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

curiosity. Then Uncle Rudyard strode out of the jungle, grinning from ear to ear. “Good girl, Maya, well done!” he said to the tiger,giving her a gentle pat on the neck. Agatha and Chandler joined him in praising the tiger, while Dash kept a safe distance.

    “Did your colleagues at the tiger reserve give you any trouble about this?” asked Agatha.
    Uncle Rudyard winked. “I just said I was taking my girl for a little walk,” he chuckled. “And now it’s time to go back home, right, Maya?”
    He pulled out a collar and leash, but the tiger thought it was a game and bounded away, disappearing into the lush vegetation. “She’s feeling frisky. I’d better go get her, kids,” their uncle said. “Go on into the temple without me!”
    He didn’t need to tell them twice.
    The lock was still broken, and Chandler nudged the door open with his flashlight. They slipped inside, pulling the door shut in case someone came back and noticed. It was pitch-black and the thick, dusty air smelled of incense.
    The circular beam of the flashlight skimmed over the walls, illuminating colorful tapestries, inlaid wooden carvings, bronze vases filled with scented oils, and countless other offerings.
    The atmosphere inside the temple was rich and mysterious.
    The roaming flashlight beam suddenly fell on the gigantic statue of Kali behind the altar.
    “Arrrgh!” yelled Dash. “What kind of monster is that?!”
    He instinctively jumped behind Agatha, who stared at the statue in wonder.
    It was easily twelve feet tall. The goddesswas depicted as a fearsome woman warrior with four arms, and her tongue was sticking out in a hideous grimace. Her skin was black, her robes sheathed with a layer of gold. Three severed heads hung from her belt, and a garland of miniature skulls fell across her chest.
    “Don’t be fooled by her looks,” whispered Agatha. “Kali the Black is a goddess of war, but that’s only one of her many aspects. She protects humankind from demons.” She cast a bright smile at her cousin. “And she’s very vengeful with people who act like cowards.”
    Dash pulled himself together. “Quick! Look for clues!”
    He and Chandler began scouring the room while Agatha took her flashlight and pointed it up at the statue’s four hands. “If memory serves me correctly, Kali wields a sword, a shield, a cup, and a snare,” she said aloud to herself.
    The cup was missing.

    Kali’s right hand, held highest in the air, was empty.
    “The Bengal Pearl was taken from there,” she told her companions. “Can someone please help me up?”
    “Right away, Miss!” replied Chandler.
    The butler laced his fingers together and boosted her up. Agatha tried to steady herself, touching Kali’s face. “If I could just reach that top hand,” she said feverishly. “But it’s too far away!”
    “How could they have taken the pearl from way up there?” asked Dash.
    Agatha suddenly froze. She was touching the tip of Kali’s nose, her thinking position.
    “What’s wrong, Miss?” asked Chandler.
    The girl didn’t reply. Her mind was working overtime.
    “What’s going on?” asked Dash. “Did you find a clue?”
    Agatha muttered along with her racing thoughts.
    “Twelve feet high…No room for a ladder…No way to climb up the statue…” Then she exclaimed, “Oh, of course!”
    “Of course what?”
    “The thief used some sort of a tool to push the cup out of her hand…something long!” She picked up the camera, zooming in on Kali’s hand. There were a few green wood shavings in the statue’s palm. “I’ve got it!” she cried joyfully. “I know who committed the theft!”
    Just then, the door swung open and someone advanced on them.
    Agatha’s first thought was that it must be Uncle Rudyard, but one glance at the man’s swirling robes told her it wasn’t him.
    The pilgrim stepped forward. Pointing his pistol right at them, he pulled the hood from his head.
    His face was familiar. In fact, it was all too