Colonel Neil's favorite attendant had a slight fever for two days. The neighborhood doctor, Tarak Babu, had come to see him. After giving plenty of reassurances and writing a long, detailed prescription, he settled down in a chatty mood. He spent some time discussing the country's current affairs. Then suddenly, with a subtle smile, he said, "Well, Colonel Saheb, you are a famous mystery solver. I've heard you've uncovered many complex mysteries. But has there ever been a case that you couldn't solve?"

The Colonel was looking at the prescription. He replied, "You could ask the same question about yourself."

The doctor looked slightly taken aback. "Why? Why?"

"You have a reputation as a doctor. Have you been able to diagnose every patient correctly?"

The doctor looked bewildered again. "Why? Why?"

The doctor shook his head and said, "No doctor can make such a claim."

The Colonel folded the prescription and placed it on the table. Then, leaning back in his easy chair and brushing ash from his white beard, he said, "In my case, it's the same. There are some mysteries I ultimately failed to solve."

Tarak Babu showed interest and said, "At least tell me about one such case. I'm curious to know."

The Colonel closed his eyes and began stroking his smooth head. I also became very curious. Because for a long time, I've been almost his constant companion. I've seen him solve countless complex mysteries with remarkable skill. It was hard for me to believe that he had failed in any case. So I couldn't help but say, "Amazing! I've never seen you fail. Besides, you've never told me about such a case."

"Jayanta!" he said, "Have you forgotten the story of the lost paired necklace from the Saidabad Royal Palace?"

I remembered. I said, "But no matter how mysterious the necklace's disappearance was, you did find out who stole it. Now if the thief disappears, what can you do? Finding a needle in a haystack is the police's job."

Doctor Babu was watching with eager anticipation. He said, "Give me some details, Colonel Saheb! The royal palace's paired necklace must have been very valuable at the time. How was it stolen?"

The Colonel said, this was a complex mystery that he could not solve. The necklace was supposedly a symbol of the royal family's good fortune. Whenever a new bride came to the family, a grand reception party would be held. At the party, the new bride would sit on the throne wearing the necklace. After the party ended, it would be removed and placed on the Lakshmi idol's neck in the basement. This was a generational tradition.

That night, it was almost half-past twelve when the party ended. Suddenly, it was discovered that the necklace was missing from the bride's neck.

Doctor Babu said, "Jayanta Babu says you identified the thief!"

Yes. From some clues, I had deduced that an employee named Jaygobind from the royal palace had somehow stolen the necklace. He lived alone in a room in the royal palace. But when raided late at night, it was found that he had vanished, leaving everything packed up. However, the mystery remained. When and how did Jaygobin steal the necklace? The hall was full of people. The lights were dazzling. Most surprisingly, even the new bride hadn't noticed when the necklace disappeared from her neck.

The Colonel's eyes widened. "Good. However, he is a journalist. A reporter from the Daily Satyasabak newspaper, Jayanta Chowdhury. You surely know that reporters dig up news in everything? What a stroke of luck! Please write this news for me. Expose those scoundrels. Yes, I'll tell you the news briefly. Time is money."

He turned to face the Colonel. "First, let me introduce myself. My name is Pran Nath Roy. I live in a small, separate room in a mess house at 27 by 3, Nokkuri Mistry Lane. I work at Motilal Trading Company. Lately, I've been noticing some ghostly occurrences. For instance, the pen I left on the table would be gone when I returned home, only to reappear in the same spot. Or, the shirt I hung on the hanger in a certain way would be rearranged when I got back. I have a small wooden almirah with a lock, but the items inside would be disarranged. Every evening, I have the habit of taking a walk in the park with my walking stick. Yesterday, I couldn't find my stick where I had left it on the bracket. Such incidents happen every day. I couldn't make sense of it. If a thief entered, they would steal something, but nothing has been stolen so far. I suspected that someone might be trying to scare me away. But last night, I woke up to a noise and saw the wooden almirah moving. It stopped immediately. I was too scared to sleep for the rest of the night. Time is money, and I couldn't delay any further. I had no choice but to seek your help."

The Colonel was listening quietly. After a while, he asked, "Do you have any valuable items in your room?"

"Not really," he replied. "I keep a minimal amount of money in the bank. This wristwatch, if you consider it valuable, I always wear it on my wrist. I only take it off when I bathe and keep it on the table. But it hasn't been stolen."

"What's your brother's name?"

"My brother's name was Har Nath Roy."

"Is he still alive?"

"No. I live in a mess house in the room where he used to stay. He was a vagabond, a free-spirited person. He never got married. I hadn't been in touch with him for many years. Suddenly, two months ago, I received a telegram saying he was in the hospital with a heart attack. I rushed to Kolkata immediately."

"Where were you then?"

"In Sahibganj. I have a branch of my company there, and our ancestral home is also there. My family still lives in Sahibganj."

"What happened then?"

"My brother was dying in the hospital. He recognized me and only said, 'Panu! Time is money. Remember that!' Those were his last words."

"That's an English proverb. Anyway, what happened next?"

"After his funeral, I went to the head office of my company. I had always wanted to transfer to Kolkata. Being at the head office has many advantages, you understand?"

"I understand. So, the company transferred you to Kolkata?"

"Yes. The mess manager, Mr. Prabhat, was a friend of my brother's. So, he let me have my brother's room at the same rent."

"Did your brother have any belongings in that room?"

"Yes. A charpoy, bedding, a chair, a table, a suitcase, a small wooden almirah, and so on."

"Anything else?"

"Let me think... Ah, yes! A huge wall clock. The clock was not working. I don't know why my brother bought it or why he didn't get it repaired. I thought of selling it, but it was a memory of my brother."

"Colonel smiled. 'Time is money.'"

"I nodded in agreement. 'My brother said that. Ever since then, for some reason, that phrase has been haunting me like a ghost.'"

"It has also haunted me," said the Colonel, lighting his cigarette. "Now, tell me, have you told anyone about the strange occurrences in your room, like Mr. Prabhat or anyone else?"

"I told Mr. Prabhat."

"What did he say?"

"He laughed it off. 'Your brother used to say the same thing,' he said."

"Now, I will tell you something in a low voice," said Pran Nath Babu. "The day after I moved into the mess, one of the boarders, Nonibabu, told me that there was a ghost in that room. Someone had committed suicide there many years ago."

"Alright. Time is money. We will visit your place at 5 pm today. But please keep this confidential. We will come as officers of your company."

Pran Nath Babu left, feeling reassured. The Colonel stroked his bald head and said, "What do you make of it, Jayant?"

"It seems the manager wants to get rid of him. If he can get a new boarder, he can charge higher rent and get a commission."

"But why did he let him stay at the same rent after his brother's death?"

"Maybe some other boarder, like Nonibabu, is interested in the room and is behind him."

The Colonel smiled. "Time is money. That phrase is indeed important, darling!"

I said irritatedly, "It seems that phrase has really become a ghost haunting you."

"Yes, that's the actual ghost. That ghost's mischief is happening in Pran Nath Babu's place." The Colonel stood up. "Let's get the medicines from Linta's brother Gorse downstairs. We'll cook dinner together and then go to Nokkuri Mistry Lane in the afternoon."

We had no trouble finding the two-story mess house. At the bend of a narrow lane, there was a small park. Pran Nath Babu was waiting for us downstairs. The ground floor had shops, and the mess was on the second floor. Pran Nath Babu's room was at the far end, next to the manager's room. As we passed by the manager's room, Pran Nath Babu informed him that officers from his company had come on an important matter. The manager, Mr. Prabhat, bowed deeply while sitting in his chair. He was thin and short, with a polite demeanor.

Pran Nath Babu opened the door and said, "Please sit down. I'll arrange for some tea."

"Time is money!" Colonel said, approaching the wall clock. He stared at it intently. The clock's hands were stuck at 12:30.

I joked, "This is what they mean by 'twelve o'clock high noon'."

The Colonel didn't react to my joke. He pulled up a chair and stood on it to examine the clock closely. After a moment, he said, "There was some writing on the dial, but it's been erased. However, the clock is British-made and quite expensive. Perhaps it was a gift to Har Nath or his ancestors."

The Colonel got down from the chair, put it back in its place, and approached the wooden almirah. He peered inside and muttered, "Indeed, this has been moved. The two right legs have shifted about an inch."

At this moment, Pran Nath Babu returned with two cups of tea. "Please have some tea first, and then I'll show you around."

The Colonel said, "Open this almirah, please."

Pran Nath Babu opened it, revealing clothes, books, and other items belonging to his brother.

The Colonel began to search through the almirah and said, "I want to see that suitcase of your brother's."

Inside the leather suitcase, they found some clothes and a file. The Colonel examined the papers in the file and said, "It seems your brother was a stock market broker!"

"Really? I hadn't looked through his papers yet."

"Please call Mr. Prabhat. I have a few questions for him."

Pran Nath Babu looked surprised but left to call the manager.

As he was leaving, Mr. Prabhat appeared out of nowhere, as if he had been standing outside the door listening. Pran Nath Babu returned as well.

The Colonel said, "Ah, Mr. Prabhat, I have some questions for you."

Mr. Prabhat smiled and said, "I understand you are from Lal Bazaar. However, sir, you are a bit late. Before he died, Har Nath hid some stolen goods.

The Colonel asked, "Stolen goods? What do you mean?"

"It means you know very well, sir. But I wasn't involved in this. Har Nath would sometimes tell me, 'Introduce me to a customer. The commission is yours to keep.' I didn't pay much attention to it."

"But what was the item?"

"Har Nath didn't reveal what it was. I only know it was very valuable, worth over a lakh. He also hinted to my owner, a crorepati, but he didn't dare buy it. He told me to get rid of him, but how could I? All the goons and ruffians in this area were under Har Nath's control."

Pran Nath Babu was indignant. "What are you saying, Prabhat? My brother-"

Mr. Prabhat interrupted him. "I've said too much. You handle this, Panu! Don't involve me in this matter." He left the room.

Pran Nath Babu sat down on the bed, exclaiming, "I don't understand any of this. My brother was a vagabond, but no one ever accused him of being a thief. And if he had valuable stolen goods, wouldn't I have found them? If he sold them, where did the money go?"

The Colonel lit his cigarette. I said, "Now it seems that someone is entering your room to search for your brother's stolen goods or the money from selling them."

Pran Nath Babu almost cried out, "There's nothing like that in this room!"

The Colonel was still looking at the clock and said, "Your brother said, 'Time is money,' didn't he?"

"Yes, sir."

"Time is related to clocks. Why aren't you getting the clock repaired?"

"It would cost a lot of money. I don't have that much."

"I'll get it repaired at my own expense. I think that once the clock is working, the ghostly disturbances in your room will stop. This stopped clock is summoning the ghost."

Pran Nath Babu stared at him.

The Colonel pulled up a chair and went under the wall clock. He then stood on the chair and lifted the huge clock down. "I'll return it to you in about a week after getting it repaired at a big company."

Back at his apartment on Elliot Road, the Colonel began to dismantle the clock. I asked, "Why are you so focused on this clock?"

The Colonel smiled, "Because time is money."

"Colonel, I'm worried that this stopped clock has made your brain stop working too."

The Colonel opened the dial cover and, using a magnifying glass, examined it closely. "Now it's clear. 'Presented to Mr. Joy Gobind Roy for his sincere service and honesty on the occasion of Kumar Bahadur Pramathanarayan Chaudhuri's 71st birthday...'"

I was startled. "This means it's a gift from the Saiddabad Rajbari. How did Har Nath get it?"

"Har Nath was Joy Gobind. I found a few old name cards in Har Nath's suitcase. See, Har Nath used an alias and got a job as a caretaker at the Rajbari."

"I understand. But where did the jade necklace go?"

"Don't forget, Jayant! When he died, Har Nath said, 'Panu! Time is money. Remember that.' Panu Babu didn't understand the clue. The necklace was stolen at 12:30 AM. That's why Har Nath set the clock to 12:30. And the necklace..." The Colonel opened the dial and pulled out a package wrapped in red velvet. "The necklace was here. The Colonel opened the package, revealing a glittering diamond and pearl necklace with a gold pendant. He smiled and said, 'Time is money!'"

The Colonel explained, "Har Nath must have stolen the necklace during the wedding party. The new bride was likely dozing off, and the necklace fell off. The caretaker, who was responsible for the gifts, took advantage of the situation. Clearly?"

I nodded, "All clear. Time is money, that's clear too."