by Nisha Singh
‘You think?’ I said, beaming. I knew that sometimes my gut feeling was as strong as all the analyzing that he did with his brain.
‘Yes.’ replied my friend. ‘He only goes to prove that there is a category of men who worship beauty but deep down they know that they are not worthy of keeping it. Hence, the intense struggle, you see.’
‘You are so right.’ I said quickly. ‘Prem Malik is a very superficial fellow. All he ever cared about was Savita’s good looks. His love was only skin deep. You heard how he was just prattling about her superficial beauty? One rotten fellow, that man. They can only handle the materialistic side of things; in this case, pure, unadulterated lust.’
‘So that’s how you saw him.’
‘I saw him? Didn’t you?’
He exhaled deeply. ‘It’s very easy to see him the way you did as you failed to dig deeper. Prem Malik was obsessed with Savita’s beauty, yes, but not because he cared less for all she had to offer but because he, himself, was unworthy of seeing anything else because if he did, he would feel small about himself. Not a very good thing for your ego, right?’
‘I confess that I have lost you.’
‘Let me paraphrase it for you.’ he said with a smile. ‘Prem Malik fell madly in love with Savita only after he went in denial about the truth that she was in any way better than him. That’s why he concentrated only on her looks.’
‘Are you trying to say’ I said as I saw a faint light in the maze of his statements. ‘That Prem Malik loved Savita for what she was but he made himself believe that it was only her beauty that he was after?’
‘You can put it that way, yes. That’s the only reason why when he got to know her better, he struggled more than when he barely knew her. His brain was telling him constantly that she was too good for him.’
‘Oh god!’ I cried. ‘That’s preposterous.’
‘Not when you are crazy about someone and at the same time know that you are not good enough for them. I call it- “The shut down effect.” A person with such a personality shuts down completely when he is afraid that he might see something that would hurt or humiliate him if he does not.’
‘But you said that in this case “Beauty has trumped intelligence.” What did you mean by that?’
‘Prem Malik convinced himself to go for Savita’s beauty, did he not? Hence, in the end, he forced beauty to trump intelligence. That was all that I meant.’
‘Oh!’ I said, growing increasingly confused. ‘But…but how can anyone go in such a denial? I don’t think that it is possible.’
‘Denial is just another word for coping. Prem Malik was coping with his madness for Savita by telling himself a lie. That is one thing which kept him going.’
‘But did Savita not see beyond the show the man was putting? How could she fall for him?’
‘She struggled with the show, yes, but in the end, her hopelessness got the better of her and she decided to give this man a chance. She thought that once she had made a mistake in choosing a suitor who was in every way right for her so why not give a chance to the man whom she thought was not? Maybe, she herself, did not know what was right or wrong for her? Because if she knew, she would have never been caught in such a bad marriage. You can follow her line of thought, can’t you?’
‘Perfectly well.’ I replied, dazed. ‘After that bad business, Savita had lost all faith in her own decisions.’
My friend nodded his head. ‘She was also confused about the direction in which her true happiness lay. Her trauma had taken a serious toll on her self-confidence. She was on the brink of making yet another terrible decision.’
‘What destiny had that woman come with?’ I cried. ‘The only thing she experienced in this world was betrayal and lies.’
‘It all started when her parents doubted her integrity.’ replied my friend. ‘She loved and respected them the most and hence their opinion shattered a lot of her confidence. Also, her mind was still impressionable at that time and the impression that it received from her loved ones was a traumatic experience. Remember how she had rebuffed the advances of Manjunath? That was a proof that Savita knew her own mind which was seriously challenged when her support turned against her; people whom she idolized cast aspersions on her. She married an insecure man in her first marriage because she was still reeling with the shock. Her husband’s adulation for her soothed her pain and hence she jumped into a premature commitment with him. When that turned bad after the arrival of her jealous and lonely mother-in-law who capitalized on the growing insecurity of her son after he became a handicap and turned it into jealousy and hate for his still beautiful wife, she came back to her village with a self-esteem broken beyond any repair. At this fragile point in her life, Prem Malik entered, who was not very different from her first husband but Savita was too shattered to realize it again. She was getting caught in a vicious cycle.’
‘I…I think that Prem Malik is lying. Savita was still a confident woman, believe me. I have seen her and talked to her. She must have rejected him and that’s why he killed her. Now, I am pretty sure of that.’
‘So you have vindicated Chiranjeev and Premkala?’
‘Y-yes.’ I replied. ‘Prem Malik’s motive is way stronger than theirs. Rejected lovers often turn into killers.’
‘But there are still many objections to your theory.’
‘Really? What?’
‘I will tell you everything when…’
‘You have all the threads in your hand, right?’ I said, exasperated. ‘Alright. But just tell me one little thing and we are good.’
‘Yes?’
‘Do you have the faintest idea who might be the killer?’
He smiled dully. ‘I think I have everything I need. All I now want is some peace and quiet to process all that I have heard and seen. I am sure that at the end of it, the curtain behind this mystery will slowly but surely be raised.’ He paused and then said with a dreamy look in his eyes. ‘It’s a heady cocktail, Sutte. You have to sip it slowly and carefully to know what it is made of because until and unless you do, you will never find that elusive ingredient which we are after.’
CHAPTER 36
A Peaceful
Damyanti
‘So what is that elusive ingredient you are talking about?’ I asked curious. ‘I bet you must have had a fair idea by now. Please…I am not asking for much but just the slightest of hints would do. This case is personal for me because of the strong feelings I had for Savita. You have got to understand my pain.’
‘I do, Sutte, but that does not mean that I should forego my practice.’ he replied. ‘I am not fooling about when I say that I can only reveal the culprit when the investigation is complete. If I say anything prematurely, I can very well compromise logic in the face of emotions. After all, I, too, am human.’
‘Really? Who could have believed that?’ I said with as much sarcasm as I could possibly manage.
He shrugged his head and smiled gently but said nothing. I hated to look at his smug face and hence I preferred to scan the sight out the window where I could see a scattering of thatched roofs and the spires of three humble temples arranged around a big courtyard which sported in the middle, the biggest Tulsi pot I had ever seen in my life. In the midst of this serene village landscape, the only blot was the modern, concrete house of Manjunath Gupta with his water tank shaped as a huge football sitting snugly on the terrace.
‘You know.’ said Bhrigu after my cold shoulder had made him uncomfortable. ‘I now have a lot of information at my disposal and all that remains to be done is to process them, remove what’s unnecessary and then fit all the pieces; big or small, fragmented or whole, together. Still, I am having a difficult time doing that.’
‘Really?’ I spat back. ‘That’s so hard to believe given your astounding powers.’
‘I am serious, Sutte.’ he replied and I could clearly see that his face
was cast in shadows that made deep pockets under his eyes and the faintest suggestion of a frown struggled for survival on his ever peaceful face.
‘What’s the problem?’ I asked as the friend in me got better of the critic.
‘I don’t know’ he replied wearing his dark expression. ‘I just cannot seem to put the pieces as seamlessly together as I always do. I feel…how shall I say? Let’s just say that I am not in my element in this case.’
‘But why?’ I asked, surprised. ‘You looked confident till now.’
‘Because I thought that once I took a sip of the cocktail my differentiating palate would know at once all the ingredients and their true composition but…but I was mistaken. It’s just like when you know something is wrong but you can’t quite put your finger on it. It’s very disorienting.’
‘Okay now, relax, will you?’ I said now growing concerned about him. It was strange that when he was in his better spirits he almost always got on my nerves and I could have given my right hand to get back at him but the rare moments when he was suffering or under some strong emotion, he looked like a child who was vulnerable and lost and needed protection. Your heart went out to him instantly and you could do nothing but hold him tightly till he was strong and self assured again.
‘I have a plan.’ I said to lighten up his mood. ‘Let’s go through the case as it sits is in your head right now. Although you think to the contrary, when you say something out loud it is better understood and hence we can carefully diagnose what the problem is.’
‘But for that I will have too…’
‘Don’t you start again!’ I cried, indignant.
‘I…I can’t Sutte, I am sorry.’ he replied gloomily. ‘The pieces in my head are still too fragmented to be translated into words. I cannot tell you anything coherent until I find what I am looking for. If I try without it, I won’t be lucid at all.’
‘So what do you propose we do?’ I asked, exasperated.
‘Wait.’ he said quietly.
‘And what do you mean by that?’ I cried. ‘How long are you going to hold me in these uncomfortable surroundings? Just call inspector Chandu Srivastava and see if he can help us.’
To my frank and honest suggestion he stared at me for a few seconds with a blank expression and then taking out his cell-phone from the inside pocket of his Kurta, sat dialing a number.
‘Wh…what are you doing?’ I stammered. This was not looking good for me.
‘I am calling Nataraj Bhakti to book you a train ticket home.’ he said calmly. ‘Clearly, you are day dreaming about your king size bed and all the other comforts. From now on, I will go about my cases alone. I will never inconvenience you again.’
It took a lot of flattering, begging and emotional black mailing to induce him to change his decision. As I was lamenting my poor choice of words, the door to our room creaked open and framed in it stood none other than our host and client who now looked as if a substantial weight had been lifted off of his tired shoulders.
‘Bhakti ji!’ said my friend. ‘Just the man I wanted to see right now. Please do come in.’
‘I did, sir, as you had told me to do.’ he replied, sitting humbly beside us, on a stool. ‘The comb, I am happy to inform you, has not moved an inch from where I last placed it. I searched my wife’s room thoroughly but there was nothing unusual about it; no fragrance of chamelis, nothing. Also, while retreating, I made sure that Premkala and Chiranjeev were in my earshot. Later on, I informed them myself that I was looking for a misplaced pen and hence I had to search my wife’s room thoroughly as I had last seen it there.’
‘You did good, Bhakti ji.’ replied my friend, approvingly. ‘Did you observe the expression of their face when you said it?’
‘They…they looked at me curiously, that’s all.’ he replied. ‘Premkala went as far as to say that I was the greatest miser on this earth to search for a petty pen instead of buying a new one. She never misses a chance to throw a jibe at me, nasty woman.’
‘We will check for the displacement of the comb one more time and then we will have a definite answer.’
‘How, sir?’ Bhakti asked surprised.
‘You will see.’ replied my friend with a strained smile.
‘I am relieved to think that I won’t suffer at the hands of the ghost again and that my wife has found peace in the after life.’ He paused and I could see that he was clearly struggling with what he had to say next. ‘Sir, don’t you think…’
‘Yes? What is it?’
‘That…that Damyanti is peaceful because she has Savita with her now? That…that she is not alone anymore? And…and that she no longer needs me?’
‘Bhakti ji.’ said my friend with a smile. ‘For a practical man, you are now starting to sound more and more spiritual. But even if you have embraced spirituality, you know that spirits do not feel the same way as we do, don’t you?’
‘But…but Damyanti was so close to Savita.’ said Bhakti. ‘She was like a mother to her. The bond between them grew stronger given the fact she could never have a child of her own. I…I strongly believe now than anytime before that my wife had returned, after all. Its silence after Savita’s death is proof enough.’
‘Well, I am not commenting on anything you said just now.’ I said with a sneer. ‘But one thing’s for sure. The spirit of your wife is far more effective than your wife in the flesh ever was. She has changed your outlook on life and converted you into a listener; the one thing she could never achieve with all her efforts when she was alive.’
‘I…I was not a good listener? Who…who told you that?’ The man said, looking deeply hurt. ‘Well, sir, you did not know my wife, I did. She…she was a very good and strong woman but she was so talkative that once you gave her your ear, she would not stop until you cried with pain. I did everything to keep her happy but she always had one or another complaint to make of me.’
‘Was she really a talkative woman?’ I reposted. ‘Or you did not have enough patience? Your less than sensitive nature alienated Savita too.’
‘I told you before that it was Savita who turned cold.’ he cried, indignant. ‘I was merely respecting her wishes, that’s all.’
‘You are a good man, sir.’ I said. ‘But even good men are sometimes blind to their foibles. My father is such an example. He…’
‘Sutte, don’t sidetrack the matter as you always do. We are not having a debate here.’ Bhrigu said sharply. ‘Bhakti ji, I am very sorry but what my friend just said was not entirely untrue. Unwittingly, you became the reason of grief for a good woman and hence she decided to come back from the grave and teach you a lesson.’
‘Teach me a lesson?!’ Bhakti cried like a girl. ‘Do…you…are you confirmed that it was actually she who was after me? All along I had hoped, sir, that you would put all my misgivings to rest.’
‘There are no such things as ghosts, true.’ said my friend. ‘But sometimes when people who have much to say, leave the world without a word, they find a way to come back or else there is no peace for them in the after life. Only a truly spiritual person understands and believes in such knowledge and hence he or she would do anything to ensure that the soul of their beloved finds eternal peace, no matter what. That’s what happened with you.’
‘Wh…what do you mean, sir?’ Nataraj Bhakti was trembling from head to foot and beads of perspiration were standing out clearly on his forehead.
‘You will soon know.’
Just then, the cell phone of my friend vibrated violently on the old table where he had placed it. He swiped the phone and looked at something carefully for a few minutes and then his eyes almost came out his sockets as if he had just received a high voltage shock.
CHAPTER 37
A Woman
Scorned
‘What happened?’ I cried. ‘You look like you have seen a ghost!’
‘What?! Where is the ghost?�
�� Nataraj Bhakti got to his feet like lightening and started looking around him nervously as if expecting a ghost to jump at him from under the chair or behind the curtain.
‘Relax, sir,’ I said, reassuring him. ‘You are not going to jump like that for the rest of your life whenever you hear the word ‘ghost’, are you now?’
At my comment, he composed himself and sat down gloomily.
‘Bhrigu, what has happened?’ I asked my friend again who was still staring into his cell phone.
‘I now know why I was having difficulty analyzing the different ingredients in the cocktail and finding the one that I seek.’
‘You do?’
‘Yes.’ he replied, not removing his eyes from the phone for a second.
I waited for him to finish his sentence but when I saw that no reply was forthcoming, I did the needful. ‘So? Why were you having the trouble?’
‘Because all along I was seeking the wrong ingredient.’ he replied, with a frown of concentration. ‘And hence my brain was tricking my palate.’
‘Tricking? You?’ I asked, surprised. ‘I thought you were the trickster. There is something that can trick you?’
He ignored me completely. ‘I sometimes feel that I am but a novice at what I do.’ he said with a sigh. ‘How could I miss the signals in the first place? They were loud and clear from the beginning.’
‘Miss the signals?’ I asked. ‘What signals?’
‘What’s the matter, sir?’ Bhakti asked us in a hesitant voice. ‘Is everything alright? You look pale.’
‘Everything will be fine now but we don’t have a moment to lose.’ said my friend with urgency. ‘We have to leave for Manjunath Gupta’s house at once.’
‘Manjunath Gupta?’ I cried. ‘So…so are you saying that he is the one behind…?’
‘I will tell everything, Sutte, but first we have to get to our destination.’ he said, getting to his feet.
‘But…but what did you see in your phone?’ I asked, again. ‘Why did you react like that? Was it from Inspector Chandu Srivastava?’