by Samuel Kris
Stella’s Corpse
ASIN: B07ZY85557
Copyright © 2019 Samuel Kris
All rights reserved.
[email protected]
English Language
The day of Stella, when she disappeared
Literature/Fiction
By Samuel Kris
Rights Reserved
First published in Nov 2019
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author.
Copyright © 2019 Samuel Kris
All rights reserved.
[email protected]
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter 01
Chapter 02
Chapter 03
Chapter 04
Chapter 05
Chapter 06
Chapter 07
Chapter 08
Chapter 09
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 01
2008
Dr. Stella Augustine, a professor at a private medical college in the capital city, had been missing for a few days. Her husband came with a complaint at the police station. I was extremely surprised when I received her photo. I had ne'er witnessed such a charming woman in my entire life. It was hard to believe she was thirty-five years old.
Her husband, Augustine represented a cardiologist at another private hospital in the same city. According to his information, Stella had been missing for the past several days.
“Inspector, I was in France for a medical conference. Stella had sent me a message on Wednesday, the very morning of her disappearance saying she was attending a conference in Delhi and would come back after three to four days. I could return yesterday evening only. I had to invest more time there than I thought. Over here, you can examine my passport. When I returned home, I realized Stella had not returned. When I called her on the mobile, it was switched off. I called her college, and was told Stella had not been to college since last Wednesday. And she applied for a two-weeks’ vacation stating the reason, she would be in France with me.”
“Strange. Very Strange.”
“I felt the same. That is why I came to complain.”
“I mean, your behavior, Mr. Augustine.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I admit the fact you were abroad all these days. But I couldn’t believe that it was only then you noticed she was missing after you returned home.” I couldn’t finish my sentence, he interrupted.
“You are unmarried, Mr. Anwar, don’t you? You don’t know much about the husband-wife relationships. It is an incredibly hot furnace where many different kinds of problems are being drenched. But they seem to endure the kind of couple who can push a cooler evening walk and enjoy the warmth. I don’t need to tell you the busy schedule of doctors. In the rush of career-building, we don’t get enough time to establish our family. No matter how beautiful she is, we may not have time to consider our own wife. Admittedly, it is true that I did not call my wife. But also, she never even called me. But do not connect between it and her disappearance.”
“I just mentioned, Augustine. I believe there is an intriguing connection between the fact that you have not called your wife and she has disappeared by sending you a single message. Principally when your wife is unusually young and charming. I believe there is an intriguing connection between the fact that you have not called your wife and she has disappeared by sending you a single message. However, having received the complaint, I will try my best to seek her out in respect of the protection provided by the law. But she’s exceedingly unlikely to be with you.”
“What nonsense are you saying?”
“Doctor, do not worry. I’ll give you all possible help in this case.”
“Please, Inspector, you should find her as soon as possible.”
“OK. Provide me all the details about your wife, including her mobile numbers and ATM card details.”
“Everything is in this file.”
It was inflated with her birth certificates to the last mobile bill she had paid.
“I thought it would assist you. That’s why I lugged it here.”
It seemed extremely unusual to me. My initial thought was that Stella, who enjoyed no physical and mental love from her husband, had planned and went with someone else. Dr. Augustine’s confession, the alienation between them, and then his behavior corroborates that conclusion. At any rate, I decided to go back to the medical college she taught.
Chapter 02
It was only after I got there it seemed the matter became more complicated. Professor Stella, suddenly applied for a vacation, only on the very same day she disappeared. In the application saying her husband had an accident in France, and she want to go there as presently as possible. The superior instantly granted her permission to leave. Nevertheless, she did not leave, but went direct to class. The students reported she had taken the lecture for about half an hour. They remembered that Stella had in severe tension, looked out occasionally, and she was sweating like she was out in a desert. Another oddity was she occasionally picked up her mobile phone. Another odd thing was that after about half an hour she looked at her mobile phone, and snatched a deep breath and walked out of the classroom without mumbling a word. Stella did not go into the staff room or collect her bag. She disappeared from the vast hospital, without even uttering a single word to her colleagues or students. It was also noteworthy that no one had any clue about her leave application until the superior officer indicated.
Very strange. Why did Stella say about her husband suffered an accident in France? Conceivably someone lied to her? Or did she lie? What seemed most strange was her actions in the classroom. Despite giving her the permission to leave immediately, she went back to class without going home and took the class for about half an hour; that, too, in a most unusual way, by shivering and coughing. Undoubtedly something was bothering her. Why did she occasionally look at her mobile? Seemed like she was waiting for someone’s message. As soon as she persuaded it, she got upset and went out. Was she waiting for her husband’s accident information? Or?
Despite investigating Stella’s co-workers, nothing came of it. They said until the day before she disappeared, she was quite enthusiastic. One of her co-workers testified that day she was discovered to be in severe tension. But when she asked, she kept silent and walked out of the staff room. Nothing much came from questioning her superior officer. HR manager said, she rushed into the office and demanded for two weeks’ vacation, saying her husband was in danger. When asked to write an application, she said she wanted paper and pens, and in a hurry, she wrote the Leave application. Following her mood, he said he was granting the permission to leave on his own risk.
Regardless, I decided to investigate further. I felt something very significant had happened to Stella. I instructed to trace her mobile number and pick up the call details. Attempts have equally been established to extract the details of the ATM card from the bank. Next step was to see if Stella had booked travel tickets to any travel agency.
Attempted to ascertain whether or not she had arrived at the airport. One thing came to my mind, in Dr. Augustine's file, I already saw Stella’s passport. She was less likely to depart from the country by air. But she didn’t need a passport to go to
Delhi. It was interesting to note that no one knew about the seminar she supposed to attempt.
Chapter 03
The following afternoon, information was received from the bank. Stella’s ATM card had been inactive for the past week. In the days before that, there were quite common transactions. My calculations seemed to be more misleading. Surely something bad has happened. The next hope was for call details. In the meantime, I checked their house with Augustine’s permission. There had been no significant improvement. Everything was extraordinarily normal!
I felt that things were concentrated in and around Stella’s medical college. There were witnesses who saw Stella entering the hospital. But no one ever saw her walking out of college. And what happened inside that great hospital? Did anyone know why Stella was so upset?
My attention suddenly turned to the HR manager -Ajith K Menon. He was the only person who spoke to Stella at that day. I felt that if I interrogated him more, he would spit something. But it was not possible that day because of the rush involved in another important case. Anyway, that was lucky, I got Stella’s call details. That day her call history was extraordinarily empty. All that was sent was the SMS, which was definitely sent to Dr. Augustine.
The next step was to check the monthly call list from the previous day. In it, I noticed that a few consecutive numbers were called regularly. I called them all. Almost all her colleague’s numbers. And then two, Stella’s girlfriends. They were not aware of her disappearance. There was only one call, didn’t respond back. Only a few calls had gone to that number. Those were very short calls. It was only when I checked Stella’s received calls, I realized the importance of that number. Stella had spoken to that number for a very long time at night and on certain days, even for hours. It must be her lover’s number. I called the number again. But there was no response. I called a friend who works in a mobile company and arranged to inquire about that number.
I have a doubt, I called Dr. Augustine. Fortunately, he picked up the phone immediately. Soon afterwards, he asked if I had any information about Stella. After he had calmed down, I asked him if he was home at night, during the days when Stella had talked to that particular number. He was doing night duty that day, as I expected. While I was talking to him, I had to cut because another call was coming. When I looked, it was that particular number.
Understood when he spoke that was Stella’s HR- Ajith K Menon. It would be fair to say that knowing he was her boyfriend, made me a little jealous. I asked him about his number being found on Stella’s call list. At first, he didn’t answer, but he was able to deal with my questioning skillfully. He asserted that there were no more than ‘regular’ phone calls between colleagues. Intentionally, I didn’t ask much about late-night conversations.
I thought I would have to interrogate him in detail. Just then, the friend working in mobile company called. He got confirmation that the unknown number was indeed Ajith’s. He jokingly said that he had sent some important clues the one thing most useful to me- being unmarried. When I checked the messages, I got from him and it literally felt right. Those were audio clips of a half-night conversation between Ajith and Stella. Great examples of telephone sex.
From that, I copied some important clips into the mobile. I thought Stella’s conversations with Ajith were the biggest weapon I could use against him. When he was sitting in his office and questioned with evidence, the wall of the defense suddenly collapsed. Ajith admitted that he had an abusive relationship with Stella. He admitted that both were equally dissatisfied and they became close when the opportunity arises. And that the relationship was kept secret respecting their status and value in the community and their love for their family. He concluded that it had nothing to do with Stella’s disappearance. He did not want to distrust her that day, seeing her worrying that her husband was in danger. That was why he granted her a quick vacation. He thought Stella was gone soon. But a week later, when Augustine called, he realized the seriousness of the matter.
I felt that Ajith’s statement should be taken in faith, I didn’t think he would lie. Upon hearing those telephone conversations, he realized that it would only make him more vulnerable.
And then, of course, things get messier. I walked out of the hospital and made an observation. I thought there was a possibility that someone might see Stella going out from the hospital. Especially securities. As a result, it became clear to me like a full-length film, the day of Stella when she disappeared.
Chapter 04
That day, as usual, Stella was driving herself to college early in the morning. After the car was parked, she entered the hospital. The security staff recalled that she entered the hospital as usual with saying ‘good morning.’ Many men in the hospital have been longing to see the beauty of Stella at least for a moment. That was why they kept a close watch on her every move. I was convinced that fact when the security staff detailed about Stella’s arrival that day.
Thence Stella suddenly stood up and recollected something, and enquired what the time was. As soon as he told the time, she turned around. One thing he said explicitly was that she had forgotten to pick up her bag because that was why she went back to the parking lot. Because as usual, the bag didn’t show up on her shoulder. He equally said that Stella had no habit of tying the watch. It was only now that we see how much the gentleman had taken care of Stella. After a while she returned with a pale face, losing all her happiness. She was walking like a feeble person, forfeiting her confidence. He remembered that her eyes were troubled, and her lips trembled with emotion. Suspecting something happened back in the parking lot he asked whether she was alright; staring at the security Stella rushed in to the hospital.
Undoubtedly something happened to her in the car parking lot. Did anyone try to torture her, as the security guard suspected? But my doubts advanced the other way. Most probably when she got back in the car, a traumatic event, or a person, must have appeared in front of her. That incident sustained a significant impact on her. If considering, the incident was knowing her husband experienced an accident, but the likelihood of that was exceptionally low. The first thing was, at that time, precisely saying that day, no calls came or went to Stella’s mobile. No messages yet. Didn’t appear to have used the internet also. The likelihood was someone would have told her about her Husband’s accident directly or by letter. But that’s a terribly weak possibility. Otherwise comprehending the accident about her Husband, Stella would have taken the car quickly and returned home. Or call someone else via the mobile. None of this had happened. One of the students gave a statement saying Stella had been leaning her head on the steering wheel for a while. He did not seem to observe any signs of violence.
When he went near to Stella and called, she shouted “Get Lost.” Under those circumstances her problem remained a mental one. Then, of course, Stella must have seen something or should have known in the car parking lot. Maybe in a shameful way that Ajith was doing something with someone? But that was a fact that can be casually dismissed. Her later actions did not validate it.
Upon returning, Stella threw her bag into the staff room and went straight into the toilet and locked it for a while. It was possible she was crying. When a coworker asked her what happened, she walked into Ajith’s room quietly. There, after briefing him about her husband, she asked for vacation. When I asked about her actions during that time, Ajith’s reply was remarkable. She was about to fall, with a sense of emotion. When she signed the application, her hands were shivering. As he tried to comfort her, she suddenly hugged him with a cry. Both of them got separated when the door suddenly opened. Seeing Dr. Mrinalini there, Stella momentarily vacated the room. She turned around after a few steps, looked into Ajith’s eyes for a while and suddenly walked away. It seemed that she wanted to tell something. (All these things came from questioning Ajith one more time.).
Upon arriving straight into class, Stella took a lecture. Occasionally was looking at the mobile, panicking and looking out. On top of that she rushed ou
t.
Things got weird after. No one else saw Stella walking out of the hospital. Until three o’clock, they saw Stella’s car was lying in the parking area. After that the car suddenly went off. Eyewitnesses suspected the one who drove that car was not her. One person insisted it was a man, though he could not see precisely because the black glass had been raised.
Hence where did Stella go? Who steered that car? What does he have to do with Stella?
Chapter 05
One question remained unanswered, when Stella left the hospital? It was because she had ne’er seen after getting out of the classroom. Whichever way she went out, any one of the security guards might have noticed. From talking to the security guards, I realized that no one witness her leaving. I believe someone, perhaps the one who drove Stella’s car, may have endangered her inside the hospital. The evidence progressed that way.
It was on top of that I remembered about Dr. Mrinalini. She represented the only person who saw Stella and Ajith sitting in the office that day. It was possible she overheard Stella and Ajith’s conversation. I inquired about her in the hospital and recognized her in the consulting room. It seemed she was a very busy doctor, and many patients were waiting to see her. While walking back, a gentleman came up to me, inquiring what was the matter? When I stared at the questioner, he politely replied he was the HR of the hospital and seeing a policeman he had come to look into the matter. When I told him, it was part of an investigation, he invited me into the office room.