The Astral Alibi

by Manjiri Prabhu

  “Hello, Jaya, this is Karan. Meet you at sharp five.”

  “Jaya, this is Vijay, don’t forget to get your green chunni.”

  “Hello, it’s me, Deepa. I’ve called to give you some wonderful news. I’m pregnant! Our ‘project twins’ has finally worked! Anup and I are so happy! But I know that you might be upset. Please, don’t get upset. Anup was never really serious about you. I’m his wife, after all, and that matters. He’ll pay you for your time, though. He’s always done that. And, rest assured, you’ll always remain our friend. Goodbye.”

  The answering machine clicked off. Deepa stared at the machine and laughter bubbled inside her. What fools they had been! Walked straight into her trap! Well, serve them right! Especially Anup. Did he really think that he would get away with it?

  She put out her hand to erase the message, when another hand grasped hers firmly. Startled, Deepa gasped.

  “Good speech. I’d keep that as a memory of good acting!” Sonia said quietly.

  Deepa whirled around to face Inspector Divekar, Sonia, and Jatin.

  “What’s happening here!” Deepa exclaimed.

  Mrs. Wakil slipped into the office with a grim expression on her face. She was followed by a very stunned Karan.

  “You’re being arrested for masterminding the murder of Anup and Jaya,” Inspector Divekar announced gravely.

  Deepa turned to Karan, flashing him a desperate, entreating look. But the contemptuous expression in his eyes turned her heart to stone. Without a word, he walked out of the room.

  “You can’t arrest me, you can’t prove anything!” she cried.

  “Sure we can! We have the handkerchief—your blue-checked handkerchief—which you used to pass the bottle of poison to Jaya and which you refused to acknowledge as yours when Vijay tried to give it to you. Remember?” Sonia replied. “That kerchief still has the smell of poison on it from the spilled liquid. Besides, you have a matching kerchief in your house at the moment! And if that’s not enough, we can easily trace the shop Jaya’s bottle of poison came from. I’m sure the chemist will remember the one-time, beautiful stage actress who bought it, even if her head was heavily draped in a dupatta.”

  Deepa’s eyes widened in shock. Then, as realisation sank in, she sighed and slumped into a chair.

  “It was a very clever plan, Deepa. Perhaps too clever,” Sonia remarked. “Want to tell us about it?”

  “It was brilliant, wasn’t it?” Deepa took a deep breath. “And not at all easy to plan and enact. I knew from the first moment that Anup was attracted to Jaya. And it filled me with rage. He had no right to even look at another woman. I was crazy about him. I had made too many sacrifices to be made a fool of. Initially, I thought it was a passing fancy and that he would get over it. But instead it got more and more serious, till one day I learned that they were meeting at her house and at a hotel. That he was contemplating leaving me, ending our marriage. That was the last straw. I had to do something. Not just to stop their affair, but to teach them a lesson. By getting rid of both of them.

  “I decided that I wouldn’t actually kill them with my own hands. They would kill each other, like in the play. I would use them like clay pawns, moulding and planning their moves as per my wishes. I deliberately urged Karan to change the end—through Anup, of course. Then I embarked on the most enjoyable process of creating trouble between the two of them. I kept telephoning Anup, pretending to be someone from Jaya’s past and warning him repeatedly about that terrible woman. My creativity was at its best as I wove a shady background for Jaya. The seed of doubt was sown. Then came my masterpiece. On the day of the play, I called up Anup as Jaya. I declared ruthlessly that it was all over and that I was pregnant. I even blackmailed him, demanding that he pay a price for my silence, or else I would spill the truth to his wife! Anup reacted exactly as I thought he would. He believed that he’d been tricked by the woman he loved. Not only did his ego take a tumble, but his rage was stirred. He had a dangerous temper and I stoked it to a roaring fire. I had already kept a bottle of cockroach poison handy. He behaved predictably. When the poison bottle vanished, I knew that success was close.

  “Meanwhile, I was also manipulating Jaya, working on her insecurities, making her feel like a fool. During lunch that day, I was the perfect, doting wife and Anup the ideal husband. I deliberately broached the subject of our ‘project twins,’ which did the trick of ruffling Jaya. But I knew that I could not rely on the upheaval of her emotions for killing Anup. It was not possible to control Jaya’s actions the way I had done with Anup’s. Nor could I rely on her to react with a killing anger. So I decided to use her. I left a message on Jaya’s answering machine, informing her that I was pregnant and that Anup would pay her for her services. That really upset her. She was convinced that Anup had indeed exploited her and it confused her. That was all I needed. I hoped that this would result in a massive fight, which would strengthen his resolve to get rid of her.

  “Trying to get rid of him was more tricky, but the solution turned out to be quite simple actually. Hand Jaya real poison when the moment arrived. The last scene was so touching, though not a soul knew, except for Anup and me, that it would lead to tragedy. And not even Anup knew that this was indeed the last moment of his life! When Jaya edged momentarily into the wings for the bottle of poison, I quickly handed her the real one, carefully holding it with my kerchief, avoiding leaving my fingerprints on the bottle. Then I hastily tucked the kerchief into my purse, but unfortunately it fell out. It was only when Vijay showed it to me that I realised that I’d dropped the kerchief. I was confused, so I just flatly denied it was mine. Perhaps I should not have lied.”

  “Not that that would’ve helped much. Sooner or later, we would’ve arrived at the conclusion that the bottle had been handled with gloves and that there were no prints on it other than Jaya’s. And then Vijay would’ve remembered the kerchief he tried to return to you,” Sonia commented.

  “Yes, I guess you’re right….”

  “Was it worth it, do you think?” Sonia asked softly.

  Deepa looked up and brazenly challenged the question in the detective’s eyes. “Yes. Every single minute of it.”

  Inspector Divekar flashed Sonia an affectionate look. “You get better and better by the day, beti,” he remarked.

  Sonia took a sip of the chai and smiled at him. “Uncle, you played a major role in all this. I just added the finishing touches!”

  “Stop fishing for compliments!” Mohnish said. “And start telling me, when and how did this mutual murder turn into a masterminded double murder!”

  “Yes, Boss, I’d like to hear it, too!” Jatin’s admiration shone in his eyes.

  “Okay.” Sonia shrugged, a little abashed. “We all know exactly what happened in the auditorium. Both Anup and Jaya poured out poison from the bottles and killed each other. They were in love and the whole world knew about it. Their horoscopes also corroborated this truth. Anup and Jaya were strongly attracted to each other, and if they hadn’t died, they would probably have enjoyed a wonderful life together. But they had died. Why? Why had they killed each other when there was so much going for them? Anup’s horoscope revealed complex combinations. That he would commit a crime was evident—but strangely, his horoscope also belonged to a victim. I found it very baffling.

  “Then I took a closer look at Deepa’s horoscope. Sun and Saturn together in the second house with Capricorn, Ketu in her seventh house and Mars aspecting the seventh house, Moon with Harshal—all hinted at a stormy love marriage which wouldn’t have a happy ending. In fact, Deepa’s horoscope definitely showed the dramatic turns her marital life would take. But what was very interesting and eye-opening were all the planets in her first house. With Sagittarius in the ascendant, a number of planets were in conjunction—Moon, Harshal, Neptune, Rahu, Venus, and Mercury. A very unique combination. Mercury in the ascendant sign revealed her extreme fury; Rahu indicated plotting and scheming with an avenging attitude, going to any extent—using
any path, any method—however melodramatic, to accomplish her goal! In short, Deepa seemed to be a person with dangerous streaks of jealousy, possessiveness, and cunning, with an ungovernable temper. Anup’s horoscope was of little significance compared to Deepa’s dynamite of a horoscope.

  “It worried me. And that’s when I began to have my real doubt about Deepa. How was it that the whole world was aware of the affair her husband was having with his co-star and yet Deepa hadn’t learnt about it—an astute former actress like her, who made it a point to be connected with the play from start to end? That was my first question. The second problem was that both Anup and Jaya died of cockroach poison. Too much of a coincidence—unless, of course, they really did conspire to kill each other. But they were in love, they had great careers and a wonderful future ahead of them. Why would they opt for death? All along, I repeatedly asked myself, what had these murders achieved? And then the answer came to me, plain and clear. Actually, it was Mrs. Wakil who gave me the clue. She remarked, in passing, that if these murders hadn’t happened, Deepa and Anup’s marriage would surely have ended! And that was the answer to my question! These two deaths had prevented Deepa’s marriage from ending—I mean in the legal sense. They prevented Anup from leaving Deepa for Jaya! And there was only one person who seemed to benefit from those murders. Deepa!

  “The sauciness, the boldness of the act, the nerve, and the cunning—they proved that the real murder scene was scripted by an insider, someone who knew every nook and cranny of the play. A beautifully masterminded murder by someone who thrived on the weaknesses of the two victims. I was convinced that Deepa was responsible for Anup’s and Jaya’s deaths. She certainly had the motive for murder and her horoscope substantiated the motive. I set about proving my theories.

  “My first hurdle was, how had she achieved this? How could she have killed Anup and Jaya, in front of the whole audience? It was a brain-teaser and the answer eluded me for a while. Obviously, she couldn’t possibly do it herself. So how had she pulled off such perfect scheming and timing? I put myself in her shoes and began wondering. How would I go about it? How does one encourage two people in love to go at logger-heads with each other? To turn someone so much against a person that he would be roused enough to kill? I realised that I would first have to initiate a rift between the two lovers. And how would I do that? By creating situations that would poison their minds against each other. And that’s exactly what Deepa had done, I realised. Her personal script for the final act had begun long before the actual show. She had played on Anup’s and Jaya’s weaknesses and insecurities. She created pits of doubt in their minds—in short, she’d provoked them enough to make each wish the other dead. She planted the idea in their minds to use the play to kill the other. In other words, she masterminded the whole murder excellently, using Jaya and Anup as puppets. Karan once mentioned that Deepa was an excellent mimic and could imitate anyone perfectly. She was also an excellent actress. I realised that Deepa must have done something to uproot Jaya from Anup’s heart, so much so that in his anger he had grasped the poison bottle on her hall table and used it. That much was clear. Had Deepa pretended to be Jaya at some point? Said or done something that had set him dead against his lover? It was worth thinking about, though I knew we would never have proof of it. But what about Jaya, how had Deepa influenced the actress? It was one thing to manipulate your husband, whom you knew intimately and who was within reach. But it is quite another to stage-manage someone beyond your control. And then I recalled things. How Vijay had wanted to return Deepa’s kerchief to her while she was on her way to the hospital and how she had refused to acknowledge it as hers. I had seen a similar handkerchief in her hands, when she was being questioned at her house. Also, according to Karan, Jaya had been very upset by a number of things just before the show. One of them was a message on her answering machine. And Mrs. Wakil had told us how Jaya had made that remark about legal status from the horse’s mouth. Which horse’s mouth was that? And suddenly it all fell into place. It struck me that Deepa need not have manipulated Jaya as she did Anup, as I had assumed earlier. She had simply used Jaya as an instrument to kill Anup. By handing the real bottle of poison instead of the fake one to the unsuspecting actress!”

  “My God! What a plan!” Mohnish remarked, amazed.

  “Yes, a well-scripted and enacted plot of an obsessed mind,” Sonia agreed. “But it was all conjecture on my part, without a foundation of solid proof. And that became the major difficulty—proving it all. The only and last chance we had was the message on Jaya’s answering machine. Harmless though it appeared on the face of it, it would indisputably prove that Deepa was a liar, since she was not really pregnant! I guessed that she would try to erase the message at the first possible chance. I was pretty sure that she hadn’t done so already, since the constables were on constant guard outside the house. So I asked Karan to inform her that the case was off and that we were convinced that Anup and Jaya had indeed killed each other. Deepa was satisfied. Perhaps she even enjoyed a good private laugh at our expense. She instantly seized the opportunity of going over to Jaya’s house. Unfortunately for her, her near-perfect master plan fell to pieces at that point.”

  “Excellent!” Inspector Divekar exclaimed.

  “But what exactly did Anup have in mind? He surely did not expect to get away with murder?” Jatin asked.

  “I’m not sure, but I think he would’ve pocketed the fake bottle and declared that the bottle which contained the deadly poison was standing on the stool ready for use, placed there by the stage manager. He would have disclaimed any knowledge of how the poison had got into the bottle. And it could’ve worked, for a lack of substantial motive. After all, why would he kill a colleague he got along famously with?”

  “The things people do for love!” Inspector Divekar shook his head.

  “You know what saddens me the most?” Sonia asked. “Deepa’s hard-hearted remorselessness. Her absolute belief in her actions. Not a shred of regret, no guilt. She truly feels she did the right thing. That conviction is the most dangerous quality in a person, certifying her as a real criminal.”

  “I feel sorry for poor Jaya. Caught in a crossfire—between a jealous lover and a murderous wife! Jealousy sure is man’s biggest enemy!” Mohnish sighed.

  “And absence from the police station will be mine if I don’t return to headquarters soon!” Inspector Divekar grinned. “Good work, Sonia. Keep it up and see you later.”

  He lifted his police cap from the table and with a wave strode out of the room.

  Jatin picked up his chai cup. “Boss, aren’t you happy we didn’t remain on the fringes?”

  “I am,” Sonia accepted.

  “And that you were willing to let go of the past for the present? You know what I mean, Karan—”

  She blushed. “All right, Jatin, you’re dismissed for the day!”

  “If you say so. But, Boss—don’t you think Karan resembles Mohnish a lot? The same face and even the same thick straight hair with the flick!” Her assistant winked at her suggestively, swallowed his tea, and buzzed out of the room.

  Mohnish glanced at Sonia and raised an eyebrow. “What was all that about?”

  “Just Jatin and his fancy ideas!” She shrugged.

  “Not the whole truth, Boss.” Her assistant had popped his head in.

  Sonia made a face. “Goodbye, Jatin. Isn’t Naina waiting for you?”

  Jatin guffawed and shut the door.

  “Who’s Naina?” Mohnish looked bewildered.

  “Oh, that, I can very truthfully say, is the beginning of a brand-new love story!” Sonia grinned.

  4

  Cheating Destiny

  The July rain lashed against the Stellar Investigations Office, and the windows shut with a bang. Nidhi jumped, startled. She had eaten her fish and was cuddled up on the pillows. The rain poured on the streets, like the sizzling of a frying pan. The cat meowed and Sonia glanced up momentarily from the piece of paper she was studying.
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br />   “It’s all right, sweetie. I’m here with you.” She spoke soothingly and moved to the cat, to stroke a comforting hand over her silky head.

  Nidhi immediately closed her eyes, stretched her neck, and allowed her mistress to scratch her under her ears and her collar.

  “What do you make of it, Boss?” Jatin demanded, entering the room.

  Sonia gave Nidhi a final stroke, then returned to the table and took the piece of paper in her hand. “Cut the Astrology trash!” stared back at her, rather insolently.

  “I still think this is a rather cheap expression of rivalry,” she answered dismissively.

  “But, Boss, this is the second note. Don’t you think we should do something about it?” her assistant asked, with a frown. “I mean, you can’t allow some stupid person to keep sending us threatening notes.”

  “I think it’s too soon to give it so much importance,” Sonia remarked, a little stubbornly.

  “To give what so much importance?” Mohnish interrupted, as he strode into the room. He moved one hand carelessly through his thick hair, which glistened with raindrops. The other held three freshly roasted bhuttas—maize corncobs—with a mixture of lime, red chili, and salt rubbed on them. The smell of the roasted bhuttas filled the room as he handed one to each. “To Sonia and Jatin. To celebrate the beautiful monsoons!”

  “Thanks!” the other two exclaimed and Nidhi raised her head to sniff what had arrived. Sonia broke off a few grains from the cob and dropped them before her. She examined them, took a grain into her mouth, and munched it reflectively.

  “She likes it!” Sonia laughed. “Which means these bhuttas are good!”

  “I’m glad I got the approval from the highest quarters!” Mohnish grinned.

  The rain thrashed outside, as the bhuttas continued to be devoured.

  “Hmm…delicious,” Sonia murmured appreciatively, and Mohnish observed her with a great deal of interest. Her absorption in the bhuttas was fascinating.