Free The Astral Alibi by Manjiri Prabhu Page B

wish to involve Parmeet in this whole ugly business,” Sonia had to cut in. “Her diary is explicit proof of her devotion to her husband.”
    “My friend was a fool! Parmeet is as much to blame as his parents.”
    “Not in Vidya’s opinion.”
    “And Mrs. Sahay will escape with a mere rap on the knuckles. Considering what they did to her, that’s what a few years in jail will amount to!”
    Sonia pursed her lips. “I understand your feelings, Renuka. But nobody murdered Vidya. She was harassed and the harasser will be punished appropriately. But to deliberately plan a suicide and make it appear like your own murder and have someone else accused for it? You may be shocked at the negative implications it will provoke. It will totally tarnish Vidya’s image and even erase most of the sympathy people felt for her. Some may admire her courage, some may even applaud her daring. But I fear Vidya’s plan has complicated matters so much that you cannot ignore the possibility of even Mrs. Sahay going scot-free! What your friend did was unethical.”
    “Unethical! How can you stand there and talk about principles when my friend is dead because of these fiends! Don’t talk to me about moral values and understanding!” Renuka hissed. “I wanted these scoundrels to be hanged for what they did to Vidya, and now thanks to you they will proudly strut around in society and find another money-sprouting scapegoat!” She glared at Sonia, then slammed out of the room.
    Sonia stared unhappily at her receding back. Consternation was stamped on Jatin’s face, as Inspector Shinde glanced at the detective sympathetically.
     
    Mohnish stood silently by the inner office door, observing Sonia with a frown. She was leaning against her chair, her eyes closed in deep contemplation. She was still, like a statue. And even Nidhi’s antics did not seem to disturb her.
    Nidhi was chasing a crumpled piece of white paper round the room, which had spilled out of the upturned plastic dustbin. The dustbin rolled and immediately the cat’s attention was riveted to it. Taking aim, she pounced and slid off it with a crash!
    Sonia straightened, opening her eyes.
    “Hello! You startled me!” Sonia gasped when she saw Mohnish.
    “That’s because you’re not in your element,” Mohnish responded, entering the office.
    “When did you arrive?”
    “A couple of minutes ago. I didn’t wish to disturb your meditation.”
    “Meditation…I wish I was good enough in meditation to blank out all thought from my mind!”
    “What’s the matter?” he asked, his tone quiet.
    Sonia sighed. “If only I could word the confusion in my mind! Right now, it is a ball of jumbled emotions. Right pitched against wrong, affliction and suffering fighting to surface over justice. Is justice a mere definition on paper?”
    Mohnish looked at her with compassion in his deep brown eyes. “You are upset over Renuka’s reaction. Jatin told me all about it. You did the right thing, Sonia. You cannot let emotions override the truth.”
    “I know. But Renuka has a point, too. I wonder…if I should never have interfered. I feel as if, in some intrinsic way, I am failing Vidya—failing all those wretched women who are victims of dowry. Perhaps it would’ve been better—more in favour of the ultimate justice—if Vidya’s plot had remained a secret?”
    “You wouldn’t have been at peace,” Mohnish stated calmly.
    “I’m not at peace, even now. I feel as if someone has punched a hole in my confidence. When I think about Vidya’s past, I realise that none of these events needed to occur. Vidya’s in-laws needn’t have harassed her. Vidya needn’t have died. She tried to teach them a lesson, which now they will never learn. And instead, here I am, being coached by circumstances that justice works at several ends!”
    “Sonia, the best thing to do is focus on
what
is right, not
who
is right or who should be right,” Mohnish said firmly.
    Sonia stared at him a long