The Debts of Desire – The Final Journey

A Quick Recap
In the Debts of Desire – Keya investigates, Keya realises that Anu was murdered and insists on an autopsy. Jai challenges to sue her if the autopsy report shows she is wrong. Keya accepts the challenge and threatens to expose him if her doubts are proved right.
Read the Debts of Desire – Keya Investigates (Part 2)

Inspector Sheetal Das stared at the autopsy report that lay in front of her.
“My God!” she thought “That girl was right! It is poisoning and that too Hemlock.” She pursed her lips as she thought hard about it.
“Shombhu da” she called out to her assistant. The short bald man rushed in and stood in attention. He was always in awe of this young lady since the first day she had walked in to take charge. She was half his age but double his capability and that is what he respected. She never took advantage of her position and was kind and courteous but also extremely strict when it came to matters of discipline. She was definitely a hard nut to crack and had solved several important cases during her tenure with them.
“I need all background checks to be done on the Jaiswals. Send me the report by today evening or latest by tomorrow morning. Also inform them that they are not supposed to leave town without informing us. One more thing, get me the guest list of the party. I will also need background checks on all the attendees. Also check their RSVP list and find out why the invitees had to cancel or miss the event. What were they doing instead? In fact, all possible details that you can find. Is that understood?”

“All 2000 of them?” asked Shombhu swallowing hard.

Sheetal looked up at him fixing him with a cold stare “Is that a problem?”
“No Madam” said Shombhu straightening up immediately.
“Then can you get started please as it will take you some time” she said focusing back on her work.
“Yes Madam!” said Shombhu Banik striking a short salute before leaving the room.

Sheetal thought for a while before picking up her phone to dial Keya’s number that she had left on her desk yesterday.

Keya picked up the phone on the first ring. It was as if she was expecting the call.

“This is Inspector Das calling. Am I speaking to Ms.Sen?”
“Did you get the report? What does it say?” said Keya breathlessly.

“Yes. You were right. It is poisoning!” said Sheetal. Keya let out her breath in a low whistle.

“Oh My God! So, what are you planning now?”

“Well to begin with I have asked for a background check of the Jaiswal family as well as all the party guests. It is a huge list indeed and it seems like finding a needle in a hay stack but we need to start somewhere. I was hoping if you could come over tomorrow, I would like to start with you as you were a prime eye-witness and also an invitee to the party”

“Of course, I will meet you tomorrow after school. Is that fine?”

“Sure…and Ms.Sen” she said after a brief pause “Thank you for insisting on this autopsy. If not for you justice would not have been done.”

“Anu was my friend. I owe this to her and please call me Keya” said Keya smiling ruefully.
“I understand. See you tomorrow then Keya” said Sheetal before disconnecting.

The door-bell rang as soon as she kept the phone. Her mother was speaking to somebody at the door. Keya came out of her room to see who it was and recognised Keya’s father who was walking in with her mother into their drawing room.
As his eyes fell on her, Anu’s father came forwards and held her hands with gratitude.
“Thank you so much beta” he said as tears spilled down his cheeks “If not for you, the truth about Anu’s death would have been cremated along with her.”
Anu’s mother came forward and hugged her. “Anu talked about you a lot. You were her only friend after she moved to Kolkata” she said.

It felt awkward to hear them speak about Anu in the past tense. It would take her some time to get used it. Keya asked them to be seated as her mother left to make them some tea.

“Have they released her…. body?” she said stumbling at the word “body”.

“Yes” said Anu’s father “today morning. They took her to the cremation ground for the last rites.”
“ Do they know about the report?” asked Keya.
“Yes” said Anu’s father “They called them from the police station informing them not to leave town. The Police asked us to extend our stay too. Not that we were planning to leave. I want to see the end of this. Who could do this to Anu and why?”

“We told her not to get married to Jai. They were of a different class. We were no match for them. But she was adamant. And look what this got her” wailed Anu’s mother wiping her tears on her Sari end.
“But we did agree to the match later. Jai seemed to be a nice boy. Sober, polite and down-to-earth. He had none of the airs that come with high-society people. He didn’t want an expensive wedding and didn’t even inform his family. It was a simple registration that’s it?” said Anu’s father sadly.

“But Anu would always tell me about her grand wedding celebrations. What was that then?” asked Keya surprised.

“She must have meant her reception party. When Raghubir Jaiswal got to know of the wedding, he came down personally to meet us and invite us for the reception. They had organised a lavish affair. We were happy that they had accepted Anu.” said Anu’s father.

 “I did not see Jai’s father at the party. In fact, I don’t remember ever seeing him. Even though we stay in the same society.  What kind of a person is he?” asked Keya.

“When he came down to meet us in Delhi, that is the only time I met and spoke to him. He appeared to be very soft spoken and a perfect gentleman. I have heard he travels a lot and is hardly home. Even Anu hardly met him in her one year of marriage. But whenever she did, she found him to be a simple and polite man. Just like Jai.” said Anu’s father.

“Jai is no longer the boy we met in Delhi when he used to come over to our house and have Aloo parathas with us. This Jai is a different person” Anu’s mother sobbed loudly.

“What do you mean Aunty?” asked Keya

“He hardly talks to us nowadays. Especially after I supported you in demanding an autopsy. Now that the report is out, he completely ignores me.  I thought he would apologise for his mistake and join in the search for finding Anu’s killers. But he is turning away from it. And that woman is always with him. Whenever, I try to approach him, she says I should leave him alone.” said Anu’s father.

“A witch that’s what she is” said Anu’s mother in between her sobs “She has Jai totally under her control even before my Anu’s ashes are cooled.”

“Where are you staying Uncle?” asked Keya sighing.

“At a hotel close by” said Anu’s father “We could not bear to stay with Anu’s killers in that house.” “We don’t know for sure who her murderers are yet Uncle. Maybe Jai’s family is innocent. But let me tell you one thing, whoever it is we will not leave any stone unturned until we find them” said Keya determinedly.

---

Keya arrived at the police station at 3.30 pm as she had promised. The place was buzzing with activity. Policemen were walking around with papers and files in their hands. Some were dragging petty thieves and criminals towards the confinement cells. There were some women pleading and bargaining with the police regarding the bail amount for releasing their sons, husbands or brothers. She also saw some women constables who were either walking around or dragging women offenders to their respective cells.

Keya waded through the mush towards the door on which the plaque “Inspector Sheetal Das” shone in the afternoon light. She pushed through the doors only to find the room empty. She peered around and decided to wait outside for some time.
“Keya?”
Keya turned around to notice Sheetal walking towards her in quick confident strides. Her tall well-toned structure was truly impressive and made Keya feel puny and insignificant in her petite frame.

“Come in please” she said as she walked past her busily into her room. She sat down before an overcrowded desk teeming with files.

“I got the report on the background details for the Jaiswals and their guests. Most of them seem to be clear. Those of whom who did not come to the party have perfectly sound alibis. We have cross-checked and they seem to be okay.”

“What next?” asked Keya.

“We’ll simply have to probe deeper. What seems to be true on the outside don’t necessarily have to be so in reality. Scourging out the real truth from a pool of half-truths is our job.”

“So” she continued “Let’s hear your side of the story. Why don’t you tell me what happened on the night of the party?”

Keya recounted the events of the party. It was all clear in her mind as if she could see them happening in front of her eyes. Her arrival at the Banquet hall, Anu’s enthusiasm on seeing her, the lights, the music, the food everything. Then all of a sudden, the darkness that descended obliterating the bright moments and reducing them to just bleak shadows. It was as if she could still see Anu’s lively face creased in pain, she could feel the light throb of her pulse against her fingers, the stillness in her limbs as she collapsed in her arms.

“The post-mortem report describes there is very little food found in her stomach. Only the contents of some salad. The poison was in the salad actually”

“That’s simple then isn’t it. We need to find out who served her the salad.”

“Keya, you forget, it was a party that was held in a hotel. There will be multiple people who could have served her the salad. There would be waiters, their household helps or even guests might have brought her the salad. Moreover, it is not necessary that whoever brought her the salad was the murderer. You are forgetting an important thing here. Motive. The court will only accept your argument if you can prove the motive for the murder.”

“Hmm” said Keya thoughtfully “what do we have on the family.”

Sheetal sighed with a cynical smile as she dug out a paper from the mountain of files on her desk “The Jaiswals seem to be a colourful lot.”

“Colourful? In what ways?” asked Keya curiously.

“Raghubir Jaiswal, Jai’s father,” Sheetal read “59 years of age, successful businessman but his is a complete rag to riches story. He was a spare parts dealer in Jaipur and came from a middle-class Jain family. His fortune took an uphill climb when he met Vasundhara Shekhawat, the only daughter of Jairekha and Ramadeep Shekhawat. The Shekhawats were once the treasurers of the Jaipur royal family and had a rich lineage, massive wealth, and were held in high esteem in the city. The match was obviously not approved initially. However, they were forced to accept it when they realised that Vasundhara was pregnant. The marriage was rushed into. Unfortunately, Vasundhara had a miscarriage and lost the baby.  Raghubir’s career graph spiralled up after the marriage. He started diversifying into multiple areas and no longer remained a simple spare parts dealer.”

“Wow. That sounds straight from a Bollywood masala movie” said Keya raising her eyebrows.

Sheetal smiled before continuing.

“Vasundhara Shekhawat, Jai’s mother, as I said earlier was a princess in every sense of the matter. Beautiful, rich and pampered she literally had the world at her feet. Hence, she found it difficult to comprehend why her parents were opposing her choice of the handsome Raghubir. Nevertheless, they did get married. She suffered three miscarriages before Jai was born. Unfortunately, she did not survive for long after that. She died before Jai’s first birthday.”

“That is sad” said Keya.

“Jaidev Jaiswal,” Inspector Das continued, “the scion of the Jaiswal empire, young, handsome, smart and intelligent. Everything that a woman could swoon for. A graduate of the London Business school, he has been efficiently managing the family business with his father. Like his father he is known to be well-mannered, polite and courteous. There have been no incidents of rash driving, drunken brawls or any other unpleasantries, with acquaintances or strangers, reported against him.”

“Sounds like too good to be true” said Keya

Sheetal looked up from the paper she was reading from, to smile at Keya.
“Yes. All was going well, till we came across, this information.”

Keya leaned forward with interest.

“While in college he met Nishtha Patel. Young and beautiful Nishtha was Majoring in Economics. The two were the talk of the campus and were always seen together. They were indeed very serious. Jai had taken her home too and introduced her to his family. It seems like marriage plans were on the way when suddenly Nishtha died under mysterious circumstances.”

“What?” said Keya stunned

Sheetal nodded pursing her lips. “As expected, there was an enquiry for the sake of keeping mouths shut with no conclusive proof identified as to the cause of death. The file was closed even before it could be opened properly labelling it as “Death owing to unknown reasons”.

“Oh My God!” said Keya shocked

“Well, four years after that incident Jai meets Anu Agarwal, a simple girl from a middle-class family in Delhi. She was working in one of the Vendor firms associated with Jai’s company. That is where they met. It was a short whirlwind romance. Jai married her even without informing his family. However, they accepted the marriage without too much of an issue. But unfortunately, as we know she also met with a tragic fate.”
“Which would also have been hushed up and brushed beneath the carpet if I had not intervened” said Keya

“Probably yes” said Sheetal.
“I saw another woman with Jai when Anu’s body was brought home. Do you have any information on her? She had a name straight out of a Shobha De novel.”

“Swetlana Singhania” said Sheetal nodding her head “only daughter of Pavanlal Singhania, the head of the Singhania group of Industries. A close family friend of the Jaiswals. She has been trying to get her hands on Jaidev ever since adolescence, unfortunately the feeling was never reciprocated.”

“Could she have done this owing to jealousy?” asked Keya.

“Probable. Or maybe Jaidev used her to do the dirty work?” said Sheetal thoughtfully.
“Yes, but why would Jai kill Anu. He loved her” said Keya

“Did he? Then why is he not involved in the investigation. Why did he object to the autopsy? Is he trying to save himself or somebody else? Who is it he is scared may be exposed if the investigations are continued? If he did indeed love Anu, why is he trying to shield her murderer?”

Keya sighed. “Who else have you got?” she said.

“Jairekha Shekhawat, Jaidev’s maternal grandmother, known as Dadisa to all. 85 years of age. Crippled by arthiritis had episodes of acute childhood depression after losing her elder sister in a freak accident. “

“What kind of accident?” asked Keya curiously.
“Well, they were both playing hide and seek with other children. Her sister, Surekha, had hidden in an old trunk. But unfortunately, she got trapped in it and couldn’t get out. She ultimately died of suffocation.”

“Oh, that’s so sad” said Keya. “No wonder she loves being with children so much. Maybe it helps her relive the happy memories with her sister.”

“What about the household helps” she asked.

“Most of them are old timers. There is a chauffeur who has been with them since Jaidev was a young boy. Their housekeeper, Mrs.Gomes has been working with them since 10 years. Only Dadisa’s attendant Anjali, has been recruited since last year, ever since the old lady was bound to the wheelchair.”

“Could she….?’

“Anjali has an impeccable record. And again, you need to remember Keya, we will need a motive. Why will Anjali want to kill Anu?”

Keya sighed. Sheetal was right. She needed to organize her random thoughts. There must be something she is missing.

“And what about the poison? What kind of poison is this” asked Keya.

“Hemlock. It is a shrub which looks like parsley and belongs to the carrot family of plants. Every part of this plant, particularly the root, is dangerous if ingested. However, touching or handling this will not have any impact. It tastes like carrot too and hence if mixed in salads can go easily undetected. That is probably what the murderer leveraged.  Though there have been cases where people, after having mistakenly ingesting this, have been revived, however it all depends on the amount ingested and the time lapse between ingestion and reaching medical help.  I guess in the case of Anu, neither of these factors worked in her favour.”

“But where did the murderer get hold of it. It does not grow openly in India at least.” said Keya.

“It doesn’t but then again it is a wild shrub and can grow in open fields and even near pavement corners. Most importantly, it has some medicinal values and is used in homeopathic medicines largely. So, the person could have sourced it from there as well.”

Keya nodded. Her head was spinning with all this information. She needed to just start from scratch to see if she could make sense of anything. May be that will help.

“Inspector Das” she said looking at Sheetal, “Can you arrange to get a recording of the party? I had noticed there were people capturing the event on their phones. I also noticed a couple of Videographers. Can you check with them to see if they have the event captured? It might give us some leads.” said Keya as a sudden thought struck her.
“You think so?” asked Sheetal looking at her as she picked up the phone and barked some instructions into it to get her the names of the Videographers who were contracted to record the events.

“It’s just a thought. Maybe it will lead nowhere but no harm in trying. Anyway, I need to be getting home now” said Keya looking at the time. “Do you need me for anything else?”
“Nope” said Sheetal. “I will let you know when I get the video. Thanks for coming over.” she said smiling at Keya.

Keya thought about their discussion, as she drove back home. Thoughts whizzed around in her head. Could Jai have actually planned this murder?  But why? Was he in love with somebody else and needed to remove Anu? But then who was the other woman? Swetlana? Was she the one who instigated Jai against Anu? Was she the mastermind behind this or was she just a pawn? How would Jai get his hands on such a deadly poison.

The flowers!
It was Jai who had ordered them. It would be just easy for him to slip it in unnoticed and then mix it in her salad when no one was looking. But Why? Why would Jai do that? What was his motive? Keya shook her head. Nothing was making any sense. The video may help her come up with something. Something they may have missed only because they were not looking for anything then. That is what the murderer used to his benefit, thought Keya grimacing. He used their ignorance to get his work done!

---

As Keya pulled up in her parking lot, she heard someone speaking on the phone. The voice seemed to be coming from the upper ground level of the parking area. She could not see who it was because she was at the ground level. Keya would have ignored and walked on when she froze on hearing Anu’s name. She soon realised it was Jai and he was speaking to someone on the phone. Whoever it was on the other side was apparently furious. He was speaking so loudly that it echoed against the empty walls of the parking lot helping Keya hear almost everything that he said.

“How could you let this happen to Anu?” said the voice almost shouting at Jai. “I told you to be careful!”

“I know. I am sorry. I just didn’t realise that….” said Jai in low tones. He sounded like a small boy caught on the wrong foot.

“What do you mean you did not realise? Jai have you forgotten what happened last time? I told you this party was a bad idea. I told you keep it low key.”

“I know Dad!” said Jai

Keya’s eyes widened. So, Jai was speaking to Raghubir Jaiswal. But why didn’t his father want the party to happen? She edged closer to the pillar that stood directly below the upper ground level parking ramp where Jai stood talking, so that she could hear better. She knew she was eavesdropping and maybe should not, but she had to do this for Anu.

“Why did you not inform me?” asked Raghubir still sounding furious.

“I …I …was scared” said Jai “I didn’t want anything to happen to her?”

“JAI” said his father angrily “How can you say that? You could not let anything happen to her and look what that got Anu?”
“But Dad …I didn’t think she would….I mean…..I thought things had improved ….Oh god ! I don’t know what to do now”

“Listen Jai” his father’s voice softened “We have to come out with the truth. There is no other alternative.”

“No Dad!” said Jai suddenly agitated “We can’t do this to her. I can’t do this to her. She…she loves me Dad” said Jai almost in tears.

“Loves you?” his father’s voice boomed through the phone. “Wake up Son! She has never loved you or anybody else. The only person she has ever loved is herself!” There was a silence punctuated with stifled sobs from Jai.

“I am coming down tomorrow” said Raghubir after a while in a definitive tone “I want to discuss this with you face to face. We need to take a decision now Son. She has done enough harm. I cannot let her ruin your life too.”

Keya moved away as she heard the beep of the phone indicating that the line had been disconnected. She noticed Jai’s shadow reflected on the wall opposite to where she stood. He was resting his head in his palms as he stood leaning with his elbows on the rails for a long time after the call with his father was over. Muffled sobs broke out in gasps as his body shook with the vigour. Despite all her negative emotions about Jai, she somehow, felt sorry for him. She thought she should not trespass further in his personal moment and left feeling confused and baffled with what she had heard and Jai’s strange reaction.

Who were they discussing? Swetlana? If Jai was so in love with her why did he marry Anu? Was it a momentary lapse of judgement or something much deeper? Why was his father so furious with him? What is going on here?

---

Her face was still creased in thought as she entered her house. Her mother looked at her and said “You need some tea. Go out in the balcony I will get it for you”

Keya changed and dropped herself into the swing that hung in their balcony. It was her favourite thinking spot. Her mother joined her there with a tray laden with tea and her favourite chocolate walnut cake, fresh from the oven.

“So, what did Inspector Das say” said her mother as she sat opposite Keya on the swing with her cup of tea.

Keya took a bite of the cake as she recounted all that Inspector Das had told her. She also told him how she had overheard Jai and his father’s conversation in the parking lot. Her mother listened to her narrative patiently sipping on her tea a slight smile playing on her lips.

“Why did Vasundhara Jaiswal have so many miscarriages?” asked her mother once she was done.

“What?” asked Keya surprised “Why is that important?”

“I don’t think you are thinking hard enough or asking the right questions, Keya” said her mother.

“What do you mean Ma?”

“There are so many things, we believe are not important but when we try and look at them closely we realise their significance,” said her mother softly playing with the leaves of the geranium blossoms next to her.
“Childbearing is a natural phenomenon for a woman,” she continued “It is only when an anomaly occurs within her body that she is unable to do so.” She looked at Keya meaningfully, “there may be internal or external causes that leads to this anomaly. The fact that she gave birth to a perfectly healthy boy despite her earlier miscarriages shows that Vasundhara’s internal problems, if any, had been solved. But there may have been external reasons that probably led to the previous three incidents. If so, what? Try and find that out”

“Even if we do find out what then?” said Keya still not able to understand what her mother was trying to get at.
“Try and probe deeper into the reasons, I am sure there will be a link somewhere.” Her mother went on “Also I think you should know more about Nishtha. What were the circumstances in which she died?”
“And finally the last question why did Jai not inform his family before getting married to Anu? What was the hurry?”

Keya looked at her mother closely “Do you know who did it, Ma?”

Her mother laughed as she shook her head “No. That is what you need to know. All I am doing is helping you reach the truth”

Keya nodded thoughtfully “I think it is Swetlana. She probably manipulated Jai so that he commits this heinous crime on her behalf. Moreover, I am sure it was she who Jai and his father were discussing over the phone.”

“Maybe you are right” said her mother looking into the distance “jealousy and possessiveness have always ruled a woman’s heart. But these are mere side effects of a much deeper feeling – Desire. Do you think Swetlana desired Jai to the extent that she could kill?”

“Maybe she did?” said Keya.

“I don’t know. From what you tell me, she seems to be like one of those fashionable Page 3 celebrities. She would be too bothered about harming her manicure in Jail if she got caught, to go to the extent of committing a murder. Whoever planned such a heinous end for an innocent and lively child, like Anu, must be really desperate. And somehow, I think it is the same person who killed Nishtha too.”

“You mean Nishtha was murdered too?” asked Keya.

“Of course. Isn’t it obvious?” said her mother.

Keya sighed sadly “Why do people have to be so Machiavellian.  Why can’t we all just live together peacefully and happily? It would make life so much simpler.”

Her mother laughed and looked at her “You remember Keya when you were about 6 years old, you were obsessed with a particular dress you had seen in a shop. You used to pester me to get you that dress and I refused because it was too expensive. After several days when I did not give in, you were so angry that you cut up one of my favourite saris to make the dress yourself.”

“I was just a child Ma. But these are matured adults,” said Keya sadly. 

“Desire makes us do a lot of things which is beyond our control. You did realise later what you did was wrong, and you were filled with remorse because neither did you get the dress nor did I get to keep my Sari. But at that moment you were in the grips of a madness spurred by this intense desire that forced you to give in to its evil call. The only difference is you learnt from your mistake and never repeated it. But the person in question here never learnt from his or her mistake. It may have become an ingrained habit. It may have begun as a simple liking but turned into something more serious and overpowering. Having created a Frankenstein of their own desires, he or she is being forced to pay their debts. You see Keya, you can easily replace a Sari, but you cannot replace a life, can you? That too not one, but three!”

“Three?” asked Keya surprised.

“Really, Keya, I am sure you don’t think Dadisa’s sister’s death was also an accident?” said her mother shaking her head as she got up to collect the empty cups.

Keya sat stupefied shocked at the new insight her mother threw at her when the phone rang. Still dazed, Keya answered it. It was Inspector Das. She had got the video of the party delivered to her. She was going to meet Jai and his family for an enquiry. Before that, she would come over to her house so that they could go through the video together. Keya told her about her mother’s observations and whether she could find out about them in more detail.

“Interesting!” said Inspector Das thoughtfully “Funny it never struck me earlier. I will get on to it right away.”

It was around evening when Inspector Das arrived. Keya introduced her to her mother. They sat down to check the video. It made her relive that fateful evening once more. Her eyes grew moist as she saw Anu in her pale pink and silver Lehenga prancing around hugging and taking selfies with everybody. Poor girl. What a rude way to snub out the beautiful glow of youth and innocence she radiated.
They watched the whole thing but did not seem to find anything unnatural or strange. Keya’s mother was watching it with them.
“The perils of desire!” she sighed as the frame froze where Anu collapsed to the ground.

Keya looked up curiously. “What do you mean Ma?”

Her mother looked at her and Inspector Das “You mean none of you noticed it? Your murderer is right there in front of you.”

Both gasped as they looked at each other blankly.
“Replay the last 30 minutes and look closely while I make you some tea” she said as she moved to the kitchen.

They replayed and watched every moment closely. Keya noticed it first. It was subtle and very easy to miss but it was there alright. She pointed it out to Inspector Das. Neither of them could believe it. They replayed it multiple times just to make sure they were not imagining it.

“Time to go and meet the Jaiswals” said Inspector Das getting up to leave.

“Can I come too?” asked Keya
“Of course” said Inspector Das “You must”.
She looked at Keya’s mother who stood looking at them with twinkling eyes “Thank you Ma’am. You should be in the Detective Department. Such amazing observation skills.”

As Keya beamed proudly, her mother’s face grew serious as she said gravely “Make them talk. Don’t let them get away with another murder .”

---

The Jaiswals were in their living room when Keya and Inspector Das entered. Raghubir Jaiswal was standing with his back towards the door and so he did not see them coming in. He was talking agitatedly when he stopped as he saw Jai get up abruptly. Raghubir turned around to face them. Keya noticed he was of the same height and build as Jai. His hair was heavily gelled and neatly brushed back. He had a square face that was clean shaven. Long and bushy side whiskers made him look like an English lord from medieval ages.

“Yes?” he said in a deep authoritarian voice.

“Mr. Raghubir Jaiswal I presume” said Sheetal moving forward “I am Inspector Das, the investigating officer for Anu Agarwal’s murder case.”

Raghubir’s eyes moved questioningly towards Keya. “This is Ms. Sen. She is assisting me in this case” said Inspector Das. Keya noticed Jai raising his eyebrows slightly at the introduction.

“How may I help you?” asked Raghubir.

“By answering a few simple questions” said Sheetal looking at him with narrowed eyes.

As Inspector Das began her routine questioning, Keya looked around and noticed Dadisa sitting in her wheelchair near the window looking out into the road below. She had looked up when they had entered but had turned back again. Her face looked lost as she looked at the traffic plying below. Her gaze was vague. Keya closed her eyes as she relived what she had just seen. The glint of greed in those eyes, the hands hovering above Anu’s head waiting for the inevitable and the curling of those lips in an evil snarl before puckering over in false remorse as Anu’s lifeless body toppled over.

She opened her eyes and felt it was time.

“Mr. Jaiswal” she said turning to Raghubir “Is Jai your first born?”
“ Yes …well no….my wife had three miscarriages before Jai. Why is that important here?”

“How did she have the miscarriages Mr. Jaiswal?” asked Keya ignoring his question.
“I don’t understand. What does that have to do with all this?” he asked surprised.

“We need to know everything Mr. Jaiswal. Please cooperate.” said Inspector Das.

“She had an accident” he said tritely.

“And what if we said that these were not miscarriages but abortions you forced her into because all three times, she was supposed to have a girl.” Inspector Das said sternly.

“NO..NO..that is a lie. How do you know?” said Raghubir looking at them with wide eyes.

“We make it our business to know everything Mr.Jaiswal” said Sheetal calmly “Please tell us the truth. It will be in your own interest.”

“When you found out that the fourth one was a boy, you let her have it?” continued Keya.

“I did not force the abortions. Please believe me. I would be travelling most of the time and these accidents usually happened when I was away. I would never have allowed her to go through it if I knew.” he said in a shocked tone.

“Once when I was in London on a long business trip, she landed up in my hotel.” continued Raghubir. “She looked miserable and said she was missing me a lot, so she wants to be there with me. I was missing her too and was happy to see her, so I did not bother her with questions. We spent a wonderful time together. A week later she told me that she was expecting once again. She was superstitious and did not want to return to India because of her miscarriages. She wanted this pregnancy to go through successfully.  She did not want me to tell anyone at home “We will surprise them” she had said.” Raghubir’s face had softened as he recalled his memories.

“Then Jai was born” he said looking at his son “It was as if our world was complete. We were so happy. He was healthy and so was Vasundhara. We came back to India. Things were going well. Then when Jai was six months old, Vasundhara started complaining of stomach aches. As the days went by the severity of the pain increased. Then the vomiting started followed by the diarrhoea. I tried everything but could not save her. She succumbed to it. We lost her before Jai’s first birthday.”

“A death she deserved, the little liar!”

Everybody turned to see Dadisa looking at them with a gleam in her eyes.

Raghubir looked away and sunk into the sofa next to him. His shoulders drooped as he dropped his head in his hands.

“She promised she would never have a child again. Liar!! Then she flees and comes back after a whole year with a son. How dare she? She had forgotten the pain of each miscarriage I made her suffer. She had forgotten how she had whimpered and begged for mercy.”

Keya and Sheetal looked at the older woman stunned. She had ripped off her sophisticated veneer and exposed her raw and rustic jealousy. Her eyes trembled with naked fury and her lips twitched with a malicious sneer as she looked around at them.

“Dadisa!” Jai whispered moving forward to bringing her to her senses.

Jairekha swivelled her chair to face her grandson as she said with a vicious curl to her lips “And you? The deceitful son of a deceitful mother. You go around marrying women at your own whim and fancy. Just like her. Didn’t I tell you what happened to boys who got married? And yet you dared to defy me! When you first brought that other girl home, I was shocked at your betrayal. You forced me to take that desperate step. Once was not enough lesson for you was it? You did it again and this time without letting us know. What did you think, I would let you get away so easily? What have I not done for you, you ungrateful wretch? I gave you my whole business to manage. That should have made you happy. What are you after all? No lineage, no caste, no inheritance. You don’t even deserve to polish the shoes of the great Shekhawats. And yet I gave you the honour to carry my name with yours. Should you not have been grateful for that? Is this how you repay me?”

There was a stunned silence in the room as Jai stood aghast staring at Dadisa.
“It didn’t start with your daughter did it?” Keya’s calm voice broke through the stillness.

Dadisa flashed her a look. “No…No it didn’t.”

“So, what happened that day when you were playing with your friends?” asked Keya prodding her on.

Jairekha laughed. It was a laughter so vile that it made them wince.

“Fools! Fools all of them. They thought it was an accident. I knew Surekha had hidden in the huge iron trunk that was kept in the storeroom. It was I who suggested that she hide there because that was the best place. Then when she went in. I shut the lid and bolted it. And nobody could find her… ever.”

“But why? Why did you do this to us? To your own daughter? To your sister?  What have they done to you?” Raghubir exploded looking at her with tears reddening his eyes.

“YOU HAVE DARED TO DESIRE WHAT WAS MINE” said Jairekha her voice ringing out in a shrill shriek.

“We were young, very young when my grandmother first showed it to us” She continued, her breath coming in short gasps as she panted with excitement “I still remember the blue sheen of the sapphires and the sparkle of the diamonds glistening in the sun.  I had coveted it from the first sight. I knew I was born to own it. It was mine. But then I was told it belonged to my sister because she was the elder. I could not let that happen, could I? Never, I could never let that rest on any head other than mine.”

“A Tiara?” asked Raghubir “Is that what this is all about?”

“It is not just a Tiara” screamed Jairekha “It is my inheritance. My identity. My first love.”

Raghubir shook his head incredulously. Jairekha was now rocking back and forth. Her hair was flying all over her face. Sheetal moved forward, “Mr. Jaiswal I think we need to move her to her room as she seems to be unwell. We will have to take her into custody but before that we need to stabilise her a bit.”

“Paah!” spat Jairekha “I don’t need any help. I can go wherever I want and whenever I want. Nobody orders Jairekha Shekhawat”. She wheeled herself out of the room. Holding her head high in a regal manner.  
As she reached the door, Anjali held it open to let her out. She must have been waiting outside and heard everything. However, her stoic expression hardly gave anything away.
Once she left, an uncomfortable silence shrouded the room. Keya walked over to Jai. She thought she owed him an apology for holding him responsible for Anu’s death.
“Jai, I am sorry” she said gently “Both for this as well as for thinking that you were responsible for Anu’s death.”

“Please don’t apologise” said Jaidev looking at her with a sad smile “I would have done the same if something like this happened to a friend of mine. In fact I did everything I could to make you believe that it was me and not Dadisa. She was the only mother I ever knew.”

“You mean you knew it was her?” said Keya shocked.

“I always had my suspicion” said Jai “It was after Nishtha, my fiancée, died. I began to get suspicious. I spoke to her about it. She refused and  threatened to drive us away if any scandal reaches the press.”

“What do you mean drive you away? Isn’t all this yours, since you are her only heir” asked Keya surprised.

“Jairekha Shekhawat does not believe in sharing anything with anyone. I am sure you know that by now” said Raghubir Jaiswal in a tired voice. “She has not declared any heir. Even now the business and any dealings that we do, is in her name. We are simply her paid employees.”

“When did you first start suspecting her Mr. Jaiswal?” asked Sheetal

“When Vasundhara started falling sick, I took her to several doctors who suggested tests. These tests would indicate arsenic in her blood and urine. I would mention this to her mother. But she ignored them and said these tests are useless and put her on Homeopathy.”

“Why Homeopathy?” asked Keya surprised.

“She would say that homeopathy is the best method for minor ailments like stomach pain. However, her condition never improved, rather it worsened. I would urge Maji sa to move her to modern medicine, but she would insist though homeopathy always took longer to give results but is the best option. She made sure of that I would always be travelling so that I could not keep track of what was happening. . When Vasundhara died I had secretly got all the medicines tested and they were found to be arsenic solutions.”

“What?” said Sheetal and Keya in unison.

“Why didn’t you report it to the police?” asked Sheetal.

“I was scared…Jai was so young. After Vasundhara died, Maji sa was the one who looked after him. If she harmed him in any way, I would have nothing to live for.”

“But who was the doctor?” asked Keya

“She made her own medicines. She never trusted anyone else with medicines. She knows a Company in USA from where she gets the raw materials.”

“I see, so that is how she sourced the Hemlock too I guess?” said Sheetal.

“Yes. She uses it to treat her arthritis. When I heard about Anu’s death, the first thing that I asked was what was the poison detected in the autopsy report and immediately I knew who was behind this then”

“Mr.Jaiswal, I hope you realise you both have committed an equally big crime by hiding the truth for all these years” said Sheetal looking from father to son “We could have saved two lives if you opened up earlier.”

“I Know” said Raghubir nodding his head sadly, “You can arrest us if you want. But believe it or not, we tried our best to prevent Anu’s death. When Jai informed me about his marriage, I got scared again. Not for myself or Jai, but for the young girl. I was unprepared for what happened to Nishtha. It came as shock but I did not want that to be repeated. I appointed Anjali, from a local detective agency, to keep an eye on her. She was with her 24 hrs. Despite that vigilance, I don’t how she slipped in the poison into Anu’s salad.”

“I could never understand why she was doing all this until today.” said Jai shaking his head in disbelief “My God I can’t believe it.”

Sheetal sighed saying “Let us go to her room now. I hope you understand we will have to take her into custody. The case will move to court. Most probably, given her age, there might be some relaxation in the sentence. However, I believe they will assign her to a mental asylum. She definitely needs medical help.”

“Yes, the law will ofcourse take its course.”

They moved towards Jairekha’s bedroom only to find the door closed and Anjali waiting outside with a glass of milk on a tray.
“What are you doing outside?” asked Raghubir sharply to the girl.

“Madam, asked me to get her glass of milk. I have been knocking for some time and she is not responding.”

“WHAT?” said Sheetal moving into action as she banged loudly on the door. Hearing no response, she gave it a hard shove to find it open easily.
The room was lit brightly. The crystal prisms in the huge chandelier on the ceiling was glittering like diamonds. Light music was playing on the home theatre system. Right in the middle of the room there was a large Queen size bed with a regal head board intricately carved with ornate designs. A light satin beize bedspread and a matching duvet covered the bed. Despite the opulence, the room reeked of a wild musty odour.

Jairekha Shekhawat lay on the satin spread wearing an expensive off-white Organza Benarasi delicately embroidered with light gold filigree work. Her head rested on a satin pillow that matched the bedspread. The light golden shades of a beige eye shadow lingering on her closed eyelids.

Her hair was tied in a top knot on which the falcon’s head roosted in all its glory with the huge blue sapphire glinting at them. Its diamond and sapphire studded wings spread out on either side crowning her lifeless body as it lay engulfed in the venom of her vile desires.