by Leena Clover
“Professor Death is Murder”
“Read on,” Sylvie commanded.
“Police have declared local professor Prudence Walker’s death a murder. The rising star at local university Pioneer Polytechnic was found floating in a pond a few weeks ago. Authorities have been silent about the crime they called ‘suspicious’. Certain persons of interest were pursued and later cleared of involvement. In a startling development, a doctoral student from a Kansas college has been found guilty. Said student was involved in a relationship with Ms. Walker. Is this a crime of passion, or cold blooded murder? Watch this space for more…”
“Is this the guy you met?” Becky burst out.
“Must be,” I murmured.
I had found Vicky Chopra a bit slimy, but murder? And how did Jyothi figure in all this?
“So you went into the lion’s den,” Sylvie was shaking her head. “I’m glad Tony was with you that day.”
Becky hugged me tight.
“It’s over, Meera. No more cloud hanging over you.”
“What about Jyothi?” I reminded her.
No one had an answer for that.
Motee Ba invited everyone over for dinner that night. It was an impromptu celebration of sorts. There was a sense of relief in the air. I couldn’t shake off my uncertainty about Jyothi Sudhakaran. Where was she?
Sylvie and Jon came in with a couple of pies. Pappa was sipping his Scotch. He asked Jon to come and sit by him.
Jeet, Tony and Becky were in high spirits. Tony gave me a look, inviting me to join them.
I popped the lid off my can of beer and paused as a car drove up outside. Stan Miller walked in two minutes later.
There was a hush as everyone steeled themselves for some bad news. Stan smiled and raised his hands.
“I come in peace. No need to worry.”
Dad offered him a drink, and he accepted.
“Just going off duty,” he added.
“You must have seen the headlines today?” he asked as he took a large swallow of his beer.
Everyone nodded.
“I thought I’d come in and let you know how everything panned out. It’s the least I owe you, Meera.”
He looked at me. There was genuine regret in his gaze and a hint of sorrow. I realized he must be grieving for Prudence.
“As it turned out, Prue was going around with that kid for a while. They met at some conference in the Spring, in New Mexico.”
Dad nodded. He had been to that conference.
“Whether they really hit it off, or whether they were just taking advantage of each other, it’s hard to say now. Prudence was stuck at some point in her research. Seems this kid had the missing piece. So they produced a joint paper or something. Were going to file a patent. This kid’s degree depended on that.”
“Collaboration is common in academia,” Dad explained. “One person’s research can be focused on a point. They team up with someone who has expertise in something else. It’s necessary to present the complete picture.”
Stan nodded.
“Something like that. Well, so they painted the town red. Then they had a fight. Prue threatened to take his name off the research, get him expelled. They fought. He pushed her and walked away.”
“And …?” I asked with bated breath.
“Prue struck her head on something. She was unconscious. And she drowned in three feet of water.”
Stan’s eyes filled up. He looked away.
“And he left her there? Just like that?” Becky gasped.
Stan cleared his throat.
“He claims he had no idea she fell. He never looked back.”
“And he never said a word all this time?” I asked incredulously.
“He came here again for that Indian dance,” Stan began. “The one where you saw Jyothi in a photo.”
I nodded.
“That’s when he heard someone talking about Prue. He was terrified. He fled.”
“What about Jyothi? How does she figure in all this?”
“We pieced together some things from his confession,” Stan told us. “He strung Jyothi along just for fun. She was in India then and no real threat to him. When she talked of coming to Kansas, he made Prue promise her financial aid, and convinced her to come to Pioneer Poly. Figured 200 miles between them were better than nothing.”
“But Prue caught on to them?” I stated.
“Not at first. I think Prue found her wanting. This was the first year Prue got some control over funding. She didn’t want to take on a dead beat and then get yelled at for it.”
Knowing how calculating and ambitious Prudence was, this made sense.
“The girl pestered both of them. Now we know she pestered you too. The girl told Prue she was engaged to that Vicky guy. Prue lost it. They had this big fight. You know the rest.”
There was a lull as everyone digested this.
Becky cleared her throat.
“But wasn’t Prudence stringing you along too?”
Stan nodded and looked away.
“Then why …?” Becky began. “Why was she so mad at the guy?”
“A woman scorned?” Stan asked. “We can only speculate.”
No one wanted to speak ill of the dead so everyone was quiet.
“Did Jyothi actually go and live with that Vicky guy?” I asked.
“Not really. She went there, but fled within a few hours. We haven’t figured out why.”
“See?” I nagged Tony. “Didn’t I tell ya?”
“You should’ve seen him tear into those chicken wings.” I told everyone. “No way Jyothi would stick around there.”
“Before you ask,” Stan continued, “we finally heard from the girl. She’s back home in India. She called into the college. So, she’s not missing anymore.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Tony slapped me on the back and Becky hugged me. There were smiles all around.
“That ties up all the loose ends,” Dad said.
“Not quite,” Stan said. “About the car that’s been following you …”
“I’m sure Tony imagined it,” I brushed Stan off.
“He didn’t!” Stan cut me off.
He looked at Tony.
“You were right. It was a rental from the OKC airport. We found some more information while investigating the Prudence and Jyothi cases.”
I looked at him inquiringly.
“This woman has been spotted on campus many times. Students place her around the library, and the Electrical Engineering department. They have seen her stand outside the diner. Some have seen her parked in the diner parking lot.”
“No such woman has come in, I’m sure,” Sylvie was firm.
Stan nodded.
“She hasn’t really done anything. But she has been spotted around Meera a number of times. My aunt next door said a woman like that came to their farm a few times. She wanders around.”
Pappa was beginning to look annoyed again.
“What’s this homeless person got to do with us?” he roared.
Stan shrugged.
“We don’t know. But we have an eye on her now. We want to bring her in, maybe check her ID.”
“Is Meera in danger?” Motee Ba asked with a frown.
“We don’t think so,” Stan shook his head. “But no harm in watching your back, Meera. Be careful.”
I nodded. I was happy Jyothi Sudhakaran had reached home safely. What exactly happened to her would probably always remain a mystery.
Stan took his leave and we all got busy partying.
“Chinese or pizza?” Dad asked everyone, hugging me close. “My treat.”
Epilogue
Letter from Jyothi to Meera
Dear Meera Madam,
This is Jyothi. Jyothi Sudhakaran. You will be surprised to get this letter from me. But I think I owe you this much. No? I understand you have faced a lot of trouble because of me. I am sorry. I never wanted to cause trouble.
I come from a small town in Tamilnadu in South I
ndia. I was always the first in my class, both in school and in college. Everyone gave my example to younger children, and praised me everywhere I went. When I came to America and to Pioneer, I found out I was only ordinary. There were many people who were smarter than me.
Madam Walker offered me financial aid. That is why I came to Pioneer Polytechnic. But afterwards, she went back on her word and took away my scholarship. You already know about my struggle to get a job.
Madam, I think you know I was not doing well. Everything looked strange to me. And I looked strange to everyone. I was able to bear all this because I was going to be married soon. Or so I thought. Vicky Chopra, a doctoral student from another university, used to chat with me every day. He told me he loved me. I asked him if he would marry me. He told me all I had to do was come to the US and meet him. Then I saw him with Prudence Madam. I realized he was fooling me. I was saving up rent money for my marriage. I went to Kansas to see him face to face. He laughed at me. He said it was all a joke. I was shocked. I went to live with a friend in Chicago.
My parents are very simple people. They do not understand a lot of all this. But when they learned that I was in trouble, they asked me to come home.
I am back in my village and I am safe. I learned that Vicky killed Prudence Walker. I cannot believe it. God has saved me from something very bad. Ruby told me how much you tried to search for me. I am thankful. I don’t know if I will ever come back to America again. The graduate college has offered to keep my admission in case I want to come back. I might do that next year. Maybe we will meet again?
This time, I will not trouble you for a job, I hope.
Thank you very much Meera Madam.
Respectfully,
Jyothi Sudhakaran
Thank You
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Author Leena Clover
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Upcoming books in the Meera Patel Mystery Series
Book 2 - A Pocket full of Pie – PREORDER NOW
Book 3 - For a Few Dumplings more – Coming Aug 17 – Preorder now
Keep reading for Meera’s yummy recipes like Masala Fried Chicken, a glossary of Gujarati/ Indian terms and a sneak peek into Book 2.
Glossary
Desi – broadly refers to people from the Indian subcontinent
Gujarati – of the Indian state of Gujarat; pertaining to people from the western Indian state of Gujarat
Ba – Mother
Motee Ba – Grandma, literally Big Ma – pronounced with a hard T like in T-shirt
Thepla – a flatbread made with wheat flour, pan fried. Chopped fenugreek leaves are often added to the dough along with spices like turmeric and coriander.
Gadhedo – donkey or ass
Ayyooo – exclamation, in this case, something like ‘ewww’ or ‘oh no’
Nautanki – a form of Indian theater. Also slang loosely referring to song, dance or drama or someone who is overly dramatic.
Bollywood – refers to the Hindi film industry in India, mostly based in Mumbai (formerly Bombay)
Chevdo – savory snack mix made with flattened rice flakes
Vada Pav – popular Mumbai street food – smashed, spiced potatoes are coated with batter and deep fried, then served between a dinner roll. Vada refers to the potato fritter and Pav refers to the bread.
Kem Cho - how are you; standard Gujarati greeting
Khichdi – stew made with equal quantity of rice and moong dal lentils
Kadhi – buttermilk stew thickened with gram flour, seasoned with Indian spices
Pagdi – turban or headdress traditionally worn by Indian men
Saras – good
Shrikhand – yogurt based dessert
Bandhani – tie dye fabric native to the state of Gujarat
Aga bai – general exclamation used in the Marthi language, literally meaning ‘hey girl’ or ‘hey woman’
Samosa – fried Indian snack – seasoned potatoes stuffed in pastry triangles and deep fried
Saal Mubarak – Happy New Year in Gujarati
RECIPE – Thepla
Ingredients
2 cups wheat flour
½ cup chopped fenugreek greens
½ tsp turmeric, ground
¼ tsp cayenne pepper, optional
1 tsp coriander, ground
½ tsp sugar
Salt to taste
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup+ water
Oil for frying
Method
Add the greens and seasonings to the flour. Add water gradually and knead into a stiff, smooth dough. There should be no cracks in the dough. You can also do this in the food processor using the kneading blade.
Divide dough into 12 equal portions.
On a floured platform, roll out the theplas in circles, like a tortilla. Each portion of the dough should make about a 6-7 inch round.
Heat a skillet or pan.
Cook the thepla on the pan on both sides – first place it on the hot skillet. When bubbles appear, flip it over and cook on the other side. Dab a little oil and flip a couple of times until well roasted and cooked on both sides.
Serve with chundo or any Indian pickle.
RECIPE – Masala Fried Chicken
Ingredients
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp dry thyme or carom seeds (ajwain)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
2 lb Chicken pieces for frying
Oil for deep frying
Method
Mix all spices/ seasonings/ herbs together to form the spice mix. Divide into two parts.
Rub half the spice mix into the chicken along with some vinegar. Marinate overnight or for 8-10 hours.
Add some of remaining spice mix (per taste and spice tolerance) into flour. Add a pinch or two into the butter milk. Add salt per taste.
Heat oil in the skillet.
Dredge chicken pieces in flour, dip into buttermilk and coat with flour again. Drop into hot oil and fry until cooked, roughly 10 minutes on each side.
Serve with any sides or condiments of choice.
Note – Garam Masala is a popular Indian spice mix easily available in grocery stores or online retail stores
Use half or double the spices/ seasonings based on how spicy you like it.
RECIPE – Meera’s Special Queso
Ingredients
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup Colby Jack cheese
1 cup Pepperjack cheese
1-2 serrano or jalapeno peppers, minced
½ cup red bell pepper, chopped fine
½ cup green bell pepper, chopped fine
½ cup tomatoes, chopped fine
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups half & half
1 Tbsp corn starch
Method
Heat the oil in a stock pot. Add Serrano or jalapeno peppers and sauté for a minute or two. Add in the chopped peppers and
sauté until softened. Add tomatoes and sauté until slightly softened.
Whisk in the corn starch into the half and half. Pour this into the pan and heat until scalded.