believe if he told him
what he had just witnessed.
After dinner Tom headed to his bedroom and called each of his friends and narrated to them what he
had seen. The plot was getting thicker.
Tom went to bed knowing that Tuesday was going to be a busy day, as one thing was sure, they really
had to keep an eye on this Vijay Singh.

45

13/7/2014
Chapter 16: A Sweet Revelation
On Tuesday morning Ravi was up early even though it was a holiday. He wanted to make sure that he
did nothing wrong that would anger his dad. Laxman Singh was still annoyed from the Sunday episode
when he had found out that Ravi and his friends had been snooping around the hotel and more so
because they suspected that someone from his hotel staff to be involved.
He had lectured Ravi on Monday evening as well, getting irritated when he had seen Ravi speaking for
almost 15 minutes over the mobile phone. This was when Tom had called Ravi to narrate what he had
seen near the gate at the Read B&B.
Ravi showered, completed his breakfast and sat down to do his school homework, all before the time
his father had gotten ready to go to Read BnB.
Although it was a public holiday Laxman Singh had a hotel to run. The hotel was full with tourists who
had come in to enjoy the autumn festival and he could not afford anything to go wrong. He wanted his
staff to be doubly prepared to attend to their guests needs. But Laxman Singh was a considerate man.
Being a festival day, he had made arrangements so that the hotel staff could take turns to attend the
carnival for at least a few hours during the day. However, he himself would spend most of the day at the
hotel to make sure everything was in order.
As Laxman was about to leave the house, Ravi walked up to him and pleaded Dad, if I finish my
homework in the morning can I spend the day with my friends at the carnival, please. Ravi literally had
his hands folded and was hoping that his dads temper had cooled down since the previous night.
His mom also walked over behind him and running her hair over his hair she told her husband Jaane
do na. Let it be. The festival comes only once a year and everyone in Nainapur enjoys it. Let him enjoy
with his friends.
Laxman Singh, who was actually not a strict father at all, smiled and said Okay, you can spend the
day with your friends. But make sure you return home immediately after the fireworks; and stay away
from any trouble.
Ravi was overjoyed and returned to his desk to complete the rest of his homework. He was to meet his
friends at the marketplace sqaure at half past ten and he was excited as it was going to be a fun day. It
was only nine in the morning and he was getting impatient.
Just then his mom asked him Ravi, can you please run down to Mishraji s restaurant and buy half a
kilo of Gulab Jamun. We will be having visitors during the day and I want to make sure we have some
sweets to offer on this festive occasion. She handed over a bag and 500 Rupees to him and told him
Keep the remaining money for yourself to spend during the day.
Ravi hugged his mom and stepped out of his house. He climbed down the four flights of stairs in the
building skipping every alternate stair and was out into the main street. His house was very near the
market place and while it was quite a congested and crowded place as most places near the market
place tend to be, it was very convenient.Everything was within walking distance and so was Mishrajis
restaurant.
46

The Nainapur market place was a kilometer long road, about fifteen feet wide and called Market Road.
It was lined on both sides by old buildings that were either one or two storeyed . Most buildings had
shops on the ground floor. It was the only place in Nainapur where one could find everything; from
grocery to flowers, from books to medicines and from clothes to suitcases. It was like one giant
supermarket and was usually very crowded between ten in the morning till nine at night, six days a
week, except Mondays when most of the market place shops were closed.
As Ravi walked into the market place he noticed that most of the shops had opened their shutters for
an early business on the festival day. As he looked up he could see colourful festoons hanging between
the electric poles.
At the northern end of the market place was a large market square which was about twenty meters
wide and twenty five meters long. It was laid with cobbled stone and had a small beautiful fountain on
its eastern end. A narrow tar road ran alongside the market sqaure connecting the Market Road on its
southern side to Russel Road on the northern. On the eastern end of the market square on the other
side of the road was the Town Hall building, built in British architecture. On the western side, almost
hidden between a row of shops were steps that wound up the tall peak and led up to the famous
Nainadevi Temple. Nainapur was named after this Goddess Nainadevi.
Ravi noticed that some of the street performers had begun to assemble at the market square and were
setting up their props. The crowd would start trickling in by ten oclock and they wanted to cash in
early.
Ravi approached the restaurant which was one of the last shops on the Market Road and just a few
meters away from the market square. It had a massive hoarding outside that read Mishras Restaurant
and Sweet Mart. It was one of the largest shops in the street.
As Ravi entered it he could see neatly laid out tables and chairs in the foreground and an L shaped
counter at the back which displayed a wide variety of sweets and savouries. A small door opened into
the kitchen which was not visble, but a mixed aroma of freshly cooked Indian snacks emanated from
within.
A few people were already seated at the tables relishing their morning breakfast. Mishrajis restaurant
was most famous for its chole bature, jalebis and lassi, although all the items prepared here were
delicious. The restaurant was getting ready for a busy day ahead and a lot of frenetic activity could be
noticed in the kitchen.
Ravi walked up to the L shaped counter and said Can you please pack half a kilo of gulab jamun. The
man behind the counter told him that he would have to wait for ten more minutes as the sweets were
just being prepared in the kitchen and would be delivered out soon. Ravi continued to stand near the
counter ready to wait for the ten minutes.
Just then Mishraji, the restaurant owner emerged from the kitchen and immediately recognized Ravi.
Mishrajis younger brother was a chef at the Read B&B restaurant and hence he knew Laxman Singh
and his family well.
Ravi smiled and wished him Namaste Mishra uncle. How are you? Mishraji patted Ravis head and
said I am fine son. I have not seen you in a while. How are Laxmanji and bhabhiji? Ravi nodded and
said that they were fine.
47

Why dont you take a seat? added Mishraji. He then shouted to one of the waiters standing nearby
Go get a plate of fresh, hot jalebis for the young boy.
Thrilled at the idea of having some free jalebis to start the day, Ravi thanked Mishraji and seated
himself at the nearest table. Mishraji then proceeded to his seat at the cash counter.
On the table immediately behind Ravi, two men were already seated having their breakfast. Ravi had
noticed one of the men while coming in. He was a tall, lean man with a sharp nose and partially graying
but thick hair. Ravi got a feeling that he had probably seen this man somewhere but could not place him
and ignored it assuming he might be imagining it.
The restaurant was not yet fully occupied with patrons and hence was not very noisy. As Ravi leaned
back on his chair he caught some of the conversation from the table behind. It was the tall man who
had his back to Ravis back who spoke.
He said, See, those bronze murtis are worth twenty five to thirty lakhs. And the Buddha statue we plan
to lay our hands on today is worth at least fifty lakhs. It is a priceless statue, I tell you. But since you ar
an old customer, we can close the deal at sixty lakhs
Ravi could not believe his ears. Was this person actually talking about the bronze murtis that were
stolen from a bungalow in Nanapur a few weeks back? He strained his ears closer towards the other
table, to try and catch more of the conversation. This time the man sitting opposite to the tall guy replied
something that was not very audible to Ravi. He just caught just a few words such as very expensive
and authentic or not.
Ravi was leaning back with his head almost touching the man seated behind him when the waiter
approached with a plate of jalebis and placed it on the table. Ravi leaned forward immediately so as to
not look suspicious of eavesdropping. As soon as the waiter retreated he agained leaned on his chair
extending his head as far back as possible without looking suspicious.
He heard the tall man say You have to trust my judgement. I have been in this business for past twenty
years. I have an eye for originals. You know that these items will fetch almost twice the amount in the
international market.
This was followed by some more conversation from the man seated further from Ravi. Finally the man
behind Ravi said Okay, let me add you a sweetner. I shall include in the mix, the antique ivory casket
that you liked last time you visited.. It is worthy five lakhs rupees and you get it absolutely free. Shall we
call it a deal then?
After a long pause Ravi heard the other man say Done. When can I collect these?.
Some of the subsequent conversation was lost out on Ravi as the waiter had come over to the table
behind him to hand over the bill. Ravi sat up straight and started munching on the jalebis. Hidden from
Ravis line of sight, the tall man paid the waiter and both the men got up, shook hands and moved out
of the restaurant.
Ravi sat glued to his chair unable to believe what he had just heard. Suddenly it struck him that maybe
he should follow this men. But just then, the man at the counter shouted and told him that the gulab
jamuns had been packed for Ravi to pickup.

48

Ravi was tempted to run out to catch the two strangers before they disappered, but his head told him to
not try anything funny here. If Mishraji saw him running out without collecting the packets he might get
suspicious and want to know what was going on. And if Mishraji got a whiff of what Ravi was trying to
do he would certainly tell something to his dad. Ravi did not want to get into any more trouble with his
dad.
He got up from his table, rushed to the sweets counter and grabbed the package that was kept on top
for him. As he was hurrying to the cash counter to pay the bill, he noticed that a small rectangular card
had been left on the table where the two men had been seated. As inconspicuosly as possible he lifted
the card and put it in his pocket. He then reached the counter where Mishraji was seated and quickly
handed him the five hundreed rupee note. He thanked the elderly man for the jalebis adding that they
were delicious as always.
As soon as Mishraji handed him the remaining change, Ravi literally snatched it from his hands and
hurried out of the restaurant on to the main market street hoping to catch the two men. He looked on
either side of the street. But a lot of time had passed since the men had walked out of the restaurant
and they were nowhere to be seen.
Ravi was about to turn and headback towards his house when his eyes caught a person who looked
very familiar. It was a man wearing the distinctive Read B&B jacket walking away from where Ravi was
standing. On closer scrutiny Ravi relized that it was Vijay Singh. . He crossed the market square taking
rapid strides towards the steps that let to the temple. Before Ravi could react he got into a tuk-tuk that
was parked on the roadside adjacent to the sqaure and was soon gone.
What is Vijay Singh doing here? wondered Ravi. Was he with the two men that Ravi had overheard at
the restaurant. He was certain he had not seen Vijay Singh inside the restaurant. Perhaps he was
waiting outside to be on alert, while the two men struck a deal inside. From whatever Tom had told
Ravi the previous night, it was certain that a gang was responsible for the robberies and Vijay Singh
was probably one of the gang members. Possibly the tall man was also one of the members of this
gang, probably the leader.
Ravis mind was clouded with a hundred thoughts. He cursed his luck on having missed seeing where
the other two men went. At the same time he thanked his stars for having uncovered the fact that a deal
was being struck.
What were the chances that they should chose Mishrajis famous but simple restaurant to strike such a
big deal. And what were the chances that Ravi should be at the same place sitting right behind them.
As much as his dad hated him prying into this case, clues seemed to land on his lap. He could not wait
to meet his friends and tell them all about this. He knew that they had to act, and act fast. Based on
what he had just heard it seemed that one more robbery was being planned and it was going to be
committed that very day.
As he rapidly walked back to his house, he took out the card that he had pocketed at the restaurant to
see what it was. He noticed that it was a visiting card. It said,

Anand Mehra
Dealer in Antiques
49

3/5 Neelam
Building
Connought Place
New Delhi
100011
Ph: +91
9982720100

Ravi could not say which of the two guys this card belonged to. Either of the two could have been the
antique dealer. The tall man who he thought was the gang leader might have been the antique dealer,
who used nefarious means to steal antiques and sell them off to prospective buyers at a huge price. It
was also possible that the tall man was just a professional robber while the other man was an antique
dealer and had come to purchse these stolen antiques from the robbers and later sell them off at a
much larger profit.
But one thing was certain, this was a sinister gang that systematically robbed precious and valuable
artifacts and sold them off to people who in turn sold them in the international market. Sixty lakhs
sounded like a lot of money to him. Ravi came from a modest background and did not even know what
it meant to have that much money.
Ravi could not wait to meet his friends and tell them all about what he had just uncovered.

50

15/07/2014
Chapter 17: At The Carnival
The friends met at the market sqaure at ten as planned. Tom, Ravi and Suzy had cycled down while
Raj as usual was the last to arrive with his entourage of cars. By the time Raj arrived Ravi had
announced that he had something very exciting to share about the mystery.
Suzy reported that her visit to the library had not yielded any specific information. She said All that I
found out was besides Nainapur, there have been similar thefts that have occurred in other towns
nearby. And yes, the other thing I read which is totally unrelated to the robberies was that there have
been other sightings of the ghost near the forbidden oak.
See, I told you so intervened Ravi, happy to hear that the ghost he had seen was indeed real. There
certainly is something spooky out there. You guys did not believe me.
Raj walked in pushing his cycle by his side, and Tom said There you are Raj. We have been waiting for
you. Ravi has something interesting to share.
Raj replied Hey guys, all that can wait. I am dying to eat some gol gappas. You guys know no,mom
never allows me to eat anything outside. She always gets all my food packed and sent with these
chachas who follow me like a shadow. Today is the only day I get to spend money and eat outside. And
those spicy gol gappas we get at the carnival are simply out of the world.
Suzy laughed and teased Raj There you go again Chubbo. I think if your were asked to list down your
top five priority things to do, Food and Eating would probably be the first three items in the list. She
added Lets hear Ravi out as he has got some vital information. Besides, we have to solve the case
today itself. From tomorrow we will be back to our school routine until Friday and will not have much
time to spend on this case. Who knows, by then either the police would have solved it by themselves or
the thieves would have disappeared from Nainapur.
Raj replied non-chalantly, Thats exactly why we should finish the eating first, so that once we have
satiated our hunger we can focus on the case without any distraction.
Suzy knew she could not win against Raj when it came to food. She relented and said Okay, lets get
over with it first then. Ravi also agreed as the thought of having gol gappas made his mouth water as
well.
The friends parked their cycle by the roadside and started walking down to the a medium sized stall at
the far end of the market square that was selling Indian snacks such as gol gappas, bhel, ragda patis,
samosas and lot more.
The market place was already buzzing with activity. Some men were erecting a stage to the right of the
fountain on the eastern end of the market square. This stage would be where a cultural programme
was to be held later in the evening.
Several stalls had been put up on the northern end, where artisans were selling handicraft,
embroidered dresses, colourful glass bangles and many other interesting knick knacks. A few children
had lined up in front of a portable ferris wheel that had been put up. At one corner of the square, a
troupe was performing a variety of tricks. There was a juggler juggling away knives. A girl was
51

performing a balancing act on a tight rope that had been tied between two sets of crossed bamboo
poles for support. A third artist was making a monkey perform some antics. A small crowd had
gathered to watch these acts and were applauding at the artists efforts.
The four friends were not too keen on watching the show as they has seen it the previous year. They
stood in front of the performing troupe just to take a few selfies on Toms smartphone, of the four of
them flashing the V sign with their fingers..
As soon as they reached the food stall, Raj ordered a plate of gol gappas for himself to be followed by
a plate of ragda paties. Ravi and Tom shared a plate of samosas. Tom loved samosas but he was not
sure he could handle eating two smaosas which were usualy very spicy for his taste. Suzy on the other
hand decided to stay cautious and settled for an ice cream.
Raj told her Suzy,what? You are already on to the dessert while I am still on my starters. He laughed
out aloud and continued to dig into his ragda paties, relishing every bit of it.
Ravi was impatient to talk about what he had seen earlier that morning. So while Raj ordered an
icecream for himself and the other boys, Ravi said Guys you will not believe what I witnessed just an
hour back. I was at this sweet shop this morning and I overheard two men striking a deal about selling
some antiques.
Raj who was now stuffing his mouth with gol gappas blurted So what is so great about that.
Ravi retorted Chubbs you focus on eating and let me do the talking. The deal being struck was for
those stolen murtis. One of two men I overheard was definitely the gang leader of these robberies. He
was planning to sell those stolen artifacts to the other guy.
You must be kidding. That is awesome. interrupted Tom
Im not done, said Ravi. Whats more, I heard the gang leader say that they planned to steal one
more antique and that too today itself.
Suzy exclaimed Ravi, that is the most sensational piece of information we have had all week. Do you
have any idea who those men could be? Did you get to see their faces?
Yes, I did get a glimpse of the gang leader but only for a brief moment. I could not see the other guy,
said Ravi taking out from his pocket the visiting card that he had picked up at the restaurant. And look;
this is what I found at the restaurant after those men had left. It certainly belongs to one of the two men,
I cannot say who.
Suzy took the card from Ravis hand and read the name printed on it. Tom, who was standing beside
her read the name aloud Anand Mehra. He took the card from Suzys hand and muttered Why does
this name sound familiar?
Raj said, I know one Anand Mehra from my town. It is such a common name. Anybody could have that
name.
No wait! I think I know where I have seen this name, Tom said as he took out his iPhone from his
pocket. He flipped through the images he had just clicked and stopped when he saw the picture of the
Guest Register page that he had taken the previous day at the reception of Read B&B. He pinched the
screen to enlarge the image. Look, this is the list of all Guests who were at the hotel on the night of
52

the robbery, he said and held out his phone for his friends to see. I took this when I went snooping into
the hotel last evening.
The other three crowded around him and read through the list. They could not believe their eyes when
they saw the name of Anand Mehra in the list.
So whoever this Anand Mehra is, he was staying at the hotel when the necklace was stolen,
Ravi said Wait guys I am not done yet. Guess who I saw when I came out of Mishrajis restaurant?
Tom quipped Dont tell me you saw Vijay Singh.
Bingo, said Ravi although I did not see him with the other two men, the fact that he was walking down
the market square so near to the restaurant, it definitely seemed to me that he was waiting outside
while these two men were striking the deal inside.
Wow, it all makes sense now, doesnt it. said Suzy whose mind had already started piecing together
all the pieces of information. Probably Anand Mehra is the gang leader who is responsible for these
robberies. He was right there at the hotel, the evening Ms.Malinis necklace was stolen. He probably
planned the entire robbery while staying at the hotel. And Tom, the two men you said you saw last
night near the hotel, they are probably his accomplices. And it does seem that Vijay Singh was one of
them and the second one is probably the man with the limp. Anand Mehra makes all the plans while the
other two commit the actual robbery.
Wow! Suzy. That sounds so logical. You never cease to surprise us with your ability to put together
clues said Raj.
Suzy continued And based on what Ravi has witnessed today, it seems this Anand Mehra is looking to
sell these antiques to somebody. And today they are planning to commit one more theft. Probably that
is what they had been planning near the Read B&B last night when you saw them Tom.
Tom added, Yes, while we have no proof to frame this Vijay Singh, all clues point towards him. Without
support from inside the Read B&B it might have been difficult to pull off the theft in Ms.Malinis room. I
cannot think of anybody else other than him from the hotel staff who could have done this.
Ravi nodded and said What you guys say makes sense. Today is a perfect day for them to commit a
robbery. Most people will be away from their homes to celebrate the festival. They will have enough
opportunity to commit the robbery and escape unnoticed. Unless we catch them today we might never
be able to get to them again.
Raj who had finally finished his ice cream retorted But how are we bunch of kids going to catch this
gang by ourselves. I am telling you,it is too dangerous to do this on our own. What if those thieves have
weapons? I think we should tell the police what we know.
Suzy agreed I think Chubbo is right. It is high time we get the police involved. Maybe they have also
found out something about the robberies and any additional information we can share will only help
them solve this case sooner.
Okay, lets do that, said Tom By the way Ravi, was there anything else that you overheard? Anything
that will tell us where todays robbery might take place.
Ravi thought hard trying to recollect what he had heard ealier that morning. He suddenly remembered
Yes I do recollect now. When the tall man, who I assume is this gang leader Anand Mehra, was
53

speaking I heard him say that they wanted to lay their hands on a Buddha statue today. But he did not
mention from where they would steal it or what time they would do it.
Now how do we figure out where this Buddha statue is. There could be more than one Buddha statue
in Nainapur cried out Raj.
Tom replied That is true, but based on the history of things that have been stolen so far, it has to be a
really expensive statue with an antique value. I am sure there wont be many of those in a small town
like Nainapur. All we need to figure out is whether there are any famous Buddha statues in Nainapur.
And how exactly do we do that? asked Raj
Tom replied calmly, Here is what I suggest we do. We try to find the police and tell them what we know
so far. Today being the carnival, there should be a few of them around the market square. Once the
police get on with their job, we head back to my house and try to find out more about this Buddha
statue. If it is a very valuable item I am sure we might find some information on the Internet.
Lets hope we do,said Suzy we are this close to solving the mystery. The plot is getting thicker and I
am really excited!

54

19/7/2014
Chapter 18:
It was close to 11 am and the crowd had started building up at the market square. The stalls were
doing brisk business and the mood all around was filled with fun and frolic.
The friends started looking out for a policeman. Raj spotted a man in khakhi uniform partially hidden
behind the crowd, at the opposite corner from where they were standing. Look, he said, I think there
is a policeman there.
As the kids walked towards the man, his rotund body came into full view. Ravi immediately recognized
him as the fat constable they had seen at the Read B&B. He said Hey, isnt that the policeman who
was at the hotel the other day. He was the one bossing around with the hotel staff.
Thats correct, the one who has a striking resemblance to you Chubbs teased Tom to Rajs
annoyance.
The man was standing by a small Paan Shop. The shopkeeper who was standing inside the small five
feet by five cabin, handed over a wrapped paan to the constable who stuffed it in his mouth and started
chewing on it like a cow chews its cud.
Ravi walked up to the constable. The mans enormous belly almost touched Ravi even though he was
standing two feet away. Ravi read the badge on the mans pocket which announced his name, Ram
Charan. Ravi gently asked him Ram Charanji, can we have a word with you?
His mouth still full with the paan that he was chewing, Ram Charan blurted in Hindi Hmm, arent you
the kids from the Read hotel. Hope you kids have not been up to some mischief. Tell me how can I help
you? A little bit of red juice from chewing the paan dribbled from the corner of his mouth as he spoke
which the constable wiped with the back of his hand.
Suzy who was standing next to Ravi winced on seeing this as it looked quite disgusting to her. Ravi of
course was used to seeing this as many people living in the Market Road area loved chewing paan.
.Before Ravi could respond the constable added Hope you kids are enjoying the festival? Isnt it a
lovely day, and there is going to be a lot of fun things happening here. Alas, people like me have to
work even on such days.. Unlike the other day, when the constable had appeared very strict as he
was questioning the Read B&B staff members, Ram Charan appeared to have a pleasant disposition
Sir, we wanted to talk to you about the robbery at the Read B&B said Ravi.
Oh! That one, interrupted the constable before Ravi could say anything more poor Ms. Malini. What
an actress she is; pity this unfortunate theft should happen when she was in Nainapur. But the police
is doing all it should to get to the bottom of it. No criminal can escape the vigilant eyes of the Nainapur
police. We will definitely solve this in a few more days and nab the culprits.
Before Ram Charan could continue with his monologue Tom intervened We have some very relevant
clues about the robbery. We think we know who might have stolen the necklace. And theres more than
the necklace that they have stolen. There is a gang operating and they are responsible for the other
two robberies that have happened in Nainapur last month.

55

What! exclaimed Ram Charan. You are saying that a gang has been responsible for all three
robberies. I knew it. But nobody listened to me. Nobody values my inputs anymore he lamented.
While Ravi, Tom and Suzy were speaking with Ram Charan, Raj was standing besides the constable
facing his friends. Next to the constable he looked like Ram Charan identical twin younger brother.
Suddenly he noticed someone near the stage that was being erected and shouted Tom look, isnt that
a man who is limping.
His friends turned around to catch a glimpse of a man limping, as he disappeared behind the partly
erected stage.
It looks like him, cried Tom Quick, lets follow him on our bike. Tom ran towards where they had
parked their bikes followed by his three friends. The bikes were about twenty feet from where they were
standing. Ram Charan who was utterly confused at the commotion also ran behind them his belly
jiggling as if he had swallowed a gallon of jelly.
Tom who was the first to reach his bicycle notice that he had a flat tire. Darn! he cried out I have a flat
tire. Ravi, Suzy quick get your bikes out.
Ravi was the next to reach and saw that his bike also had a flat tire. And so did Suzys and Rajs.
Somebody has deliberately done this, he said angrily. Without waiting for an answer he started
running towrads the direction they had seen the limping man. Tom also ran behind him as fast as he
could. But by the time they reached the stage the man was completely out of sight.
Tom punched the palm of his left hand with his right fist in frustration and said We lost him.
Disappointed he and Tom returned to where their bicycles were parked and found Suzy and Raj
examining their bikes.
Ram Charan was standing next to them trying to figure out what was happening. Who was that man
and why were you so eager to follow him? he asked
Tom who was panting after his desparate run replied That man, we think is one of the gang members
who stole the necklace.
What are you saying, how can you be sure. Do you have any proof? questioned Ram Charan.
We do not have any concrete proof but we have enough clues. And we also believe there is going to
be one more robbery planned today. said Suzy. Unless we act fast we will miss the opportunity, Can
you take us to the inspector who had come to the Read B&B on the day after the robbery. We will tell
you exactly what we know
Yes, yes. Why not? said Ram Charan enthusiastically. Sahabji should be around in the market place.
You see with the Minister expected to visit in the evening a lot of security arrangements are being
made.
What about our bicycles? cried Raj. I wonder who deflated the tires. Was it that man? Does he know
that we suspect him?
Why dont you push your cycles along. There is a cycle repair shop at the corner of Market Road. You
can get your tires reinflated there, suggested Ram Charan. He was turning out tpo be a very helpful
constable, quite like his chubby and adorable structure suggested.
56

Soon, the four friends were standing in front of the Senior Inspector, with Ram Charan next to them.
They related all that they had uncovered so far including the footprints they had seen at the Read B&B,
the button that they had found, Toms witnessing the two men getting into the car near the hotel and
Ravis encounter with Anand Mehra.
Tom insisted that besides Anand Mehra, who it was clear was the gang leader, the Assistant Manager
at Read B&B, Vijay Singh was their primary suspect along with a man with a limp who they had just
missed catching.
The senior inspector listened intently to all what the kids had to say. He finally said Children, I
appreciate you coming to the police and telling us all that you have uncovered so far. Your theory is
definitely interesting and I am certainly impressed with your investigative skills. But what you are
implying is based on clues that have not yet been verified. We cannot make any arrests without
concrete evidence.
But sir, what we are suggesting is based on solid facts, said Tom trying his best to convince the cop.
The inspector replied, Be rest assured that the police will take it from here and further investigate what
you kids have found out. However, I dont want you kids getting involved in this as this could get
dangerous. It is a lovely day and a great festival is going on. You kids should go and enjoy yourselves
and let us policemen worry about this. He then proceeded to state some instructions in Hindi to Ram
Charan and the other policemen.
The children were somewhat disappointed at the lukewarm response from the senior inspector. They
were expecting that the police would be extremely pleased with their investigation and would also
involve them in the search for the gang.
Tom asked Do you think the police inspector believed anything that we told him? I dont think they are
going to do anything.
Ravi replied That is not true Tom. The inspector did listen to everything we had to say. In the end I also
heard him tell his men in Hindi, to check out out on Vijay Singh and Anand Mehra.
Hope they do something soon. Today is a golden opportunity to nab those thieves said Tom. But let
us not stop our efforts. Why dont we head back to the den and try to find out more about that Buddha
statue which the robbers plan to steal today. If we can figure out where it is located then we know
which place the thieves will be targeting.
Correct, said Raj lets head to your place. Its past lunch time already and even the carnival here is
going to slow down in the afternoon. It will only pick up steam again in the evening when the cultural
programme starts. We can return before that.

57

Suzy and Ravi glanced at each other and exchanged a smile. It did not take much for Chubbo to find an
opportunity to talk about food. The friends walked towards the cycle shop to retrieve their bicycle. They
paid the shopkeeper and got onto their respective bikes to head back to Toms mansion.22/7/2014
Chapter 19: Police In Action
By the time the friends had cycled back to Toms house the police had already swung into action. They
had visited Read B&B and finding Vijay Singh there had initially questioned him on what he knew
about the necklace robbery. When the man denied knowing anything the police told him to come clean
as they suspected him of committing the robbery.
Vijay Singh had broken down and pleaded that he had not committed any robbery. He said that he was
right there at the reception when the crime occured. He had cried and said that he could not even
dream stealing from Ms. Malini as she was his favorite actress. He also begged the police not to arrest
him as he had an old mother to tend to.
Ravis dad Laxman Singh had also intervened and told the police that he could vouch for Vijay Singhs
honesty and credibility. Thankfully for Ravi, the police did not tell Laxman Singh that it was based on
the information from the kids that they had suspected Vijay Singh.
The police had told Laxman Singh that they were not arresting Vijay Singh just because they did not
have any hard evidence. But as soon as they found something they would come back again. They also
told Vijay Singh that he was to report at the police station at six in the evening.

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Chapter 20: The Jade Buddha

The kids had finished their lunch at The Den and had later gone to Toms mansion to access the
internet on his computer. They were not aware of that the police had visited the hotel to question Vijay
Singh.
Tom sat on the chair in front of his laptop that was on his study table while the other three gathered
around him. Tom opened Google on the browser and typed in the words Buddha statue and clicked on
the search button. Google came up with more than a million search results.
Ravi, whose only exposure to computers was when he observed Tom using it, exclaimed So many
results. How are we ever going to find out information about the Buddha statue that we are interested
in.
Tom replied in an sheepish tone What an idiot I am, just typing Buddha statue is bound to bring up
information about all possible Buddha statues in the world. I have to provide a more specific search
criteria.
He added the word Nainapur in the search bar after Buddha statue and clicked the Search button
again. This time the number of results returned was much smaller. The first search result the was
displayed on the browser itself was sufficient for the kids to figure out that it was the Buddha statue that
was being planned to be stolen. It was a link to the Nainapur Museum website.
Tom clicked on the link to open up the website. It was a very simple website; after all Nainapur Museum
was neither very big nor famous. The homepage of the website had a large picture of the Museum
along with some general information about the Museum, such as when it was started and who
inaugarated it.
On the left side of the web page were links to other information, such as History, About Management,
Attractions, How To Get There, Museum Timings, Contact Us. Tom clicked on the link that said
Attractions and a web page came up that had information about the main attractions at the museum.
The first picture that the kids saw made all of them peer into the computer screen. It was the photo of a
reclined Buddha statue.
The text alongside of the photo read
The Burmese Jade Buddha statue is the most prized possession of the Nainapur Museum. It is more
than 350 years old and believed to be from the late seventeenth century when the Burmese Siamese
wars were rampant. The exact origin of the statue is not know, however it is estimated that the statue
fell into the hands of the British East India company in the eigtheenth century and landed in India via
one of the British Generals. It was one of the adornments in the British camps near Delhi for several
decades. It finally transferred to the British adminstrative centre when one of the Generals was
transferred to Nainapur in late nineteenth century. It remained there till independence after which its
ownership went into the hands of a private trust named Nainapur Heritage Trust. It remained in Trusts
possesion till 1995 and was was finaly donated by the Trust to Nainapur Museum in the twenty fifth
year since it was inaugarated.

59

Raj exclaimed Wow, thats a lot of history associated with the statue. Its got to be a priceless artifact
and this gang has an eye on it. They also plan to sell it. We cannot let that happen guys. These are part
of our ancient heritage. You know my dad has donated so many priceless artifacts belonging to our
ancestors to the museum in Jadhavpur. He says that these things are our cultural identity. Even though
the Budhdha statue is from Burma it has been in India for over hundred years.
Tom said You are absolutely right Chubbs. I did not know you appreciated ancient history so much. In
fact my dad always talks to me about his archealogical discoveries and how these ancient artifacts
cannot be valued in money terms at all. So the Museum is where they are going to rob from today. We
better head to the Museum if we expect to nab those thieves.
Suzy replied Yes, we should definitely go right away and check if the Buddha is still there in the
Museum. The Museum is likely to be pretty busy today with a lot of people visiting it. Wonder how the
thieves can commit a daylight robbery. Perhaps, we should alert the police as well.
The police hardly believe anything that we told them earlier retorted Tom sarcastically I doubt they
will believe us on this.
Suzy replied But this is something we cannot afford to not tell them.. Besides, we cannot be sure that
they did not believe our storyuMaybe they did, but did not want us to know.

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Ravi agreed,Yes, let us get going then.

Chapter 21: At Nainapur Museum
The friends got atop their bikes and headed out of the Read mansion. Tom and Ravi were first to reach
the end of Cedar Lane, the road that connected the Dsouza Estate to Russell Road. They stopped at
the edge of Russel Road and waited for Suzy and Raj reach. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere a car came
bounding fast down the road and applied the brakes just near where Tom and Ravi were stationed,
seated on top their bikes with their feet resting on the ground. The boys who were looking behind,
waiting for Suzy and Raj were taken aback by the screeching sound of the tyres on the road and the
car swerving just a few feet away from them. Before they could realize anything, the car driver had
applied the accelerator and the car sped further down Russel Road.
Neither Tom nor Ravi could see who the driver was, but both had enough time to notice that the car
was a bright red Honda City. Suzy who had just reached where the boys were standing said Who was
that madman? He could have killed you.
Ravi who was still a bit dazed said Crazy guy. Nearly knocked us down. By the way Tom, did you
recognize the car. Doesnt it look very similar to the one that we had seen at the house near the oak
tree? Did you see who was driving the car?
Ravi was referring to the dilapidated house that both of them had seen when they had looked down
from the ledge where the forbidden oak had been. When they were looking down they had seen a car
drive up to the house. That car was distinctly recognizable by its bright red colour..
Tom said Now that you tell me I think you are right Ravi. I distinctly remember the colour of that car.
This car that we saw now was a Honda City. I know for a fact that Honda City does not come in such a
bright red colour. It has probably been painted bright red by the owner after he purchased it.It certainly
is just like that car we saw the other day. But, I could not see who was driving it. Probably the same
guy who we had seen there, I suppose. Wonder why he was in such a tearing hurry.
Ravi said,There is no point trying to chase the car. It was literally flying and would be far beyond our
reach by now.
Suzy said Yes, lets focus on what we were doing and hurry to the Museum before the statue gets
stolen.
It was nearly half past three by the time the friends reached the market place once again. Raj had
huffed and puffed all the way up Russel Road, pushing his bike half the way. He had been tempted to
call his attendants to get his car but had refrained from doing so as Suzy had insisted that for once he
should try and cycle on his own.
The post afternoon crowd was just beginning to trickle in. The stage had been completely put up at the
market square and final touches were being made to the decorations and lighting. This was all in
preparation for a cultural event of dance and music that was planned as part of the evening festivities.
A few feet away from the stage, facing it were two lines of cushioned chairs that had been kept for the
VIP guests to sit. Behind these two rows were number of rows of plastic chairs lined up to cover most
of the market square.
Ravi who was most familiar with the area around the market square, pointed in the direction of the
stage and said That is the way to the Museum.
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Suzy remarked Isnt that the way we saw the limping man go earlier today. My God! Was he going
towards the Museum. I hope the statue has not been stolen already. Lets hurry.
The kids pedalled fast around the market square towards the stage. Rajs car and SUV had been
parked near the stage on the street adjacent to the square. They parked their cycles next to the car. Raj
asked his attendant to get him and his friends something cold to drink as his throat was parched. They
were all tired after the long ride from Toms house.
While the kids waited for the attendant to get the soft drinks from the nearby shop, they saw that behind
the stage was a street that was lined on both sides by single storied houses. Although the street was
fairly wide it had vehicles both four wheeled and two wheelers parked on either side making the
available space narrow and enough for just one four wheeler to travel in one direction. If another
vehicle approached from the opposite direction it would have definitely created a traffic jam. At the
beginning of the street was a small board with a red arrow pointing in the direction of the street and the
words painted in black Towards Museum.
Ravi said This street joins the Museum Road on the other side. I think that the Museum is about 500
meters from here. We can easily walk down. It will not take more than ten minutes, even at Chubbos
speed. On hearing that Raj stuck out his tongue and made a sound Blaaaa.
Suzy replied Isnt it strange that none of us has ever visted the Museum in all these years. I actually
feel excited to go there for the first time. But lets hope the statue is still there.
Tom replied Yes, dad keeps coming to the Museum often, as he is an advisor to the Archaelogical
Survey of India, but surprisingly I have not visited it in all these years.
After gulping down the soft drink the friends walked down the street. It was surprisingly clean for a
market place street, which generally tended to be littered and untidy .There were other people who
were heading the direction of the Museum. As the reached the end of the street they turned right on
Museum Road. They could see the Museum at the end of the Museum Road just where the road took a
90 degree turn to its left..
The Museum was a an old Victorian mansion from the British age that had been converted into one in
the year 1970. It was a simple looking one storied building built with bricks and wood, with sloping
roofs and large windows. An angular arch with two pillars on either side formed the entrance of the
museum.
Adjacent to the Museum building were lush green lawns with beautiful flowering plans bordering them.
There was a very short compound wall surrounding the entire boundary of the Museum premises.
As the kids walked into the building they saw a board that announced the Museum timings Open from
10 am to 5:30 pm . There was a small queue to get into the rooms, which was quite unusual for the
Museum as it was hardly crowded even during weekends. It being the annual festival day, entry into
the Museum was free and people were taking advantage of the same. Even otherwise the tickets only
cost twenty rupees, but it was human nature to go for anything that was free
The kids entered the main hall and walked slowly alongside the display of artifacts. The walls of the
room were affixed with large glass covered showcases that had small statues of Ganesha, Laxmi,
Shiva, Buddha, dancing nymphs and others that were made of either stone, bronze or other metal.
Some of the stone carvings had worn out or broken with age. Most of the artifacts in the room belong to
the bygone era beween 300 CE and 1500 CE. One section was filled with ancient earthenware and
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utensils from the Gupta dynasty andwhile another section had some armour, uniform, swords and guns
from the Rajput period. The friends walked along the glass cases admiring the display.
As the kids moved into the smaller room beyond the main hall, their eyes fell on the Buddha statue at
the centre of the room. They immediately ignored the other artifacts and rushed towards the statue.
The reclining Buddha was placed on a square pedestal and was enclosed in a glass case. A barricade
comprising of thick rope tied to four stainless steel poles arranged in a square kept the audience atleast
3 feet away from the pedestal on all sides and prevented anybody from touching it. The jade statue
was about two feet long and looked splendid despite the fact that it was over 350 years old. The
Buddhas expression was distinct and had a serene smile that depicted that the figure was at peace. Its
eyes were closed as if in deep meditation.
Isnt it beautiful. No wonder it is so valuable said Tom I am surprised there is so little security for it in
the museum. I would have expected some kind of laser based protection for such artifacts as they show
in the movies
Suzy replied Cmon Tom. This is Nainapur museum and not the British Museum. See there are
surveillance cameras all around.Besides, anybody wanting to steal would have to do it outside the
Museum hours. It is impossible to steal this thing with so many people around. The least it would take is
to lift up the heavy glass case, place it down and then pick up the statue before heading out possibly
via the main entrance where there is a guard stationed.
Tom retorted You must be joking to think the thieves are going to steal it when the museum is open.
My bet it that they would do it after 5:30 pm when the museum is closed. I am sure there is an
alternate way in and out of the museum. Lets check upstairs
They climbed up the wooden stairsto the first floor and scanned all the rooms there. Except for the fact
that each room had large windows that were firmly latched and had iron grills on the outside, they could
not find anything that would allow anybody to come into the Museum by any route other than the main
entrance.
Raj looked at his watch which showed that it was four oclock and complained Are we going to wait
here till half past five? It will be so boring. Cant we go back to the market square and come back after
five? It is just a ten minute walk anyways.
But what if the thieves came in while we are gone. We cannot afford to be lax here guys, argued Suzy.
Raj replied Seriously Suzy, you think somebody can steal the staue in broad daylight with so many
people around. We have hardly enjoyed the carnival so far. I promise we will be back before the
museum closes.
The others relented to Rajs request. . The evening function would have started and they could perhaps
enjoy an hour watching the show. Tom suggested that they try and find a policeman and would warn
him of the possible robbery at the museum.

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3/8/2014
Chapter 22: The Buddhas Gone!
It was around five minutes past five when two persons on a scooter drove down Museum Road and
stopped a few feet away from the Museum entrance. The person riding the scooter had a helmet on
while the pillion rider was a young man probably in his late twenties. He got off the scooter and told
something to the rider. They exchanged thumbs up signs and the rider drove off with the scooter, while
the young man started walking towards the Museum entrance. He was walking with a slight limp in his
right leg. The limp had reduced since Tom had seen the same man the previous night near his hotel.
His leg was healing as it was four days since he had badly hurt it while jumping from the ledge of the
Read B&B after stealing Ms.Malinis necklace.
He entered through the Museum arch and walked in keeping his head low so that nobody could see
him clearly. He did not have to buy any tickets and nobody took notice of him. He proceeded as
inconspicuously as possible through the room trying to appear just like any other visitor who had come
to visit the museum. He slowly moved ahead looking at the display and then went into the room that
had the Buddha statue. He spent two to three minutes in front of the pedestal appearing to admire the
statue. In fact what he was actually doing was ensuring that the the glass case was easy to lift and
there were no other security feature around the statue.
He then gradually limped up the stairs to the first floor. The Museum was still reasonably crowded. The
man spent another five minutes upstairs and then looked at his watch. It showed twenty minutes past
five. One of the Museum staff downstairs shouted that the Museum would be closing in another five
minutes
The man decided that it was time to get into action. He glanced around to ensure nobody was watching
him. He then surreptitiously moved towards the Mens restroom on the first floor. There was nobody
inside. He walked down to the last cubicle, got in and latched the door from inside. He then waited with
bated breath and fingers crossed hoping that nobody would come that way.He could hear a few men
walk in the restroom to use it just before heading out of the Museum but thankfully for the man nobody
walked till the last cubicle.
Outside, the Museum staff was ushering all the visitors out. By half past five all the visitors had trickled
out. One of the staff members went through all the rooms on the first floor to ensure that nobody was
left behind. He even peeked into the Mens restroom to check that nobody was inside. Finding nobody
he did not bother to walk in. He then proceeded downstairs to check the rooms there. Once he was
convinced that nobody had been left behind, he stepped out the Museum hall into the lobby where two
of his colleagues were waiting for him. One of them closed the large doors that formed the entrance to
the Museum hall, latched it and locked in with a huge brass lock. They then stepped out of the lobby
on to the stairs that led into Museum building. Two men pulled together the sliding gates from either
side of the archway , while the third colleague, a lady, locked the iron gates. They said something to the
security guard standing outside. and the two men got into a car park outside while the lady started
walking along Museum Road.
The young man hiding inside the toilet cubicle waited patiently till the watch on his wrist showed the
time twenty minutes to six. He stepped out of the restroom and noticed that all the Museum lights had
been shut off. The light outside was also fading as the sun was about to set. However the fading light
64

trickled in through the glass windows and allowed the man to navigate through the Museum. He quickly
climbed down the stairs and straight to the room that had the Buddha statue. He gently lifted the glass
case from the pedestal and placed it down on the ground. He opened his backpack and took out a
large piece of bubblewrap sheet and placed it on the ground next to the glasscase. He carefully picked
up the Buddha statue, kneeled down and placing it on the bubblewrap sheet, he wrapped it and neatly
folded the loose edges. Finally, he put the wrapped statue into his backpack, slung it on his back and
started walking up the stairs again. He did not stop on the first floor but rather took the flight of stairs
from the first floor that led up to the terrace above. All of this took no more than five minutes
The door leading to the terrace was expectedly closed from inside. It had three latches, one each at the
topand the bottom there more like fasteners and the third which was the main latch in the middle.
Surprisingly there was no lock dangling on the middle latch that one would have expected.
When the kids had come into the museum to check if there were any other routes into the museum,
they had missed coming up to the terrace. Obviously the young man had done his research well in
advance and knew exactly how to get out of the museum. He unlatched the three latches, opened the
door and stepped in to the Museum terrace. Although the Museum had sloping roofs, it had a small flat
terrace from where there were ladders to get onto the roofs.
Now all the man had to do was carefully climb down the side walls of the Museum using the water
pipelines as support. He was an expert at doing this and if he had not carelessly hurt his leg while
jumping from the ledge the last time, it would have been a piece of cake. But even with an injured leg it
was no big deal for him.
He knew that his colleague would be waiting outside on the scooter and as long as the coast was clear
they could make a quick getaway, another job well done. Their boss had promised that this was the last
job and after that it would be the beginning of a rich start to their lives. Both of them had been promised
rupees five lakhs each, an amount that would have taken them at least three years to earn.
He looked down and got prepared to climb down the Museum walls.

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Chapter 23: The Robbers Escape

While all this was happening, the four friends were enjoying themselves at the market square where the
evening function had started. Along with the local Minister, Ms. Malini had also been invited to be the
chief guest and despite the unfortunate robbery she had consented to grace the occasion. She lit the
lamp, as was the tradition before starting the function.
The kids had gotten engrossed in the events that followed that included some traditional and folk
dances followed by a show by one of their favorite music band. The stage announcer was at the mike
announcing the next event which was a magic show, when Suzy looked at her watch and exclaimed
Guys, it is already half past five. We completely lost track of time. Shouldnt we be heading back to the
museum.
Not now cried Ravi I really wanted to see this magic show.
Tom said Ravi, we really should leave now. If anything has to happen at the museum it could happen
now.
All four of them got up from the chairs and walked sideways through the narrow aisle between the two
rows of chair, apologizing to the people who were already seated. Raj, who was the last amongst them
and was causing the most discomfort to the seated audience kept apologizing sheepishly. As he
crossed the last person seated in that row, his eyes chanced upon someone familiar amongst the
crowd of people who were standing behind all the chairs as all the seating was full.
Isnt that Vijay Singh, he said grabbing Suzys arm as he steadied himself . Where? asked Suzy I
cannot see him anywhere.
It was not clear if Vijay Singh had seen the kids and ducked out or he had genuinely moved away from
the crowd, but to Rajs surprise he was nowhere to be seen.
What happened asked Tom who had stepped out of the aisle before the other three and had missed
out on the conversation.
Suzy smiled and replied Chubbs seems to be hallucinating about Vijay Singh. He says he saw him
back there just now and when I saw there was no Vijay Singh there.
I am not hallucinating. I swear, I saw Vijay Singh back there, and now he has disappeared, said Raj
agitatedly.
Ravi said Lets check if he has moved out and strained his neckto look all around the market
square..There he is, he cried out as he spotted Vijay Singh walking away towards Market Road. He
was stationed almost precisely where Ravi had seen Vijay Singh earlier that day when he had come out
of Mishrajis restaurant. Vijay Singh was still wearing the Read B&B jacket which made him stand out in
the crowd.
Chubbs, you seem to be getting all the right leads said Ravi as the others turned in that direction and
saw the man who was most important to them solving the mystery.Vijay Singh did not seem to be in a
hurry as he was ambling along.

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Tom said What the heck is he doing here? The way he is lingering around suspiciously, sort of
confirms that he is up to something, doesnt it? But why is he going down that direction? Is he going
towards the Museum? But the Museum is not in that direction. We should follow him to see what he is
up to.
Suzy said But, we need to be near the Museum as well. If we follow him we might get delayed.
Tom replied But what if he is taking another route to the Museum? He is one of our main suspects and
we cannot ignore him.
Ravi suggested, Why dont we split. Suzy and Chubbs can follow Vijay Singh to check where he is
heading to, while Tom and I will take that alley to the Museum to check if anything is happening there. If
our hunch is right we might end up meeting at the Museum
They decided that they would immediately inform the other party over phone if they noticed anything
unusual.
Tom and Ravi quickly hurried towards the back of the stage to take the alley that led to the Museum
Road. Ravi spotted the fat constable standing next to the small stall chewing paan as always. The
constable has his wooden cane in one hand and a long torch in the other.
Ravi grabbed Toms hand and remarked Hey Tom we completely forgot about informing the police
about the possible theft at the Museum. How careless of us. But look, theres the constable Ram
Charan standing there. Shouldnt we not tell that we suspect that the Museum is likely to be robbed and
take him along?
Good idea said Tom. They walked over to the constable and spent the next two minutes explaining to
him what they suspected and and trying to convince him to go along with them. Ram Charan was totally
confused and was initially reluctant but then he thought that these kids seem to have more clues and
information than he or his police colleagues did. He finally agreed thinking Might as well go with them
and see what is happening. He spat the paan he was chewing at the corner of the shop and told the
shop owner to add the cost to his account. The shopkeeper muttured a curse and said God knows
when you will clear the dues in your account. .
Tom and Ravi started walking fast down the alley, followed by the constable who was struggling to keep
pace with them. They could only proceed as a slow pace as the alley was quite crowded as a lot of
people were returning from the Museum to attend the show. Ram CHaran has to keep breathing in to
sqeeze his big jelly belly through the narrow gap between people walking and the parked vehicles.
Tom urged them to hurry else they would get really late. The autumn sky was showing early hints of
pink as the sun was about to set in another ten minutes or so. By the time the two kids arrived near the
Museum the time was ten minutes to six. The constable was still fifty feet behind them walking slowly
with his humoungous body.
As Tom approached the sharp left turn on Museum Road his eyes- fell on a cap bobbing up and down
from the top of the compound wall. It emerged from somewhere behind the Museum and moved
across the lawns adjacent to the Museum building. Tom jumped a couple of times to see who the
person was and although the mans face was not visible because he had pulled the cap low covering
his eveys, Tom noticed that he had a backpack and was walking with a slight limp.

67

It did not take much for Tom to recognize who the man was. He shouted at the top of his voice Look!,
Wait!, Catch! Thats the thief. He has already stolen the statue. Somebody catch him.
The man who had almost reached the compound wall heard Toms voice. Without glancing he climbed
over the compound wall and jumped on the other side. Keeping his head low - he limped faster towards
the scooter parked on the road some fifty feet ahead of where the kids were standing.
The rider of the scooter started it instantly and before Tom and Ravi could react, the man had reached
and sat astride the scooter.
Ravi and Tom started to run towards the scooter even as Charan Singh who was just reaching the spot
huffing and puffing stopped a moment to catch his breath.

But the scooter rider revved up the engine and took off before the boys could reach them .

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Chapter 24:Chubbo To The Rescue

Meanwhile, Suzy and Raj were following Vijay Singh while maintaining a safe distance by trying to hide
themselves behind the crowd to avoid getting noticed. Vijay Singh was walking slowly along the Market
Road. He neither looked nervous nor seemed to be in a hurry to get anywhere.
What is he trying to do? Raj asked Suzy He is simply moving around without any particular
destination. Vijay Singh stopped at a couple of shops, again not particularly interested in buying
anything. Suzy remarked It looks like he is whiling away his time waiting for someone or something to
happen
Vijay Singh continued to amble along and soon he was almost near the lane where Ravis apartment
was situated. Suddenly he quickened his pace.
The distance between where Suzy and Raj were standing and Vijay Singh had increased because Vijay
Singh was walking very slowly and the kids were worried that if they walked too fast he would notice
them. So when Vijay Singh suddenly quickened his pace they were caught unawares.
Raj exclaimed Look he has started walking faster. Lets go. The two of them also started walking
faster trying to make up for the increased distance between them. Vijay Singh must have walked
about fifty metres and then without any warning he turned left into one of the lanes.
Suzy cried out Hes turned into that lane. Chubbs we need to run, else we might lose him and started
running. Raj followed her trying to keep pace. Soon they reached the lane where Vijay Singh had
turned. It was one of the many narrow alleys that connected with the Market Road and had a clutter of
small one and two storeyed buildings, mostly residential.
Suzy and Raj could see right till the end of the alley from where they were standing and Vijay Singh
was nowhere to be seen.
Damn, we have lost him. What do we do now? cried Raj Should go till the end of the lane and check
every building. Suzy replied Its futile, we are not going to find him in this congested place. I feel
terrible. Tom and Ravi are going to be really annoyed if they come to know we let Vijay Singh off the
hook. Should we call and tell them?
No, let us not distract them from what they are doing. We should head back to the market square and
wait for Tom and Ravi to call, said Raj. He punched his thigh to express disappointment at what had
happened. They had just let go of a golden chance of possibly catching Vijay Singh red handed. They
started walking back to towards the market square and just as they reached the market square
Rajsmobile phone rang.Near the museum, Tom was frantically shouting They are escaping and they
have stolen the statue. How do we catch them now? We dont even have our bikes. Toms mind was
not thinking very clearly and he did not know what to do.
The constable Ram Charan had also joined Tom and Ravi. Ram Charan said Let me call my boss
right away and let him know what happened..
Ravi looked towards Tom and said Tom, why dont you also call Raj and tell him what we have seen.
Maybe they are nearby and can get some help.
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Tom quickly called Raj and shouted Raj, Suzy. The statue has been stolen from the Museum. We need
to follow the robbers and we dont even have our bikes.
At the other end Raj who was still glum with disappointment exclaimed What!
Tom continued Where are you guys? Are you nearby? Can you think of how we can chase the
robbers?
Raj suddenly had an idea. He said, I know what we can do. You guys stay put there. We are coming
to the Museum in my car. Dont go anywhere, okay. We will be there in five minutes. He dropped the
call, grabbed Suzys hand and started running the fastest he had in several weeks in the direction of the
stage.
Suzy ran behind him confused Chubbs, what is wrong? What happened? I cannot understand why we
are running.
Raj said I will tell you soon. Just keep running. After weaving through the crowd, they quickly reached
the place behind the stage where Rajs car was parked. Thankfully his chauffer, a middle aged man in
his early forties, was standing near the car trying to watch the events on the stage through a small gap.
Raj shouted Uncle, jaldi chalo. We need the car now. The chauffer immediately unlocked the car
doors and got into the drivers seat. Raj and Suzy got into the back seat and as he was doing so Raj
told his chauffer in Hindi We need to go to the Museum right now Uncle and make is really fast.
The chauffer started the engine and manuevered the car into the narrow street. There was space just
enough for the wide and long BMW to go through and the chauffer had to keep honking, making the
people who were walking on the street, jump aside much to their chagrin and annoyance.
Raj looked at Suzy, who was still confused as to what was happeneing and said It seems that the
robbers have stolen the Buddha statue and are escaping. Suzy did not react, she was still extremely
disappointed at losing track of Vijay Singh and now felt even more guilty because it was likely that Vijay
Singh had somehow escaped their eye and reached the Museum. Surely he was involved in this
robbery.
The chauffer turned the BMW onto Museum Road and accelerated as fast as he could to reach
whereTom, Ravi and Ram Charan were impatiently waiting. Raj rolled down the window and shouted,
Quick,get in. Which way do we need to go?
More than five minutes had passed since the robbers had escaped on their scooter. Tom and Ravi
sqeezed into the back seat where Raj and Suzy were already seated. Although the BMW was a wide
car it wasnt as wide as to comfortably accommodate four teenagers, especially if one of them was
Chubbo.
Ram Charan uncomfortably climbed into the vacant front seat. He looked a bit stunned as things were
happening so fast. At the same time he was amazed that these kids seemed to know so much.
He had already called up his boss, the Senior Inspector to tell him what they had just witnessed. He
asked him send some policemen to the Museum right away and also stand by for further information.

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Chapter 25:The Chase

Raj and Suzy were eagerly waiting for Tom and Ravi to tell them more about what had happened. Tom
replayed the events as he had witnessed. He said I saw those robbers get away. The guy with the
limp, he walked down from behind the Museum with a backpack. I am sure he had the Buddha statue in
it. He got on to a scooter that his accomplice was waiting with near that tree with. They both went in
that direction. We could not see who was riding the scooter as the person was wearing a helmet.
Raj replied in a regretful tone Probably the guy riding the scooter was Vijay Singh. We are sorry guys,
Suzy and I lost track of him near the market place. Probably he had a scooter parked somewhere and
timed himself perfectly to assist his colleague.
Ravi replied,Dont be sorry Chubbs. What had to happen, has happened. Now lets figure out what we
need to do next. The two of them went down the Museum Road that way. How do we determine where
they could have gone?
Raj asked his chauffer which way the Museum Road led to. The driver who was familiar with all the
roads of Nainapur told them that the Museum Road was more than a kilometer long down the stretch
the robbers had escaped. He added that at the end was a T juntion where the road bifurcated in two
directions. The one that went right was called the Mahatma Gandhi Road. It led towards the eastern
side of Nainapur and went down the other side of the hill town into the valley below.It was one of the
two main roads that provided access into Nainapur, the other being Russel Road. The road that turned
left at the T junction actually went toward the townside. It was one of the roads that met at the Char
Rasta in the western side of the town. This was the junction where the four friends had met before
going to the forbiden oak.
Lets start from here at least till we figure out which way to go, said Tom worried that they had lost a lot
of time. The driver understood and started the car and proceeded down the Museum Road.Surely the
must have taken the road to the right that goes out of the town. That is the swiftest way to escape. said
Raj.
Ram Charan intervened If they did go that way they will surely be intercepted by the police. The
inspector has already ordered all exits out of Nainapur to be barricaded and all vehicles are being
monitored.
So are you suggesting they would take the road to the left? asked Raj Why would they go into the
town. There are higher chances that they will get caught if they keep lurking inside Nainapur?
Suzy who had been siting silent and sullen all this while suddenly had a brainwave that lit her face. She
said Yes indeed, they did go towards the left. If you recall, Char Rasta is the point from where the
Sunset Point Road starts. We need to go there and I will tell you why.
Raj told his chauffer Uncle, Sunset Point ki taraf jaana hai. Aur gaadi tez chalao., meaning We need
to go towards Sunset Point and please drive fast.
The car had already reached the T junction and the chauffer took the left turn and accelerated at super
speed, while the three boys and Ram Charan eagerly looked towards Suzy awaiting her explanation on
why she felt that was the route to take.
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Suzy excitedly said Guys, remember where the forbidden oak tree is. It is on the way to to the Sunset
Point.
What has the forbidden oak got anything to do with the robbers? asked Raj looking perplexed.
Suzy continued, Last time when we had gone towards the forbidden oak, while Ravi and Tom had
gone to explore what was near the tree, Raj and I were waiting at this place in the woods. Raj had
found that brass button with the Read B&B logo there. It was that brass button that gave us the clue
that someone from the hotel was probably involved and had used that route to escape after stealing
Ms. Malinis necklace. I think the robbers have gone down that same route.
Raj was still unable to understand the logic. Suzy I dont understand, why they would go there?
Agreed that the thieves used the path from behind the Read Hotel to come out the valley at the place
where we were seated and thats how we found the button. However, from there they would have
walked out on to the Sunset Point Road and escaped.
Ravi and Tom nodded in agreement as what Raj said made sense. Raj added, So why would they go
into the woods now? Dont tell me that this time they plan to go down the valley again and emerge at
the Read B&B. Raj chuckled as he made the ill timed joke.
Suzy replied camly,Because Chubbo, the robbers never walked out of the woods to the Sunset Point
Road after stealing the necklace. In fact, they went down the same path that Ravi and Tom had taken
the other day to the forbidden oak.
I still dont get why would they do that? And what about the ghosts? Werent the thieves scared of the
ghosts? asked Raj not yet willing to believe Suzys theory.
Suzy replied, Maybe there are no ghosts. And even if there is one, as Ravi claims to have seen it,
maybe the thieves are not scared of ghosts. In fact, the the thieves probably knew that nobody went
anywhere near the forbidden oak fearing ghosts. So they took advantage of this fact and made it their
escape route.
Ram Charan was listening to all this with his mouth agape. He had heard the stories of the forbidden
oak since his childhood and firmly believed that there were ghosts lurking there. He could not believe
that this kids had the courage to actually go till the forbidden oak. He had no arguments to offer but
what Suzy said made sense. He quickly dialled his boss again to tell him which way they were headed.
Tom patted Suzys back and said Suzy, you are simply brilliant. Your detective mind is sharp as ever. It
all makes absolute sense now. After stealing the necklace, the robbers went till the forbidden oak and
probably climbed down the cliff to the old house that Ravi and I saw there. What more, probably the
man in the red car that we saw when we were near the tree, and again later today near my house; the
man who nearly knocked us down must be the third gang member.
Ravi intervened I bet the third member is Anand Mehra. He is probably waiting near that old house that
is below the cliff, waiting for his colleagues to join him. When we saw the car near Toms house, Anand
Mehra was probably heading to this hideout to make arrangements for their escape.
Ram Charan who was listening to everything attentively asked Ravi So where exactly is this hideout?
Ravi replied How do I explain, all we know is that this house is right below the cliff where the oak tree
is? There is a road that leads upto the house and there is nothing else around it.
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The loaction mentioned by Ravi could not be more vague, but neither he or Tom had any clue on what
was the way to get to the house except climbing down from near the oak tree. The police should be
able to figure it out, thought Ravi to himself.
Ram Charan returned to his mobile phone and called up his boss again. He relayed to the Inspector
whatever he had just heard, in as much detail as possible. Everybody knew where the forbidden oak
was. Surely someone in the police department knew where this house was located and how one could
get there.
The chauffer was accelerating the car at top speed in an attempt to gain lost time. Ravi kept looking
out of the window to check if they had reached the place that they had taken to go into the woods. The
darkness outside, lack of street lights and the speed of the car made it impossible to determine where
exactly they were. Suddenly Ravi noticed something that looked like a scooter parked carelessly in the
bushes by the side of the road. Wait, stop the car, I think there is the scooter there, he cried out.
The chauffer applied the brakes and the car screeched to a halt several meters ahead of where Ravi
had seen the scooter. The kids got out of the car and ran back towards where the scooter was parked.
Ram Charan was behind them and was followed by the chauffer.
Tom said This is certainly the scooter that the robbers used. And there is the path we had taken last
time to get into the woods. We need to get in from here as they would have headed that way. We have
to move fast as the theives have a good distance advantage over us.
The BMWs speed had probably made up for about three minutes of the seven odd minute lag between
when the thieves left the museum and when the car took off from near the museum. But there was still
a lot to catch up.
But how do we navigate the dense woods. It is so dark out there, cried Raj.
He was right. The only light in the mud road was a solitary lamp post that radiated a dim yellow light
from its lamp. Beyond that everything was in pitch darkness.
Ram Charan said I have a torch in the car. Wait, I will get it, and ran to the car to retrieve the torch
with a long handle that he had placed on the cars dashboard. He switched it on as he walked back.
The torch emanated a powerful beam of light sufficient to give them visibility over ten to fifteen feet. He
said One of you kids need to lead the way as you are familiar with the path.
Ravi volunteered and took the torch from Ram Charans hand. He was the only one who had visited
this route two times already and besides he was the best amongst his friends when it came to
directions. He said, Follow me and try to move as fast as possible. Lets stick close to each other.
Tom, Suzy, Raj and Ram Charan followed Ravi while the chauffer was told to stay back so that when
additional police reinforcement came they could be directed appropriately. The mud road was a clear
path and the dim light from the lamp post made it relatively easy for them to navigate the first hundred
meters which they jogged along to make up for lost time.
Beyond the gazebo, was the dense woods and as there was no lamp around it was pitch dark. Ravi
used the torch to good effect and quickly identified the path that they had to take. He walked ahead
while the others followed him in a huddle.

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Raj moaned and complained throughout the walk, either because some branch poked his chubby
sides, or because Ravi was making them walk so fast in the darkness or simply because he was
terrified with the prospect of encountering a ghost.
Ram Charan who was struggling equally to keep pace with the others, tried to cheer Raj up by
boasting Beta, when I was your age we did not even have torches and yet we used to explore the
forests around Nainapur. And believe me they were more dense than they are these days. The fact
was that the constable was equally scared of ghosts but he could not show it in front of these kids.
Suddenly an owl hooted from one of the trees and made Raj, Suzy and most of all the constable jump
up in fright making Ravi and Tom chuckle. Tom said Guys that was only an owl, we are yet to
encounter ghosts.
Okay you bravehearts, please move on, replied Raj sarcastically.
Ravis skilled maneuvering ensured that the group reached somewhere close to the point from where
they could descend down the hill and go towards the oak tree. Ravi scanned the ground below with the
torch, trying to find the loose rocks that he had piled earlier to mark the spot.
Yes, we are at the right spot, he cried out triumphantly when he saw the rocks and also the small
opening in the clearing that they had used to get down earlier.
Tom who looking beyond towards where the oak tree was located suddenly cried out Look over there
guys, can you see those lights down there. He was pointing down towards the hill. The others strained
their neecks to look down and saw two faint silouhettes and two flickering lights bobbing up and down
at the point where the two hill slopes met to form a flat landing.
Its them, said Ravi excitedly cmon, we need to hurry to catch them before they escape again.
Are you sure it is them and not ghosts? Do we have to go all way down there? Raj asked in a
concerned tone. I am s.s.scared. He was almost shivering at the prospect of going all the way to the
oak tree and encountering ghosts.
Ravi replied agitatedly Chubbo, there are so many of us together. What is there to be scared of? You
have the choice of staying back here all by yoursel or coming with all of us. We cannot afford to waste
time.
. Suzy looked at Rajs worried face and encouraged him Chubbs, dont worry. I know you can do it.
And this time we also have Ram Charanji with us. She looked at Ravi and scolded him Ravi dont be
so rude. Remember last time you had promised to help Chubbo overcome his fear.
Im sorry Chubbs, said Ravi but we really do have to hurry. Ravi had already gone on the other side
of the hedge and was helping Tom out
You next. You can do it beta, encouraged Ram Charan. Raj nodded reluctantly and forced himself
through the hedge to emerge on the other side. Suzy followed him and finally Ram Charan twisted and
turned and struggled to get his massive body through the very small openeing.
By the time the constable emerged out of the thicket, Ravi said Guys I am going down first. I will keep
the torch switched off, else those thieves will get alerted. Follow me closely and be careful okay.

74

The hill was very fainltly lit by the moonlight but Ravi who had now traversed this path a few times knew
exactly how to get down. This part of the hill was largely barren except for a few large deodhar trees
and small plants and shrubs around. Ravi literally bound down the hill followed by Tom. Both of them
were the most agile in the group and also familiar with the path. Despite the darkness, they navigated
the tricky slope deftly.
They were followed by Suzy who was quick but cautious and finally Raj and the constable who were
over cautious planting each foot carefully.
By the time Ravi and Tom reached the landing, the two figures ahead of them had almost approached
the oak tree . Ravi looked back and seeing that Raj and the constable were only half way down he said
in a hushed tone Raj, you got to hurry or those thieves are going to escape.
Raj realized that he was slowing down the entire group and in an attempt to move faster he took a very
long stride. However, his foot landed on a loose rock making him lose his balance. Raj tried to steady
himself and in the process grabbed the Ram Charans bamboo cane. The constable who was right
behind Raj was caught unawares and he too lost his balance. The momentum of two enormous human
beings trying to balance themselves proved hugely unsuccessful, as both of them came hurtling down
the slope; Raj first followed by Ram Charan.
Raj was still holding on to the constables cane for dear life as both of them slid down with their legs
entangled, like two freestyle wrestlers . Raj s knee bumped against a rock and he let out pain filled
groan that pierced the silence of the night and reverberated through the valley..

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Chapter 26: The Ghost of the Forbidden Oak

31/08/2014
The two figures with the bobbing lights had reached the forbidden oak. The two kilometer long walk
through the hilly terrain with only lanterns for light had taken made them tired. They paused for a minute
to catch their breath. One of the two, the taller figure then signalled to the other figure to get moving.
The other person opened a backpack and took out a long white rope.
The plan was to tie the rope to a huge boulder that lay near the cliff and use it to climb down the fairly
steep cliff, to the house where their boss would be waiting for them.
Thus far, neither of them had noticed anyone following them and they went about their activities
cautiously but normally. But suddenly, their attention was caught by a loud groan that came from
behind them down the slope.
The taller figure looked back and said Darn, there is somebody following us. Hurry, tie the rope quickly.
We have to get away from here as fast as we can
On the other side Ravi, Tom and Suzy helplessly watched Raj and Ram Charan hurtle down the slope
and stop a few feet in front of them. Raj was in obvious pain as his knee had been bruised. The other
three rushed towards him. Suzy asked in a concerned voice My gosh, Chubbs are you hurt a lot?
No I am okay, just a small bruise, said Raj trying to sound brave despite the pain he was
experiencing. You guys continue, else those theives will escape. I will be fine
Tom looked at Ravi and said Raj is correct, if we do not carry on the theives will escape and all our
effort will be for nothing. You and I should go on, while Suzy can stay back and help Raj.
He added Ram Charanji, hope you are okay? We will require you to come with us. The constable who
was slightly dazed , nodded as he got up from his supine position. He grimaced as he too had bumped
himself around a few times. You kids run along, I will come right behind you. I cannot run as fast as
you kids but will try my best.
Ravi said Okay Tom, lets get going. Those theives probably already know by now that they are being
followed and will be on the alert
They both started running uphill towards the forbidden oak. Ravi realized that it no longer made sense
to keep the torch switched off. He switched in on and directed it along the hill to get a view of the best
path to proceed. As he pointed it uphill at the oak tree he realized that it was still about fifty feet away.
He could see two figures with their backs towards them. They were stooping low and frantically trying to
do something. He could not see that they were tieing a rope around a boulder near the cliff, which they
would .use to climb down the cliff.
Hey! You two, wait right there. Your game is up, shouted Tom.
Ravi was was climbimg up at top speed, slipped on the loose soil just as he took a large step to get
onto the flat land. He momentarily lost his balance and in an effort to stabilize himself he had to let go
off the torch. The torch fell on the ground with its beam pointing directly into the eyes of Tom, who was
following close behind.
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Tom was blinded for a moment but managed to bend down and grab the torch. By that time Ravi also
regained his balance.
When Tom redirected the torch towards the oak tree which was now just ten feet in front of them, both
Ravi and he saw something that made them stop dead in their tracks. Standing right next to the oak
tree was a figure wearing a long white robe with a hood over the head and also had a white scarf
wrapped around the face. All that they could see were a pair of shining hazel coloured eyes.
Ravi immediately recognized that the figure with the masked face looked exactly like the one that he
had seen, the first time he had come to the forbidden oak. Gh..gh.. ghost, Tom th..thats the ghost,
Ravi stammered scared out of his wits.
Seeing the hooded figure Tom also felt shivers run down his spine. Although he did not believe in
ghosts he could not believe what he was seeing. Several thoughts raced through his mind Was he
really seeing a ghost? Were the thieves ghosts? Could this be happening.

The hooded figure took a couple of steps forward to grab a large thick branch that had broken off the
oak tree. That was when Tom noticed the limp in the figures walk. He quickly turned the torch towards
where they had earlier seen the two thieves sitting and he saw that there was only one person
squatting there, frantically tring to fasten the rope to the boulder.
Tom immediately realized that it was no ghost that they were witnessing, but it was the same man who
had stolen the Buddha from the Museum. He shouted at Ravi who was a few steps ahead of him and
still in a daze Ravi, Ravi thats no ghost. It is the thief, the man with the limp. He is just wearing this
robe to look like a ghost.

The hooded man limped a few more steps forward towards the approaching boys and took aswipe at
them with the branch. Ravi who standing closer to the figure, had now recovered from his daze and
ducked just in the nick of time. The branch missed his head by a whisker.
The man was off balance for a moment but quickly recovered and got prepared to take another swipe
at the boys. But before thatTom flashed the torch directly into the hooded mans visible eyes.
Blinded by the bright beam the man closed his eyes for a moment giving Ravi enough time to use all
his force and ram his shoulders into the his torso sending him reeling down to the ground.
Ravi jumped on top of the man and both of them got into a scuffle. However, the man was much older
and stronger compared to Ravi and managed to push him back
Sensing that Ravi might need help, Tom too jumped on the man who was trying to get up and pinned
him down by his shoulders. Ravi also got back into the act. The man struggled to get himself free but
could not overcome the combined strength of the two of them.
Amidst this commotion, the other person who was desperately trying to secure the rope around the
boulder got up and headed towards the boys to assist the overpowered man.
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However, constable Ram Charan reached there in time, gasping for breath as he had literally run up the
slope at his fastest possible spend. Still breathing heavily through his mouth, Ram Charan raised his
bamboo cane and warned the the second ghost like figure Stay right there, do not try anything tricky.
Reinforced in strength by the presence of the constable, Ravi who was now literally sitting on top of the
fallen man, forced the scarf off the mans face. What was revealed was a young man probably in his
late twenties with hazel eyes and long unruly hair. Neither Ravi nor Tom had seen him earlier.The man
continued to struggle unsuccesfully to get himself free.
Tom turned to the other person, who had stopped on seeing the constable and told And you must be
Vijay Singh. Off with your mask. I always suspected you right from the beginning. You game is up Tom
pointed the torch at the other person to see who it might be.
Yes, off with your mask, if you dont want to be whacked with my cane warned Ram Charan. Seeing
no other option, the person unwrapped the scarf that covered the face and head.
The face that became visible was not that of Vijay Singh. It was not even that of a man. It was a young
woman. She looked a few years younger that her colleague, had fair skin and long brown hair that was
tied up behind her head in a bun.
Tom stared at her agape, totally at loss of words. All through out he and his friends had kept suspecting
Vijay Singh but this he could believe the twist in events. He immediately recognized who the woman
was. He muttered slowly My God! I have seen you. You are.., er I know you. Yes, you work at the
Read hotel as a receptionist.
What? exclaimed Ravi, Who is she? You never mentioned anything about her, Tom.
Tom replied getting a bit annoyed at Ravis question, That is because I never suspected her to be a
theif, of all people. I had seen her the day I had gone to the hotel to investigate, and came with the
guest list. She was at the reception and it was when she stepped out for some work, that I sneaked into
the reception and got that list.
Turning back to the woman he said So it was you who I saw outside the gate, getting into the car. Your
colleague here and your boss were waiting to pick you up and I assumed it was Vijay Singh.
Suzy had just walked up the hill and stood besides Tom and Ravi. Behind her were two more
policemen, who had reached the place using the directions that had been given by Ram Charan earlier.
Ram Charan instructed them to grab the lanterns that the two thieves had kept near the boulder, so that
they could have more light.
When Suzy saw the faces of the two culprits she also recognized the female and said Tom, I have
seen her once. Isnt she the receptionist from Read hotel? We kept suspecting Vijay Singh all the time
as the insider but it turns out to be this lady.
Tom nodded as Raj walked in gradually, limping as his bruised knee still hurt.
Ravi, who had been still sitting atop the man with the limp, finally got up as he saw that there was no
way these two could escape with so many policemen around. The man also stood up and stood next to
his partner with his head hung in shame. His partner, the girl was literally in tears. One of the policemen
who had just come walked up to the two of them and hand-cuffed them to each other.
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So where is your boss?, asked Ravi Whats his name? Anand Mehra. isnt it? Is he waiting for you
guys down there? He pointed down towards the cliff.
The two culprits did not respond. Their dreams of earning rupees ten lakhs and starting a life together
away from Nainapur had come crashing down. They did not know what was in store for them.
The four friends walked up to the cliff from where they could see the house below. It was dimly lit and a
car was parked outside. It meant that Anand Mehra was down there waiting for the two persons who
stood handcuffed near them.

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Chapter 27: We Did It!

20/9/2014
Down inside the decripit house, Anand Mehra was getting impatient. He looked at his watch which
showed 7:30 pm. His two accomplices had not yet reached. The last he had spoken to them was
shortly after the Buddha had been stolen. They should have been here by 7 pm. Why are they taking
so much time? What could have happened to them? he wondered.
He took out his mobile phone and dialled a number, that of the man who had stolen the statue from the
museum. What Anand Mehra was not aware was that his accomplices were standing right next to the
oak tree with their hands cuffed to each other.
The phone kept ringing in the mans pocket but he could do nothing to pick it up. On getting no
response, Anand Mehra panicked. He had to decide fast. If his accomplices had been caught it would
not be late before police got behind him. He rushed towards the steel cupboard that was in one of the
rooms. He opened it to reveal an entire shelf full of antiques and artifacts. These had been stolen from
Nainapur as well as other neighbouring towns over the past two months. They included the two bronze
murtis, the Radha Krishna idol and Ms. Malinis necklace.
He grabbed a large suitcase that was on top of the cupboard, opened it and quickly stuffed the relics
into it. The suitacase had already been filled with old clothes to cushion the items.
He closed the suitcase and placed its rollers on the floor. He grabbed the long trolley handle and
rushed out of the house to get into his red car parked outside. He had to make his exit out of Nainapur
for ever. Hopefully nobody knew about his hiding place.
Ravi, Tom, Suzy and Raj were still peering off the cliff looking at the house. Ram Charan and the other
two policemen were interrogating the two robbers.
Ravi said We have to get down there before Anand Mehra escapes. It is steep climb down but with the
help of this rope that these two have tied to the boulder I should be able to make it. After all they were
also planning to climb down.
Tom replied It is too dangerous Ravi. These culprits might have practiced climbing down. If you fall
down you are surely going to break an arm or leg. Besides, there is no way you can tackle Anand
Mehra on your own.At the very moment Anand Mehra emerged out of the house and started walking
towards his car. Suzy caught a glimpse of his silouhette in the dark and shouted Look there he is. He is
leaving. He also has a suitcase with him, probably with all the stolen items.
Ravi cried out excitedly Oh no, there is no way we can get down in time. We are going to lose him.
Tom turned to the policemen standing behind and shouted Ram Charanji, their boss Anand Mehra is
getting away. What do we do now?
Down below Anand Mehra heard faint noises coming from up where the kids were standing. He looked
up and realized that his accomplices had been caught. He quickly opened the back door of his car and
put the suitcase containing the loot inside. He banged the door close and proceeded to get into the
drivers via the front door.
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Ram Charan told his colleagues to keep a watch on the two and walked over to where the kids were
standing. He said I had already informed Inspector saab to reach this place. Although it is a round
about drive to reach this place, I am sure he must be on his way.
I hope he reaches soon, prayed Ravi He is our only chance to catch the man.
Suddenly the kids noticed two beams, light up the narrow road below brightly. At the same time
theyalso heard the sound of the police jeep siren blaring. Soon they saw a police jeep emerge from
round the corner with a red blinking light on top.
There he is, cried out Ram Charan excitedly, jumping up and down like a small child, his jelly belly
bouncing merrily with him.
The police jeep drove in fast and blocked the pathway that Anand Mehra was taking to get his car out
of the compound gate onto the road. Seeing that he was cornered , Anand Mehra got out of his car and
made a dash towards the side of the compound wall in a bid to escape. However, two policemen got
out of the jeep and chased him and soon overpowered him.
All of this was visible to the kids from top of the cliff because of the bright headlights of the police jeep.
They jumped excitedly and high fived each other. We have done it, said Tom.
The mobile phone in Ram Charans pocket rang. The constable took it out and saw the name Inspector
Saab flashing. The mobile signal was weak but sufficient. He picked up the call and put his mobile on
speaker phone. The voice of the inspector crackled through the speaker Ram Charan, we have got
him. Well done for calling me in advance and directing us to this place.
The constable beamed with pride on being praised by his boss. He replied Saabji, here we have
caught the two robbers who worked for Anand Mehra. And all of it is thanks to these four kids. Without
them we would not have been able to catch them. He added saabji, they are right here with me
listening to you on the speaker phone.
The kids heard the inspector reply back Well done children. What you have done is really heroic and
praiseworthy. You have helped us solve the biggest crime in Nainapur in many years. I know it is quite
late now. Let the police take over from here. You kids go home as your parents will be worried. I shall
meet you tomorrow. The inspector hung up the phone.
Ram Charan turned to the kids and patted them on their backs. Grinning from ear to ear, he told them
Brave children, you have made me popular with my Saab. Thank you so much. But Saab is right, lets
get going now. In fifteen minutes the festival will also come to an end.
The next fifteen minutes passed in the kids walking back to the main road. All of them walked back
silently, with only Suzy regularly asking Raj if he was okay and could walk. Although Raj was hurt, the
excitement of the events that had unfolded had made him forget the pain. As the kids walked out of the
woods to the road and reached the place where Rajs BMW was parked, they saw the fireworks light
up the sky in the distance. It was almost as if the entire town was celebrating their success.
Ram Charan walked up to the kids and told them what his colleagues had found out upon interrogating
the two robbers. Anand Mehra had hired the hazel eyed man with the lure of paying him Rupees ten
lakhs if he helped him with robberies. Both of them had planned out all the robberies.

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The girl was the mans fiancee. She had not been aware of the earlier robberies but her fiancee had
coerced her into helping him with stealing Ms. Malinis necklace as she worked at the hotel. He had
promised her that they would get enough money to leave Nainapur, get married and settle down in
Delhi as they had always dreamt. When the man got injured, while stealing the necklace, the girl had no
option but to help him with the final robbery.
The kids bid goodbye to Ram Charan, who got into the police jeep with his colleagues and the two
robbers.
Raj told his chauffer to first drop Ravi at his house near near Market Road followed by Tom and Suzy
at Toms mansion. Suzy had already got permission from her hostel, at Mrs Reads request, to stay
back at Tom house for the night.
As the car drove through the dark night, Ravi who was seated in the seat next to the chauffer turned
around and said We did it guys! What a day it was! And we solved not one but two mysteries. Raj
exclaimed Two mysteries! I understand the one about these robberies, but which is the second one?
Ravi smiled and replied Well, in the end it was not a mystery at all. I mean, the ghost at the forbidden
oak I thought I had seen the first time I went there, it turned out to be no ghost at all. It was probably
one of the robbers that I had seen the other evening.
Suzy intervened Yes, thats true and now all the pieces of the jigsaw fall in place. The forbidden oak
was always the escape route for the thieves. All the thefts were conducted in the evening and the plan
was to take advantage of the fading light while making the escape via the woods to their secret hideout.
They knew that nobody ever went that way, fearing the legend of the forbidden oak. So after commiting
the crime they put on those white robes and scarf and carried lanterns to look like ghosts. This was just
to make sure that if anyone did venture that way, they would be scared out of their wits seeing white
ghostly figures carrying lanterns.
Tom nodded and said Quite right, even I was completely scared when I saw those two hazel eyes
staring through the masked and hooded figure. Ravi we cannot blame you for believing it was a ghost.
Also, I was so wrong about Vijay Singh. Poor guy, he was innocent all along. We even sent the police
chasing him. I must apologize to him when I meet him.
Raj replied with a grin Well, we are allowed some mistakes arent we. If you had not suspected him
you would not have snooped into the hotel and you would not have found about Anand Mehra being a
hotel guest. Alls well that ends well.
Yeah, said Suzy each one of us found some vital evidence and clues that helped us solve the
mystery. So heres a high five for all of us.
Raj said Things are going to so boring from tomorrow. No more adventure and no more mystery to
solve. Tom smiled Dont worry Chubbs. Who knows, there will be one more very soon. Besides, we
need to go to school as well
The car reached the market square in ten minutes where most of the crowd had dispersed after the
fireworks. Some workers were busy pulling down the stage and gathering and stacking up the plastic
chairs. The car stopped next to the place where the kids had kept their bicycles. Rajs chauffer had
already summoned the other SUV and it was parked next to the cycles.

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Ravi got down and unlocked his bicycle. He bade goodbye to his friends and cycled quickly down the
road that led to his house, hoping that he reached before his father did.
Rajs driver hauled the other three cycles into the SUV and then both vehicles proceeded to first drop
Tom and Suzy and then take Raj to his apartment.

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Chapter 28: A Job Well Done

Tom woke up at at eight am in the morning. After reaching home the previous night, he and Suzy were
received by Mr. and Mrs, Read, who had already been informed by the police inspector about the
robbers being caught and the role the kids had played in catching them. Mr. Read had hugged Tom
and Mrs. Read did the same to Suzy. Although they were both proud of what the kids had done, they
were also concerned as things could have gone awry.
Tom and Suzy had excitedly narrated the entire series of events to Toms parents for next hour or so. It
had been eleven in the night by the time Tom had hit the bed in his bedroom. Suzy had slept in the
guest bedroom.
Tom tooked at the watch and realized that he was late for school. He jumped out of bed, brushed his
teeth and took a quick shower before getting into his school clothes and rushing down to the dining
room downstairs. Suzy was already at the table with breakfast laid out in front of her. Mr.Read was also
seated at the table while his wife was busy bringing some cakes and fruits to the table.
Sorry I am late, Suzy said Tom. Hope we dont miss the first class.
You arent going to school today, said Toms dad with a tone of pride in his voice You kids have been
summoned; to the Mayors office.
Shortly, Mr. and Mrs. Read along with Tom and Suzy arrived at the Mayors office. They were ushered
to a conference room where they saw that Ravi was already seated along with his parents. Surprisingly,
Raj had also reached before them. Also, in the room was the Senior Police Inspector, who shook
hands with Mr. Read upon seeing him. Constable Ram Charan was also seated at one corner, looking
obviously overawed to be present at the Mayors office.
Mrs. Read exchanged pleasentries with Mrs Singh and seated herself next to her. Tom and Suzy also
took chairs next to Ravi and Raj. They were all excited with the chance to meet the Mayor face to face.
The Senior Inspector walked up where the kids were seated. He patted Toms shoulder and said
Children, I have to personally thank you for helping Nainapur Police in nabbing those thieves.If it
hadnt been for your sharp thinking and investigation followed by the heroic effort last night, those
thieves would have escaped and we would have been left red faced. However, there is something I
would like to advice you. While what you did was brave, it was also dangerous. Anything could have
happened. Next time make sure you keep the police informed well in advance, okay.
The four friends nodded.
The Inspector added And remember, this time things worked out for you. You could have been
completely wrong. Take for example, you guys suspected Vijay Singh, but he turned out to be
innocent.
The kids smiled sheepishly and Tom was the first to reply Yes sir, we must apologize to you and also
Vijay Singh. All the clues made us believe that sombody from the hotel was definitely involved and
somehow Vijay Singh seemed the most probable suspect.
Suzy added, Especially last evening, when we were following him near the market place, he suddenly
disappeared and just around the time the statue was stolen.The Inspector laughed and replied Yes,
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that was because he was sitting in front of me at the police station. In fact, when you kids had
complained about him yesterday morning, I had him put on watch and had also asked him to report to
the police station in the evening.
Ravis dad spoke up from the other side I completely agree with the Inspector, while what you kids
have done is commendable and we are proud of you for that, you must apologize to Vijay Singh. Poor
guy, he is such a hardworking and sincere employee and was completely shaken up when the police
came and interrogated him. Laxman Singh paused for a moment and then added in a regretful tone,
But even I never suspected that Nisha would be involved. She was such a sweet girl and all the guests
appreciated her helpfulness
Nisha Sharma was the name of the girl at reception. Ravi knew that his dad always prided in his staff
members and his pride had taken a beating because one of his employees had been involved in the
theft that almost ruined the reputation of the hotel.
Ravi looked at his dad and said We sure will apologize to Vijay Singh, dad, we owe it to him.
Tom also added Uncle, in fact our suspicion on Vijay Singh started because he was the most recent
employee to join the hotel and we assumed that he would not be that loyal as the old timers. Obviously
there was a very weak logic. But, now I remember seeing the receptionists name Nisha in the list that I
had got from Mr. Gupta. She had also joined just a few months before Vijay Singh. We never
considered her as we did not think that a female would be involved in such a bold robbery .
Mayor Verma arrived shortly and walking up to Mr. Read shook his hands. He also shook hands with
Laxman Singh, greeted the women and then proceeded to the chair at the head of the long rectangular
mahogany table around which all the others were seated.
He said Inspector Sharma has apprised me of the events that unfolded yesterday. I am glad that we
have been able to catch the thieves and retrieve all those valuable artifacts worth crores of rupees. He
looked at the friends and added I am extremely proud of the four of you.You have not only help nab
those thieves but also protected the heritage and dignity of Nainapur.
He paused as the kids looked at each other beaming with pide. The Mayor continued I also have a
guest who would specially like to thank you. He signalled to an attendant standing nearby, who
stepped out of the door. Everyone turned their head towards the door trying to guess who the special
guest could be.
In came Madhu Malini, smiling and looking resplendent in an expensive silk saree. Adding to her
radiance was the stolen necklace, shining in all its brilliant glory. She walked towards the kids and
patted their heads in gratitude. She exchanged pleasantries with their parents, said hello to the
inspector and sat down next to the Mayor. The Mayor welcomed her and asked her to speak a few
words.
Ms. Malini started by saying What can I say? When the neckalce was stolen I was completely heart
broken. It is one of my most precious belonging, not because of its value in money terms but because
of its value in sentiments. It was a gift from my late husband that he had presented me with, just a few
weeks before his death.
Ms.Malini sniffed and wiped a tear from her eye and added I had lost all hope of getting it back but
Mayor Verma assured me that the people of Nainapur would do everything to get me back my
necklace. Thanks to you lovely children I have found the necklace. I do not have enough words to
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express my gratitude. I will now be able to leave this beautiful town with very pleasant memories of the
love and caring I have received from the people all of last week.
She looked at the Mayor who nodded and turning towards the children he said And kids to recognize
what you have done to solve ths case and I would like to ask Ms. Malini to present to each one of you
the Mayors medal for bravery. It is a very prestigious award and I am proud to say that you are the first
children ever to receive it. Please come over and accept it.
Tom, Suzy, Raj and Ravi could not hide their joy when they heard this. Smiling ear to ear they walked
one by one and accepted the shining medal from Ms. Malini, applauded by the parents, the Mayor, the
Inspector and Ram Charan. The medal was embossed with a large star in the centre and had the
words BRAVERY written below it. They then posed for a photograph with Ms. Malini and the Mayor.
Once they had settled down the Mayor spoke again While you kids have done a great job, the city
would also like to recognize the efforts of Constable Ram Charan. His presence of mind ensured that
Inspector Sharma and his team could reach in time to catch the ring leader Anand Mehra. In
recogninition of his efforts the Police Department has announced Ram Charanspromotion to the grade
of Senior Police Constable and he also gets a certificate and cash award of Rupees twenty five
thousand.
Everybody clapped on hearing this, the kids the most. The cherubic constable had been of great help
to them and without his assistance they would certainly have not been able to nab the thieves. Ram
Charan got up awkwardly from his chair grinning sheepishly, feeling embarassed at the attention that
was being showered on him by people who he thought were much above his stature. He saluted his
boss and then the Mayor, his giganticv frame wobbling all along. He then accepted his certificate with
pride and as he walked back he looked at the kids and gave them the thumbs up sign.
As the formalities concluded, everyone gathered together. The proud parents, the Reads and Singhs
hugged the children feeling absolutely elated. The kids walked over to Ram Charan and shook his
hands. In the past two days they had bonded as friends.
The next thirty minutes was spent posing for photographs and interviews with the local news reporters.
The gang of four had become famous overnight. There would be more adulation and accolades when
they went to school the next day.
Lunch was to be served at Toms house. Mrs.and Mr Laxman Singh accompanied the Reads in their
car while the four kids took Rajs car. Ms.Malini had also been invited as it was her last day in Nainapur.

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Afterlogue
Three days had passed since the four friends had received the Mayors Bravery award. They had
become instant celebrities in Nainapur. On Thursday, The Nainapur Times was replete with articles
about how four children helped the police nab the thieves and solve the Nainapur robberies. On the
front page itself was a picture of them with the Mayor and Ms. Malini.
Tom, Suzy and Raj had been felicitated by their Dean at the school on Thursday morning during the
school assembly. Almost the entire day they had spent telling their classmates as to how the solved the
mystery.
Ravis public school was not as elaborate but his Principal had called him to his cabin and personally
congratulated Ravi. He too had become a hit with his friends, many of whom had heard how Ravi
faced the ghost at the forbidden oak. Nobody was willing to listen to Ravi explanation that there was
actually no ghost. After a while Ravi stopped trying to explain and basked in the glory of his fame.
On Saturday morning the four friends once again gathered at the Den.Tom had proudly displayed the
medal received from the Mayor and the certificate received from his school on the wall. As they sat
around the small coffee table munching cookies, Suzy said Guys, hasnt it been a wonderful week. I
never expected us to get so much attention. All these years we have been trying to seek adventure all
through Nainapur, but by far this was the most complicated and interesting mystery.
Thats true, remarked Raj but it has set the bar of excitement and adventure so high. I told you it is
going to get boring after this.
Cmon Raj, said Tom mysteries are not going to keep falling into our laps every day. But we must not
let go the spirit of adventure. Imagine all these years we had neither visited the Museum nor been to
the woods where the forbidden oak is.
Ravi agreed, Exactly, there is so much more to explore around Nainapur on our bikes. Where do we
go tomorrow?
What! exclaimed Raj you mean we are going to explore all these new places on our bikes. Oh! No. I
better tell Driver Uncle that he has to be around all the time and also tell Leela Mausi to cook some
extra food and snacks every weekend.
The four friends had a hearty laugh at that.

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