Sonia stared out of the window at the sleepy afternoon. A light drizzle was beginning to fall. The traffic had eased and a few pedestrians were strolling under colourful umbrellas. The umbrellas reminded her of the rakhis - colourful sparkling designs of paper, sponge, and crafts to be adorned on the wrist - a symbol of protection. Raksha Bandhan - the festival when a sister tied a rakhi on her brother’s wrist, eliciting a promise of protection from him, was round the corner and glittering displays of rakhi festooned the shops. Sarang, Sonia thought. A wave of loneliness swamped her and she closed her eyes to shut it out.
Devika popped her head in. “Hello! Busy?”
Sonia hastily pasted a welcome smile on her lips. “Not exactly. Come along in”
“Actually, I’m on my way to Mumbai. Thought Id let you know, just so you can keep an eye open for our ‘ghost’!” Devika smiled, revealing her crooked teeth.
“Very unlikely that he may return. But I’ll keep a look out all the same”
The phone rang just then and Sonia lifted the receiver.
“Stellar Investigations.”
“Hello, Id like to speak to Miss Sonia Samarth” The voice was cultured and deep.
“Speaking” Sonia’s attention was immediately drawn to the caller’s formal tone. Devika waved to her, indicating that she was leaving, and exited.
“This is Pankaj Naik. I want to consult you regarding an important matter.”
“Why don’t you come over to my office?”
“Well, I’m calling from Kelshi, which is along the coastline. About four hours from Pune. And I was wondering if you could come down, instead.”
“If you could tell me what this is all about… ”
“It’s my antiques. Some of my antiques are missing. I found one missing a few months ago and I decided that probably I had misplaced it. But when another one vanished yesterday, I began to get worried. I have a feeling they were stolen. And believe me, they are priceless. If you could come down… ”
“Do you think someone in your house is responsible for it?”
“I don’t know. Actually, we are a very small family. I remarried recently and Sheetal and I live with our daughter, Tina. The only other person who frequents our house is my Secretary, Ganesh Pandit, and two local maids. But Miss Samarth, Id feel a lot better if you could come over and take a look at the house and the room and - ”
“All right, I will. I’ll come over this Saturday. We will drive down early morning”
“And you can stay for lunch,” he added courteously.
“Oh, that won’t be necessary”
“I insist! Of course you must stay for lunch. See you on Saturday, then. Thanks a lot, and goodbye!” He hung up.
Sonia replaced the receiver with a thoughtful shrug. Kelshi. Quite a long distance to go at the beckoning of a mere phone call. But Pankaj sounded sincere, and if she took up the case, she would have to examine the house from which the antiques were being stolen. Well, she certainly had good news for Jatin when he returned from his date!
“You know what you’re doing, I hope,” Jatin remarked, his hands on the steering wheel of the van.
“Of course I do!” Sonia replied patiently.
“Agreeing to come all this way on the basis of a phone invitation! I never heard of anything more impulsive and unprofessional. No appointment, no prior meeting, no advance, no money consultation - I’m simply horrified!”
“Jatin, I think that’s enough. By now you should trust me to make the right decision,” Sonia remarked, a little crossly. But at the back of her mind she had to admit that he was right. It was impulsive.
“Trust you to be professional?” His exasperated tone said it all. “I hope you are aware that I cancelled my date with Naina! Simply because I couldn’t allow you to go romping alone round the State satisfying your investigative urges.”
“Well, in case you’ve forgotten, I pay you for such services,” Sonia retorted, sweetly. “Also, it will help you to remember that you’re my Assistant, not my Boss.”
Jatin had the grace to blush. “I’m sorry, Boss, but you.” “Okay, I accept that you’re right sometimes. But think of this trip as a holiday. A trip to the sea. Or better still, look at it as Recce - location-hunting. Who knows, you may like Kelshi enough to come here on your honeymoon with Naina?”
Jatin turned a deep red and laughed in appreciation. “If you put it that way… ”
Sonia relaxed against her seat, satisfied with the accomplished and desired effect. That would keep him quiet and dreamy for a while.
The van rose and dipped, as per the mood of the uneven, wet, rough tar road. Jatin drove carefully, as Sonia studied the passing landscape. They had risen early and were now almost at their destination. The red mud, so typical of the Konkan - the west coast of Peninsular India - was very much evident as they passed mud houses plastered with dry coconut branches and sloping redtiled roofs. Wooden fences made of twigs, stone, and mud aligned walking paths. A variety of cacti covered the fences. The Flame of the Fire - tall trees with orange flowers - and the Saveri - the cotton-producing tree with the scarlet-petal leathery flowers - bordered the route. Blueberry bushes under which animals could take shelter spread like sprawling nets.
The van turned into a narrow track which
