Sonia glanced out of the window. It was getting dark and the rain was a steady downpour. “Now I come to a point in Janavi’s life which you claimed defied all astrological predictions! Dinesh’s heart surgery. And which I call an era of astrological revelations. By the time Dinesh had a heart attack, Janavi was at a point of breakdown. She had suffered a lot and she wanted out, but she knew that she couldn’t. She couldn’t simply divorce Dinesh - and anyway, she knew he would never give her a divorce. Being a Scorpio, whose Lord Mars is in conjunction with Rahu in a debilitating star Cancer, and with Saturn in the opposition, it is not surprising that Janavi would go to any extreme. Mars and Rahu in the ascendant also aspect the Sun - the planet of the spouse - in the seventh house, as well as the Lord of the seventh house. It clearly shows that this woman wouldn’t hesitate to plot a revenge against her husband.
“Dinesh’s heart attack came as a ray of hope for her. His surgery was the perfect opportunity for her to get rid of him forever. She capitalized on the situation and chose the worst possible day in the almanac for it, ensuring that her husband would never recover from the surgery. But the stars were on Dinesh’s side. His horoscope indicated that he would emerge safely out of the bad phase of his life. Which he did. Still, Janavi did not lose hope. For the next surgery, she found an equally inauspicious day, just as she did for the next. But Dinesh’s Jupiter was his biggest aid. And thus, today, if it hadn’t been for Dinesh’s good stars, he would no doubt be a dead man!”
The train chugged noisily, the sound merging with the swishing of the rain. Charan Das stared at the detective, an expression of horror on his face. His mouth was open but no words came out of it.
Sonia drew in a deep breath. She knew that she was treading on delicate ground, but something drove her on. An inner voice. An instinctive warning. A precautionary measure?
“And now I come to the climax of the story,” she said, her voice grim. “Janavi was in despair. All the natural routes to extinction had failed. There was only one solution to her problem: resorting to man-made measures. And this is the climax of the tale. As a last and final try, she decided to plan a trip with her husband to a hill station. She informed her family and friends that she was delighted that her beloved husband was finally out of danger. A few days in a hill resort after his surgery would be perfect for him to recuperate. The holiday fell on their wedding anniversary, and she longed to spend some peaceful days, reliving their youth. So peaceful, so romantic. But something happened, just one day after the couple reached the hill station. Dinesh and Janavi went for a walk around the cliff. Unfortunately, his foot slipped and he toppled over the mountainside. It all happened so fast, she couldn’t do a thing to save him. Janavi returned home, grief-struck but consoled with the fact that, till the end, she had done her duty towards her husband…”
Charan Das shut his mouth. He extracted a bottle of water from a cloth bag, and gulped down half the bottle, spilling water over his kurta. Sonia scrutinized him quietly.
Finally he found his voice. “I don’t know what to say. That’s a most serious accusation… ”
“On the sixteenth of July,” she said quietly, “the Sun entered the zodiac sign Cancer, where originally Mars is in conjunction with Rahu, in Janavi’s natal chart. This planetary position will last till the sixteenth of August. During this period, Janavi may have made her plan to eliminate her husband. On the fifth of September, Saturn will also enter Cancer, and remain in conjunction with Mars and Rahu and aspect the seventh house. Which means that Janavi must set her plan into motion anytime after the fifth of September. Besides, in Dinesh’s horoscope, Venus, the planet signifying ‘woman,’ is in conjunction with Neptune in the twelfth house, hinting at the danger he may be exposed to due to the dramatic and weird behaviour of the woman in his life” Sonia paused as she allowed the astrological significance of this to sink in. Then she said:
“Charan Dasji, you gave me one half of the story and I gave you the other half - the other half of the picture based on their horoscopes. I could be wrong, since I don’t claim that I can predict anything a hundred percent. And it’s most certainly not an accusation. However, I fear it’s a very real possibility. I thought it my responsibility to lay out the pros and cons of these very interesting characters before you. You can believe it or not. The choice is yours”
The train lurched and slowed down. Suddenly the rain eased and Sonia turned to look out of the window. Dusk had fallen and a white curtain of mist streamed in through the window.
“Oh, it’s Lonavala Station! I’m getting off for a few minutes. I need to stretch my legs,” she said.
Sonia rose gracefully and headed towards the door. Charan Das stared after the detective speechlessly. He frowned. His brain began ticking.
Sonia stepped off onto the platform and stretched her arms. She felt good. Almost light-headed, detached, and, in a way, relieved. As if she had passed a test. She had responded
