Chapter III
By the time we reached the door, the scoundrel had disappeared.
“Damn”, cursed DJ slamming a fist into a palm, “He must be a ninja. Only a ninja can outrun me.”
“It’s okay DJ, we’ll run him down some other time”, I tried to soothe him.
It was dark when we reached the palace. An uncouth cad with a leering smile who went by the name Abdulla Al Tibari forestalled us at the gates and informed that there were no vacancies in domestic help at present. This flared up DJ who was about to deliver a well calculated head butt when Inspector Lomdi promptly appeared at the gates.
“Ah DJ”, he exclaimed while leading us in, much to the consternation of the gatekeeper, “I thought you would never come.”
“I’m a man of my word, Inspector”, reminded DJ, “even though I’m man of few words. Please take us through the terrible affair once.”
The Inspector nodded gravely1. “Okay, here’s what I was able to gather. The jewels are kept in a locked up secure room most of the time. The Sheikha was to see them today and so the room was opened. While she was admiring them, a fire broke out in the courtyard and there was screaming. The Sheikha, along with her escorts ran to the see what the whole ruckus was about leaving the door open. When they returned, it was all gone.”
“Is any of the household missing?”
“None. And we questioned everyone. No one appears suspicious.”
“Forgive me Inspector, but an honest man like you can be easily deceived. But a sharp mind like mine…”
“No offense taken DJ. That’s why I called you.”
We had reached the palace entrance. A huge and heavily decorated hall was before us. As we stepped in, a familiar voice greeted us.
“Hello there”. It was Sheikh Madar2. I smiled and shook his hand. DJ merely nodded his head.
“I am relieved to see you here, DJ. Now I know the jewels will be recovered. Since the Sheikh is away on a foreign trip, I have been entrusted with everything, including the camel stables. Anything you need, DJ?”
“I would like to speak to the Sheikha in private”, said DJ.
Sheikh Madar was taken aback for a second. “I’m sorry DJ”, he said, “The Sheikha is very much grief stricken after the terrible tragedy. Besides she does not grant private audience anymore.”
“Very well. Take us to the scene of this most unpleasant crime please.”
“Follow me”, said Inspector Lomdi. We left Sheikh Madar to his business. The Inspector took us through several rooms each grander than the last one. There were beautifully embroidered tapestries, handsome marble statues in various stages of copulation and magnificently carved dark wood furniture. Intricate murals and expensive paintings3 adorned the walls. A couple of rooms had splendid fountains in them. The air was sweet had a mild fragrance of jasmine. At last, we were taken to a small room with only one door and only high windows. Yellow crime scene tape bearing the BSPF logo crisscrossed the entire room. Smashed glass lay everywhere, sad remnants of the cases that once housed the precious jewels.
“Why was no alarm triggered?” enquired DJ.
“The fire in the courtyard blew out the transformers. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some paperwork to complete.” Inspector Lomdi left us.
DJ walked around the room taking in the destruction and probably the imagining the malice that lay behind it.
“We must speak with the Sheikha”, said DJ.
“But why?”, I asked, “How could she possibly help us?”
“It’s not about the robbery. I have some unfinished business with her and this palace, Doctor”.
I was about to ask more on this business when DJ noticed something on the floor. As he bent to pick it up, a there sounded a tiny click somewhere in the room. At once DJ leaped behind a counter pulling me down with him.
“We have a sniper on the rooftop of the next building”, whispered DJ, “and he is sniping”.
1. I asked the Inspector later what DJ’s dialogue meant and whether it had some Zen wisdom to it. The Inspector respectfully informed me that he had stopped caring about such matters long ago.
2. Sheikh Sanjeev Bin Marathe Al M’chod, fondly known as Sheikh Madar to his friends, is one of the wealthiest people in the whole of Arabia. I met him during the course of The Mystery of the Missing Underwear where DJ and I were successfully able to recover the Sheikh’s prized golden underwear. The Sheikh is known for his works of unnecessary philanthropy, relationship counseling, strictly adhered monogamy and fondness for camels, the degree of which is a tad suspicious.
3. I noticed Van Gogh’s The Orchids and Manet’s The Funeral On The River Bank amongst others.
