by Amit Khan
“You have to die,” Tilak firmly declared. “And you will die…Tonight. Because if you live, both of us will be in trouble.”
“But…”
“No more arguments…”
Tilak raised his hand holding the knife and took a step towards Brinda. His arm was about to swing when I shouted.
“No Tilak!”
I don’t know what happened. I don’t know why I did it. I just stopped Tilak by grabbing his knife-wielding hand.
“No! Don’t kill her.”
Tilak kept looking at me shockingly.
●
Brinda was the most shocked person at that moment.
“What are you saying, Shinaya?” Tilak asked. “Can’t you think what will happen if we let her go and she survives this night?”
“I know what will happen. I am not telling you to let her go, Tilak.”
“What do you mean?”
I was changing colour like a chameleon.
“Tilak,” I walked between him and Brinda and said, “You are forgetting something important. You are forgetting our plan. I was forbidding you from using any weapon. If you kill her with this knife, it will be a severe crime, a cold-blooded murder. In that case, police will arrest you immediately. Whereas…”
“Whereas…?”
Tilak looked at me quizzically.
“Whereas if we stick to our plan and murder her accordingly then no one would doubt that she has been murdered.”
“Oh my god!” Tilak sighed. “I was committing such a blunder by losing my temper.”
“Thank god, you didn’t use that knife.”
Tilak threw that knife on the trolley as if he was getting rid of a snake.
Brinda was bathing in sweat.
“What next?” Tilak asked.
“Find a strong rope and tie her up tightly to a chair.”
“I will get a rope.”
Tilak rushed outside to get a rope.
“Shinaya,” Brinda snarled. “You are making a mistake. This is wrong.”
“Now time will decide what is right and what is wrong,” I smiled and said.
Suddenly Brinda leaped to grab the knife on the trolley.
But before she could touch the knife, my kick hit her forcefully in the belly. She wiggled with pain.
I followed it with three-four slaps.
Brinda screamed and fell down.
“You have forgotten, Brinda,” I scowled. “I have always won and this time too I will win.”
Tilak arrived with a strong nylon rope.
●
Brinda was soon tied to a chair. Her hands and legs were restrained.
Tilak tied her so tightly that she was not able to move even an inch.
Brinda was helpless now. She was sweating badly and fear had gripped her mind.
Her eyes showed no other emotion except terror.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“Just wait and see what happens.”
“I am telling you again,” Brinda complained. “You are making a huge mistake. If you murder me you will be spending rest of life behind bars…both of you.”
“We will be fine, Brinda darling,” Tilak smiled deviously. “No one would even know that your death was a murder. It will look like a natural death…from complications of your illness.”
“That’s exactly your mistake,” Brinda yelled. “Every criminal thinks like you are thinking right now. You think you are smart enough to fool the law. What actually happens afterward is different. While criminal commits a crime and tries to destroy all evidence to escape prosecution, he is already preparing a knot around his neck.”
Tilak smiled at her words. His smile was proving his confidence in the perfection of my plan.
I bought 10 Dianil tablets and 10 sleeping pills.
“These are 20 tablets, Brinda darling.” I showed them all to Brinda. “These will become the reason for your death.”
I walked towards medicine trolley. A jug of water was kept on the trolley. I put those twenty tablets in a glass and then filled the glass with water.
Soon all those tablets dissolved completely in water.
●
Brinda was watching me prepare the death potion for her. I walked towards her with that glass in hand.
“What are you going to do now?” Brinda shivered at the thought.
“You will now drink this water. If 1 Dianil tablet knocked you down then just imagine what 10 Dianil tablets will do to you. Along with 10 sleeping pills. Enough to open doors of death for you.”
“No,” Brinda protested helplessly. “You can’t do that to me. You are a monster…Tilak, Tilak listen to me,” she tried appealing her husband. “You don’t know her Tilak. I will tell you…” Brinda shouted.
I realized what she was about to do and did not waste another moment. I grabbed Brinda’s face so that she could not speak anymore.
“Enough nonsense,” I interrupted Brinda’s words and said. “You will have to drink this.”
I don’t know what had gotten into me. It was as if some invisible force had taken over my mind and body. I was ruthless.
Brinda struggled and managed to clench her jaw.
“No,” she shook her head wildly. “No!”
Tilak stepped forward and grabbed her neck.
“Open your mouth,” he growled.
“No.”
She was jerking her head in refusal wildly. It irked Tilak.
The next moment he punched Brinda’s face. The blow made her scream and her mouth opened. As soon as her mouth opened, Tilak picked up a spoon from the trolley and jammed it in her throat. Brinda groaned with pain and her mouth remained open. A weird groaning voice continued to come out from her throat. Her eyes widened with terror.
“Shinaya,” Tilak grabbed Brinda’s throat and shouted- “Pour that water into her mouth…now!”
Brinda’s open mouth was facing upwards. I did not waste time and started pouring the water into her mouth.
I tried to steady my hands. They were trembling badly.
Brinda was not making it any easier. Her struggle continued. She was trying her best to move but Tilak’s grip was so tight that she was not able to move it at all. She tried to spit out that water but she failed. Soon I forced her to drink all the water.
●
I was in a bad shape. I was terrified.
I stepped back, away from Brinda. After all, it was my first murder. I had just killed my friend. Well, she was not dead yet but soon she was going to be. I stared at Brinda.
The steel spoon was still jammed in her throat.
There was no need to restrain her anymore. Tilak had let go of her neck. Soon he also removed that spoon.
He looked shaken too and watched unblinkingly.
“You have…you two have made a big mistake,” Brinda spoke in a creaking voice that could be barely heard at first. Soon it got stronger. “You will pay for this murder. You will not get away with this.”
Both of us listened without any reaction or words. We were not speaking at all; just waiting for something to happen to Brinda.
Suddenly Brinda’s body shook wildly. Her body started jerking badly. We could see that she was bathing in sweat. Her face was turning pale and her eyes were losing luster. As if life was slowly escaping her body!
Before we could realize her condition, she started convulsing. Her head was thrown back and forth repeatedly. It was a horrible sight.
“What’s happening?” I asked.
“I think…she is dying,” Tilak Rajkotia said.
A deep penetrating scream from her throat made us step back and cover our ears.
“Close all windows and doors. If she screams, again and again, it will be heard downstairs in the hotel. Hurry up.”
I rushed out to follow Tilak’s orders.
I was frantically running from one room to another shutting down windows and locking doors.
One more scream swept over me. Brinda had once more let out a he
art-wrenching scream. Now it sounded more painful…as if someone was screaming in the middle of crying.
Then silence took over the penthouse. A profound silence.
When I arrived back in Brinda’s bedroom after closing all doors and windows, my heart skipped a beat. Tilak had pressed his palm firmly against Brinda’s mouth so that she would not scream. Her condition was anyway looking bad. She looked too weak to scream.
Her eyes were rolling upwards. Her neck was wobbling. Then Tilak slowly loosened his grip and moved away.
“What happened?” a wave of bewilderment hit my mind.
“She is dead,” Tilak almost whispered as if his voice might wake her up to life.
I checked her heartbeat; looked for a pulse. There was none.
I moved away immediately.
●
10
Life after Brinda
It had been a very close encounter with death… too close.
I had never expected to see it so up close. I sat down on a chair and tried to think of something. I was blank and dizzy.
It was getting hazy.
What I was going through at that moment was indescribable. Impossible to put in words! I cannot explain that state of mind. All I can say is that I was terrified.
Brinda’s words were buzzing in my ears.
“This is your nature you scum…this is your dirty blood showing its true colour! To claim something that does not belong to you; you have always done that. You are a slut…just a cheap low-lying prostitute!”
“You are nothing more than Nightclub call-girl.”
I pressed my palms hard against my ears.
I saw. Tilak had untied Brinda’s dead body. It was not necessary anymore. He picked her up in arms and carefully carried her to bed. Slowly he put her down.
Some water had dribbled down her neck. He used a towel to wipe it. Her hair was spread haphazardly across her face. Tilak straightened them and pushed them behind her back.
He was very careful about every action. He wanted to leave no evidence of any struggle. Brinda’s death had to look natural.
A glimpse of Brinda’s face would not have raised any doubt at that moment. It looked very peaceful and innocent.
Anybody would have thought that she is asleep. Fast asleep for some time and soon she would get up! Some more time and she would open her eyes.
Death is a petrifying experience. I am talking about watching someone die and then being beside the dead body. I was looking at Brinda’s dead body and horrible thoughts were knocking on my mind.
Tilak picked up the earthen pot and carried it outside.
In the chaos that went on for quite some time, a lot of stuff had got disturbed. He rearranged all that just like it was before.
He closed the telephone diary which was lying open.
The nylon rope was still lying about. He got rid of that.
Then Tilak walked towards the phone, picked up the receiver and started dialing a number.
“Whom are you calling?” I found my voice.
“Dr. Maalpani,” Tilak replied. “We must inform him that Brinda is dead.”
“Dr. Maalpani!” I felt like a current passed through my body and I simply shouted at Tilak. “Are you crazy? If Dr. Maalpani arrives here now, he will surely know that Brinda’s sudden death is not natural. He will realize that we have killed her.”
“How would he know? We have got rid of all the evidence. There is nothing left here that could point to a foul play.”
“You have missed one important link. A very significant evidence of mishap,” I hissed.
“Significant evidence?”
“Yes. That glass window that we had to break through to get inside the bedroom. Something broken means a struggle. One look at the broken thing and that shrewd old doctor will smell foul. It will not take long for him to solve the mystery. This one weak link will uncover our entire plot and expose us.”
“My god!” Tilak replaced the receiver. “What a blunder I was about to make! I simply forgot about the window.”
“It’s very important to get the window fixed,” I said, “before even thinking of informing Dr. Maalpani or anyone.”
“It’s so late. How can we get it fixed at such odd hour?” Tilak said worriedly.
“Then don’t inform Dr. Maalpani,” I declared, “till we are able to get it repaired. Calling him with that broken window in place is like committing suicide.”
“It can happen only in morning.”
“Then morning it will be. We will have to wait.”
“There is one problem,” Tilak said.
“What?”
Tilak pointed out an important issue to me.
“If we delay calling Dr. Maalpani and do it in the morning, the body will start stiffening. Dr. Maalpani will easily realize that. He will know that it has been many hours since Brinda died. That won’t be good for us. It will only raise more questions.”
“You are right,” I agreed.
This new hitch left me thinking. It was a grave matter. Tilak had pointed it out correctly.
“What can we do?”
We started thinking.
●
The problem was tedious. One hell of mind teaser!
Finally, I was able to come up with a solution.
“There is one way,” I jumped with excitement.
“What is it?”
“How many rooms are there in the penthouse?”
“Twenty!” Tilak answered at once.
“And as far as I understand, all 20 rooms have similar doors and windows.”
“That’s right.”
“Then we need not worry, Tilak,” I reacted with excitement. “Let us select some back-side window and take out its glass. We will replace this broken glass with that glass. Dr. Maalpani will have no reason to suspect. There won’t be even a shadow of doubt around the circumstances in which Brinda has passed away.”
“Astounding! “ Tilak could not be more impressed. He was genuinely struck by that quick solution. “Really excellent. You have a wonderful mind that has answers to every problem. I am surprised. How could I not come up with that solution!” he said.
Even in those moments of tension, a smile appeared on my lips.
●
Next few minutes were chaotic.
Glass pane from one of the windows was taken off. We replaced the broken glass. It was as good as new.
Then Dr. Maalpani was informed about Brinda’s death.
While Tilak was calling Dr. Maalpani, I went downstairs in the hotel. It was important to break the news. I made sure that the news was broken in such a way that everyone in the vicinity heard it.
News of Brinda’s death spread like a wildfire. By midnight, we made sure that as many people as possible heard it.
It was close to 3 am when Dr. Maalpani entered penthouse. He was distraught by the news.
A lot of well-wishers and relatives had arrived by then. The penthouse was jam-packed by visitors.
The entire staff of the hotel was present there.
A lot of guests in the hotel knew Tilak Rajkotia personally. They had shown up to express concern and sympathy. As dawn broke and the news spread, famous people in the city, including industrialist, politicians and film stars dressed in impeccable white clothes and designer goggles started to arrive.
By then, Brinda’s body was removed from the bed and placed down on the ground, covered with white satin.
The atmosphere was heavy with grief.
Tilak was sitting by Brinda’s dead body. He was sobbing. His swollen eyes were a testimony to his despair.
Dr. Maalpani examined Brinda carefully after arriving at the scene. Then he sat by Tilak’s side.
“How did…suddenly?” Dr. Maalpani sounded utterly shocked and his voice was dim. More than anything else, his words were full of surprise.
“I don’t know doc,” Tilak sighed and started crying again. He covered his face with his palms. “Everything happened just lik
e yesterday,” he moved his hand through hair and tried to wipe away tears. “Suddenly she felt pain just like yesterday. Severe pain. She screamed.”
“Then?”
“I woke up and rushed to her. So did Shinaya. By the time we reached her bedroom, it was too late. It was all over,” Tilak moaned deeply and once again buried his head in between his knees. Only his wailing words could be heard. “Brinda had left this world. Within few seconds, in the blink of an eye…my Brinda was gone forever.”
Tilak could not control his tears and once more his crying overwhelmed everyone around.
Tilak was doing it wonderfully. ‘To play grief-struck husband especially after killing wife with his own hands’ was no easy task. Anyone who would have seen him in that condition would have testified that Tilak loved his wife very much and she meant the world for him.
“Had you given her the pain-killer medicine I gave you?”
“There was no time, doc!” Tilak said. “We could not do anything. Everything started so suddenly and got over so fast. In fact first, we thought that Brinda has passed out due to pain. We thought she is just unconscious. Later on, when I checked her pulse, I realized that she is no more.”
“I am so sorry. Our worst fears have come true,” Dr. Maalpani shook his head and said dejectedly. “I was starting to feel that God is finally blessing our Brinda madam. We were getting positive signs and it looked as if she would be alright soon.”
Doctor’s words pushed Tilak Rajkotia over the edge and he started weeping again.
“Be strong Mr. Tilak. Everything is God’s will. No matter how painful!”
Dr. Maalpani was doing his best, trying to console Tilak.
●
I was sitting in a corner. On the floor, against a wall, I sat and watched. Everything that was happening in the penthouse!
I was still feeling anxious and my heart rate was not down to normal yet. Something bad is about to happen! That feeling did not let me be at ease. Everything was going according to plan and there seemed to be nothing to worry about. But isn’t there always a feeling lurking that ‘something might go wrong’? Brinda was dead and the way we wanted her to be! Nobody suspected foul play. Even Dr. Maalpani was convinced of Brinda’s natural death due to illness. That was the success.
I had complete control over Tilak.
I should have been the happiest person at that moment. Every plan of mine was being carried out to perfection. Yet my mind was full of doubt. I didn’t know…why? Maybe I was not confident enough. Maybe it was my first crime so I was scared.