Murder at Crescent Point
Five - Hunt for the Photographer
Sixteen - Change of Priorities
Eighteen - Another Case Opened
Twenty Four - The Final Confession
G.S. Dutt
© G S Dutt, 2012
First published 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise—without the prior permission of the author and the publisher.
ISBN: 978-81-8328-313-7
Published by
Wisdom Tree,
4779/23, Ansari Road,
Darya Ganj, New Delhi-2
Ph.: 23247966/67/68
Printed in India at Print Perfect
Contents
— CHAPTER ONE —
Waterfall
It was a breathtaking scene. A lush green meadow was flanked by mountain peaks and a huge waterfall gushed at the far end. Water fell from a height of two hundred feet; shimmering light reflected in an iridescent pool at the bottom of the fall. The valley was dotted with wild orchids. Yellow, white, pink and blue flowers created a riot of colours against the green background.
Nikki and her classmates had come to this idyll for a picnic. It was the last day at the school hostel before the start of their winter break. The idea of a picnic at Crescent Valley was suggested by Jyoti, Nikki’s best friend and roommate. It immediately excited the others. But getting permission from Ms Malati, the strict warden, was not easy. When the girls went to her, she refused saying, ‘All the teachers have left. Who will go with you? No, I cannot send you alone.’
‘Why don’t you come with us?’ suggested Nikki, tongue-in-cheek. A girl standing next to Nikki nudged her, muttering quietly, ‘Silly, who wants the warden to come with us!’
‘No, I can’t leave the hostel,’ replied Ms Malati.
‘Ma’am, Crescent Valley is not far from here. It is our last day in the hostel. Ma’am please,’ pleaded Jyoti. The other girls joined in and the warden gave in, smiling.
‘Okay, but you girls will go in the school van and Ramu Kaka will be with you. No mischief, understand?’
‘Yes, Ma’am! Thanks Ma’am!’
‘Hooray!’ they shouted, coming out of the warden’s room.
Ramu Kaka was the old and trusted driver of the school. He took the group of nine vivacious hostel girls to Crescent Valley, who kept chattering non-stop all along the way. Only Jyoti seemed lost in thought. It struck Nikki as odd, but she was too excited to give it much thought. Ramu Kaka parked the van by the roadside, below the hill and told the girls that he would stay in the van. He would be much happier smoking his beedis and snoozing in the sun instead of babysitting this giggling lot. The girls climbed a circuitous path to reach this picturesque valley, happy not to have an adult hovering too close.
Getting out of the stuffy atmosphere of their tiny hostel rooms to a place as lovely as this, was indeed enchanting. The waterfall was the most bewitching sight in the valley. The moment they saw it, they flung their picnic baskets and backpacks on the valley floor and ran towards it. Moving around the pond, they looked eagerly for fish and water lilies. The more adventurous walked on the precarious ledge behind the waterfall to touch the cold water or just enjoy the majestic beauty of the mammoth water shaft from close quarters. The pond was shallow and at the far end, the overflow formed a serpentine stream which ran through the middle of the valley and disappeared somewhere beyond the hills.
Having soaked themselves in and around the waterfall the girls scattered around in the valley. Some plucked flowers, others lazily chased colourful butterflies and a couple of them were busy collecting white pebbles from the waterbed.
After a while, they felt hungry and collected on the bank of the stream with their lunch baskets. Lunch was a leisurely affair as they chatted and marvelled at the astonishing beauty of the place.
After lunch, every girl had her own agenda. Nikki wanted to go fishing and took out her angling kit, others in batches of two or three moved further into the valley to explore it. Jyoti came to Nikki and said, ‘I am going to climb the western hill.’
Nikki looked at the hill and asked her friend, ‘That looks very steep and rugged. How will you climb it?’
Jyoti pointed towards her backpack and said, ‘I’m totally prepared. I’ve brought my hiking gear—shoes, ropes, pegs, hammer, all of it. I think I can scale this peak in about an hour’s time.’
Nikki was disappointed. ‘You should have told me when we left the hostel. I would have brought my kit and both of us could have climbed together.’
Jyoti was quiet. Nikki shrugged. ‘Well, good luck. I’ll just watch from here.’
Jyoti left and Nikki returned to her fishing. The current in the stream was far too swift for any fish to take her bait. Nikki changed her position several times but the only thing she could attract was a tiny tadpole that was trying to get out of the water. From time to time, she looked towards the western hill to keep a track of Jyoti. To her surprise, Jyoti was climbing with ease and was making good progress. In her red coat, she looked like a red dot moving on the mountain. Nikki and Jyoti were not only roommates, but also best friends. Nikki was an orphan and instead of staying with relatives on Sundays and during the holidays, preferred staying with friends. She was now eagerly looking forward to spending the winter break at Jyoti’s home.
Late afternoon, shadows soon lengthened on the valley floor. Gradually, the girls started returning from their adventurous jaunts. Nikki looked up. She had expected Jyoti to be back by now but she could not see her. Maybe she had taken a different route for climbing down. Nikki’s eyes swept across the hill, but she could not spot her friend anywhere.
Nikki began to get anxious as dusk was approaching and it was nearly time for the girls to return to their hostel. When others started to enquire about Jyoti, Nikki replied, ‘I don’t know what’s holding her back. I saw her reach the hilltop a long time back. She should have returned by now.’ As more time passed, anxiety mounted and although everyone looked in the direction of the hill, there was no trace of her.
Suddenly, a girl shouted, ‘Look! What’s that floating in the pond?’ All of them looked to the pond and dashed towards the waterfall. What they saw completely staggered them. Floating in the pond with her face down was Jyoti!
Nikki jumped into the cold water followed by other girls. They pulled Jyoti out of the water and placed her on a dry patch of grass. When Nikki turned her over, she was shocked to see Jyoti’s horror-struck face and wide-open eyes. She screamed, ‘Jyoti! Jyoti! Get up!’ But Jyoti did not respond. Nikki, remembering her first-aid classes, felt for Jyoti’s pulse, but couldn’t detect it.
The girls started crying, ‘Oh my god! Oh my god! What has happened to Jyoti?’ Collecting her wits, Nikki turned to one of the girls, ‘Pami, run and get Ramu Kaka here.’ Ramu Kaka came running, anxiously. He was shocked to see Jyoti lying lifeless on the grass. Nikki anxiously said, ‘Ramu Kaka, let us carry her to the van and rush to the Hill View Hospital. Maybe the doctors can resuscitate her.’
A distraught Ramu Kaka picked up Jyoti and started running down the valley. The girls ran with him leaving their picnic baskets and backpacks strewn by the side of the stream. Climbing down the hill was tough and slowed them down considerably. Eventually they managed to reach the van by the roadside. Ramu Kaka placed Jyoti on the middle seat. The girls got in and they sped towards the Hill View Hospital.