The Beautiful Corpse - Episode 2
Posted by மாயா | | Posted On Wednesday at 2:02 AM
Day 1: 6.30 AM
Muthu had just been back from his night patrol when the phone rang.
“What is it?”
“It’s from the control room sir. A homicide reported in bharathi ganga nagar, thirumagal kudil apartments.”
“Crap!” Muthu was smiling at the head constable.
“ You look like a ghost veerayya. Get some rest. I will take Paandiyan with me. And you two come along as well, he pointed at the other two new constables. And before that, someone get me a cup of tea, please.”
Inspector Muthu Govindan stretched and yawned and rubbed his eyes feverishly to get rid of the sleep. He had been awake for 48 whole hours. That tea might help him for few more hours. He got up and straightened himself.
6.45 AM
The terrace was crowded now. As he entered the whispers and murmurs stopped in an instant. He made a visual survey of the crime scene. With this crowd, it's going to be tough on forensic, he thought.
“Who saw it first?”
“I did”, Pushpa came out.
“What was the time when you came into the terrace? Did you see anyone else while here?”
“It was around 5.30 sir. No sir I didn’t see anyone.”
“Did anyone touch that ladder until now?"he asked, looking at the ladder reaching up to the overhead water tank. It would be a 10 ft 6 tank approximately he thought.the pipe poking out of the bottom left corner of the tank had been leaking what looked like the victim's blood."
“I did” a funky teenage boy rose his hand in slow motion.
“Paandiyan, remember to take his finger prints when the forensic people arrive. By the way, are they coming or not?”
“They are on their way sir”
Muthu climbed up slowly and peeked inside.
She was floating there. IT.. was floating there.
“Nobody bothered to switch off the motor? The tank is full. She might just come out herself, in a minute.”
“ugh..”the crowd murmured in disgust. Muthu signaled pandiyan.
Everybody was moved out of the terrace. The motor was switched off and the dead body was brought down by the constables spilling water on the railings. Muthu winced, getting finger prints is going to be difficult, he thought.
Back in the station, Sub Inspector Pavalakodi had just come in with her bag and umbrella clucthced under her arm. She saw only veerayya dossing off in his chair.
“Sir! where are the others?”, stowing her things under her desk she enquired the lonely constable.
“All gone to investigate a homicide. In Bharathiganga nagar.”
“Homicide? Oh I should have come early.”
“Earlier than this?" Veerayya stared at the wall clock. It was 7.30 in the morning.
Paval was browsing through some paper work, when Muthu came in.
“Paval come to my cabin ".
He was sitting behind his desk when she went in. With his folded hands as pillow and the desk as his leg rest, Muthu had stretched his 6 feet 8 body in that cramped space efficiently. He looked stressed. Sir.?”
“Sit down. “he answered still in ananda padmanaban posture.
He then slid down a paper towards her.” Just have a look. I think this is the first homicide case since you joined. Right?”
“Yes sir”. Paval skimmed through the piece of paper.
Victim: Priya, medical student, only child.
Found missing only in the morning.
Parents: Both doctors.
Autopsy report is yet to arrive. Cause of death – probably a hit in her head or drowning or both.
Forensic report is yet to arrive, might be difficult to single out the most recent prints.
Motive: ??
Suspect list ..??
Evidence : none collected. The terrace was clean and so was the tank, save for a few strands of hair, which looked like the victim’s(yet to be confirmed).
That’s it?
It was an abstract. Paval looked up at him. “Sir, any chances of suicide?”
“We can’t rule out that possibility. Especially since, there are no scratches or wounds visible on her body except for the fatal wound which we cannot say where exactly, only autopsy report will help us in that. She actually looked beautiful, you know? Get the camera from veerayya and upload the pictures. You can see for yourselves. And oh, I just had a call from the forensic department. Can you go and pick up the report?”
“Definitely sir. And what about the autopsy report?”
“It will reach my desk any minute now.”
Paval went to her desk with the digital camera and quickly started to upload the pictures of the crime scene. Let me just take a peek before going for the report, she told herself and clicked on slideshow.
“Good lord. She did look beautiful” Paval looked at the pictures pixel by pixel. Despite Muthu’s assurance that the crime scene was clear of any evidence her instinct told her look that something must be there. So she was looking for that missing evidence. And did she find one.?
Muthu had just been back from his night patrol when the phone rang.
“What is it?”
“It’s from the control room sir. A homicide reported in bharathi ganga nagar, thirumagal kudil apartments.”
“Crap!” Muthu was smiling at the head constable.
“ You look like a ghost veerayya. Get some rest. I will take Paandiyan with me. And you two come along as well, he pointed at the other two new constables. And before that, someone get me a cup of tea, please.”
Inspector Muthu Govindan stretched and yawned and rubbed his eyes feverishly to get rid of the sleep. He had been awake for 48 whole hours. That tea might help him for few more hours. He got up and straightened himself.
6.45 AM
The terrace was crowded now. As he entered the whispers and murmurs stopped in an instant. He made a visual survey of the crime scene. With this crowd, it's going to be tough on forensic, he thought.
“Who saw it first?”
“I did”, Pushpa came out.
“What was the time when you came into the terrace? Did you see anyone else while here?”
“It was around 5.30 sir. No sir I didn’t see anyone.”
“Did anyone touch that ladder until now?"he asked, looking at the ladder reaching up to the overhead water tank. It would be a 10 ft 6 tank approximately he thought.the pipe poking out of the bottom left corner of the tank had been leaking what looked like the victim's blood."
“I did” a funky teenage boy rose his hand in slow motion.
“Paandiyan, remember to take his finger prints when the forensic people arrive. By the way, are they coming or not?”
“They are on their way sir”
Muthu climbed up slowly and peeked inside.
She was floating there. IT.. was floating there.
“Nobody bothered to switch off the motor? The tank is full. She might just come out herself, in a minute.”
“ugh..”the crowd murmured in disgust. Muthu signaled pandiyan.
Everybody was moved out of the terrace. The motor was switched off and the dead body was brought down by the constables spilling water on the railings. Muthu winced, getting finger prints is going to be difficult, he thought.
Back in the station, Sub Inspector Pavalakodi had just come in with her bag and umbrella clucthced under her arm. She saw only veerayya dossing off in his chair.
“Sir! where are the others?”, stowing her things under her desk she enquired the lonely constable.
“All gone to investigate a homicide. In Bharathiganga nagar.”
“Homicide? Oh I should have come early.”
“Earlier than this?" Veerayya stared at the wall clock. It was 7.30 in the morning.
Paval was browsing through some paper work, when Muthu came in.
“Paval come to my cabin ".
He was sitting behind his desk when she went in. With his folded hands as pillow and the desk as his leg rest, Muthu had stretched his 6 feet 8 body in that cramped space efficiently. He looked stressed. Sir.?”
“Sit down. “he answered still in ananda padmanaban posture.
He then slid down a paper towards her.” Just have a look. I think this is the first homicide case since you joined. Right?”
“Yes sir”. Paval skimmed through the piece of paper.
Victim: Priya, medical student, only child.
Found missing only in the morning.
Parents: Both doctors.
Autopsy report is yet to arrive. Cause of death – probably a hit in her head or drowning or both.
Forensic report is yet to arrive, might be difficult to single out the most recent prints.
Motive: ??
Suspect list ..??
Evidence : none collected. The terrace was clean and so was the tank, save for a few strands of hair, which looked like the victim’s(yet to be confirmed).
That’s it?
It was an abstract. Paval looked up at him. “Sir, any chances of suicide?”
“We can’t rule out that possibility. Especially since, there are no scratches or wounds visible on her body except for the fatal wound which we cannot say where exactly, only autopsy report will help us in that. She actually looked beautiful, you know? Get the camera from veerayya and upload the pictures. You can see for yourselves. And oh, I just had a call from the forensic department. Can you go and pick up the report?”
“Definitely sir. And what about the autopsy report?”
“It will reach my desk any minute now.”
Paval went to her desk with the digital camera and quickly started to upload the pictures of the crime scene. Let me just take a peek before going for the report, she told herself and clicked on slideshow.
“Good lord. She did look beautiful” Paval looked at the pictures pixel by pixel. Despite Muthu’s assurance that the crime scene was clear of any evidence her instinct told her look that something must be there. So she was looking for that missing evidence. And did she find one.?
