Chapter 2: A Clash of Wits
The Bakshi living room had descended into chaos. Aunties fanned themselves with wedding invitations, uncles argued over cricket scores, and the bride, Sanya, was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
“Everyone, calm down!” Niha’s commanding voice cut through the noise like a butter knife through day-old gulab jamun.
Niki, standing awkwardly near the doorway, whispered to Chintu, “How does she always sound like she’s ordering an army to march?”
Chintu smirked. “Probably practices in the mirror.”
“Niki!” Niha’s sharp tone jolted him out of his thoughts.
He groaned. “What now?”
“You and I are going to solve this mystery,” she declared.
“Why me? Get someone else!”
Niha folded her arms, clipboard balanced precariously in one hand. “Because, unlike you, the rest of this family has actual responsibilities.”
“Excuse me, I’m very responsible,” Niki shot back, puffing his chest.
Niha raised an eyebrow. “Really? Weren’t you the one who accidentally mailed a wedding invitation to the dry cleaner?”
“That was one time!”
“Exactly. One time too many.”
---
The Interrogations Begin
Niha dragged Niki into the first interrogation—a room full of cousins playing cards.
“Alright, spill it,” Niha began, glaring at the group like a school principal catching kids chewing gum. “Who had access to the jewelry before the ceremony?”
The cousins exchanged confused glances.
“Uh… Aunt Vimla?” one of them ventured.
“Of course,” Niki muttered. “It’s always Aunty Vimla.”
Niha shot him a look. “Focus. Did anyone else touch the necklace?”
Chintu, who had followed them into the room, piped up. “Actually, I saw Nani holding it yesterday. She said something about ‘dusting off old memories.’”
“Memories or the necklace?” Niki asked.
“Both, I think. Then she got distracted by the sweets table.”
Niha scribbled something on her clipboard. “Right. Next stop: Nani.”
---
Nani’s Confession
They found Nani comfortably ensconced on a sofa, watching a soap opera while munching on laddoos.
“Nani,” Niha began, kneeling beside her. “We need to ask you something.”
“Hmm?” Nani said without taking her eyes off the screen.
“It’s about the necklace,” Niha pressed. “Did you see anyone else touch it after you?”
Nani waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, beta, I don’t remember. Too much drama happening in this house. Speaking of drama, look at this evil mother-in-law on TV—she just swapped her daughter-in-law’s gold bangles with plastic ones!”
Niki froze. “Wait… plastic bangles?”
Niha sighed. “Nani, focus! Did anyone touch the necklace or take it somewhere?”
“Oh, I might have given it to your Chacha,” Nani said absently, popping another laddoo into her mouth.
“Chacha?!” Niki exclaimed.
Nani nodded. “Yes, he said he wanted to… uh… polish it! Yes, polish!”
Niha groaned. “Looks like Chacha’s our next suspect.”
---
The Trail Heats Up
As they made their way to find Chacha, Niki leaned over to Niha.
“Are we seriously about to accuse Chacha of being a thief?”
“We’re not accusing him of anything yet,” Niha snapped. “We’re just… gathering intel.”
“Yeah, because this feels exactly like a spy movie,” Niki said sarcastically. “Except instead of saving the world, we’re saving a wedding.”
“Some would argue that’s even more important,” Niha replied with a smirk.
---
As they marched down the hallway to Chacha’s room, Niki couldn't help but make a face. “I can’t believe we’re going to accuse him. The man spends 40 minutes every morning looking for his glasses—which are always on top of his head.”
Niha shot him a glare. “Stop talking. Focus.”
They knocked on Chacha’s door. A muffled voice responded from within.
“Come in!”
Niki swung the door open, only to find Chacha sitting at his desk, surrounded by at least five empty tea cups, three biscuit wrappers, and a dusty old book about "Advanced Polishing Techniques."
Chacha looked up, startled. “Oh! Niha, Niki! What a surprise.”
“Polishing?” Niha asked, raising an eyebrow. “Really?”
Chacha blinked innocently. “Yes, yes, the necklace needed polishing. I thought I'd give it a good shine before the wedding. Can’t have it looking all old and scratched up, right?”
Niki stared at the pile of tea cups. “How many cups of tea does it take to polish a necklace, Chacha?”
Chacha frowned. “Well, the tea gives me energy. You know, to focus.”
“And the biscuits?” Niki pressed.
Chacha picked one up, dunked it into his tea, and shrugged. “They help with concentration.”
Niha shook her head in disbelief. “Right. I’m going to assume the necklace is still with you, and not—” She glanced around dramatically—“hidden under a pile of empty tea cups and biscuit wrappers.”
Chacha, looking increasingly uncomfortable, shuffled through his desk. “Uh, yes, of course. The necklace is… right here.” He pulled out a small box with a very suspicious clinking noise.
Niki immediately leaned forward, squinting. “That doesn’t sound like gold, Chacha.”
“No, no, it’s… uh, just some... extra jewelry I was polishing.” He quickly shoved the box back in the drawer. “Nothing to worry about!”
Niha raised an eyebrow. “Chacha, are you hiding something from us?”
“I would never!” he exclaimed, his eyes darting around nervously.
Niki rolled his eyes. “Please, Chacha, we’ve all seen you try to sneak a second serving of gulab jamun without telling anyone. The whole family knows you’re incapable of not hiding things.”
Chacha sighed, opening the drawer and revealing a large, gaudy plastic necklace. It was… well, something that could only be described as a decorative monstrosity.
“Okay, okay! I swapped the necklace, alright?” Chacha confessed. “But hear me out—I thought if I gave it a little polish, no one would notice!”
Niha gasped. “You swapped it?! Why would you do that?”
Chacha looked sheepish. “Well, I was planning to give the real necklace as a surprise to the bride. I knew she wanted something a bit more ‘vintage,’ and I thought this would look more... special?”
“Special?” Niki repeated. “Chacha, this looks like a wedding gift from a dollar store!”
Chacha winced. “I wasn’t thinking clearly, okay? All I wanted was a thank you card!”
Niha slapped her forehead. “Unbelievable. You’ve ruined the wedding, Chacha!”
Chacha stood up, his hands held up in surrender. “Look, I’ll fix it! I’ll go find the real necklace. But first, I’m going to need a snack.”
---
Back to Square One
With Chacha now on a frantic mission to retrieve the real necklace, Niki and Niha took a moment to regroup in the hallway.
“So, Chacha’s got the gold and we’ve still got... a plastic monstrosity,” Niki said, dramatically holding the fake necklace in front of him like a piece of ancient treasure. “This feels like we’re on some kind of twisted game show. Who Wants to Be a Wedding Planner?”
Niha rolled her eyes. “Focus, Niki. We need to find that necklace before the groom’s mother sees this disaster.”
“Oh, right, because there’s nothing more terrifying than Aunty Meena’s disappointed glare,” Niki said, shuddering. “It’s like a dagger straight to the soul.”
Just then, a loud screech echoed through the mansion. “I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS! THERE’S NO PANNEER!!!”
Niki sighed. “And there goes my soul.”
Niha turned to him, an evil grin spreading across her face. “Well, if we’re going to make this wedding go from disaster to disaster, we might as well lean in. Let’s go confront Aunty Meena about the missing paneer.”
“After you, boss,” Niki said, bowing dramatically.
---
To be continued
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