Painted Clues

It was a bright morning in Pondicherry. The town’s museum had opened a special show — “Hidden Treasures of the French Era.” The main attraction was a 200-year-old painting called The Sailor’s Promise. At 10:00 a.m., the caretaker unlocked the display case. By 10:30, gasps filled the room. The painting was gone. No broken glass. No alarm. Only an empty frame. Inspector Dev Menon and his young assistant Ravi arrived. “The thief knew exactly what he was doing,” Dev said calmly. They searched for clues. Near the back door was a red-dust footprint. Under the frame lay an old ticket stub. And the air smelled faintly of turpentine, used to clean paint. Ravi looked puzzled. “Sir, maybe someone from the museum?” Dev didn’t answer. He picked up the museum brochure. In its photo, the painting showed a lighthouse in the background — but the stolen one didn’t. The next morning, Ravi got a strange call. “If you want to see The Sailor’s Promise again, come to the old lighthouse at six,” said a woman’s voice before hanging up. At sunset, Ravi waited near the lighthouse. A woman appeared, holding a rolled canvas. “You shouldn’t have brought anyone,” she said. He noticed red dust on her shoe. She unrolled the painting slightly — faint blue lines appeared beneath the paint. “A map,” she whispered. “The French left something behind… something worth hiding.” Before Ravi could speak, footsteps echoed behind him—