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Amitav Chandra’s neighbor. He’s just returned from a two-day trip up the river,” he explained. “If only I had been able to question him earlier!”
    With a small smile, Agatha opened her purse. “Do you want the witness statements back, Captain?”
    He shrugged. “Keep them, Miss, keep them!” he said with a happy sigh, ambling slowly away. “This case is closed!”
    Agatha wasn’t so sure.

T hey dined that night on the Tiger Hotel’s rooftop terrace, enjoying a spicy shrimp curry and charcoal-grilled naan bread. A fiery sunset lit up the sky, its colors reflected in the still waters of the Ganges. The night sounds of the forest made the scene even more exotic.
    “But the case isn’t closed at all,” Agatha told Uncle Rudyard and Chandler. “The captain has put Naveen Chandra in jail, but his father’s still missing and so is the pearl.”
    “You don’t think he’s guilty, Miss Agatha?” asked the butler, his broad shoulders aching fromcarrying Rudyard’s heavy scuba equipment.
    Agatha paused, making sure they were all paying attention. “Everything Naveen told us today corresponds with the statement he gave to Deshpande,” she said. “But the captain didn’t check out his alibi. The boy at reception confirmed that Naveen Chandra never left his room on the night of the theft.”
    Dash choked on his jasmine rice. “What?” he coughed. “Didn’t you say yourself that he could have just climbed out his window?”
    Agatha signaled her companions to follow her to the balcony railing. “Look down,” she said, pointing at the undisturbed muddy soil under Naveen Chandra’s window. “No footprints. And even if he let himself down with a rope—well, you can see for yourselves.” The walls of the hotel were surrounded by a dense thicket of mangroves, bamboo canes, and spiny plants.
    “He couldn’t havegone that way, not even with a machete,” Uncle Rudyard commented wryly. “He’d be covered with scratches.”
    Agatha turned to her cousin. “Did you notice any cuts or bandages on Naveen Chandra today?” she asked.
    “Hmm, let me think,” Dash ruminated. “Nope. Not a scratch.”
    “So his alibi stands, and Captain Deshpande has got the wrong man,” Agatha concluded.
    Everybody agreed.
    Only Dash, who’d been hoping to fly back to school with an easy A, seemed a bit disappointed.
    As darkness fell, the five companions set out to tell Captain Deshpande about his mistake.
    “Naveen Chandra’s arrest could actually work in our favor,” mused Agatha, tapping her nose with her finger. “The real culprit will be feeling secure now, so he’ll be more likely to let something slip.”
    “Good point,” agreed Dash. Rudyard nodded.
    “How do you plan to proceed, Miss?” asked Chandler.
    “The Spanish tourists and Brahman Sangali are the only ones left on our list of suspects,” said Dash. “Should we question them now?”
    “One step at a time.” Agatha smiled.
    She pulled the folder of statements from her purse and showed Dash the names of the two Spaniards. “Could you please check their criminal records on your EyeNet?”
    Dash nodded. “I’m on it.”
    He powered up his gadget, instantly accessing Eye International’s criminal archive.
    Looking over his shoulder, Uncle Rudyard watched him scroll down the long list. “You wouldn’t be able to get me one of those thingamajiggers, would you?” he whispered. “Be handy for tracking down poachers!”
    Dash’s eyes were fixed on the fast-movingscreen, and he didn’t reply. Then he exclaimed, “Incredible! Got ’em!”
    “Let’s hear it,” said Agatha. “What did you find?”
    Dash began rattling off his discoveries. “They’ve done heists all over the world! Listen to this: a solid-glass model of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, a miniature Colosseum from Rome, a Mickey Mouse puppet from Disneyland. It goes on and on!”
    Agatha burst out laughing. The others looked at her, stunned.
    “What’s so funny?” hissed Dash, his