The Astral Alibi Read online

  “What are you saying? They tried to kill each other? I don’t believe it!” Karan exclaimed. “We are all such good friends! Why in heavens should Jaya and Anup wish to kill each other? We’ve been working closely for months. We had a wonderful lunch this afternoon and the atmosphere was such fun, so tension-free. I don’t see why those two would take such drastic action. No, I’m sure there’s another explanation to it!”

  “Assuming that the poison was not in the juice—can you explain what the entire auditorium witnessed with their own eyes? Jaya and Anup poured poison out of the bottles they had in their possession. And they collapsed onstage in front of all of us. And they did not get up again. In fact, I’m not sure the Doctors will be able to do much for them.”

  Karan looked horrified. “You mean…?”

  Sonia was silent, as she allowed the significance of her remark to sink in. The Director clutched his head and burst into tears. His shoulders shook and Sonia felt tears rise in her eyes at such raw emotion.

  “Get a grip, Karan,” she said finally. “Some things are beyond our control.”

  “I loved her!” Karan mumbled as he fought to control the dam of emotions. “I loved Jaya a lot. But she never really looked at me. Until recently. She was changing towards me. I could sense that. Especially today, during Deepa and Anup’s lunch party. I truly did love her! Oh, why did this have to happen?” he wailed.

  At the back of her mind, Sonia noticed that his admission of love for someone else evoked nothing but a sense of deep sympathy. She felt inordinately pleased about it. “Did you ever reveal your feelings to her?” she asked.

  “Several times—not in so many words, but through actions, hints. She knew. And she wasn’t indifferent. I know that because she would come to me so naturally whenever she was upset or angry or emotional. Like this evening, just before the show, she was quite upset and she came straight to me. Vijay, the makeup man, told me that he had seen her go into Anup’s room and that she emerged very agitated.”

  “Did she say what had upset her?”

  “Just that she was so angry, she could kill someone!” He raised his head and stared at her, as if realising the impact of what he’d just said. “She didn’t mean that literally, of course. She said that her world was collapsing around her. Her housekeeper had announced that she was leaving, someone had left an unpleasant message on her answering machine which was a real eye-opener, the milkman had refused to drop off the milk. She said she was tired of acting. She wanted to settle down! She was furious, and she swore that after today she would give up everything and concentrate entirely on me! Can you believe it? She said that to me. She knew that I cared and she said that she was ready to begin a new relationship with me. I was so happy to hear her say that! I had even planned a romantic dinner for just the two of us tonight!”

  Sonia started. Dinner! The meal she had promised Mohnish had totally slipped from her mind. Distracted, she scanned the scattered groups for Mohnish and found him talking to Inspector Divekar. How could she ever treat him to dinner now? As if on cue, Mohnish turned and caught her eye. He flashed her a half smile, then resumed his conversation with the Inspector.

  “Who was the woman who was kneeling beside Anup a while ago?” Sonia asked Karan.

  “Deepa, Anup’s wife. Oh Lord! I forgot all about Deepa!”

  “I think she’s gone on to the hospital, with her husband.”

  “I need to ask the Inspector if we can pack up. I really must go to Deepa. She shouldn’t be alone at a time like this. What a horrible, horrible mess!” Karan thrust his head in his hands again.

  Sonia covered his shoulders consolingly with her arm. He was right: it was a mess. What was supposed to be a rewarding night, a fruitful culmination of months of hard work, had instead turned into an unforgettable nightmare.

  Inspector Divekar moved away and Mohnish turned to look for Sonia. He stiffened involuntarily as he saw Sonia bend close towards Karan and talk consolingly to him. A shard of pure jealousy pierced him. The hot night and the morbid atmosphere of the theatre suddenly seemed to stifle him and he longed to drag Sonia away from the place. Without permitting himself the time to analyse his reaction, he hastily moved towards the couple.

  “Sonia?” he interrupted.

  Surprised, she glanced up.

  “Sorry to disturb you, but Inspector Divekar says that they’ve finished with us and we can all go home.”

  “Right!” Sonia replied, but a flash of annoyance replaced the surprise on her face. “Karan, I’ll keep in touch.”

  “Thanks, Sonia. I’m so thankful you were here tonight.”

  “So am I.” Sonia smiled gently at him.

  “But you have to eat something!” Mohnish argued.

  “Dinner, after such a tragic evening? I couldn’t eat a morsel,” Sonia protested.

  “Where’s your professionalism? You can’t allow cases to affect your metabolism.”

  “Investigators are human, too,” she reminded lightly. “And this is not a case. I’m not hired and I’m not sure I want to be hired. The enacted last scene was as poignant as the actual reality and I’m not sure I can detach myself from the emotions! And lastly, please don’t talk like Jatin!”

  “All right. But I’m going to stop by this restaurant. It’s eleven and I’m famished. We’re going to eat something!”

  Without heeding her protests, he parked outside a vegetarian restaurant and led his companion into the air-conditioned section.

  “Are you going to order for yourself or should I?” he asked her briskly.

  “I’ll order. An Idli Sambar, please,” Sonia told the waiter.

  “Is that all? You’ll feel hungry in the middle of the night,” Mohnish warned, exasperated. But when she merely shrugged, he ordered a Fried Rice for himself. The waiter jotted down the order and left.

  Mohnish considered Sonia with a keen eye. She was fidgeting with the napkin, avoiding looking at him. He sighed.

  “Okay, tell me what’s the matter.”

  “Nothing.”

  “Obviously you are upset about something, Sonia. Spit it out!”

  “All right, I’m a little annoyed. Why did you interrupt me when I was talking to Karan?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to deliberately disturb you. It was just that Inspector Divekar said we could leave and—”

  “And you just marched up and conveyed the message,” Sonia completed coolly.

  “Right.”

  “Well, don’t do it again.”

  Mohnish stared at her flushed face. He had seen Sonia angry on several occasions. But never had the anger been directed towards him. And perhaps she was justified this time—to an extent. He probably had intruded on her professional boundary.

  “Are we having a quarrel?” he asked finally.

  “I don’t like quarrels.”

  “Neither do I.”

  “Nor do I appreciate occasions which lead to them.”

  “Point taken. Now can we eat?”

  The waiter placed the food on the table and vanished discreetly. Mohnish watched silently as his companion toyed with the Idli Sambar. With a sigh, he replaced his spoon on his plate, folded his arms, and looked at Sonia squarely.

  “Fine, I apologise, okay? It’s just that I saw you comforting Karan and I was worried that you’d get too involved emotionally and I…” He caught her look of amusement. “What?”

  “You were worried?” She tipped her head and observed him.

  “Of course I was. I was aware that Karan was a college friend and that put you in a very vulnerable position and—”

  “You thought I would get too deeply drawn in to this case?” she confirmed. A pleasant tingling sensation was creeping over her body, at his concern.

  “Yes. You would only end up getting upset and that’s exactly what I didn’t want. Now or ever!”

  “Mohnish, if that was your only motive, your crime is excused.” Sonia’s eyes glinted with mischief.

  “Does tha
t mean I don’t get a sentence for the crime?”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that. Maybe a light rap or two, so that you’re not tempted to take up emotional responsibility for me again? And, by the way, you were right: I don’t think this Idli Sambar is going to be sufficient for me. I’m hungry and I need another dish!”

  A pleased smile lit up Mohnish’s face. “That’s good news I haven’t heard in a long time!”

  “So much happened and you didn’t call me!” Jatin was indignant.

  Sonia had arrived early that morning. She had a sleepless night. The voices of Anup and Jaya had droned on in her mind like a stuck record.

  “There wasn’t time and to tell you the truth, it’s not our concern. We are not ‘on the case.’ Besides, I’m positive Jaya and Anup did indeed kill each other.”

  “You mean…!”

  Sonia nodded gravely. “Inspector Divekar called. He said that the doctors couldn’t save either Anup or Jaya.”

  “How terrible! But…but why! I thought you said that they were all good friends and going in and out of one another’s houses.”

  “Yes, that’s what Karan told me. Actually, initially I thought that someone had replaced the fake property bottles with real poison. And that someone connected with the play had tried to murder Anup and Jaya. But then, one of the play members discovered the original bottles still in the same position, untouched. Anup and Jaya were supposed to slip into the wings and pick up the fake bottles and return to the stage. Which they did not do. Instead they used bottles that they had on them.

  “Besides, look at the evidence. Pouring poison right in front of the audience and dying like that? As if they were really in love and couldn’t bear to live in this world anymore. True essence of romance, though melodramatically tragic if you were really looking for romance. But the motive, as of now, is out of human reach.”

  “How awful!”

  “Maybe that’s just the way they wanted it. The mystery shrouding their deaths would be spicy material for all and sundry. A fitting end to two exceptionally talented actors. Perhaps they planned it like that.”

  “But you said that Jaya was upset about something right before the show. Couldn’t that have had something to do with the murders?”

  “Yes, you could be right. But I have a gut feeling that this went deeper than a misunderstanding. Just think. Why would two co-stars or colleagues who are good friends wish to kill each other? And how could they carry out such a plan successfully? It has to be either extreme love or extreme hate, for them to take each other’s lives. If it’s the former, why give up everything if you’re in love and can enjoy a glorious future together? And if it’s extreme hate, what could’ve passed between them to take such terrible measures?”

  “A huge fight, perhaps?”

  “Possible.”

  “What about the poison? Did the police confirm which bottle contained the poison?”

  “The police checked the juice. There was no poison in it at all. The poison came from the bottles that both the actors possessed. It was cockroach poison. But not manufactured by the same company. Surely it’s too much of a coincidence if they both hadn’t planned it together. Although it’s possible that it could be an independent idea, of course….”

  Jatin sighed. “The police have their work cut out for them.”

  “They will have to perform the routine inquiry. Ask questions of the play members, concentrating on Karan and Deepa, who were closest to Anup and Jaya. And perhaps pay a visit to Jaya’s house and meet her housekeeper. They’ll try their best to find out what lay beneath this mutual murder. And if they don’t, the obvious will have to be accepted. That Jaya and Anup did indeed murder each other, for some strange, inexplicable personal reason. And the audience was their witness!”

  “What about us?” Jatin asked. “Are we going to be involved?”

  “From the fringes.” Sonia shrugged. “Uncle Jeevan has asked me to hang around and keep my ears open. In fact, we are to meet him at Anup’s house in half an hour. I believe that Karan will be there, too.”

  “And we are not going to get actively involved?” Jatin asked again, a little incredulously.

  “Nobody’s asked us!”

  “But, Boss, we have to find out why they killed each other….”

  “We don’t have to do anything. And Jatin, what about professionalism? About being hired and discussing money matters and taking an advance?” Sonia asked deliberately.

  Jatin ignored the sweet sarcasm. “Come on, Boss, I can’t believe that you’re saying this! You’re always plunging into cases, without giving a single thought to my advice! Why now?”

  “It’s time, I guess, to pay heed to your smart, worldly knowledge!” the detective responded airily.

  “Okay, Boss, there are exceptions to the rule, that’s what you’ve always told me. And this is an exception.”

  “You mean, even if there’s no client?”

  “I guess, in the name of truth…” He looked abashed.

  “And it’s all right if no one pays us?”

  “Just this once, we pay ourselves!”

  “You mean I pay ourselves!” Sonia smiled. “Good, I believe that for the first time we’re actually agreeing in thought.”

  It was the worst part of any investigation. Meeting the grieving relatives. Sonia was glad she was not going to do the questioning. One look at Deepa’s red, swollen eyes and her heart went out to the dead man’s wife. Deepa sat in her house, with photo frames of her husband and herself. Her eyes strayed to them as she answered the Inspector’s questions in a dead voice. Karan was seated beside her, holding her hand, permanent pain stamped on his face. Jatin hung back as Sonia perched in another chair against the bare wall, from which the photographs had previously hung.

  “This is a shock for me. I had no idea they had planned anything like that. They did it together, didn’t they? There’s no other explanation for it, is there?” Deepa asked, searching the Inspector’s face.

  Inspector Divekar shook his head. “I’m afraid that at the moment there’s not. Unless you can throw some light on the events leading to this incident.”

  “There are no events! There was only the play! The play! There was nothing else on anyone’s mind! We were all totally immersed in this play, which was supposed to be one of the greatest hits in Marathi theatre. And now look at what’s happened!”

  Karan tightened his grip on his friend’s hand.

  “Tell them, Karan, that not one of us thought beyond the first show for the invitees!”

  The Director nodded. “That’s true. We were all too engrossed in trying to make it a hit. I can’t see what could have resulted in something so drastic.”

  “But something must have occurred. You do realise that?”

  “I don’t understand.” Deepa looked puzzled.

  “Look, I know this may come as a shock to you. But have you considered the possibility that the two—Jaya and your husband—may have been involved?”

  “Involved?” Deepa repeated stupidly.

  “Having an affair,” the Inspector persisted grimly.

  “You must be mad! My husband and…and Jaya? What nonsense! They were excellent actors, so they could project that passion and…love onstage. But don’t get fooled by those emotions. They weren’t real. My husband loved me! How could you even dream of accusing him of having an affair! And with Jaya, of all the people! We were all friends. Close friends!”

  She was so agitated that Karan murmured, “Calm down, calm down.”

  “How can I calm down! These people are suggesting atrocious things!”

  “We’re trying to find a reason for their murder, Madam,” Inspector Divekar interjected gravely.

  “Well, that is not the reason! You’ll have to look for something else! Perhaps this lady who kept calling up Anup at odd hours. She fed him a lot of crap about a lot of things. He told you about her, didn’t he, Karan?”

  “Yes, he did mention some woman who wanted to meet
him and kept telling him stories against Jaya, which of course he didn’t believe. Or so he said,” Karan confirmed.

  “Did he mention this woman’s name?”

  “No, she never revealed her name. All she said was that she was from Jaya’s past. But she hasn’t called up lately, as far as I know,” Deepa replied, then continued. “But there’s also the angle of money. Anup did speak occasionally of his debts, which were piling, and Jaya…” She paused abruptly and stared at the solemn, sympathetic faces gazing at her. “You don’t believe me, do you? You think I’m hunting around for reasons, to avoid the real issue. You are convinced that Anup and Jaya…”

  “There were rumours, Deepa.” Karan spoke quietly. “I didn’t want to tell you, because I thought, then, that they were just rumours. But now I’m not so sure. Jaya and Anup did spend a lot of time together, during rehearsals and otherwise. It’s not impossible!”

  Deepa swept wild eyes from face to face as the thought registered. Then she covered her face with her hands and began sobbing. Karan flung a consoling arm around her. Inspector Divekar flashed Sonia a glance.

  “No, it can’t be true! Anup could not have cheated on me! I gave up everything for him. My acting career, my family—he knew I loved him like no one has ever loved him. He cannot have betrayed me!” Deepa’s cries were heartrending.

  An awkward silence ensued, filled with the sobs of the distraught woman. Gradually, her sobbing petered out. She seemed to appear calmer as she dabbed at her eyes with a blue handkerchief. At length, she gazed up at the Inspector. “But I still don’t understand. If they were in love and…and having an affair, why would they kill each other?”

  “That is something we are going to find out,” Inspector Divekar replied. “I have just one last question for you, Deepaji. Have you any idea how or when Anup got hold of the cockroach poison?”

  Deepa nodded. “I think I can make a guess. I had bought cockroach poison yesterday and left the bottle on one of the tables in the hall. Last night I was surprised to hear that the stage bottles were not used at all. But it did not strike me until this morning that perhaps Anup had used the bottle I had purchased. I searched for it this morning, but couldn’t find it anywhere. I even asked my maid if she’d picked it up, but she said she hadn’t seen it.”