“So much happened and you didn’t call me!” Jatin was indignant.
Sonia had arrived early that morning. She had a sleepless night. The voices of Anup and Jaya had droned on in her mind like a stuck record.
“There wasn’t time and to tell you the truth, it’s not our concern. We are not ‘on the case’. Besides, I’m positive Jaya and Anup did indeed kill each other.”
“You mean…!”
Sonia nodded gravely. “Inspector Divekar called. He said that the doctors couldn’t save either Anup or Jaya.”
“How terrible! But… but why! I thought you said that they were all good friends and going in and out of one another’s houses.”
“Yes, that’s what Karan told me. Actually, initially I thought that someone had replaced the fake property bottles with real poison. And that someone, connected with the play had tried to murder Anup and Jaya. But then, one of the play members discovered the original bottles still in the same position, untouched. Anup and Jaya were supposed to slip into the wings and pick up the fake bottles and return to the stage. Which they did not do. Instead they used bottles that they had on them.
“Besides, look at the evidence. Pouring poison right in front of the audience and dying like that? As if they were really in love and couldn’t bear to live in this world anymore. True essence of romance, though melodramatically tragic if you were really looking for romance. But the motive, as of now, is out of human reach.”
“How awful!”
“Maybe that’s just the way they wanted it. The mystery shrouding their deaths would be spicy material for all and sundry. A fitting end to two exceptionally talented actors. Perhaps they planned it like that.”
“But you said that Jaya was upset about something right before the show. Couldn’t that have had something to do with the murders?”
“Yes, you could be right. But I have a gut feeling that this went deeper than a misunderstanding. Just think. Why would two co-stars or colleagues who are good friends wish to kill each other? And how could they carry out such a plan successfully? It has to be either extreme love or extreme hate, for them to take each other’s lives. If it’s the former, why give up everything if you’re in love and can enjoy a glorious future together? And if it’s extreme hate, what could’ve passed between them to take such terrible measures?”
“A huge fight, perhaps?”
“Possible.”
“What about the poison? Did the Police confirm which bottle contained the poison?”
“The Police checked the juice. There was no poison in it at all. The poison came from the bottles that both the actors possessed. It was cockroach poison. But not manufactured by the same company. Surely it’s too much of a coincidence if they both hadn’t planned it together. Although it’s possible that it could be an independent idea, of course…”
Jatin sighed. “The Police have their work cut out for them.”
“They will have to perform the routine inquiry. Ask questions of the play members, concentrating on Karan and Deepa, who were closest to Anup and Jaya. And perhaps pay a visit to Jaya’s house and meet her housekeeper. They’ll try their best to find out what lay beneath this mutual murder. And if they don’t, the obvious will have to be accepted. That Jaya and Anup did indeed murder each other, for some strange, inexplicable personal reason. And the audience was their witness!”
“What about us?” Jatin asked. “Are we going to be involved?”
“From the fringes.” Sonia shrugged. “Uncle Jeevan has asked me to hang around and keep my ears open. In fact, we are to meet him at Jaya and Anup’s house in half an hour. I believe that Karan will be there, too.”
“And we are not going to get actively involved?” Jatin asked again, a little incredulously.
“Nobody’s asked us!”
“But, Boss, we have to find out why they killed each other…”
“We don’t have to do anything. And Jatin, what about professionalism? About being hired and discussing money matters and taking an advance?” Sonia asked deliberately.
Jatin ignored the sweet sarcasm. “Come on, Boss, I can’t believe that you’re saying this! You’re always plunging into cases, without giving a single thought to my advises! Why now?”
“It’s time, I guess, to pay heed to your smart, worldly knowledge!” the detective responded airily.
“Okay, Boss, there are exceptions to the rule, that’s what you’ve always told me. And this is an exception.”
“You mean, even if there’s no client?”
“I guess, in the name of truth… ” He looked abashed.
“And it’s all right if no one pays us?”
“Just this once, we pay ourselves!”
“You mean I pay ourselves!” Sonia smiled. “Good, I believe that for the first time we’re actually agreeing in thought.”
It was the worse part of any investigation. Meeting the grieving relatives. Sonia was glad she was not going to do the questioning. One look at Deepa’s red, swollen eyes and her heart went out to the dead man’s wife. Deepa sat in her house, with photo frames of her husband and herself. Her eyes strayed to them as she answered the Inspector’s questions in a dead voice. Karan was seated beside her, holding her hand, permanent pain stamped on his face. Jatin hung back as Sonia perched in another chair against the bare wall, from which the photographs had previously hung.
“This is a shock for me. I had no idea they had planned anything like that. They did it together, didn’t they? There’s no other explanation for it, is there?” Deepa asked, searching the Inspector’s face.
Inspector Divekar shook his head. “I’m afraid that at the moment there’s not. Unless you can throw some light on the events leading to this incident.”
“There are no events! There was only the play! The play! There was nothing else on anyone’s mind! We were all totally immersed in this play, which was supposed to be one of the greatest hits in Marathi theatre. And now look at what’s happened!”
Karan tightened his grip on his friend’s hand.
“Tell them, Karan, that not one
