Free The Cosmic Clues by Manjiri Prabhu Page B

was right there, as unconcerned and detached as ever. The gardener must have left to check if everything was okay outside.”
    “Yes, quite likely,” the Inspector agreed.
    As Inspector Divekar continued his examination of the kitchen, Sonia took her place on the sofa in the hall, thinking very hard. Medha was sobbing softly now and the two lovers were talking in low tones. Jatin took the seat beside Sonia.
    “Anything I can do, Boss?”
    “Any ideas?”
    “The gardener?”
    Sonia nodded silently. She wished she were back in her office with the music blaringly eliminating the unnecessary details. Quite unexpectedly, a scene from a film knocked on her mind. The hero is traveling in a train and a blind beggar passes him, singing an old song. The hero listens for a few minutes, then drops a coin in the beggar's extended palm. The coin is not a reward for the quality of the man's singing but because the song has triggered some hidden memory in him. It had deeply touched a core, a sentiment, she recalled. The scene stuck in her brain. . . .
    Her hand casually riffled through the horoscopes lying on the glass centre table and she flicked them open, one by one. Suddenly, she stiffened. A finger twirled a lock of her blunt cut, as she bent her head over a horoscope. The seconds ticked by. Jatin waited, an expression of awe and respect on his face. He knew his boss's mind was racing and calculating. Finally, she raised her head and he caught the full impact of the triumphant glitter in her eyes.
    “Jatin. I need to speak to everyone. Not Sushil, of course. Kaki can stay with him. But not here. Find out if we can meet in a quiet room. Perhaps a study?”
    Minutes later, Sonia, Jeevan Uncle, and Jatin were shown into a spacious, thickly carpeted study. Maroon velvet–cushioned armchairs surrounded a huge teakwood table. Mr. and Mrs. Tupay seated themselves opposite the Inspector and Jatin. Gaurav settled himself behind the table, while Revati leaned casually against it. Sonia paced the floor.
    “Are we just going to chew over the issue?” Ensconced in a deep chair, Inspector Divekar raised an inquiring eyebrow. “Or do you have an answer to this riddle?”
    “Possibly, if I can straighten the muddle in my head,” Sonia replied. Her gaze took in each member of the family. “That's what I'm going to do, try to clear the muddle. And I want you all to listen and help me. One thing puzzles me immensely. Something was expected to happen tonight—I mean, everyone was waiting—subconsciously—for some kind of incident, but it was on Revati's account.” Sonia stopped pacing and studied the girl. “Revati was getting the threatening letters and that was the reason why you were here in the first place, Jeevan Uncle.”
    “That's true,” Inspector Divekar acknowledged.
    “But it was Pradnya Joshi who turned out to be tonight's victim! Why? There are several theories to that. First, the culprit had planned this attack all along. Second, someone entirely different pulled this stunt, capitalizing on the already strained situation. And third, it was a spur-of-the-moment change of plan on the part of the culprit. If you choose the last option, then the question arises—what made the culprit change his mind? Obviously, something did—was it something that transpired during the evening? Something that he or she
heard
?”
    “My theory is that this is an outside job,” Inspector Divekar stated firmly. “After all, we cannot ignore that puddle of water under the main switch and near the table.”
    “You mean the gardener?”
    “On pretense of getting a cup of coffee he came inside, switched off the lights, then approached the table, fired at Revati as was his intention all along, but missed in the dark.”
    “And then left through the kitchen door,” Sonia completed, nodding. “I did feel a cold gust of wind in the dark. But someone also banged into me a split second before I heard the shot. Someone in direct range of Pradnya,