Free The Cosmic Clues by Manjiri Prabhu Page A

was plunged into darkness.
    “Oh God!” Revati exclaimed. “Gaurav, where are you?”
    “Right here!”
    “Kaki, get the candles, please!”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “It's all your fault, Pradnya! You lied to me! You—”
    “Shh . . . not now, Medha. Pull yourself together.”
    “Is the fuse this side of the hall?” Inspector Divekar asked.
    “In the kitchen. I'll check,” Mr. Tupay replied.
    As clamor gripped the house, Sonia rose. Lightning flashed again, illuminating the hall for a brief instant. Shadows molded into solid shapes and, casually, Sonia's eyes moved to the corner. The remote figure sat in its dazed state, like a blind man, his hands placed on the table, beside the napkin, a pitiful, melancholy outline. She was about to move when someone banged into her. An apology sprang to her lips but was curbed by a sudden ear-splitting sound. The shot was followed by an agonized scream of a woman.
    “What happened!” someone yelled.
    “Don't move, anybody! Ritesh, show me the main electricity switch. Jatin, move towards the kitchen,” Inspector Divekar snapped orders in the darkness.
    A cold gust of wind made Sonia shiver. Minutes later, the hall was flooded with lights. She blinked at the glare.
    “Pradnya Aunty!” Revati screamed.
    All eyes were riveted on Pradnya, who lay in a crumpled, awkward heap on the sofa. A dull red mark was soaking her off-white blouse. Inspector Divekar pushed his way through the horror-struck family members and checked her pulse.
    “Alive,” he observed tersely. “The bullet grazed the right shoulder. The impact and pain made her faint. I'll call the Doctor immediately.”
    While Sonia and Ritesh Tupay did their best to arrest the flow of blood, the Inspector called for medical aid. It took a while for the Doctors to make their way through the storm, but soon Pradnya was driven away in an ambulance.
    As the ambulance disappeared into the night, Medha dissolved into bitter tears. “What in heavens is happening in this house! I hope to God she lives! I really don't care if she lied or kept secrets, but she must live! I must go to the hospital. . . .”
    “She'll be fine, dear. Just stay calm. And you will go to the hospital once this matter is cleared up,” her husband consoled.
    “But who shot at her? And why?”
    “I hope Inspector Divekar will have an answer to that most crucial question.”
    The Inspector glanced at Sonia, who was staring at the door where Kaki stood.
    “That is the kitchen, adjoining the hall, isn't it?” she asked the housekeeper. “Can I take a look?”
    Sonia headed towards the kitchen, followed by Inspector Divekar and Jatin. Kaki made way for them to pass through into the huge room. An oval jute rug covered the stone slabs of the floor. On the wall opposite, closets curved round a long cooking platform. A dining table was placed beside another door. Sonia opened this door and immediately a gush of wet wind swept into the room. She shut the door at once, shivering. Her gaze glided along the floor and caught a small pool of water, at the bottom of the wall. Just above the puddle of water was the main electric switch of the house.
    The water trailed out of the kitchen. With a frown of concentration, Sonia followed it to the corner table in the hall. Another puddle glistened under Sushil's chair. He remained motionless, his eyes closed and the napkin on his lap. Nonplussed, Sonia returned to the kitchen and stood in the middle of the room. Inspector Divekar was studying two coffee mugs on the table. He touched them. They were warm.
    “Kaki, did someone have coffee in the kitchen a while ago?” he asked.
    “Yes, the gardener came in, wet and shivering, so I offered him some coffee. Then I went out into the hall to collect the empty mugs. That's when the lights went out.”
    “But he wasn't in the kitchen when the lights were switched on?”
    “No. Actually, I didn't even think of him. My first thought was naturally for my Sushil. But poor Sushil