The Astral Alibi (29 page)

But the dancing had changed something. She once again experienced the familiar tingle of thrill as she studied the natal charts. The edge of excitement sharpened. Her eyes fell straight on a very strange planetary position. She caught her breath and stared at two of the horoscopes. And then a third. She bent over them and scrutinized the combination of stars and planets and all her assumptions suddenly veered off-course. This was it! This had to be it! If she was right…The Beatles song continued in the background, and on an impulse Sonia rose and began dancing again. She felt a restlessness, a driving force to uncover the truth…. She had to find out if she was right!

Suddenly she recalled something her mother had said to her as a child. The eyes of a dog are neutral and pure. They are mirrors which reflect the core and self of a human being. When you look at them, the way you regard them reveals your inner personality. A good human being will see a dog as a good soul, a bad one will see him as ugly—a man’s opinion is merely a reflection of his own image, impressions, and personality, and that is what he can see in the dog’s eyes. As the number ended, Sonia realised that her offbeat thinking was conceivable if she could apply her mother’s logic to reality. It was the only way to find out if she was right.

Feeling in a lighter frame of mind, she picked up the book on Gwalior Gharana that Mrs. Dharkar had lent her. After skimming through it, she tossed it aside and strode into the outer office to switch on the Internet, surfing sites, trying to read as much as she could on the Gharana.

An hour later, Jatin walked in, his spirits elevated with the fieldwork he had implemented.

“Hello, Boss!”

“You’re back! What have you learnt?” Sonia turned from the computer to face him.

“I spoke to some past students who are still in touch with the Dharkars, and generally made inquiries with the servants and in the restaurants around. I also got addresses of groups who organised performances of the Dharkars and where Sumeet was allowed to perform, by Raujibua, as a part of his Guru training. And anyway this is what I found out:

“Both Bishan and Kirit come from middle-class families from Madhya Pradesh. In fact, the two are from the same town. I believe they knew each other before they took up Raujibua’s training. And Bishan does have the reputation of painting the town red. A spate of girlfriends, late nights, drinking—he’s a real Casanova. But people have plenty of respect for his singing. Some of the people I spoke to even said that he was more talented than Sumeet. One of the past students claimed that if Bishan had not indulged in these vices, he could’ve overtaken Sumeet in a second!”

“Could you track down his latest girlfriend?” Sonia asked.

“I could!” Jatin grinned. “Courtesy Kirit!”

“Kirit?” Sonia felt no surprise. Somehow Kirit seemed eager to tarnish Bishan’s image.

“Kirit was most forthcoming on the phone when I spoke to him. He even offered me Padma’s address and cell number. She runs a beauty parlour, and I dropped by to chat with her.”

“You entered a ladies’ beauty parlour?” Sonia’s eyes widened in amazement.

Jatin blushed. “A job is a job, Boss. Besides, I was curious. I wanted to see it from the inside!”

“It’s not very different from a gents’ parlour!”

“No, but the customers are different!”

“Oh-oh! Now I get it!” Sonia laughed, secretly glad to see Jatin behaving like his usual self. “So did you meet with Padma?”

Her Assistant nodded. “She’s a pleasant girl. And crazy about Bishan, who she thinks has a heart of gold but a foul temper. She was aware of the jealousy between him and Sumeet and was most vocal on how hurt Bishan was that Guruji preferred Sumeet. And she also claimed that she hadn’t seen Bishan in a couple of days, since Guruji had forbidden him to meet with her.”

“What about Kirit? Where does he fit into this rivalry?”

“I don’t think he was ever a serious contender in the race for the privileged position of wearing the mantle of Gwalior Gharana. However, Kirit also has a spotless reputation, though he lags miles behind Sumeet. As for Sumeet, he is the only son of rich parents from Mumbai. Almost everyone I met seems in awe of him. He’s quiet and dignified, doesn’t waste time chatting and socializing, and has only one goal: to devote his life to music and to his Guru. Everyone appreciated how well he had served Raujibua. All felt that he deserved the honour of carrying forward the name of the Gharana.”

“Hmm…Spotless reputation and respectable character, you mean.”

“Absolutely. Not a soul had a word to say against him.”

“Jatin, let’s order some
Pav Bhaji
and then go to the Dharkar residence. Something is not right there.”

Jatin raised surprised eyebrows. “You mean Mrs. Dharkar could be right? That Raujibua…?”

“I’m working on a hunch. But it’s going to take a lot of effort and creativity to prove that hunch right!”

“Boss, please, stop talking in riddles.”

“I will, as soon as we have visited the Dharkar residence again.”

“Right!”

“And please find Nidhi and ask her to return to the office! I haven’t seen her in hours!”

“Right, Boss!”

Kirit neatly folded his shirts and placed them into his suitcase, conscious of the sharp eyes of Sonia standing behind him and her quiet yet observant friend, Jatin.

“You’re a detective, aren’t you?” he asked casually. “Sonia Samarth—the astro-crime genius!”

Sonia idly moved from the doorway into the room. “Who told you?”

“Vandana,” he responded briefly. “What exactly are you doing here, Miss Samarth?”

“I’m here on Mrs. Dharkar’s request,” Sonia replied honestly. “As a kind of a counsellor, someone who can apply balm to her shock and pain.”

“And how do you plan to do that?” Kirit paused in his actions and turned to her, curiosity stamped on his face.

“By speaking to the inmates of the house. By satisfying her that each member of this family is stepping out into the world with a clean conscience.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’ll understand soon enough. Are you leaving?”

“Yes, Guruma said we could leave as per our original plan. If Guruji hadn’t passed away, we would have been gone by now anyway. But of course I shall be back for the tenth day and thirteenth day rituals. I’m only visiting a cousin in the city.”

Sonia threw a glance over the clutter on the table. The photo frame still stood with its single photo of Kirit, and she wondered again if a photo had to go in or had been removed. The question nestled at the back of her mind. A book on stalwarts in the field of classical music was lying beside it.

“Can I borrow this book? I believe Mrs. Dharkar was looking for it, in order to lend it to me, but she couldn’t find it,” Sonia asked, picking up the fat book with well-worn pages.

“Go ahead. We’ve all been reading it and it’s a great book. It’s in Hindi, though….”

“That’s okay. I just want to improve my knowledge, that’s all. Kirit, are you aware that your Guruji left you a sizable amount of money in his will?”

“Guruji mentioned it.”

“That money will really help you to begin a serious career in music, won’t it?”

“It’s a boon. I am very grateful to Guruji for his thoughtfulness.”

“From what I hear he was a very benevolent man and most considerate. I believe he even regularly funded animal welfare organisations which are usually totally neglected. Oh, by the way, do you like animals?”

“Animals?” Kirit paused in his packing. “Yes, I do!”

“I
love
animals. I have a cat called Nidhi and she’s smart. A real sad thing happened on the way here today. A car hit a stray cat while he was crossing the street. You know how awful our traffic is! The poor cat thought he would quickly run across, but it was sheer bad timing. Poor thing was tossed off the road, and was badly hurt. I took him immediately to a vet. But he was suffering so much, I couldn’t bear it. What does one do in such a case?”

“Not much. Have faith in the Doctor and hope for the best,” the young musician replied with a shrug.

“The poor cat was in so much pain that I had half a mind to ask the Doctor to put him to sleep.”

Kirit looked shocked. “I hope you didn’t do any such thing. Just let nature take its own course. Everything in life is predestined. Every joy, every pang of pain, hurt, and suffering. It is best not to interfere with what God has planned.”

Sonia nodded. “I thought the same.”

“I’m not sure. Depends on how much the cat is suffering, I guess. After all, relieving him of his pain, any way you can, is important,” Sumeet replied. He was tuning his tambora and his forehead was creased with frown lines.

“I thought so, too,” Sonia agreed. “The poor little thing. Bounding around joyfully one minute and flat across the street the next instant.”

She moved around the room idly, studying the articles on the table, riffling through some photocopied information on music. She extracted a page casually, ran an eye over it, and returned it to the pile.

“That’s life. Unpredictable,” Sumeet said. “Sometimes beautiful, often treacherous. But just once in a while, destiny slips into your hands and allows you to take charge. And that is the most satisfactory moment in your life.”

“Such moments are very rare, though,” Sonia remarked. “Sumeet, are you aware that Guruji has left you enough money in his will to get you started in life?”

“Of course. He shared every thought, every decision, with me. He consulted me before he took this decision.”

“And what did you say?”

“I said his blessings were enough for us. Luckily for me, I come from a well-settled family and will never lack for anything. My parents will be only too happy to let me do whatever I want to with the family inheritance. But I’m afraid the other two are not so fortunate. I thought that monetary aid would certainly prove useful to them and told Guruji so.”

Sonia nodded with an appreciative glint in her eyes. “You said the right thing.”

Jatin glanced at his boss in surprise. She was truly up to something.

“What did the Doctor say?” Bishan asked.

“That the cat did not have long to live,” Sonia answered. She had found the singer lying on his bed, staring vacantly at the ceiling. But he had risen up immediately on her entrance and greeted her more civilly that the last time. Now he was listening to her intently.

“The poor cat. I would have done the same. Taken him to a Doctor and then perhaps an animal welfare shelter, given them money to look after it as long as it lived. I really cannot bear to see animals suffer. Guruji and I had that one thing really in common. I remember we both nursed a bird with a broken wing. Our joy knew no bounds when it finally began to fly again!”

Tears rose in his eyes and he brushed them away hastily. “I’m sorry. I’m still not used to the idea of Guruji leaving us for good.”

Sonia nodded. “Bishan, did you know that Raujibua had made arrangements in his will for you?”

“You mean the money he’s supposed to have left us? Yes, I did. But that must’ve changed now. Specially after the massive argument we had, when he threatened to disown me.”

“Nothing’s changed. Raujibua Dharkar died before he could change his will,” Sonia supplied gently.

Bishan stared at her with a strange look in his black eyes.

Sonia stood in the mustard field of the Dharkars’ and watched Vandana stroll through the field. The girl was deep in thought and seemed unaware that Jatin and Sonia were close.

“What are you thinking, Boss?” Jatin asked.

“I’ve spoken to everyone except Vandana. I think it’s time I had a chat with her.”

“Vandana?” Jatin turned to the lone figure, amidst the yellow flowers and green field. “But…”

“I’ve been suspecting something since yesterday. I need to confirm it. Will you wait here, while I have a small chat with her?”

“All right, Boss. It’s beautiful here anyway!” Jatin happily settled on a flat stone, as his Boss strode through the field with purposeful steps, towards Mrs. Dharkar’s daughter.

Sonia stared at the horoscopes, her eyes flicking and her mind nibbling on the myriad thoughts which seemed to be jostling for attention. She knew that the answer was close. And yet still out of grasp. She sat back against her chair, cradling a warm cup of
chai.
Nidhi curled in her lap. Sonia sipped the
chai,
her thoughts churning. Casually, she picked up the music book which she had borrowed from Kirit. There were different sections on different singers from different Gharanas. Sonia turned to the Gwalior section. Her Hindi was excellent and she had no problem understanding the language. Suddenly her hand paused on a page. It was dog-eared and as she began reading it, her heart began thudding. She placed the cup aside and read each word of the page carefully and thoroughly. Then, rising hastily, she muttered an apology to Nidhi, who protested loudly. She removed the CD she had taken from Mrs. Dharkar from her handbag and inserted it into her player. Finally, she buzzed the intercom.

“Jatin?”

“Yes, Boss?”

“See that I’m not disturbed for at least half an hour.”

“Right, Boss!”

Sonia played the CD and relaxed in her chair as the raag began. The three voices were very good. The raag began slowly, as each of the students vocalized their talent. A slight reverb to their voices added a touch of reverence. Raag of inspiration, Mrs. Dharkar had told her. Sonia closed her eyes. She allowed the three beautiful voices to unwind, caress, gain tempo, flourish, scale, and dip, thrilling her with the essence of the music. She felt her heart fill with the music and her body tingle with inspiration.

A while later, she walked out into the outer office. Her face was flushed.

“Boss?” Jatin asked with immediate concern. “Are you all right?”

“Jatin, we are going over to the Dharkar residence at once!”

“I accept it!” Bishan burst out. “I did it! I killed our Guruji!”

Mrs. Dharkar, Sonia, Jatin, Kirit, Vandana, and Sumeet stared at him. Bishan was sobbing uncontrollably, his sobs rending from his heart.