The Pearl of Bengal by Sir Steve Stevenson Read Free Book Online Page A

himself that Naveen is guilty. All he’s waiting for is his confession!”
    Dash ran his hand through his hair. “We’ve only got four hours!” he cried, on the verge of panic. “What can we possibly do in such a short time?”
    Chandler raised an eyebrow. “Find the real culprit?” he asked drily.
    “Well, duh! But we’re groping around in the dark!” Dash moaned.
    Agatha rushed to the reception desk and came back with a map of the Sundarbans National Park. She spread it on the table and studied it for several minutes.
    Meanwhile Dash paced in circles, repeating, “We don’t have a clue! Literally! How can we catch a thief with no evidence?”
    Agatha stared at her cousin, then back at themap. Intuition lit up her eyes. “Dash, you’re a genius!” she chortled.
    He froze in his tracks. “I’m a genius?” he asked in a strangled voice. “I’m the worst detective in history!”
    “No, you’re a genius!” Agatha said. “We’ve been following Deshpande’s list instead of conducting a real investigation based on evidence and clues. We need to fix that immediately!”
    “But the Temple of Kali is under surveillance,” Dash said. “How will we get inside it?”
    “I have an idea,” whispered Agatha, pulling them closer and pointing at a spot on the map. She quickly explained her plan while the others nodded with growing enthusiasm. Then she asked, “How long will it take, Uncle Rudyard?”
    “Ten minutes by plane to get there, an hour and a half to return overland.”
    Agatha checked her watch. “Perfect! All rightthen, let’s meet at the Temple of Kali at ten on the dot!”
    Uncle Rudyard handed her one of his many cameras, equipped with a zoom lens. Then he and Chandler sped off to their secret destination.
    As soon as the two men disappeared, Dash voiced his doubts. “This is our last hope. Are you sure it’ll work?”
    “Of course!” exclaimed Agatha.
    “So what do we do now?”
    “We relax. And I’m going to finish my chai while we wait,” she said with a smile.
    The minutes passed slowly, like sand trickling through an hourglass. Dash paced around the garden, every so often casting an eye at the street. Agatha sat at the table, stroking Watson and jotting down notes in her notebook. No more words were exchanged till she picked up her purse and calmly announced, “Time to go.”
    Putting on a brave front, Dash strode throughthe village with confidence. But as soon as they were surrounded by jungle, he slowed down, flinching at shrieking monkeys and rustling leaves. Just before they reached the temple, he stopped short and turned to face Agatha. “Is this close enough?” he asked nervously.
    “These tree ferns offer excellent cover.” His cousin nodded. Crouching behind a bush, she took out Rudyard’s camera, using its long lens as a telescope like the housebound photographer in
Rear Window
. She zoomed from the small group of pilgrims at prayer and the guard at the door. It was amazing how close they appeared.
    Cautiously Dash crouched beside her.
    “What time is it?” Agatha asked, and he glanced at his EyeNet.
    “Five to ten. Think they’ll get here on time?”
    “Calm down, Dash. It will all go according to plan!”
    Just at that moment, a bloodcurdling roarechoed through the jungle. The devotees stopped chanting, and the guard swiveled, pulling a pistol out of his belt.
    Another roar sounded, much closer this time.
    The pilgrims bunched together, asking one another what was happening. Suddenly a tiger appeared on the steps of the temple. Everyone screamed in terror.
    It was a mighty, lithe, majestic beast.
    The tiger stepped forward hungrily.
    When it roared for the third time, the pilgrims fled toward the village, practically flying past the cousins’ hiding place. The guard scrambled after them, too scared to shoot.
    Watson emerged from the bushes, bravely stepping forward to meet the wild beast.
    The Siberian cat and the Bengal tiger sniffed each other with