“You could be right, of course,” Sonia replied thoughtfully. “The motive does seem quite obvious. Have you spoken to Vidya’s parents? What was their reaction?”
“They are devastated. They had the same story to tell. Their daughter was harassed and they were convinced that the inlaws had something to do with this tragedy!”
“Where are they now?”
“Her parents? I asked them to go home. No point waiting here, flinging accusations at the Sahays, in their grief. Besides it’s only a matter of a couple of hours. If the contents in the milk and the contents of the bottle match, I shall have an arrest warrant for Mrs Sahay!” The Inspector spoke grimly.
Sonia nodded. “Yes, it does seem pretty simple, doesn’t it? Inspector Shinde, do you think you could get me the horoscopes of Mr and Mrs Sahay and Parmeet? Just to pursue a hunch? I’m not sure they would appreciate it if I asked for them.”
Shinde shrugged. “No problem.”
Sonia and Jatin returned to the Sahay apartment. There, a gloomy silence reigned. Renuka sat staring stonily at the three Sahays. The moment Sonia entered, Mrs Sahay flung back her unruly grey hair and demanded shrilly, “What’s happening? Why won’t someone tell us?”
“I think you’d better ask the Police,” Sonia replied evenly.
“The police? Are they going to arrest me? Or one of us?” Mrs Sahay glanced wildly around. “I won’t allow that! We’ve done nothing wrong! Instead of harassing us, why don’t the Police try looking for that guy who kept calling up Vidya? The one she went off to meet with for hours!”
“Maa!” Parmeet exclaimed. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the clandestine affair she was having with that guy!”
“Which guy? What’s his name?” Renuka demanded sharply. “She’s lying! Vidya was very devoted to her husband!”
“Can you give us more details about this stranger?” Sonia asked.
“You don’t believe me, do you?” Vidya’s mother in-law scoffed. “Only I know about this guy and that Vidya used to slip away to meet with him.”
“But why haven’t you revealed this information to us earlier?” Inspector Shinde asked.
The middle-aged woman looked a little abashed. “I. I didn’t want to disgrace the family further by revealing that our bahu was having an affair!” she replied defiantly.
“Well, if such a man does exist, we shall locate him in no time,” the Policeman assured. “In the meantime, I don’t want any one of you to leave this town, do you understand?”
Sonia sipped the chai gratefully. This whole affair had left a very nasty and bitter taste in her mouth. The accusations, the frustrations, the angry exchanges - it was a mess of a marriage which was supposed to have been the most beautiful experience of a girl’s life. Poor Vidya - a victim of dowry? Had there really been another person on the scene? Was the mother-in-law lying in an attempt to save herself?
“What do you think, Boss?” Jatin broke into her thoughts. “Do you also think the Ma-in-law did Vidya in?”
“It would be such an easy solution, wouldn’t it? And such a relief to find a scapegoat. God knows, she deserves punishment for putting Vidya through hell. But unfortunately, much as I would like to believe that the in-laws have a hand in this whole tragic affair, there’s something that’s worrying me. The three M’s of investigations - Motive, Modus Operandi, and Material Used. The Motive is clear enough, but why this Modus Operandi and Material? Why find a way to get rid of the poor girl in a manner which would obviously scream ‘murder’? And why would someone leave the evidence around to be found?” Sonia shook her head, baffled.
“Perhaps Mrs Sahay did plan to get rid of the bottle, but didn’t have time. Or she had asked someone else to do it, but he or she forgot?” Jatin suggested. “Her husband, for example, or even Parmeet?”
“Unlikely. This is murder, not a game. Besides, I’m not sure Parmeet wanted blood on his hands. Perhaps he really did love Vidya.”
“Aw, come on, Boss, that was obviously an act. You didn’t really believe him, did you?”
Sonia was silent, sipping her chai. Jatin was amazed at his Boss’s naivete. Even a fool could’ve seen that Parmeet was putting on a great show of love and devotion for his dead wife!
Sonia finished her chai and took up the photocopied diary.
“I’m going to go through this diary and then Vidya’s horoscope. Please see that I’m not disturbed for a while, okay?”
“Right, Boss. I’m in the outer Office completing the tax documents, if you need me. And I’ll order lunch for us.” Jatin rose promptly, collected the chai cups, and exited.
Sonia settled in her chair and opened the pages of the murdered girl’s diary. The entries began about a year and a half ago, and as Sonia began to scan them, the blurry image of Vidya in her mind took solid shape. The hopes and happiness of a newly married girl, stepping into the dream world of love and companionship. And then the pinching reality of the adjustments demanded in an arranged marriage and the stress of dealing with a new name, a new identity, and strangers for a family. Then the mood of the writing changed. The happy girl turned into a frustrated woman, trying to please her in-laws, but in vain. The dowry demands were mentioned frequently in the diary, as Vidya explained how mercenary her new family was. A particular entry caught Sonia’s eye.
Marriage is so different from what I imagined. Is it always like this for everyone? Of course not. I’m sure this is just a passing phase. Ma-in-law and Pa-in-law just need to get used to me. It must be difficult to have a new person in the house and suddenly accept her as a part of the family. But it’s difficult for me, too. We need
