An impossible theft. A locked treasury. A mother's desperate love. The Bundela royal jewels have vanished from Orchha Fort's heavily guarded treasury. The doors were locked. The seals intact. Three keys required to enter-all accounted for. Yet hundreds of priceless pieces are gone. Detective Inder Shastri faces an impossible crime with eight suspects: A widow desperate to save her dying son.A merchant who deals in precious gems.A fort commander with succession ambitions.A treasury keeper who failed to notice the theft.A priest who speaks of dharma and duty.And others, each with secrets to hide. But when Inder discovers the jewels weren't stolen-they were substituted with fakes over months-the investigation transforms into something far more complex. A mother's love. A child's life. The price of mercy when law demands punishment. In his most morally challenging case yet, Inder must choose: serve strict justice or honor compassion when a child's life hangs in the balance? An impossible theft becomes a profound meditation on justice, mercy, and the choices that define us. BOOK FIVE IN THE INDER SHASTRI MYSTERY SERIES