The Astral Alibi (16 page)

Sonia found the image intriguing.

She faced Charan Das with a fresh resolve. “Since you know the family so well, can I ask you some questions?” she asked.

“Sure!” he replied readily. “But the facts floor you, don’t they?”

“They certainly do—all I’m trying to do now is confirm a few details. Did Dinesh Ranade have his first surgery in 1998?”

Charan Das looked a little thoughtful. “That’s correct.”

“And the second surgery in 2000 and the third in 2003?”

“Absolutely correct! What exactly are you trying to do here?” he asked curiously.

“I’m trying to confirm whether the horoscopes are right. That’s always the first thing to do. Verify if the horoscope is indeed rightly charted, and that it belongs to the same person, by tallying some of the incidents in his past with his natal chart.”

“That’s right.”

“And Janavi…Rahu and Mars in her ascendant, the Sun—the planet of the second house, which is the house of family—is in conjunction with Saturn, an enemy, aspected by Mars and Rahu. Did Janavi come from a lower-middle-class family?”

The Astrologer nodded. “Her parents were not really well-off. It was only on her insistence that they entered her into a medical college. They really couldn’t afford the exorbitant fees.”

“And Dinesh came from a rich family?”

“The Ranades are famous for their family history, culture, and money. Even though Dinesh didn’t really add to it money-wise, Janavi made up for it with her catering business.”

Sonia nodded. She glanced out of the window. The rain had increased in intensity and only a white-slated curtain was visible now. Her face remained impassive, but a tussle was waging inside her mind. Should she or
shouldn’t
she? What if she was wrong? To be honest, it was none of her business. No, that wasn’t entirely right. As an Investigator, even an abnormal
glimmering
attracted her attention. Surely she was bound to justice by her moral instincts? Sonia had learnt the hard way that the paramount thing in life was
life itself
! Now she swept away her doubts brutally and turned to Charan Das with a gleam in her eyes. A gleam which Jatin would’ve recognised at once. But unfortunately for Charan Das, the Astrologer barely grasped the meaning when Sonia smiled, a little crookedly, at him.

“You narrated to me the success story of a woman who ignored the dictates of her natal chart since she disbelieved in the science of Astrology. A couple, who you’ve known for several years and whose lives have unfolded before your eyes in the exact opposite direction as their horoscopes predicted. Is that right?”

“Perfectly. Though I earn my bread and butter from Astrology, Janavi’s resolute convictions have kind of restored my faith in the power of mankind. Man
can
control his own destiny, if he steadfastly applies his mind to it.”

“A very promising thought, of course,” Sonia conceded. “Now, let’s just agree on what the horoscopes predict. The Lord of the fifth house, the house of education, is in debilitated Cancer with Rahu, aspected by Saturn—Janavi’s horoscope reveals that her education would be turbulent. Whereas Sun, Saturn, and Ketu in her seventh house indicate that she would marry someone lower in class—I mean quality-wise—and that she would have to make several compromises in life. Mars and Rahu aspecting the seventh house reveal that her marriage would be a disaster, even leading to a divorce. So far, are we on one plane?”

“Absolutely.” Charan Das looked a little confused. What was this girl trying to accomplish?

“There are also several behavioural disturbances indicated in her horoscope. Rahu and Mars in the ascendant indicate violent bouts of temper, conniving—Has Janavi ever displayed this side of her nature?”

“Violent? Never!” Charan Das seemed surprised. Then he faltered and Sonia eagerly leaned forward. She felt her heart thumping.

“Just once, now that I remember, was she a trifle violent,” Charan Das admitted. “A cat kept repeatedly stealing the milk from her kitchen. She tried ways of driving it away, but without success. Then one day she deliberately placed the milk near the window and told us that she had dealt with the matter. A day later that cat was found on her terrace, dead. Of course, I’ve no idea if the animal’s death was mere coincidence or if Janavi had a role in it.”

Sonia stared at his sober, plump face. She could read the sudden uncertainty unravelling on his features, like a spool of tape.

“Now, let’s talk about Dinesh,” she said. “You mentioned that he was a Professor of Economics. At which college?”

“Fergusson College.”

“And was he good?”

“I guess so!” Charan Das shrugged.

“Sun, Rahu, Mercury, and Saturn in the first house of his horoscope indicate him to be a dominating person, lazy, insensitive, and unsuccessful in his career ventures.”

The Astrologer nodded. “Dinesh gave up his professorship very early in life and changed several jobs. But, to be honest, his inability to keep a job was more a matter of luck than capability. Though he’s been lucky in his choice of wife. Janavi made up for all the lacunae in his life.”

“The exalted Moon in Taurus in the seventh house is responsible for his beautiful wife,” Sonia supplied, but a strange glint shone in her honey eyes. “You really do have a very high opinion of Janavi, don’t you?”

“Yes, I respect her deeply. She’s a woman of substance and she has proved it at every step of her life. Anyone who has known her or seen her will understand this.”

Sonia leaned against her seat and looked straight at her middle-aged companion. “Her horoscope certainly reveals her to be a strong character,” she agreed. “Charan Dasji, I’m going to narrate a story to you, too. Based entirely on my reading of the two horoscopes you introduced to me. I’ve never met either Janavi or Dinesh, but that does not change what I have to tell you. I don’t deny that there may be a few alterations here and there, but my narration is more or less a true-to-life version. Call it a factual mapping of astrological events. Or call it the guarded and distrustful opinion of an investigator. Call it whatever you like. But I believe that Janavi has led the life
exactly
as her horoscope indicated.”

The Astrologer raised his eyebrows in genuine surprise. “Really! I am all ears.” He folded his arms, his mouth set in a stubborn line.

Sonia nodded, forming her words carefully. “This is the story of a beautiful, middle-class girl called Janavi. She was extremely ambitious and wanted to achieve a lot of things in life. She was clever, intelligent, and aspired to be a Doctor. Since she did not have financial backing, she was also hardworking. As a child, I think she fell ill, because of which she may have lost a year at school. But she made up for it in College, and with sheer grit and determination she managed to take admission into Medical College. But even though her horoscope indicated a strong inclination towards medicine, it definitely did not belong to a Doctor. Her horoscope was the natal chart of a fighter, a proud fighter. In Medical College, Janavi fell in love with a fellow student. Perhaps he wasn’t up to mark, or perhaps her parents did not approve of him. Nevertheless, her horoscope indicates a very serious affair. But Mars in conjunction with Rahu in Cancer in the first house and Saturn in conjunction with Ketu in the seventh house indicate the break-up of a love affair. Those times were not particularly liberal. A beautiful young girl like Janavi, a girl with radical ideas of freedom and liberty, could put the family to shame. Very damaging to a family who could only boast a good name and no money. Knowing their strong-headed daughter and fearing that matters may get out of hand, they shrewdly and hastily arranged Janavi’s marriage to Dinesh Ranade, a boy from a rich, cultured family with absolutely no looks to brag about. Janavi had no alternative but to marry the boy of her parents’ choice. Her medical career, the most important focal point of her life, was lost forever.”

Sonia paused and studied Charan Das’s face. The stubborn, almost hostile expression had been replaced by a hint of reluctant interest.

Satisfied that she had achieved a dent in his hostility, she continued. “From day one, Dinesh was extremely orthodox. He wouldn’t hear of his wife taking up a job and working. He was fussy about his meals and demanded round-the-clock attention from her. There were limitations on where Janavi went, what she did, whom she met. She had to be at home every time Dinesh returned there. To give Janavi credit, she attempted to cope with his unreasonable demands. She catered to his smallest need, but as days passed and years, she realised that her life was becoming impossible and unbearable. Dinesh was no good at lecturing—the profession for which he’d trained—and he had tried his hand at a variety of careers. Nothing seemed to work. The Lord of the tenth house; Sun in conjunction with Rahu and Saturn; Saturn and Mars aspecting the tenth house, which is the house of occupation, did not grant him success in his career.

“On a personal front, he was insensitive and uncaring and, if I guess right, even cruel. Possibly he was aware of her affair before marriage, which was also the reason for their hasty marriage, and he used it as a constant threat over her head. Perhaps he taunted her about it. Janavi, being proud and status- and prestige-conscious, recognised her need to keep her miserable personal life under wraps. She knew that whatever happened, she could never let her parents or society know what a wretched failure her marriage truly was. Or what a mess her life had become. That is why she always went out of her way to paint this glorious happy picture of their marriage. They had terrible fights, but she never made them public. When they had a son, Janavi tried her best to keep him away from the shadow of a loveless life. At the first opportunity, she sent him to boarding school. She did not want her son to witness their fights and their senseless existence. Mars, the planet of the fifth house, which is the house of children, is in conjunction with Rahu and Jupiter in the eighth house—the stars clearly reveal that Janavi will always pine for her son.”

“I must say that you are analysing their horoscopes rather well,” Charan Das conceded.

“Speculation, certainly, but no one is perfect and nothing is certain in life. But I’d say that this time, I’m ninety percent on the mark.”

“Go on.”

“Frustrated and wanting to do something with her life, Janavi finally set her mind on a catering business, which became successful. By then, Dinesh had given up all attempts at a career. He wasn’t earning a single rupee and was happy to hand over the reins of earning to his wife. Provided, of course, she never said or did a thing to touch his ego. And besides, as long as she did not ignore his needs and operated from home, he was fine. Janavi was relieved. Something was better than nothing and money was now a necessity to support their little family. But a catering career was a far cry from her dreams of becoming a doctor. It pained her that her life had become a virtual waste—married to a cruel, pigheaded, good-for-nothing guy, with nothing to look forward to in the future.”

Sonia glanced out of the window. It was getting dark and the rain was a steady downpour. “Now I come to a point in Janavi’s life which you claimed defied all astrological predictions! Dinesh’s heart surgery. And which I call an era of astrological revelations! By the time Dinesh had a heart attack, Janavi was at a point of breakdown. She had suffered a lot and she wanted out, but she knew that she couldn’t. She couldn’t simply divorce Dinesh—and anyway, she knew he would never give her a divorce. Being a Scorpio, whose Lord Mars is in conjunction with Rahu in a debilitating star Cancer, and with Saturn in the opposition, it is not surprising that Janavi would go to any extreme. Mars and Rahu in the ascendant also aspect the Sun—the planet of the spouse—in the seventh house, as well as the
Lord
of the seventh house. It clearly shows that this woman wouldn’t hesitate to plot a revenge against her husband!

“Dinesh’s heart attack came as a ray of hope for her. His surgery was the perfect opportunity for her to get rid of him forever. She capitalized on the situation and chose the worst possible day in the almanac for it, ensuring that her husband would never recover from the surgery. But the stars were on Dinesh’s side. His horoscope indicated that he would emerge safely out of the bad phase of his life. Which he did. Still, Janavi did not lose hope. For the next surgery, she found an equally inauspicious day, just as she did for the next. But Dinesh’s Jupiter was his biggest aid. And thus, today, if it hadn’t been for Dinesh’s good stars, he would no doubt be a dead man!”

The train chugged noisily, the sound merging with the swishing of the rain. Charan Das stared at the detective, an expression of horror on his face. His mouth was open but no words came out of it.

Sonia drew in a deep breath. She knew that she was treading on delicate ground, but something drove her on. An inner voice. An instinctive warning. A precautionary measure?

“And now I come to the climax of the story,” she said, her voice grim. “Janavi was in despair. All the natural routes to extinction had failed. There was only one solution to her problem: resorting to man-made measures. And this is the climax of the tale. As a last and final try, she decided to plan a trip with her husband to a hill station. She informed her family and friends that she was delighted that her beloved husband was finally out of danger. A few days in a hill resort after his surgery would be perfect for him to recuperate. The holiday fell on their wedding anniversary, and she longed to spend some peaceful days, reliving their youth. So peaceful, so romantic. But something happened, just one day after the couple reached the hill station. Dinesh and Janavi went for a walk around the cliff. Unfortunately, his foot slipped and he toppled over the mountainside. It all happened so fast, she couldn’t do a thing to save him. Janavi returned home, grief-struck but consoled with the fact that, till the end, she had done her duty towards her husband….”

Charan Das shut his mouth. He extracted a bottle of water from a cloth bag, and gulped down half the bottle, spilling water over his kurta. Sonia scrutinised him quietly.