Chapter VIII
“The plan to rob the jewels was such a masterly one that I doubt whether a third mind could have been behind the whole scheme. The only hardship in the entire process would be to get into the room housing the jewels. Antonio could get it out of the palace, but he could not get into the secure room. So it all began about two months ago when Faris1 underwent a massive liposuction surgery and then brought a flesh colored corset for himself. He then had a minor face alteration to resemble one of the Sheikha’s eunuchs, quite possibly a distant family member of his own. The real eunuch was then disposed of, by what manner, we are yet unsure.
“Then on the day of the robbery, Antonio set fire to the transformer near the courtyard and screamed in several voices, among them a girl, an old woman and an injured dog. The Sheikha on hearing these sounds rushed to see what the racket was about. In the confusion, she did not notice that one of her escorts failed to follow her. Faris, who remained behind, smashed the glass cases with ease. Since the transformer was out, the alarms did not sound. Faris then stuffed the jewels into a cloth back and rushed to the door to hand it over to Antonio. It is here that the plan fell apart and the human factor played its part.
“Antonio, after setting the fire in the courtyard and mimicking various injuries to some degree of success, was rushing to the secure room when he happened to see the serving woman in the palace mess. According to Faris, who blames the mess woman for the failure of the plan, even though the woman was ugly and twice his age, Antonio could not take his eyes off her.
“Faris realizing that time was running out and that his absence would be noticed any second, pulled up a tile in secure room itself and buried the bag there before joining his eunuch comrades.
“Antonio sensed his mistake but knew it was too late to do something about it. He went to the unnamed bar which was the rendezvous and was waiting there for Faris when the kind Doctor and I approached him. He ran away after assaulting us. I believe Faris informed him where he had hidden the jewels and it was now upon Antonio to retrieve them. So he set himself up on the adjacent rooftop with a sniper rifle pointed into the secure room.
Then when I was examining the room, I noticed a goose feather on top of the glass shards. This could only mean that a eunuch or someone poising as a eunuch was there after the glass had been shattered. Since it seemed improbable that a man would sacrifice those for a few jewels, I decided to follow my second hunch. So there were two suspects now. Then as I bent to pick up the feather, Antonio took his shot.
“Using my wit and ingenuity, I was able to escape the dreaded assassin and save the Doctor too. Then a series of misfortunes, which we have all agreed to put behind us, prevented us from visiting the room again. Nevertheless, my skill and dexterity once again permitted us to escape our bounds and reach the room before Antonio could. Then as the faithful Doctor would admit, I fought tooth and nail to snatch back the Royal jewels, nearly losing by life in the process. My only regret is that Antonio is still out there, but then again, he lives to get caught another day be me.
Inspector Lomdi has agreed not to let Faris out of his sight. I guess it is time the Doctor and I be off to our humble abode for some fresh coffee and chocolate muffins, and possibly a new mystery. After all, crime does not sleep. So long, gentlemen.”
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1. Faris Al Farik, known in criminal underworld as the ‘Swami of Saudi’, is a master infiltrator and scam runner in the leagues of Pappu the Bossad. Born, Vivek Bin Lodan, the second son of the fifth wife of a wealthy Saudi businessman, Faris joined the underworld as a small time gunrunner. His romantic liason with Saddam Hussein’s right hand man Chemical Jain brought him to the notice of the Interpol for the first time. Exiled by the family due to the unthinkable union, Faris then went to the north of India where his days were lost in a haze of ganja and cheap liquor. Dropping off the radar for a few months, he then resurfaced in Baroda as a blessed hermit claiming powers of healing and quickly found a large following of youth who named him ‘Swami of Saudi’. When it was discovered that he drugged his male followers and took advantage of them, Faris once again had to flee. He then successfully pulled off a series of daring heists across the globe before being apprehended by the even more cunning DJ.
