by Sana Shetty
“Dead? More than nine to ten hours at least, before he was found. We believe he died the night before,” Raunak said sympathetically.
“Tarun disappeared in the morning, on the day he was found dead. Do you think Tarun too maybe…?”
“No, don’t go there. We can only hope for the best. For all we know there may be no connection between the two.” Raunak said.
“What are the chances?” he asked drily.
“Slim, I guess. Still we cannot jump to conclusions.”
“What have you found so far? I mean, my brother left the hotel after Jay died so do you think he knew?”
“We are not sure. Like I told you, Jay’s body was found on the river bank almost ten hours after his death. So it means Jay died somewhere in the early hours of the morning. Tarun left home promising his wife, he would be back for lunch around nine in the morning. It could mean he did not know about Jay’s death, we cannot be sure. Then at lunch time, he sends somebody to tell her he cannot make it as he has to attend to some business at the village. Nobody saw him leave the premises and his vehicle is still there too. In the evening, Dinkar comes to the village looking for his boss and discovers he had never come here. In fact nobody from the village had contacted him, as claimed by the note he sent his wife. So like I said, whether he knew about Jay’s death or not, we cannot tell. There is nothing to indicate any connection, either.”
“Tarun’s vehicles were still at the hotel. But many a times Tarun walked to the village.”
“Yes, we know. So if he walked to the village, where did he go? No one saw him after he stepped out of the house in the morning. In fact, we questioned the staff at hotel and they told us they hadn’t seen him in the hotel that day. It looks like your sister-in-law is the last person to have seen him. There is one more thing. He did not use a cell phone, right?”
“No, he did not like those things.”
“Then how did he receive that call from the village if he wasn’t in his office? He hadn’t received the call at home, either. If somebody had brought him a message then who was it? And if he had left the house to go to the hotel, someone should have seen him in the grounds at least. The house is what? Like ten metres away? And the grounds are connected, aren’t they? So as of now, as incredulous as it seems, it looks like he disappeared from the doorstep itself.”
“Did you have a look at that note Tarun sent to Divya? And couldn’t Divya identify the person who brought her the note?”
“Yes, I saw the note and no, she wasn’t sure who the person was?”
“Fishy, don’t you think? I somehow think she is not telling us the absolute truth and…” Vedant trailed off, looking very unsure of what he was going to say.
“And…? And what? What were you going to say, Ved?” Raunak prompted. “You have to tell us if you know anything.”
“Jay called me a few days before his death,” Vedant said, his eyes seeking out Misha. She froze as he said, “He asked me to come back home…I…”
Misha jumped up, anger clouding her every thought. “He called you? He called you before he died and asked you to come back? How dare you? No wonder he was keeping that stupid tunnel open. The poor fool believed you would come when he called. You did not call him, did you? And now you are here, sympathising, not because you care he is dead. But because you somehow think his death is connected to your brother’s disappearance.” She gave a short laugh. “You will never change, will you? You selfish son of a bitch.” She was aware she was screaming at him, but she did not care. “You know what? I don’t care what happened to your brother. I lost mine.” She said resentfully, turning away from them all as angry tears flowed down her cheeks.
Raunak came towards her and enfolded her in his arms. “Hush. Calm down. You know that is not true.” He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.
“No, maybe I deserved that.” Vedant said. He wasn’t looking at her but continued, “I wasn’t in town when he was calling me and he did not have my cell number. He had probably got hold of my apartment number from Tarun. I came back four days after he died and when I heard his messages, I called back immediately. But it was already too late.” He looked at her then and she could see the tears in his eyes as he said earnestly, “But you are partly right. Maybe if I had been there…”
Misha sank back into her chair. She was suddenly ashamed of her outburst. She had assumed the worst of him. “Please, please believe me….I did not do it on purpose. He was my best friend. I was closer to him than to my own brother. You know that.” He paused overcome with emotions.
“He must have thought that I was not returning his calls too, because his messages were getting desperate. God knows for these past few days, how much I have blamed myself for his death. If I had got here in time or even talked to him, maybe he wouldn’t be dead. When I learnt of his death I called Tarun, wondering why he would keep such news from me. That is when I learnt of his disappearance and his marriage, too.”
“I am sorry. I had no right to accuse you like that. It is just that it has been such an intense few days that I…” Misha dropped her head on her hands. She felt Raunak’s hand on her shoulders. They all fell silent for some time.
“What else did he say?” Namita asked.
“Other than asking me to come back, Jay messages were a little strange….” Vedant said frowning.
“Strange how?” Raunak asked.
“He said something about trouble brewing for my brother. He wanted me to come back because he believed I could help Tarun in some way. He didn’t say what kind of trouble or anything. It is a bit strange isn’t it? I mean a person like Tarun being in trouble? His last message said something about how he may never see me. And he kept begging me to be careful, like I was the one in danger. That is why I think that there is a definite connection between Tarun’s disappearance and Jay death. I am ready to bet Jay was killed by the same person who attacked me.”
Raunak sat next to Misha, twirling a strand of her hair between his fingers absently.
“What exactly did he say?”
“After the first few messages requesting me to call back, he begged me to come back home. And then the last message was the most confusing. He said something about listening to the silent voice and to let Krishna guide me or something like that. I don’t know what it means. I don’t know of any Krishna, unless he was talking about the Lord Krishna. Jay wasn’t a religious sort of guy or anything, as far as I knew.”
“That was before…before you went away. Some years ago, Jay became a follower of the teachings of the Bhagwad Gita. He had joined a small group of people, who were promoting the reading and the understanding of the Bhagvad Gita. He would give away the Gita, to whoever he met.” Misha explained. “Maybe, he was talking about the Bhagwad Gita.”
“Hmm… he gave me one too. In fact, I remember at our engagement ceremony, he was handing out the Gita to all the guests as they were leaving,” a small smile played on Raunak’s lips as he recalled the incident.
“Maybe,” Raunak continued thoughtfully, “he left some clue in one of his books for you.”
“But there are so many of them in the house and some of them are stored in the barn. How do we find which one he was referring to?” Misha asked
“We could start with the ones in his room.”
The rest of the afternoon was spent in Jay’s room looking through each of the books. There were more than twenty five and none of them had anything written on them. Most of the books were new, still wrapped in plastic. There was nothing there.
“There is nothing here,” Namita sounded disappointed.
“There is one more,” Misha said. “He had one that he used regularly and kept it under his pillow.”
“So where is it? I didn’t see one there,” Raunak said.
“I have it in my room.”
She went out and brought it back. Raunak opened it, carefully flipping through it until he came to a page on which there were some markings in a bright coloured m
arker pen and Misha read it out loud “Chapter 3, verse 19
Tasmad asaktah satatam karyain karma samacara
Asakto hy acaran karma param apnoti purusah”
She looked up at them, puzzled. They all looked at Vedant. “This
means anything to you?” Vedant shrugged and shook his head, “Not a thing. In fact, I don’t understand Sanskrit at all and Jay knew that. So why would he leave a message in Sanskrit?”
Raunak shrugged, “This chapter pertains to the Karma Yoga or the yoga of action. This paragraph means man has to fulfil his karmas or duties without looking at or attaching himself to the fruits of those actions. And one who does so achieves the higher good. It is not an exact translation but something like that.”
Misha looked at Raunak in wonder, “Wow, I didn’t know you read the Bhagwad Gita.”
“Jay gave us books that had the English translation and I may have read some of it,” he grinned.
“Good for you,” Namita said looking thoughtful. “So he is talking about doing your duty and not looking for the fruits of your labour. What does it signify, Ved?”
They all looked at Vedant again and he gave them a blank look. “Nothing that I can understand,” he said.
“Look further, maybe he has marked something else,” Namita said walking up to Raunak and peering over his shoulder. Raunak started to turn the pages again. They found another verse marked and again Misha read it out aloud, “Chapter 3, verse 35,
Sreyan sva-dharmo vigunah para-dharmat sv-anusthinat
Sva-dharme nidhnam sreyah para-dharmo bhayavahah.”
Raunak frowned and said, “This is again regarding fulfilling one’s duties. A rough translation is that it is better to perform one’s duties imperfectly than to perform another’s duty perfectly. Even death in performing one natural duty is better than doing the duties of another as it is fraught with danger.”
“What the hell does it mean? What duty is he talking about? Does it imply that he would be doing his duty even if he faced death?” Vedant asked sounding frustrated.
“Maybe it means nothing,” Misha felt disappointed too. “Maybe he was just translating the verses. Jay used to read this book a lot. Maybe he was just preparing notes for his sessions or something. He has done a lot of scribbling in that book.”
“But this is just translations. He hasn’t written down any thoughts or anything. Why would he undertake to translate when he had the translated copies with him?” Raunak asked. “Also I don’t think these may be random scribbling. Have a look at this. Can you these sketches he has made? It looks like some sort of a symbol.”
They all peered over his shoulder. Jay had made some drawings in the margins next to the paragraphs he had marked. At first glance it looked like he had been doodling but on closer inspection it looked like an eagle with wings spread wide, standing on something that looked like a sceptre. Below it he had written ‘the ghost is in the dungeons, 3.19.3.35’
“The ghost is in the dungeons?” Raunak looked up at Vedant frowning.
“Don’t you remember?” Misha asked. “When we were kids, we used to believe that Heritage had dungeons below it and that the palace was haunted by the ghosts of the prisoners who died there.”
“That was just a rumour, isn’t it? There were no dungeons there,” Raunak frowned. “And these numbers? They coincide with the numbers of the paragraph he marked.”
“That’s right,” Vedant muttered, still staring at the drawing on the page. “But this symbol? I have seen it somewhere. I cannot remember where, though.”
“We will try to figure it out. Mind if I borrowed this for a few days?” Raunak asked Misha and she nodded.
Vedant stood up stretching, “I should go…I need to find a place to stay.”
“But where will you go. You cannot go back to the hotel. You are in danger there,” Namita pointed out.
“You could stay here,” Raunak suggested. “That is if it is okay with Misha. I would have loved to take you home with me but I think the lesser people know about you the better. Just until we sort this thing out.” He added quickly, looking at Misha.
Raunak’s suggestion surprised Misha. She smiled at Raunak, loving him all the more at that moment. “Yeah, you are right. He cannot go anywhere else. His life is in danger if the incident of yesterday is anything to go by and we need to figure this out. I can put him up in Jay’s room.” She looked back at Vedant, “I am sorry about what I said earlier. I was way off mark. I didn’t mean it.” She apologised.
“You don’t have to apologise. You were partly right. I should have been here for him and Tarun. Maybe things could have worked out differently.”
“Don’t blame yourself. We were here, weren’t we? Yet we knew nothing about what was troubling Jay or Tarun,” Raunak said. “I know what Jay meant to you. And also know this, nobody blames you. But I promise you, I will do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this.”
Later when they were alone, Raunak drew her close and asked, “You okay?”
When she nodded, he continued, “I would have taken him home with me but you know mother. She will ask so many questions and I think the less number of people know he is here the better.”
Misha’s buried her face in his chest, “I am okay with this but are you? Knowing our history and all that.”
“Hmm.. that…well I used to be envious of the three of you. From the time you were kids to the time he left, you guys were so close. You never needed anyone else and there were times I died of jealousy seeing the two of you together. The rest of us felt like an outsiders, like you three were some sort of an inner, secret circle. But now, I think I can be generous towards him. I know how it feels to be the outsider.” He smiled.
“You mean you are not jealous of him now?”
“Should I be?” he asked half-seriously.
“No,” she looked up into his face. “It was a long time ago. We were children and friendship was all that mattered then. I was in love with the idea of love. But since you have come into my life, I have realised what love is really. So no, you don’t need to be jealous. I love you.”
“That’s all the assurance I need.” He said, kissing the tip of her nose. “I am secure in your love. And like I said, I can afford to be a little charitable towards him. I know how he feels.”
“Oh, come on. I told you it was a long time ago. He has outgrown me too.”
“No, he hasn’t,” Raunak smiled and it looked like he was going to say more but instead he asked, “So what happened between you three? I mean, I know he left for further studies and all but why did you guys not keep in touch? How can such close friendship break with distance? And obviously, he still cares.”
“I don’t know either. And no, it wasn’t the distance. He left all of a sudden, without a word to me and I never knew where he was all these years. I guess Jay knew, apparently. All I know is that one fine morning, he was gone. No goodbyes and no explanations. Jay told me that he had left the village and I should forget about him. I tried to ask, but Jay never told me. I have often wondered myself.”
“Why did he never keep in touch, I wonder?” Raunak was frowning, his eyes far away. “I mean all these years and he never even tried to reach out to Jay. You guys never knew where he was, but he did.”
“Jay knew,” she pointed out. “So you do think there is a connection between Jay’s death and Tarun’s disappearance” she said changing the subject, not wanting to dwell on bygones.
“We know nothing for sure yet, honey.” Raunak said cautiously. “Look, we have already discussed this. I will give you the answers when I have them. You don’t need to worry unnecessarily.”
“I know. It is just that….I need those answers, Raunak. I can’t just let go. I owe it to Jay.”
“I know, honey. And I promise I will try to find them for you. But I need you to promise me that you will not brood over this. I need to know that you will be okay,” he cupped her face in his hands and pressed his forehead against hers.
<
br /> “I will try.” She whispered back.
₪ ₪ ₪
Chapter 8
Vedant walked back down the stairs and stopped short as he saw Raunak and Misha in each other’s arms, oblivious to all else. He knew they were engaged but seeing them together was too much to bear. Old feelings of jealousy rushed back so strongly, he immediately turned on his heels and hurried outside. Gently, closing the door behind him, he stood for a few seconds on the porch, waiting for his heart beat to slow down. Was he ever going to get used to seeing her with someone else? He knew Raunak was a nice guy and she couldn’t have done better, not even with him. He had never thought of anyone other than Misha and that she had moved on hurt him more than he realised. How was he ever going to be able to handle seeing them together every day? He swallowed hard trying to get a hold on himself. He was being foolish. He may still be in love with her but he had to accept that she wasn’t. He had to get used to seeing her with Raunak.
Blindly, he headed out of the gate and out into the street not really thinking of where he was going; his head full of pictures of Misha and Raunak. It was sometime before he became aware of footsteps behind him. The muddy lane, he was on was somewhat lonely and he could hear the second pair of footsteps just behind him. Surreptitiously, he threw a quick glance behind him but whoever it was had hidden himself well among the various bushes and trees that lined this lane. Vedant quickened his pace and at the next curve ducked to his right behind the trees. Looking around, he found a dried branch and picked it up. He did not have to wait long before the man following him came round the bend. The guy was well-built, over six feet, dressed in a bomber jacket and dark trousers and the lower part of his face was covered in a bandana. Only his eyes and a dark mop of curls were visible.
As Vedant watched, the man came hurrying around the curve and stopped, looking around him. Vedant dared not breathe. The man cautiously inched forward, looking around him and when he was near enough, Vedant swung the branch, hitting him on his midriff. The man grunted in pain doubling over and Vedant taking advantage of the situation, attacked again swinging the branch a second time. But this time the guy was quick and rolled out of his reach, jumping to his feet. They faced each other in the middle of the road, circling, watching each other warily. Before Vedant could use the branch again, the man launched himself at Vedant tackling him like a wrestler and Vedant lost his balance, falling on his back. The branch flew out of his hands as the two men wrestled each other. The other guy was strong and soon had Vedant in a tight, reverse chin lock grip, almost choking him. He could hear the other man breathe heavily as he bent his head and whispered, “Next time it will be your girlfriend.” The guy then flung him to the ground, releasing him from his choking grip.