Beautiful Corpse - Episode 4
Posted by மாயா | | Posted On Tuesday at 4:34 AM
Day 1: 1.30 PM
Nandagopal was sitting uncomfortably in that very comfortable leather couch.
“Tell me Mr. Nandagopal, when do you normally wake up in the morning?.
“I ..I wake up at about 4.30 – 4.45 Sir,” He was sweating profusely.
“hm..and what do you do?“
“I freshen up and do ..Yoga and exercises.”
“Where?”The question escaped Muthu’s mouth even before Nandagopal can finish his sentence.
“In my balcony..” his words faltered . He felt like Muthu’s eyes were drilling into his very core.
“some….sometimes in the terrace sir”.
“sometimes? I heard that people can set their clock by seeing your head in the terrace. Is that true?”
“Well I do normally go to the terrace but today I didn’t go” he was fast in replying.
“why?”
“I ..I slept late and didn’t go for my yoga session.”
“How well do you know priya.?”
“Just like any other neighbor.”
“I heard you both shared an interest in something?”
“Well ..we did have a common interest in historical novels. Every one person in ten has the interest sir.”
“But they don’t come knocking your door for books often, now do they.But even priya was not coming for quite a while now has she?”
Nandagopal was silent at this.
"Your son.."
"Sir i made my stand clear on that matter."
“Mr.Nandagopal, please cooperate with us, it’s good for everyone.”
“Sir, I am a reputed person in the community , I wouldn’t dare do anything to spoil my name I got for which god only knows how much hardship I had to endure.”
Muthu felt irritated.
He knocked the door for the fifth time. After a few minutes the door opened reluctantly.” yes may I help you.?”
“Police” he flipped open the id card and showed it to the woman who stood clutching the door half open “we are here to enquire about the death of your fellow resident, please allow me inside madam.”
“Your husband is Mr. Kalyana Raman right?”
“Yes “
“May we talk to him?”
“He is sick “
“He is sick? Since when?”
“From yesterday.”
“He was seen talking to priya last evening and he was ok then?.”
“So what? Can’t one fall sick in a night’s time? He had been sick since last night. High fever since morning.”
“Well, have you gotten to the Doctor.?”
She looked at him with a start ”hm.. we will go soon”
“After you leave” she added hastily.
“Well then he will come out anyway right? I will talk to him and go.”
“Sir, have you no heart? You want to torture a sick man.?”she added indignantly. Her voice quivered.
Muthu looked at her for a long moment and said “Okay ma’am. We won’t disturb your sick man. Take care of your husband”, with that he left the apartment.
The house was full of relatives. Muthu asked Rangarajan politely “You didn’t allow anyone inside priya’s room have you sir?”
“No, Inspector as you told me earlier I had it locked, come let me unlock it for you.”
The Room spoke for the dead girl, the cheerfulness and go get it lifestyle of a free young woman. Paval felt sad just looking at the pictures of the girl. One whole hour got them nothing from there. Nothing, that would take them even to the street of the murderer let alone straight to the doorstep.
They came out and asked Rangarajan to lock it again. “We couldn’t find Paval’s phone. Any idea where she might have kept it ?.”
“You didn’t find it there? She always has it with her like another hand. She never leaves..left it unattended.
“I am sorry sir.”
“What does that tell you Paval?”, he asked as they came out of the house.
“The mobile phone, sir? I think the killer called her to her phone, which she took with her to the terrace. It's Possibly still with the killer.”
“As what?”
“Who knows, may be as a souvenir”.
“ha..ha..wicked imagination. And I bet my office id that he called from a prepaid number under false address. Still no harm in checking. Ask veerayya to look at that , Will you?”
“Yes sir.”
“Did you find anything unusual about the body in the photographs paval.?”
“She looked clean of any wounds, but then she was in the water for a while.” She remembered exactly how she was. Her red satin night gown hugging her perfectly. The layered and frequently conditioned hair was wet and had formed a beautiful frame for her fair(now white)face, making a heart shape that ended exactly at her throat. Nothing amiss. Looked like she was sleeping with her eyes open that looked at something beyond this world.
“May be she was not hit in the head, and certainly she didn’t drown. They said that they had cleaned the tank the previous night. So she must have floated only after the motor was switched on.”Muthu spoke as they walked on.
“And that’s why blood in the final floor apartment pipes.”
“mm. probably. But still what could have caused that much blood to come out.?”He stood near a platform and bent down with the sheet of paper .He circled a word.
Suspects:
They had been living here for years. They know everyone by name in the compound. That is why they didn’t move out of this apartment even when they were able to afford an individual house. Priya came home last night around 7.30 pm.. She was seen talking to a resident at around 8.00. Then playing shuttle with her friends until 9.30 pm. 10.00 to 10.30 she spent her time chatting with her friend. That’s it.
He started to write down next to the Suspect:
1.Nandagopal.-
Alibi: no“But he refuses that he committed suicide because of this girl, right. He said it was something to do with his marks.”paval interjected.
Motive: yes (son who was in love with the victim and committed suicide in his college hostel.)”
That’s what got me . He was lying then.”Muthu was confident.
2.KalyanaRaman –
Alibi: no“he fell sick , my foot.”Muthu laughed at that. Whatever he spoke with priya must have been dead serious to make him fall in fever. He mocked again and then fell silent.
Motive: Yes (lust after the victim, made a pass at her once)
3. Kanagavel –
Alibi: no'“Then why sir?”
Motive: none.
“Something tells me Paval, this guy is giving me the feel that he is not telling something he knows.”
“You have that feeling with almost everyone sir” Paval teased.
Muthu glared at her and then smiled.
“Besides he has the authority to go anywhere around without doubts.Do you find one interesting thing about this whole list?.”
"No young suspects"
"Bulls eye. You will make a fine policewoman ."
"So, What do you think about the suspects Miss. Marple ?” Muthu had his funny face on and his eyes definitely twinkled “challenge me”.
Paval reddened.“Do I look that old sir?”She asked slowly. “What? Oh come on..don’t change the topic.”She pulled the suspect list towards her and looked at it.
“I don’t know sir. I think we are nowhere near the killer.”
“wow..hm..FYI, I think so too. But just for the discussion tell what you think about the suspects.”
“1.Nandgopal- He might be telling a lie, but honestly, he doesn’t look to me like he would hurt a squirrel.
2. KalyanaRaman – I can’t say anything about him, but something tells me he is clean.”
Even after that friend meena told that he had an eye on that girl?”Muthu chipped in.
“I think that’s just the reason he fell sick, and I do think that he really is sick.”
“Ok..What about Kanagavel?”
“I don’t know. He looks good, very affectionate, but ...”.
“Beware, my dear. Many cold blooded murderers look like the world’s best father.”
“Ok sir."
"Well lets see how this thing goes"
" Sir I need a day off, next thursday.”
“ For what?”
“Engagement function sir.”
“What?”he was stunned.”Engagement like in engagement and then marriage? What about me?”
“sir?”
“I mean,” He halted, hesitated and then added slowly “In these six months you had spoilt me so much, what would I do ..without you, professionally?”
“where would I go, sir? I will be here for you. I mean I have a job right?”
“Ok..so this guy. Do you like him?”
“Of course I do.”Her face was bright.
“mm..good..I bet he likes you too” He said.
“Heavens no sir. He likes my sister”
“I beg your pardon?”
“The engagement is for my sister sir.”Paval said that with smiling eyes.
women are women he smiled to himself,“Well good for her” he shrugged off like he was not interested anymore than a boss and answered the ringing phone.
“Yes, Inspector here. What? When?”
“oh crap, Paval” he was ticked off paval could see that.
“Sir?”
“Someone broke open priya’s locker in the GH intern’s lounge and took everything in it .”
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