Sonia started. Dinner! The meal she had promised Mohnish had totally slipped from her mind. Distracted, she scanned the scattered groups for Mohnish and found him talking to Inspector Divekar. How could she ever treat him to dinner now? As if on cue, Mohnish turned and caught her eye. He flashed her a half smile, then resumed his conversation with the Inspector.
“Who was the woman who was kneeling beside Anup a while ago?” Sonia asked Karan.
“Deepa, Anup’s wife. Oh Lord! I forgot all about Deepa!”
“I think she’s gone on to the hospital, with her husband.”
“I need to ask the Inspector if we can pack up. I really must go to Deepa. She shouldn’t be alone at a time like this. What a horrible, horrible mess!” Karan thrust his head in his hands again.
Sonia covered his shoulders consolingly with her arm. He was right: it was a mess. What was supposed to be a rewarding night, a fruitful culmination of months of hard work, had instead turned into an unforgettable nightmare.
Inspector Divekar moved away and Mohnish turned to look for Sonia. He stiffened involuntarily as he saw Sonia bend close towards Karan and talk consolingly to him. A shard of pure jealousy pierced him. The hot night and the morbid atmosphere of the theatre suddenly seemed to stifle him and he longed to drag Sonia away from the place. Without permitting himself the time to analyse his reaction, he hastily moved towards the couple.
“Sonia?” he interrupted.
Surprised, she glanced up.
“Sorry to disturb you, but Inspector Divekar says that they’ve finished with us and we can all go home.”
“Right!” Sonia replied, but a flash of annoyance replaced the surprise on her face. “Karan, I’ll keep in touch.”
“Thanks, Sonia. I’m so thankful you were here tonight.”
“So am I.” Sonia smiled gently at him.
“But you have to eat something!” Mohnish argued.
“Dinner, after such a tragic evening? I couldn’t eat a morsel,” Sonia protested.
“Where’s your professionalism? You can’t allow cases to affect your metabolism.”
“Investigators are human, too,” she reminded lightly. “And this is not a case. I’m not hired and I’m not sure I want to be hired. The enacted last scene was as poignant as the actual reality and I’m not sure I can detach myself from the emotions! And lastly, please don’t talk like Jatin!”
“All right. But I’m going to stop by this restaurant. It’s eleven and I’m famished. We’re going to eat something!”
Without heeding her protests, he parked outside a veg-etarian restaurant and led his companion into the air- conditioned section.
“Are you going to order for yourself or should I?” he asked her briskly.
“I’ll order. An Idli Sambar, please,” Sonia told the waiter.
“Is that all? You’ll feel hungry in the middle of the night,” Mohnish warned, exasperated. But when she merely shrugged, he ordered a Fried Rice for himself. The waiter jotted down the order and left.
Mohnish considered Sonia with a keen eye. She was fidgeting with the napkin, avoiding looking at him. He sighed. “Okay, tell me what’s the matter.”
“Nothing.”
“Obviously you are upset about something, Sonia. Spit it out!”
“All right, I’m a little annoyed. Why did you interrupt me when I was talking to Karan?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to deliberately disturb you. It was just that Inspector Divekar said we could leave and - ”
“And you just marched up and conveyed the message,” Sonia completed coolly.
“Right.”
“Well, don’t do it again.”
Mohnish stared at her flushed face. He had seen Sonia angry on several occasions. But never had the anger been directed towards him. And perhaps she was justified this time - to an extent. He probably had intruded on her professional boundary.
“Are we having a quarrel?” he asked finally.
“I don’t like quarrels.”
“Neither do I.”
“Nor do I appreciate occasions which lead to them.”
“Point taken. Now can we eat?”
The waiter placed the food on the table and vanished discreetly. Mohnish watched silently as his companion toyed with the Idli Sambar. With a sigh, he replaced his spoon on his plate, folded his arms, and looked at Sonia squarely.
“Fine, I apologise, okay? It’s just that I saw you comforting Karan and I was worried that you’d get too involved emotionally and I…” He caught her look of amusement. “What?”
“You were worried?” She tipped her head and observed him.
“Of course I was. I was aware that Karan was a college friend and that put you in a very vulnerable position and - ”
“You thought I would get too deeply drawn in into this case?” she confirmed. A pleasant tingling sensation was creeping over her body, at his concern.
“Yes. You would only end up getting upset and that’s exactly what I didn’t want. Now or ever!”
“Mohnish, if that was your only motive, your crime is excused” Sonia’s eyes glinted with mischief.
“Does that mean I don’t get a sentence for the crime?”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. Maybe a light rap or two, so that you’re not tempted to take up emotional responsibility for me again? And, by the way, you were right: I don’t think this Idli Sambar is going to be sufficient for me. I’m hungry and I need another dish!”
A pleased smile lit up Mohnish’s face. “That’s good news I haven’t heard in
